Western Canada, and Alberta specifically, is facing a pivotal moment. How does the province and federal government handle an increasingly fraught relationship and domestic dissatisfaction with the status quo? To answer these questions and more, The Hub is excited to launch a new podcast, Alberta Edge, with host Ryan Hastman and senior producer Falice Chin, premiering this Thursday.
My family moved to Calgary from Shanghai in 1999, drawn by the low-tax regime, abundance of opportunities, and the chance to build a better life.
And we found all of that.
In many ways, we benefited from both the Canadian immigrant dream and the Alberta advantage. We were fortunate, but it wasn’t just luck—it’s the way this place is.
First-time visitors are often caught off-guard by Calgary’s colour and bustle: Asian bakeries beside a coworking space for tech start-ups, languages you’d never hear in a 1950s Western film. We love our cowboy hats, but there’s so much more to this city and this province than simplistic stereotypes.
Ideas catch fire here, no matter where they come from.
I’ve since lived in other parts of the country, including Atlantic Canada and, more recently, Ottawa.
Ironically, the times I felt most aware of my “otherness” were outside Alberta. In Halifax, I was once asked for proof of insurance before a hospital would treat me, as if I weren’t a Canadian citizen. In Ottawa, I noticed a sharper line between insiders and everyone else, reinforced by tired jokes about the “knuckle draggers” out West.
Sorry, but that’s just wrong.
What sets Alberta apart is how quickly people give you the benefit of the doubt. Sure, inequities exist, but the default standard is merit over pedigree—nobody cares who your daddy is, only whether you deliver. That mindset fuels hustle, and it also builds surprisingly sturdy communities.
Alberta’s appeal
Like my family, thousands of people vote with their feet. Last year alone, Alberta’s population grew by more than 160,000—roughly the size of Guelph, Ontario—more than any other province. When so many of us come from somewhere else, the usual gatekeepers like lineage, old-school networks, and even alumni T-shirts start to matter less.
In Calgary and Edmonton, I’ve bonded with everyone from teachers to roughnecks, artists, and app developers—people who actually follow through on “let’s grab a coffee.”
That openness powers collaboration, innovation, and above all: shared prosperity. Here, growth isn’t a government experiment; it’s the tide that lifts all boats.
New arrivals from Vancouver or Toronto quickly realize their dollars stretch to a backyard and room for kids. And yes, barrels of oil still pay the bills, but so do tech firms, film sets, warehouses, and greenhouses.
Let’s talk about it
But Alberta’s story isn’t just about economic success. It’s communal. Neighbours haul sandbags during floods, offer couches during wildfires, and greet newcomers with open arms. There’s an innate drive to “do” and “build” rather than wait for help.
So when the rest of Canada debates Alberta’s role in the federation, I hope they set aside the anger and clichés. This is a province of opportunity, cooperation, and ambition—flawed like everywhere else, but refreshingly game for hard work and fresh starts. That, to me, is the real Alberta advantage.
At The Hub, I’m eager to keep telling stories that fill in the rest of the picture, starting with some of the questions raised by the recent federal election.
What would a “fair deal” look like for Alberta (and Saskatchewan) if it were drafted today? What’s actually standing in the way of energy development? And how has the demographic shift westward—the so-called “big shift”—changed the balance of power in Canada?
These questions matter because Alberta is part of Canada. But to truly understand the region, we have to go beyond surface-level debates about Western alienation. It takes a good-faith effort to see Alberta for what it really is—and that starts with listening. To Albertans, and to those who share our interests.
Introducing Alberta Edge
I’m thrilled to collaborate with host Ryan Hastman, a former UCP (United Conservative Party) organizer, Alberta government staffer, and co-host of Daveberta, to produce a new Hub podcast series with that goal in mind. We’re calling it Alberta Edge. It’s a modern take on the old “Alberta Advantage” motto, which many have pointed out has its flaws. Are boom-bust cycles really an advantage when they upend budgets and lives, for example?
Alberta Edge seems more appropriate because the edge cuts both ways. An edge is also both a tool and a challenge.
In our inaugural episode of Alberta Edge premiering this week, we will delve into the province’s “grand ambition”: to build, to lead, and to establish itself as an energy superpower on the global stage. This ambition has profoundly influenced our culture, driven bold ventures and innovation, and generated wealth for generations to come.
But the bigger the dream, the greater the frustration when it feels like external forces are holding us back. Unfortunately, that frustration has turned into discontent or worse for many Albertans.
Let’s not wait till it’s too late to reset the conversation.
Through this podcast, we hope Canadians of all stripes will have the chance to hear unexpected details, find new insight, and even grapple with a few contradictions about this place.
Podcasting is the perfect way to make that journey a shared one. It’s cheaper than a flight to the Prairies or the Rockies, though I highly recommend that too.
Stick around because there’s plenty more to uncover.
Falice Chin is a freelance journalist based in Calgary, serving as the Hub's Alberta Senior Producer. She has worked as a reporter, editor,…
