Beautiful Province + Strong Economy

Every year, millions of people from all over Canada and the world come to Alberta to experience the powerful beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Plenty of them stay in Jasper and Banff hotels that are run by Karyn Decore’s family business, Decore Hotels.

“I lived in Jasper for years, and it’s pretty common to see elk eating someone’s flower garden or a herd of mountain sheep sauntering across the road,” she says. “Our guests love seeing that kind of thing.”

"As sure as mountains and their abundant wildlife attract tourists, the province’s healthy economy attracts investors and business opportunities," says Decore, a board member of both the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG).

“We’ve got so much going for us in Alberta,” she says. “As a province of hardworking entrepreneurs and visionaries, we’ve become a national economic leader. Having a strong oil and gas sector is absolutely crucial to our achieving and retaining that position.”

Decore and other members of the AEG have been vocal supporters of the energy sector, even organizing an economic forum in Europe last spring to tout Alberta as a great place to do business. The group is planning a visit to Ottawa next, to meet with federal politicians to discuss the importance of the province’s energy industry to the country’s economy. 

At the heart of it, Decore says, free enterprise is the basis of Alberta’s economic success.

“Alberta is part of a global marketplace, and our industries need to remain competitive in order to attract international capital. It’s a fact of life that money will move to the most competitive arena and it will take jobs and local opportunities with it.”

She says another message the AEG is helping to deliver in Europe and elsewhere is about new technologies and innovation in the oil and gas sector that are leading to improved environmental performance.

“There’s a lot of work being done to clean things up and it’s important to note that Alberta’s standards are higher than most other oil producing nations in the world,” says Decore. 

“In my industry - tourism - we know that Alberta is about beauty, too.” She says people have this image of complete environmental degradation; but it’s not true. Albertans care about their province’s environment, says Decore.

“We have everything we need to have a very bright future in this province. We’ve got smart, educated people, abundant natural resources and a variety of other strong sectors,” says Decore. 

“But the reality is, without a strong oil and gas sector in Alberta, we can’t continue to successfully diversify into many other sectors, including tourism.”

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