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Alberta

X Games coming to Alberta

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Minister Ricardo Miranda meets with X Games athletes at the future site of a 14-storey ski jump on the Calgary Stampede grounds.

From the Province of Alberta

Action sport fans could experience the popular, high-energy X Games in Alberta

Calgary has secured exclusive rights to host the X Games.  It would be the first time the event is in Canada.  The X Games would bring more than 200 international skiing and snowboarding athletes to Alberta for a four-day action sports, music and art festival.

“We are thrilled to help bring the X Games to Canada for the first time. This is an important first step to secure this exciting international event. This would be a fantastic opportunity to create jobs and to show Alberta’s amazing athletes facilities, artists and culture to the world.”

Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism

The government has committed $13.5 million over the next three years to help bring the X Games to Calgary. Hosting the X Games would inject about $75 million into Alberta’s economy and support the equivalent of 540 jobs.

“We’re excited to be taking this step towards hosting the first X Games on Canadian snow. It’s about bringing Calgary to a world stage. The economic spinoffs are significant, and support our plans for tourism and economic development.”

Naheed Nenshi, mayor, City of Calgary

“Our vision for Calgary is to bring the X Games to the masses through the action sport athletes and musical artists who create, live and inspire youth culture in Canada. With the incredible support of our sport, community, tourism and government partners, and of course, Canada’s athletes, we’re looking to create a city-stopping and uniquely Canadian annual event in Alberta.”

Russell Reimer, president, Manifesto Sport Management

“After 10 X Games and six medals, it would be a dream come true to have the opportunity to compete on home snow in Calgary on action sport’s biggest stage. The venues are ideal and I know the Canadian fans would go crazy for this kind of event in our backyard.”

Spencer O’Brien, X Games gold medallist

The X Games is an annual action sport, music and art festival produced and broadcast by ESPN. The first X Games was held in 1995 in Newport, R.I. and Mount Snow, VT. The first Winter X Games was held in 1997 in Big Bear Lake, CA. The X Games are broadcast to an estimated 500 million households in more than 200 countries and territories.

Hosting the X Games aligns with a key priority of the Government of Alberta – growing and diversifying the province’s tourism industry by boosting visitation in the winter season and increasing sport participation opportunities for all Albertans.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Agriculture

Lacombe meat processor scores $1.2 million dollar provincial tax credit to help expansion

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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.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

“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.”

Jennifer Johnson, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka

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.”

Thomas Beretta, plant manager, Beretta Farms

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

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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.

Visit Alberta.ca/next

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