Baird-Brenneman
Rick George
Cave-Edgar
Elford-Hudema
Hughes-Levant
Liepert-March
McNaughton-Prentice
Rice-Tertzekian
Thomas-Wilson |
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Ron Liepert
Health Reformer
It seems every Albertan has been affected by Health and Wellness Minister Ron Liepert’s changes to provincial health services. Shortly after assuming the post last year, he announced the consolidation of Alberta Health Services, in which nine health services authorities were merged into one “superboard,” said by Liepert to be the “largest merger in Canadian history.” Rural residents worried they would be overlooked by the new agency, which continues to undergo changes. In December Liepert unveiled a new seniors’ drug plan. Under the plan, middle- and high-income seniors would face expensive prescription costs; a public outcry sent the minister back to the drawing board. During a speech on April 23, he announced a revised plan set for July 2010 that would placate seniors: nearly 60% could expect to pay less than they currently pay for drugs. “There will be challenges, but actually I look at this as an opportunity – an opportunity to do things differently in health care, because we simply can’t continue to throw money at the system in the hopes that it will improve. We’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked,” he said. But health care costs still needed to be cut. The health ministry delisted chiropractic care and gender reassignment surgeries from those paid for by the province. Denying coverage for the latter has even led to human-rights complaints. Liepert seems unfazed, though: “Change will be opposed by many who use the system, because there is this belief that health care should be free.” – Stephanie Sparks
BUSINESS
Don Lowry
Public Sector Capitalist
In early May, CEO and president Don Lowry announced that power and water giant Epcor Utilities Inc. would split into two entities: City of Edmonton-owned Epcor, retaining the rate-regulated services of water, waste water and power distribution, and the new, publicly traded Capital Power, running (and presumably expanding) the electrical generation side. This is expected to be Canada’s first initial public offering of consequence since the stock market collapse last fall. Lowry will continue to lead Epcor (which will retain a controlling stake in Capital Power), while current second-in-command Brian Vaasjo assumes leadership of the spinoff. Both will occupy the now-rising Epcor Tower, the first major addition to downtown Edmonton’s skyline in two decades.
BUSINESS
Joe Makowecki
Industry Lifesaver
Joe Makowecki, president of Edmonton’s 37-year-old Heritage Frozen Foods Ltd., became the first chair of the newly created Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency board in June 2008. Reporting to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ALMA was established to strategically direct funds, resources and programs into Alberta’s troubled livestock industry. In the government’s 2009-10 budget, ALMA gets $55 million as it injects life into the industry.
ACADEME
Guy Mallabone
WorldSkills Chair
Come September, the Calgary Stampede grounds will be flooded with champion carpenters, welders and other tradespeople from around the world competing in WorldSkills 2009. The event, the largest of any kind in Alberta this year, would not have happened were it not for the tireless efforts over the past few years of SAIT Polytechnic and its vice-president, external, Guy Mallabone, who continues to chair the WorldSkills board.
BUSINESS
Bruce March
Oilpatch Contrarian
There’s a certain elegance to the way Imperial Oil Ltd., Canada’s largest energy company (for now), ignores the herd and the cycles. While virtually every other proposed oilsands megaproject is defunct or deferred, on May 25 president, CEO and chairman Bruce March green-lighted the $8-billion Kearl project (a joint venture with parent ExxonMobil Corp.), taking advantage of a cost environment as much as 40% cheaper than it would have been a year ago. From now to its expected startup in 2012, Kearl is the project in the oilsands. |
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