The unemployment rate is falling. Oil prices and industry land sales are climbing.
And there’s a growing consensus stronger economic growth is on the way.
“Just having some light at the end of this brutal tunnel is very welcome,” University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe said Friday.
One of the most promising indicators surfaced with a new employment report from Statistics Canada showing 16,800 jobs were created in the province in February.
As restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen for in-person service last month, 19,200 Albertans were able to return to work and collect a paycheque in the accommodation and food services industry.
Chris Varcoe: After one terrible year, three hopeful signs for Alberta
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CALGARY Alberta restaurants are looking for more relaxed rules when the province enters Step 2 of its relaunch plan, including who can eat together in restaurants and extending the current curfew. The Alberta Hospitality Association (AHA) meets with government officials weekly to consult but say a meeting Thursday is crucial to address their concerns before the province rolls out the next phase. Among the requests is allowing more people to dine together in restaurants and allowing establishments to stay open past 11 p.m. “When working with government we made it clear that opening up with same family household and the curfew was going to put restaurants into duress right away,” says AHA president Ernie Tsu.
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Caught in the undercurrent of the second wave of COVID-19, thousands of Alberta entrepreneurs are struggling to keep their businesses afloat.
Many have been forced to close their doors. Others are facing public health restrictions and hemorrhaging cash.
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On Wednesday, the UCP government will roll out a new $120-million program designed to keep them going, providing additional grants of up to $10,000 to eligible small and mid-sized businesses.
It should help.
CALGARY Tourism and hospitality businesses in Alberta, forced to close their doors down due to the province s public health restrictions, are demanding answers on a potential timeline for reopening. Owners from the Alberta Hospitality Association (AHA) and the Calgary Hotel Association (CHA) are calling on the province for financial aid, along with a clear and direct path forward. The groups collectively sent a letter to Premier Jason Kenney and Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer. In the letter, the CHA and AHA calls for the Government of Alberta to immediately commit to enhancing the Small & Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant (SMERG), and to include a dedicated tourism and hospitality stream that doubles the grants from $20,000 to $40,000.
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