Alberta
Westjet Founder Clive Beddoe to help Alberta’s economy take flight

Clive Beddoe (74), grew up in Leatherhead, England and immigrated to Canada in 1970.
As an avid licenced pilot himself in 1996, Beddoe became a founding shareholder and the first Chairman of the Board of Directors for plucky start-up WestJet airlines, He also held the President and Chief Executive Officer roles.
Beddoe is President for Hanover Group of Companies and Chair of the Board at SQI Diagnostics Inc. and is Chairman of their Human Resources Committee. and was the owner of Western Concord Manufacturing.
In 2000, Mr. Beddoe, along with WestJet’s other founders were named the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada, as well as EY’s international Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monaco.
In 2004, he received the prestigious Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta Faculty of Business and the Business Advisory Council, in 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary, and was also recognised by the University of Victoria’s School of Business as its Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year.
in 2009 he was entered into the Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends by the Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). That same year he received an Honorary degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
In 2012 Beddoe was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of fame. In 2013 he was named as a Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureate, and in 2014 he entered the Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Beddoe as a young pilot
In 2018, he was honoured with Waterstone’ Lifetime Achievement as Most Admired Canadian CEO’s, in 2019 the travel icon was entered into the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame and in 2020 he was given BCIT’s Honorary Doctorate of Technology Recipient.

Beddoe is an avid sailor
As avid sailor and always loving a challenge, Beddoe participated in the 2006 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, ARC’s annual race across the Atlantic Ocean.
Beddeo is married to Ruth, they have two children, Sean and Kailey and a number of grandkids. Passion is at the core of the Beddeo family, Ruth and Clive have decades of hands-on volunteering, fundraising and Philanthropy for Boys and Girls Club of Canada.

Clive Beddoe (centre), WestJet founder unveils the name of the company’s latest addition, a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Westjet named the plane after him. Photo Courtesy/@KPAE_Spotter
Here are the members of the council. You’ll see more of Tom’s stories about this group as the week progresses.
- Jack Mintz, chair – 2015 Order of Canada member is one of Canada’s most-respected economic & policy minds
- Clive Beddoe – former chair, president and CEO, WestJet
- Robert Blakely – Labour & Employment Lawyer, paid for school as a unionized plumber & pipefitter
- Brent Belzberg – founder and senior managing partner, TorQuest Partners
- Bob Dhillon – founder, president and CEO, Mainstreet Equity Corporation
- Chris Fowler – president and CEO, Canadian Western Bank
- Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper – Canada’s 22nd prime minister
- Peter Kiss – owner and president, Morgan Construction and Environmental
- Zainul Mawji – president, Telus Home Solutions
- Nancy Southern – chair and CEO, ATCO Ltd.
- Kevin Uebelein – CEO, AIMCo
- Mac Van Wielingen – founder, ARC Financial
Dr. Jack M. Mintz heads up Alberta Economic Recovery Council
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.
Related information
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.
Visit Alberta.ca/next
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