Tariffs and affordability were particular topics of discussion at the St. Albert Economic Development Business Breakfast on April 3, especially as the city of over 70,000 continues to see rapid growth to the west with new communities such as Chérot and Riverside, and the continued focus on getting council's number one priority Lakeview Business District ready for development.
A panel moderated by Daniel St. Pierre of St. Albert's Economic Development team discussed different topics around St. Albert, like why the city is seeing such rapid growth, as well as managing affordability in the face of economic uncertainty with the United States and President Trump's tariff wobbling.
The panel featured Chris Dulaba, Manager of Placemaking and Entitlements at Rohit Group of Companies, the Chérot developer. It also featured Kalen Anderson, CEO of BILD Edmonton Metro, and Rebecca Garbe, a business and real estate lawyer with Lift Legal.
St. Albert's population has increased by 5.72 per cent in the last five years. According to Anderson, an affordability crisis across Canada is driving those numbers up and bringing people not only to Alberta, but to St. Albert.
"I think that's both a great opportunity for us, and it's also a huge risk, because our city regions cannot house the whole country," Anderson said.
As far as why people may be coming to Alberta and zoning in on St. Albert specifically, Anderson said she thinks that St. Albert offers a renowned quality of life. St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron spoke during her address about how the Globe and Mail ranked St. Albert 10th in places to live for entrepreneurs specifically.
The panel also spoke about some challenges facing the business community right now, particularly around the uncertainty with the trade war with the United States.
"Who knows what implications will have on the tariffs side in terms of what industrial land needs we had, and/or that product," Dulaba said, and posed a question of interprovincial trade.
"What is the implication of going east to west have versus the current north to south? As it relates to trade? And how can St. Albert leverage and take advantage of that?" he said.
Looking beyond 2025 and into the future, Garbe said that St. Albert could be a poster child for movement for people coming from Ontario and British Columbia, but thinks the development and business community and residents can work together to realize their vision for the city.
"Sometimes there is a disconnect between the business community and all of their goals that they have and then our regular community members who just want St. Albert to continue to be this amazing, unique, perfect place to live," Garbe said. She said keeping St. Albert unique -- maintaining green spaces responsibly while also continuing to draw in businesses and development -- is important for drawing people here from across the country.
Anderson said that St. Albert's story over the next five to 10 years is going to be about population growth, and not as a "gentle rain." She said that St. Albert's growth is under the rest of the region percentage wise.
"I think we're going to see a lot of change a lot faster than a lot of people have experienced," she said.
