File photo of Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf prior to the 2023 provincial election. (Photo: LNN)

By Joel Mendelson

Year in Review: Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge-East

Jan 3, 2024 | 5:47 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The MLA for Lethbridge-East is celebrating a successful 2023 campaign.

Nathan Neudorf told Pattison Media, “I’m very thankful for being elected to this office, and believe me, I do understand how close [the election] race was and there’s many that want to see something a little bit different, but I hope they see me working and continue to work hard on their behalf for the betterment of Lethbridge and the betterment of Alberta.”

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Neudorf spoke about the population growth in Alberta, explaining that while the growth is positive, there are adverse effects as well.

He said, “There’s also growing pains with [population growth]. We’re seeing a much higher demand on our services, again, health care and education predominantly, but also our public safety services across the board. There’s still a lot of outfall from the pandemic, a lot of mental health issues that are coming around and then there’s also the capital side of that which is critical infrastructure.”

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Neudorf continued, “We need more schools, we need more health care facilities, we need more roads and overpasses and buildings like that. So, these are wonderful things but they create a challenge”

Nathan Neudorf was named Minister of Affordability and Utilities in 2023, a sector that had a large effect on Albertans in 2023. He said, “What we’ve seen in the past, particularly the federal government’s decisions on things have contributed to that inflation, and how do we correct that, how do we manage that, because that puts pressure on every single person’s pocket.”

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He added, “I’m very excited about being on a file like electricity, where when we bring correction to that and see that number come down and stabilize for Albertans. It’s actually an anti-inflationary primary input cost. It will reduce the price of food because grocers use a lot of electricity in their refrigerators and coolers, businesses pay those utility bills and they add markups to whatever they sell. We can correct that and I believe we will in 2024.”

Looking to the future, Minister Neudorf said he is hoping to empower Albertans to be able to control their utility bills. He said, “ I’m very excited all of our inquiries are coming to an end by [the] end of January or end of February, and we’ll be able to put forward a vision hopefully for decades of how we can see the growth and stability of our electricity utility, and how that will stabilize prices, bring prices down.”

He continued, “I really hope to be able to build into it an ability for people to be empowered to make great choices on their own, which will not only lower the greenhouse gas emissions but also lower their bills. If we can structure the system that way, I think that’s really exciting for people to be able to be empowered to take control over their own utility bills.”

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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