A crowd of at least 400 lined up outside the Viking Rentals Centre to hear from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a town hall in Okotoks on July 2.
Co-hosted by Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson, the late afternoon forum allowed attendees to pose questions to the two provincial politicians on a wide range of hot button topics.
There were sizable contingents of both critics and supporters of Smith's UCP government, and the crowd often erupted in boos or cheers depending on the question and its answer.
After Smith and Sigurdson provided brief introductory remarks, a line at least 40 deep formed immediately as many attendees were eager to ask questions on topics ranging from the Canada Pension Plan and climate change to data centres and vaccinations.
Speakers were limited to 30 seconds of mic time but were often allowed to go over to finish their thoughts.
One of the most frequently asked questions had to do with coal mines and their environmental impacts, with several speakers citing selenium poisoning of the nearby waters as a significant worry.
Those concerns are due in part to the contentious Grassy Mountain Coal Project, which was recently granted exploratory drilling permits by the Alberta Energy Regulator.
"Coal we can live without, clean water we can't," one speaker told Smith.
The premier responded by telling the crowd that it's the government's job to figure out regulations that allow mining to take place with the least environmental impact possible, adding those minerals are critical to the provincial economy.
Alberta separation was another raucous issue, with one speaker saying Alberta should lead by example, not isolation.
A speaker in favour of separating from the rest of Canada voiced concerns about federal spending.
“They’re printing the money faster than they can spend it. How bad would it have to be before you would lead us out of confederacy?” he asked the premier.
“I support Alberta sovereignty in a united Canada,” Smith responded. “We would be much better off it the federal government read the constitution and understood that they can’t be interfering in our areas of jurisdiction.”
One speaker challenged the premier about the current state of the health care system.
“After 1,000 days in office, the chaos in health care is now your responsibility. It cannot be blamed on anyone else.”
Smith said restructuring was needed because "high-priced managers" with Alberta Health Services weren't doing their jobs.
The biggest crowd reaction came from a question about minors’ access to gender affirming health care.
The hall erupted as people in support and against the policies shouted comments.
“The fact of the matter is we make a lot of decisions about children and what they are able to do with their bodies,” said Smith.
She then cited smoking, drinking and signing contracts as activities minors are not allowed to engage in due to their age.
“If you put a child on puberty blockers before they go through puberty, you are sterilizing them,” added Smith, who received a standing ovation from some in the crowd.
After the 90-minute event, several groups and individuals stuck around the entrance to campaign for their causes. The groups kept it civil and discussed among themselves respectfully despite differing views.
