Ryan Hastman: Think you’ve got Alberta figured out? Think again

It’s hard to appreciate home until you move away. In August of 2006, I moved from my hometown of Edmonton, all the way to Ottawa to work for the Stephen Harper government.

There, in what a friend of mine referred to as a “barbarian land,” our group of Western expats would meet on weekends for what we called “Alberta Breakfast.”  To get an invite, you either had to be from Alberta or aspire to be an Albertan. Beyond that, we weren’t picky, and anyone could join. Just like back home.

Spending time in Central Canada made me realize that to some people, Alberta was like a distant territory. A place for the colonials to go and work, whose main contribution was to send money and resources back home to the hallways of power.

Alberta represents a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s the land of big trucks and swinging plastic truck testes. It’s home to the biggest sky and economic opportunity. It’s also seen to some as a redneck backwater, slightly embarrassing, and prosperous only because of nothing more than dumb luck. I can tell you that’s dead wrong.

But what has Alberta meant to Canada? Alberta has always represented opportunity and the chance for a fresh start. A place to chase your dream and build something new, where you aren’t held back by language, religion, your family name, or anything else.

But don’t take my word for it. People have been coming here in droves. Alberta has definitely been calling: from 2015 to 2025, even factoring in a lot of economic uncertainty, Alberta’s population grew by 20 percent. Since 2009, the population of Airdrie, Alberta, a bedroom community just outside of Calgary, has grown by 126 percent, from 39,000 to over 88,000 people.

That growth is everywhere in the province, and everyone in Alberta can tell you about a new development, a new road, or neighbourhood near them that wasn’t there at all six months ago. In fact, saying “I remember when that over there was just a field” may be the most Albertan thing you can say these days.

What is drawing all of these people here? What is the story of Alberta? Is it pipelines, oil, cowboys, and pickup trucks? Well…. yes. But it’s more than that. Alberta isn’t only a province; it’s an idea. It’s opportunity.

I was there in 2018 at the Manning Networking Conference in Red Deer. In the midst of a downturn—just like now—when many Albertans were feeling anxious and not sure if the rest of the country cared, Rex Murphy spoke to us from his heart. He reminded us all about what Alberta means to his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He portrayed Alberta as a symbol of Canadian ingenuity and hard work, arguing that its oil industry was unfairly targeted by environmental activism and federal policies, which he saw as a betrayal, given the province’s role in sustaining Canada’s economy. As with many of his columns, it was a reminder that at least some in the rest of Canada actually value us.

But the story of Alberta isn’t just one thing. We have many challenges today, and uncertainty on the horizon. A lot of Albertans are frustrated after the last 10  years—that lost decade that The Hub has been lamenting. That frustration has really ramped up lately, with a lot more talk of autonomy, sovereignty, and even the “S” word again…

When this outlet launched four years ago, the vision was clear:

“The Hub is a news and commentary website committed to independent analysis and spirited debate about Canada’s past, present and future.”

Well, I think it’s time to have that conversation about Alberta and the West. I’m excited to host the latest addition to The Hub, a new podcast called “Alberta Edge,” debuting today, where every story and conversation begins with a Western perspective.

I, alongside Falice Chin, The Hub’s new Alberta senior producer, want to help facilitate conversations between our province and the rest of the country, and between Alberta and itself. We’re going to explore the themes and ideas that make Alberta what it is and try to help find a way to move its relationship with the rest of the country forward in a productive way. We want to challenge ourselves to see Alberta for what it is and what it can be.

I can’t wait to get started.