Let us aim for a population of 110,000 in 20 years
Our guest speaker, Dr Glenn Feltham, interim City Manager of Medicine Hat since June this year, gave an excellent presentation, first about his career and achievements, then his impressions and views of the city of Medicine Hat.
His educational background? A PhD in Accountancy (U of Waterloo); MBA (U of Montana); LLB (Queen’s U).
Dr Feltham is a man who has made his mark in the post-secondary sector in Alberta and Canada, serving in a number of significant positions, including: Professor in Accounting; chair of Polytechnics Canada; chair of the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta; President and CEO of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)(2011-2019); President and CEO of Grande Prairie Regional College (now Northwestern Polytechnic); and, recently, Vice-Chair of the Premier’s Council of Skills.
Dr Feltham emphasized the need for young people go into skills training, this being a fundamental for city and country economic growth.
Glenn thoroughly enjoyed academic teaching – empowering future generations.
He also enjoyed research, writing (“I hate writing but love having written!”) and the administrative part of his positions over the years.
In addition to impacting the post-secondary field, Dr Feltham has also made significant contributions in Canada and Alberta through serving on numerous Boards in the economic, governmental, academic, cultural, and social spheres.
While Glenn finds retirement ‘awesome’, he decided, when approached (through a phone call while watching a Formula 1 race on TV!) to take on the short-term challenge of assisting Medicine Hat until the next City Manager is appointed – likely by the end of this year.
Dr Feltham describes Medicine Hat as a complex city, that he has come to love. What especially does he appreciate? The facilities like the airport, the principal parks, the river, the trails, the historic downtown. He believes that mostly good decisions have been made by those in charge, over the years.
He believes Medicine Hat is in good shape … gas has been a major economic driver over the years…and he believes that the city has financial sustainability… but that it needs to grow in a meaningful way. Who and what do we want to be as a city?
One growth strategy is a targeted immigration policy, seeking needed talent and skills from around the world.
With purposeful growth, “the best days are ahead”.
We thank Dr Feltham for the role he is playing as City Manager in the transition period in our city… and wish him all the best for his post-Medicine Hat retirement!