The Voice: November 10th, 2025
Canada's Immigration Level Plan, A record breaking tourism season, Alberta named 'Most Desirable' region in the world, the .CA small business gift guide, upcoming Remembrance Day ceremonies and more all in this week's edition of The Voice.
Business News
Canada’s new 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan
Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan focuses on economic needs by bringing in workers for key sectors like health care and construction, and attracting top talent for emerging industries. The plan reduces temporary resident levels, and stabilizes permanent resident targets. It also maintains Canada’s longstanding commitments to reunite families and support vulnerable populations, while keeping immigration aligned with economic and infrastructure realities.
Read the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan and view the final report on the consultations on immigration levels.
A record-breaking season showcases the strength and reach of Canadian tourism
Canada’s tourism sector delivered a record-breaking performance in summer 2025. Generating nearly $60 billion in revenue between May and August, Canada saw a 6% year-over-year increase and a clear signal of the sector’s national strength and resilience.
Driven by both domestic travel and international demand, tourism activity grew in 89% of Canadian regions.
Key highlights:
- $59B total tourism revenue, including $44.4B from Canadians and $14.6B from international visitors
- Domestic tourism spending grew 7%, with Canadians exploring across provinces
- Hotel occupancy reached 80.7% in August, the highest since 2014
- 59% of regions outperformed urban growth rates, reflecting unprecedented dispersion of economic benefit
Check out Destination Canada’s 2030 Strategy: “A World of Opportunity”: Destination Canada’s roadmap to transforming the sector and catapulting Canada back into the top 7 global destinations by 2030.
Alberta named Most Desirable Region in the world by the UK’s biggest travel magazine
This major achievement demonstrates Alberta’s strategic investments to grow and innovate in the tourism sector are paying off, following a record year of visitor economy growth. With 10 per cent of Albertans employed in tourism, this award shows the momentum of this rapidly growing industry. As a trusted global travel publication with over 200,000 readers in the UK and beyond, Alberta’s story is reaching thousands of visitors who are looking for authentic experiences and will drive further growth of the visitor economy by experiencing the province. For tourism businesses across Alberta, this recognition opens new doors and creates monumental opportunities for growth, collaboration, and innovation on a local and global scale.
As the second largest international market for Alberta, UK travellers spent $287M in 2024 while visiting the province. Their top reasons for choosing Alberta include natural attractions, northern lights, historical sites, wildlife, and the local food scene.
Find out more. Discover why investing in tourism matters for Alberta.
The .CA gift guide is back.
Hear those faint sleigh bells jingling? Santa’s workshop is busy building he 2025 .CA Small business gift guide and need your help. Think your .CA business would be a good fit? Know a small .CA business that deserves to be showcased?
Medicine Hat-Cypress News
Remembrance Day services in Medicine Hat & Redcliff
Royal Canadian Legion Robertson Memorial Medicine Hat Branch #17’s Remembrance Day service will be taking place at the Esplanade for the annual Remembrance Day service with doors opening at 9:00 am. The service will also be livestreamed on the City’s Youtube channel starting at 9:25 a.m. The ceremony will continue at the Cenotaph at 11:00 am.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 6 in Redcliff is hosting their Remembrance Day service at Parkside School beginning at 10 a.m. with the cenotaph service taking place in Royal Canadian Legion Memorial Park at 11 a.m. Following the service, a reception will take place at the Legion (302 Broadway Avenue), beginning at noon.
Council Organization Meetings
Mayor Linnsie Clark and eight new Councillors have been sworn into office at the inaugural meeting of the 2025-2029 Medicine Hat City Council on November 3. Mayor Clark announced Committee appointments for each Council Member to various standing committees. See the appointments
Cypress County held its organizational meeting on October 27 with Dan Hamilton being elected as Reeve. Viewers can watch the livestream and read the organizational meeting agenda available online.
The Town of Redcliff held its organizational meeting on November 3 with the agenda available online.
Looking to upgrade your home and save on energy costs?
Medicine Hat’s Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) makes it easier than ever to invest in energy-efficient renovations. With CEIP, you can finance up to 100% of eligible energy upgrades like insulation, windows, or solar panels at a low 3.25% interest rate. Repay through your property tax bill, with flexible terms and no penalties for early repayment.
Learn more or apply today at medicinehat.ca/ceip
Report a problem
Residents who happen to notice a street light outage, traffic light issue, or whatever you may see, you can use the Report a Problem page on the City website.
Brooks-Newell News
Remembrance Day service – City of Brooks
The Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day service will be taking place at the JBS Centre at 10:00 am, followed by a ceremony at Veterans Park for the moment of silence and laying of the wreaths. There will be a lunch to follow at the Brooks Legion.
Brooks Leadership Breakfast
The Mayor of Brooks, Reeve of the County of Newell and Deputy Mayor of Rosemary joined our CAOs from each of these three municipalities on November 5th to give a perspective of the roles of the elected representatives and role of municipal administration within a City, Town and County and the work that happens within the region.
Watch the replay here to hear from our elected representatives on their roles on Council and the potential priorities they will bring forward for the upcoming term, followed by the CAO speaking about the role of municipal administration and the municipality's successes and achievements over the past year.
Council Organizational Meetings
On November 3, Mayor Norm Gerestein and its six members of Council held its annual Organizational Meeting, where newly elected members were officially sworn in. During this meeting council Appointed members to various Boards, Committees, and Commissions and set the meeting schedule for the upcoming year.
You can view the meeting agenda and council highlights.
The County of Newell held its organizational meeting on October 30 with Arno Doerksen being elected as Reeve once again. Both the livestream and organizational meeting agenda are available online for those interested.
The Town of Bassano held its organizational meeting on October 27 with Mike Wetzstein elected Mayor and Mike Phillips elected Deputy Mayor. Find out more.
City of Brooks to Purchase Oasis Theatre
City to Purchase Oasis Theatre for $100,000, with plans to transform it into a non-profit community entertainment and event centre. The theatre was permanently closed in December 2023. City staff identified an opportunity based on successful community-operated theatres in similar-sized communities across Canada. The plan is to create a non-profit society that would operate the theatre, with the City providing the property at zero cost. The non-profit model offers benefits including flexible programming, access to arts and infrastructure grant funding, volunteer support to lower costs, and community buy-in. Council voted 5-1 to approve the $100,000 purchase, subject to the Interim CAO's approval of property inspections and due diligence. Purchase price includes updated projection and concession equipment. All inspections have been solid to date.
Advocacy in Action
Have your say on highway speed limits
Albertans can share their views on modernizing speed limits on divided highways through an online survey running until Dec. 12. The survey will ask how Albertans view raising the speed limit by 10 km/h on various highways from 110 km/h to 120 km/h.
The survey is available online.
BUDGET 2025 PROMISES INVESTMENT, BUT THAT’S UP TO BUSINESS
After eighteen months, Canada’s business community has been left waiting a long time for a federal Budget. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s GDP forecast is still at 1.52% for Q3. This low growth business environment has felt intractable in the face of economic disruption. The economy has fallen short of its true productive potential with external and self-imposed challenges to the business environment.
“Canada has an urgent need to get back to a growing, productive economy,” said Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said. “In this federal Budget, the government has heard business’ call to focus on the economy and has made some tough choices to attract investment. Individual businesses – small, medium and large – will be the ultimate judges of whether this is enough to start making investments in Canada again”
Alberta Chambers of Commerce and Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium Partner to Strengthen Canada's Supply Chain Competitiveness
The Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) and the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) have entered into a strategic partnership to strengthen Canada’s supply chains by elevating the visibility of domestic supply chain opportunities in regions across the country.
Through this partnership, ACC and EMC will collaborate to pilot and launch a network enhancing how Canadian manufacturers connect, share information, and verify capabilities through secure, standards-based digital infrastructure. The pilot will launch first in Alberta and serve as a foundation for broader national adoption in 2026.
“This is a pivotal time for Southeast Alberta and our region is well positioned for opportunities with the new regional economic development strategy and focused effort in aerospace, defence, manufacturing, agriculture and agri-food investment.
Our Chamber is committed to ensuring the voice of business is heard. We’re focused on collaboration, advocacy, and equipping our members to thrive in a changing economic and global landscape. Tools like the supply chain network and the partnership between the Alberta Chamber of Commerce and the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, help connect our business to local and provincial supply chain networks, but ultimately greater connectivity to an expanded national supply chain network.” says Aaron Fleming, President, Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce. Read the news release online.
Next Level Events
Midnight Madness
BDC | Your AI journey: from strategy to execution
Identify opportunities for improvement related to AI and plan their implementation in your business with this free 60-minute online course offered by BDC. Take the Free course here
BBB Top 10 B2B Social Media Trends for 2026
November 19, at 10:00 am
Enriching Your Business
There's a reason Chambers Plan is Canada's #1 plan.
JoAnne Letkeman, Exclusive Chamber Group Advisor
Medicine Hat & District | (403) 504-2166 ext 1.
Scott Walls, Exclusive Chamber Group Advisor
Brooks-Newell Region | (403) 892-9675
Fuelling the Business Community
Check Out Our Chamber Members
Curious as to who is a Chamber Member? Check out our Member directory! Discover and connect with local companies across various industries in our region. Users are not permitted to use the Business Directory to email or contact in bulk. All users must comply and be in accordance with Canadian anti-spam legislation.
We continually look forward to helping our members during their business journey and wish each the best in all future endeavors. We are extremely happy to have such amazing members, and are very glad that we can serve a part in that journey! Keep your eye out for more new member posts moving forward!
Member Events this week
November 12 Passages
November 12 MHC Medicine Hat Open House
November 12 SKFitness Baby and Me Bootcamp
November 12 Fire to Fork
November 13 3rd Annual Cypress County Ag Connections Conference Presented by MNP Registration
November 14 SKFitness Sound Bath
Check out the events: https://chamber.southeastalbertachamber.ca/member-events
Prepare your business for the holiday season with the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
As the holiday season approaches, it's crucial for businesses to prepare and maximize their potential. The BBB expert tips cover everything from organizing inventory and crafting effective marketing strategies to ensuring customer satisfaction and boosting sales on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Get ready to make the most of this busy time and create a memorable experience for your customers.
Elavon – Special Promotion
When you open a new payment processing account by November 30, 2025, you could receive a $200 statement credit.* The right payment solution can help grow your business, increase customer loyalty, and set you apart from competitors. With flexible point-of-sale solutions customized for your business needs, we make accepting payments easier for you and your customers.
What are you waiting for? For over 30 years we have been helping businesses of every size provide fast and secure payments. Let us do the same for you.
* To qualify for the promotion, you must sign up for a new payment processing account with Elavon Canada between October 1 and November 30, 2025. Merchant accounts must be activated and actively process-ing payment transactions by December 15, 2025 for a minimum of one week and be in an open status at the time of the incentive credit. A one-time $200 credit will be applied to your Elavon statement within 90 days after the first deposit date. Limit one credit per customer. Cannot be combined with another offer. Elavon reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify, suspend or terminate the promotion at any time without additional notice. Restrictions may apply. Services provided by Elavon Canada Company.
Fill Up On Funding
Kiva Crowd Funding
The Medicine Hat Rotary Club recently shared information about this crowd funded, microfinancing organization that connects people with lenders. Kiva works in 70 countries on 5 continents to help entrepreneurs who would otherwise be unable to secure loans to start or grow their business. Kiva has funded 2.3 million loans totaling $2 billion to date with over 96% repayment rate. For as little as $25 dollars, anyone can loan money. As your loan is repaid, you can re-invest that money into a loan for someone else. Please go to Kiva.org to learn more about this awesome opportunity to give people a hand up rather than a hand out! It is truly amazing!
Unlocking Talent: How Southeast Alberta Businesses Can Benefit from New Work-Integrated Learning Funding
In the November 4, 2025 federal budget, the Government of Canada made significant commitments to multi-year strategic investments in work-integrated learning (WIL) as part of its broader strategy to address youth unemployment and prepare the workforce for future challenges. With a commitment of over $1.5 billion to youth employment and WIL initiatives, the funding will provide for more opportunities to connect students to meaningful work and career development. The funding includes:
- Student Work Placement Program (SWPP): $635 million over three years to support 55,000 student placements annually.
- Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS): $308 million over two years to help youth transition into careers.
- Canada Summer Jobs Program: $594.7 million over two years to create 100,000 youth jobs.
- Youth Climate Corps: $40 million to train youth in climate resilience and emergency response.
- Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL): Continued support for platforms enabling paid project-based learning.
What Does This Mean for Southeast Alberta Businesses? These programs offer:
- Subsidized student placements to support your workforce needs.
- Access to skilled youth talent trained in sustainability, tech, and trades.
- Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in work-integrated learning.
- Opportunities to participate in climate resilience and innovation projects.
The Canada Summer Jobs Grant is open for applications and will close on December 11, 2025, providing employers with funding to help create summer job opportunities for youth aged 15 to 30.
Find out more about why work-integrated learning is important:
Become part of Trade Missions in 2026 and have your missions funded
Alberta Technology Trade Mission to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona March 1-5, 2026: Alberta’s government is the lead for the Alberta delegation to MWC 2026. The Alberta Pavilion, which is part of the larger Canadian Pavilion at MWC 2026, provides Alberta companies the opportunity to showcase their products, services and technologies to a large global audience to help enhance international trade and market access. Find out more. Deadline to register is December 1, 2025.
Canada Trade Mission to MEXICO Feb 15-20, 2026: This trade mission will help Canadian exporters, businesses and innovators position themselves in the important and growing Mexican market by showcasing their capabilities and competitiveness while facilitating long-term, diversified trade and investment opportunities. Find out more in the tech sector newsletter. Deadline to register is November 28, 2025.
We encourage all Alberta companies interested in trade missions to explore if they are eligible for the AEEP program to cover some of their travel cost and registration fees. Detailed info can be found here: alberta.ca/alberta-export-expansion-program
Alberta Manufacturing Productivity Grant – open
This grant provides up to $30,000 in matching funding (up to 50 per cent of eligible costs) to support small and medium-sized manufacturers across any sector looking to improve productivity and competitiveness. Find more info here.
Business Benefits
Find tailored programs, funding, expertise, and talent opportunities all in one place. Answer a few simple questions to get a customized list of supports for your business or nonprofit. Explore here
Submit your inclusive canadian business directory profile! Send in your information for your directory listing through this form.
Crossword Puzzle
Crossword Puzzle Answers
Did you figure it out? Here are the answers for the November 4th crossword puzzle.
Remember that subscribing to our weekly email gets you access to the crossword puzzle. Anyone who sends us their answers will get their name put into our quarterly draw.
The prize? Receive 5 promotional credits with us (for members) or credit towards a membership (for non-members)! Oh and bragging rights that you're a crossword master.
Other News
Other Resources
Alberta Economy Indicators at a Glance
Labour Market Notes – Labour market pushes ahead
Quarterly Alberta Job Vacancy Report for the second quarter (Q2) of 2025
Labour market rebounds after a summer slowdown
Alberta Labour Force Highlights – September 2025
Alberta Indigenous Labour Force Highlights – September 2025
Unemployment rate and employment in Alberta’s sub-regions : July 2025
Other Events
Non-Profits - Fall 2025 Webinars
Events — APEX | Regional Innovation Network of Southeast Alberta
November 13 | Beyond Bootstrap: Building Support for Self-Funded Growth
November 12, 15 | Financial responsibility – Board Development: Register for Nov 12, Register for Nov 15
November 18 | Psychosocial Hazards: Applying the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety
November 19 | Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) and the Student Work Placement Program
November 27 | Future of Funding: How AI is Changing the Game
Useful Links
Follow us on social media for up-to-the-minute updates
The Voice: November 10th, 2025
Canada’s Immigration Level Plan, A record breaking tourism season, Alberta named ‘Most Desirable’ region in the world, the .CA small business gift guide, upcoming Remembrance Day ceremonies and more all in this week’s edition of The Voice. Business News Canada’s new 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan focuses on economic needs by…
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