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File photo of Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf. (Lethbridge News Now)

Year-end interview: Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf

Dec 30, 2021 | 6:05 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – 2021 was a very tiring, yet productive year for Nathan Neudorf.

The UCP MLA for Lethbridge-East spoke with LNN on some of the highlights and challenges faced over the last 12 months. One big moment that’s top of mind for Neudorf is the sod turning on the expansion project at Exhibition Park in Lethbridge.

READ MORE: Kenney in Lethbridge for Exhibition Park expansion groundbreaking

READ MORE: Construction value from Exhibition Park expansion more than all other projects in city combined

The MLA also cited renovations at the Lethbridge Airport and a provincial investment in broadband internet as highlights for the past year.

On a personal note, Neudorf said he was honored to be named the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Parks for Water Stewardship.

READ MORE: MLA Nathan Neudorf takes on new portfolio in water stewardship

He’s excited “to coordinate with massive news in investment in terms of our irrigation and how that impacts so many people down here in southern Alberta for agriculture, our ag and food departments, our First Nations.”

“I hope that people in Lethbridge realize that my advocacy on their behalf and their concern for water has resulted in that appointment.”

Neudorf was also elected as UCP caucus chair, and he said he was voted by his colleagues as MLA of the Year.

“I think that, again, just shows the work ethic of Lethbridge and its representative in the legislature and the breadth and range of influence that I’ve worked hard to try to garner on behalf of Lethbridge.”

WORKING HARD

Neudorf said he has learned so much since being elected as an MLA and he maintains a hard-working spirit.

“A lot of people may not see – they may see when I’m in town or more appropriately, sometimes see when I’m not in town. That doesn’t mean I’m not working. I think I have more 19 and 20-hour days in my schedule now than I’ve worked construction in the summertime.”

Neudorf said a lot of government work is about influence.

“Who are you in meetings with and who are you talking to to influence their perspective on something, even by a degree or two? [That’s] significant for Lethbridge and area.”

He used his role as Parliamentary Secretary for Environment as an example, noting it “means that I’m able to influence the Minister of Environment and Parks on decisions that he’s got to make. I’m able to influence the stakeholders within that portfolio on the decisions they make.”

“I think Lethbridge should be very pleased that one of their MLAs is in a great number of meetings in Edmonton influencing a great number of ministers, the Premier and stakeholders as we move forward in governing this province and addressing some really significant issues, not only for Lethbridge but also for the province and sometimes nationally and internationally as well.”

On Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership, which has been questioned throughout the pandemic, Neudorf said, “he’s human like all of us.”

“There are things he’s done very well and things maybe not so well, and we have a democratic society. We saw our AGM come together and we saw a very strong call towards unity there.”

READ MORE: ‘I know that many of you are angry with me’: Kenney speaks to UCP tensions during AGM

Next April in Red Deer, Kenney’s leadership will undergo a confidence vote by UCP members.

READ MORE: Alberta UCP sets one-day confidence vote in April on Premier Kenney’s leadership

Neudorf remarked, “I think it’s healthy in a democratic society to allow for that review to happen.”

“We’ll have to see how the members speak and once that vote is in, we’ll see where we go from there.”

CHALLENGES

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing immense challenges for governments across the world. Neudorf said that was also the case for 2021. He cited Alberta’s “pioneering spirit” when it comes to the management of the pandemic.

He commented that, “we have two large metro cities, and then a very large rural and mid-size city or urban population that don’t always agree on those topics and that has been very challenging to manage and work through as part of the leadership team because what you do in response to one segment doesn’t always coincide well with the other segment.”

“It’s not even as simple as that. There’s obviously sub-demographics that continue to make that challenging, to try to manage something as globally impacting as the COVID-19 pandemic has been.”

Neudorf noted that the provincial government has a diverse caucus, and MLAs sometimes do not always agree on certain issues.

He said, “on some of those [issues], I think we’ve done well and some of those things, maybe less well, and a lot of lessons learned.”

Neudorf wanted Albertans to realize that this was his first time as an MLA, with others in the UCP caucus serving their first terms.

“We were only six months on the job when we hit that global pandemic, which was new for everyone. No one’s had to deal with this in over 100 years. We’ve all had to learn, we’ve all done things well but nobody on their first crack at something often hits a home run, so it has been challenging and we’ve had to learn some very humbling lessons, myself included, and we continue to try to do better and we continue to try to learn from those lessons so we can move forward in a more unified, more responsible way every day.”

Neudorf believes one of the actions the province did well was “keeping our economy one of the most free and open jurisdictions, not just in Canada, but in North America and we’re seeing some of the benefits of that now as our economy is literally leading Canada in its rebound.”

“We have the furthest to go on that rebound, but just look at the price of our resources – from oil and gas, to our agricultural sector, our manufacturing sector is doing very well. We have a lot to look forward to as our economy continues to grow and expand. All those jobs lost over COVID, over the time of COVID, have come back and more, and I think that’s a very positive outlook for 2022 as we look forward to hopefully the ending and diminishment of COVID-19.”

LETHBRIDGE-EAST ISSUES

When asked about some of the particular issues facing his riding of Lethbridge-East, Neudorf said the shortage of doctors in the region is very important to his constituents. He said actions are being taken to address concerns of residents.

READ MORE: Lethbridge-East MLA says doctor shortage being addressed

Neudorf is hoping to have more doctors train in Lethbridge, which he believes could entice them to stay in the city once their training is completed. Another issues the MLA is working on revolves around water.

“We have heard from the very beginning, with the challenge and contention of coal mining in the [Crowsnest] Pass, what that would mean for our water sources.” Neudorf said as Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, he’ll be able to tackle this issue hands-on.

He wants residents to see that “their concerns are being listened to by government and resulting in concrete actions being taken where we can continue to work on that moving forward.”

TRADE

Earlier this month, it was announced that the province would be opening three new trade offices in the United States. Just prior to this, it was announced that Neudorf would be representing Alberta at the Council of State Governments National Conference.

He said he’s excited about the various opportunities he’s received to speak with trade partners.

READ MORE: Alberta opening three new trade offices in the U.S.

On the new trade offices, Neudorf said they are located in three of the most significant trade partner areas within the U.S.

“Having people on the ground, in those jurisdictions to help answer their questions, to help reinforce that huge trade between our province and those states is a real, massive step forward as we continue to strengthen our relationship with our single greatest trade partner in the world.”

He noted trade is important for all of Alberta, but also for Lethbridge as a city.

“We’re not just the third largest city in Alberta. We are a global player on so many levels, from advanced education to agriculture and food, to trade and tourism, and that’s really exciting to see.”

In conclusion, Neudorf said the top issues for Lethbridge going into 2022 are continuing to address the doctor shortage and concerns around waterways in southern Alberta. He also believes residents are looking forward to the next provincial budget, and he is looking forward to working with the new Lethbridge City Council.

Neudorf said, “I think we’re looking forward to the new treatment beds to really help us in our fight against mental health and addiction challenges that we face in the city, so again some of those really significant issues – there’s been announcements made over the past two years.”

“Now, in 2022, I hope to see the infrastructure catch up to those issues and we begin to see the real feet on the ground changes as those who are struggling with mental health and addiction don’t just have to look forward to an announcement – they’re actually looking forward to a bed and treatment and help as they try to get their lives back to where they want them to be.”

READ MORE: Province moving forward with 50-bed recovery community in Lethbridge

He added that, “it will be really nice I think, to shift away from challenging issues like COVID and those kind of things to a more stabilized state of affairs where people are getting back to life more like normal than they’ve had in two years.”

“I think there’s a lot to look forward to.”

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