Alberta is a province chock full of natural wonders – from ancient glaciers found atop the Rocky Mountains to canyons, waterfalls, and lakes. Then there’s the wide-open prairie grassland, parkland, boreal forests, and the badlands of Alberta are worthy of mention too.
While working as a reporter for the Airdrie City View and Rocky View Weekly, I’ve had the great privilege of journeying throughout Rocky View County to capture the region’s rural life and diverse landscapes in all their splendor. Throughout the process, I’ve learned to appreciate being an Albertan more than ever before.
And while the landscape of our province is diverse and breathtaking, what I have found is that it’s the people who live here that make Alberta a place I am most proud to call home. While we may not always agree, an industrious spirit and resilient streak is found in Albertans from as far north in High Level to way down south in Milk River.
The rowdy among us tap into our pioneering past each year to attend the world-famous Calgary Stampede rodeo and exhibition, where deep-fried delicacies, amusement rides, and cold bevvies abound. It doesn’t matter if you’re a real cowboy or cowgirl during the Stampede, everyone is welcome to don some Wranglers and a buckle belt during those 10 days in July.
And whether you are a Calgarian or an Edmontonian at heart, or whether you root for the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Oilers during the Stanley Cup playoffs, I hope we can all agree that Alberta is a great place to live.
People from all over Canada move to Alberta for work and play. The province is home to the country’s largest deposits of oil and natural gas reserves and boasts a rich agricultural industry that produces bountiful wheat and other grains. And then there’s the millions of cattle and calves.
We also have a health-care sector that provides life-saving treatment for many Albertans and folks from across Canada, too.
Alberta has a rich Indigenous heritage of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples who lived on these lands for thousands of years. We benefit from learning about their traditions and history from knowledge keepers across the province. Through our province’s efforts towards truth and reconciliation, we are beginning to recognize the mistakes made in the past and are forging together for a brighter future for all.
I have lived in Alberta all my life. My family on both sides immigrated to Alberta in the early 20th century in search of a better life from England, Scotland, and Bessarabia, embarking on careers as homesteaders, military men, and coal miners.
It was a hard way of life back then. But thanks to them, I am grateful every day to be able to call this great province my home.
