Highlights from the MH Economic Development Team

The final quarter of 2024 has been productive, from meeting with stakeholders to building relationships throughout our region. The Medicine Hat Economic Development team continues to leverage connections and utilize data-driven decision-making to grow the industry and the economy in Medicine Hat.

Ag Connections in November 

Medicine Hat Economic Development recently attended the second annual Cypress County Ag Connections Conference at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. This full-day event included speakers on agriculture-related topics, including mental health, succession planning, drones, and water. Our Economic Development Officer, Brady Schnell, was invited to speak about opportunities to support the workforce through immigration programs, including Southeast Alberta Municipal Immigration and the Rural Renewal Stream. MHED team members appreciated the opportunity to participate in this forum and support the development of agriculture in our region. 

3rd Annual Economic Growth Forum in October 

Our team recently attended the 3rd Annual Economic Growth Forum at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. This event featured many speakers addressing important economic topics, including regional opportunities, emerging industries, and workforce development. 

The forum began with a Business Growth Tradeshow, offering local businesses a valuable chance to connect and explore resources such as support services, grant funding, and business accelerators—conveniently gathered in one space. 

One event highlight was an update on the Southeast Alberta Economic Opportunity Strategy, a collaborative initiative involving the City of Medicine Hat, Village of Foremost, Town of Bow Island, Town of Redcliff, County of Forty Mile, and Cypress County. 

This partnership aims to align regional efforts to optimize business attraction, retention, and expansion opportunities. We’re excited about the opportunities this strategy will provide and the shared vision it promotes for our region.

A special thank you to Community Futures Entre-Corp, APEX Alberta, and all the event partners for making this year’s forum a success. We look forward to supporting the continued growth of this event as planning begins for 2025.

Labour Market Profiles launched in October 

In October 2024, Medicine Hat Economic Development released the first of three Local Labour Market Profiles, intended to increase awareness and inform evidence-based decision-making on local programming to improve the balance of labour supply and demand. One data point analyzed was the population change by age and gender from 2011 to 2021. 

This chart demonstrates growth in age groups above 55 years coupled with a contraction in most age groups below 30 years. This data demonstrates approximately 600 fewer babies aged 0-4 years in Medicine Hat compared to a decade ago. Initiatives like Southeast Alberta Municipal Immigration (SAMI) Rural Renewal Program provide one avenue to address demographic shifts as a result of an aging population by supporting employers to attract skills and talent through immigration.

Labour Insights and Trends Shaping Medicine Hat 

Find up-to-date statistics on the trends that are shaping our community with our Community Profile Dashboard. This interactive tool supports informed decision making and highlights statistics on topic like labour force participation, population, and median household income.