Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Robin Campbell is in Grande Prairie today meeting with the local office and checking out the wildfire operations centre.
One thing he heard right off the bat was the need for more staff.
“We’re hearing that it’s a challenge to get people to come to the north. Of course, it’s not a challenge I haven’t heard before, so we need to get our heads wrapped around something we can do to get good young people coming up to northern Alberta.”
He’s said he’s had discussions around having co-op programs in universities in order to hire employees at a younger age and get them experience in the field.
Those programs could be short-term, or see students go back and forth between school and work.
Campbell argues the region has all the amenities people want, but more needs to be done to encourage them to move.
Photo: Minister Robin Campbell visits with ESRD staff in Grande Prairie. Courtesy of Robin Campbell on Twitter.
