Speaking on Lacombe's potential for tourism growth, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka and the UCP Culture and Tourism Critic Ron Orr was the special guest speaker at the Lacombe and District Chamber of Commerce General Meeting on Thursday.

Orr said we should be taking advantage of potential tourists from larger centers nearby, and enticing them to come to Lacombe on weekends, but it can be difficult and expensive for a municipality the size of Lacombe to do it on our own.

Using examples of smaller municipality like Sherwood Park, who properly market themselves to bigger, neighbouring centres like Edmonton, Orr encouraged Lacombe to work with the County, as well as neighbouring towns of Ponoka and Blackfalds to develop a comprehensive tourism marketing strategy.

“We’re too small, any one of us to do it independently, we just don’t have the resources. But I think that if we do as other communities in Alberta have modeled and partnered together, create a regional strategy, that we would really improve our ability to actually make that reach.”

Orr also gave and update on how the UCP party is fairing after being established last July.

He says the current Alberta/BC pipeline dispute is a good chance for Alberta and the federal government to work together so we all can prosper.  

“We do need to continue to speak up and invite our federal government to play their role. It’s never good when you have inter-provincial trade challenges and we need some help from the federal government to do their part, so we can continue to prosper as a country, and be good neighbours with other provinces.”

He said they are looking forward to their Founding General Meeting and Convention, which will be from May 4-6th in Red Deer.

He thinks they will be more than able to challenge the NPD in the next election if their support continues to grow.

MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka Ron Orr speaks at the Lacombe and District Chamber of Commerce General Meeting at the LMC on February 22nd, 2018.