Alberta
Lac La Biche County to host of the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2020
Lac La Biche County to host of the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards
This may be a perfect reason to plan a trip up through the north country to Lac La Biche in June 2021. The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation recently announced Lac La Biche County as the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards host community. The awards are Alberta’s most prestigious recognition of outstanding achievement in the arts. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I serve on the Board of Directors of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation.
“By hosting the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Awards, we aim to showcase our community’s long history, vibrant multiethnic quilt, tourism opportunities and the legacy of arts in the Lakeland Region. At the same time, we’re raising awareness of the many gifted artists throughout the province,” says Omer Moghrabi, Mayor of Lac La Biche County.
The 2021 celebrations will connect the themes of cultural diversity and the arts, as influenced by the region’s landscapes and watersheds. Lac La Biche County will be the ninth Albertan community to host the awards since their inception in 2003.

Statue commemorating David Thompson’s arrival in Lac La Biche
The 2019 Distinguished Artist Awards were held in Maskwacis this past September and were considered a massive success on many fronts. Communities in the region celebrated their connection to the arts and their history for an entire month leading up to the awards ceremony and attendance of the award’s patron, Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor the Hon. Lois Mitchell. It was inspiring event and one that will in all liklihood be repeated in Lac La Biche in 2021. Here’s an interesting story that came out of the Maskwasis Distinguished Artist Awards this past fall.
Petrified Buffalo Hearts, Indian Maiden Breasts, Stalagmites and 70 Million Year Old Worm Poop
The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards celebrate Alberta’s rich cultural fabric by honouring its most accomplished artists and supporting professional artists in the early stages of their careers.
Agriculture
Lacombe meat processor scores $1.2 million dollar provincial tax credit to help expansion

Alberta’s government continues to attract investment and grow the provincial economy.
The province’s inviting and tax-friendly business environment, and abundant agricultural resources, make it one of North America’s best places to do business. In addition, the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit helps attract investment that will further diversify Alberta’s agriculture industry.
Beretta Farms is the most recent company to qualify for the tax credit by expanding its existing facility with the potential to significantly increase production capacity. It invested more than $10.9 million in the project that is expected to increase the plant’s processing capacity from 29,583 to 44,688 head of cattle per year. Eleven new employees were hired after the expansion and the company plans to hire ten more. Through the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, Alberta’s government has issued Beretta Farms a tax credit of $1,228,735.
“The Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit is building on Alberta’s existing competitive advantages for agri-food companies and the primary producers that supply them. This facility expansion will allow Beretta Farms to increase production capacity, which means more Alberta beef across the country, and around the world.”
“This expansion by Beretta Farms is great news for Lacombe and central Alberta. It not only supports local job creation and economic growth but also strengthens Alberta’s global reputation for producing high-quality meat products. I’m proud to see our government supporting agricultural innovation and investment right here in our community.”
The tax credit provides a 12 per cent non-refundable, non-transferable tax credit when businesses invest $10 million or more in a project to build or expand a value-added agri-processing facility in Alberta. The program is open to any food manufacturers and bio processors that add value to commodities like grains or meat or turn agricultural byproducts into new consumer or industrial goods.
Beretta Farms’ facility in Lacombe is a federally registered, European Union-approved harvesting and meat processing facility specializing in the slaughter, processing, packaging and distribution of Canadian and United States cattle and bison meat products to 87 countries worldwide.
“Our recent plant expansion project at our facility in Lacombe has allowed us to increase our processing capacities and add more job opportunities in the central Alberta area. With the support and recognition from the Government of Alberta’s tax credit program, we feel we are in a better position to continue our success and have the confidence to grow our meat brands into the future.”
Alberta’s agri-processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the province and meat processing plays an important role in the sector, generating millions in annual economic impact and creating thousands of jobs. Alberta continues to be an attractive place for agricultural investment due to its agricultural resources, one of the lowest tax rates in North America, a business-friendly environment and a robust transportation network to connect with international markets.
Quick facts
- Since 2023, there are 16 applicants to the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit for projects worth about $1.6 billion total in new investment in Alberta’s agri-processing sector.
- To date, 13 projects have received conditional approval under the program.
- Each applicant must submit progress reports, then apply for a tax credit certificate when the project is complete.
- Beretta Farms has expanded the Lacombe facility by 10,000 square feet to include new warehousing, cooler space and an office building.
- This project has the potential to increase production capacity by 50 per cent, thereby facilitating entry into more European markets.
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Alberta
Alberta Next: Alberta Pension Plan

From Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta.ca/Next
Let’s talk about an Alberta Pension Plan for a minute.
With our young Alberta workforce paying billions more into the CPP each year than our seniors get back in benefits, it’s time to ask whether we stay with the status quo or create our own Alberta Pension Plan that would guarantee as good or better benefits for seniors and lower premiums for workers.
I want to hear your perspective on this idea and please check out the video. Get the facts. Join the conversation.
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