MHC now a voting member of PEP

By Jamie Rieger

Medicine Hat College has been approved as a shareholder and voting member of Palliser Economic Partnership (PEP) after discussions between the two entities that have been taking place since last fall.
“Medicine Hat College has been involved with PEP since it got started and the new college president, Denise Henning, very much feels that the college should be involved with the economic development in our rural areas,” said Alan Hyland, PEP chair. “We have an office there and it seems reasonable that they came to PEP and want to be a player in economic development. Let’s work together as a unit and not in opposite directions.”
According to a statement issued by PEP last week, “the new president of MHC, Dr. Denise Henning is moving forward with a new vision for MHC and with it a number of initiatives, key among them, regional stewardship. MHC wants to have a closer relationship with organizations, municipalities, business, and industry in southeast Alberta.”
The move will prove to be beneficial for both the Medicine Hat College and PEP, according to Hyland.
“The college will be there to help us with there expertise, they have the facilities if we need them and they can create programs that may be needed,” he said. “The college wants to become more involved with regional development.”
The region’s economic development will also benefit through MHC’s regional stewardship initiative, including through its business and trades programs. A long-term goal is to foster innovation and work directly with business and industry in southeast Alberta.
MHC will also play a key role in PEP’s involvement with the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor and the Ports to Plains Alliance.
“This will have all the colleges in the eastern corridor now involved, so we are seeing much more cooperation in the eastern corridor with educational institutions,” said Hyland.