The CAEP SPARK - July / August 2026
- CAEP Author
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Summer—a Great Time to Connect
Summer is here. Time to step out after a longer-than-usual Spring to gather and connect at special events including parades, rodeos and community celebrations. It’s also a great time to talk about economic development with our members and industry partners in the 25+ CAEP communities in our region.
We’ve been working hard to ensure that CAEP members have exclusive access to our Economic Data Platform. This new platform offers members the ability to generate data driven reports that tell investment decision makers what they need to know to land opportunities in Central Alberta.
We are also holding a Mayors and Reeves Roundtable event on September 3, 2026, in Innisfail. This will be a great opportunity to bring together the full power of our region – the chief elected officers who represent the 175 elected officials and 300,000 residents of CAEP’s member communities. The input we receive at this event will help define the projects that shape the next 10+ years of growth in Central Alberta. Invitations have been emailed to all our member Mayors and Reeves.
And stay tuned for invitations to Coffee with CAEP meetings in your community. I will be scheduling meetings with each CAEP member, and listening closely to your feedback so that we can fine tune our services and demonstrate our commitments to the communities we serve.
For more information on upcoming CAEP events, check out the Events page on CAEP’s website.
Have a great summer! I look forward to seeing you soon.
Lunch and Learn Sessions: New CAEP Economic Data Portal
All CAEP members are welcome to join us for a virtual Lunch and Learn session to learn more about CAEP's new economic data platform, powered by CityViz.
CAEP members now have access to a powerful new economic data platform, accessed through the CAEP website here: https://data.investcentralalberta.ca/
This platform will help communities build a more cohesive investment attraction story. It provides regional and community-level data on population, labour force, business counts, transportation, broadband, social infrastructure, power infrastructure and other key indicators.
It also includes report-building tools that can generate charts, maps, data tables and investment packages.
CAEP and CityViz are hosting two more Lunch and Learn sessions:
Wednesday, July 22 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Wednesday, September 9 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Want to learn more? Contact: Marta Bristow at mbristow@investcentralalberta.ca
Powering Investment in Central Alberta: Moving from Idea to Execution with AltaLink
CAEP welcomes AltaLink—our newest member of Team Central Alberta!
Join CAEP and AltaLink—Alberta’s largest electricity transmission provider—for a virtual Lunch and Learn to hear about Alberta’s electrical system and what it means for investment attraction in Central Alberta.
This practical discussion will help CAEP members better understand how AltaLink works with communities, industry and project proponents to support safe, reliable and affordable connections to Alberta’s electricity grid. Members will gain insight into how working with the transmission provider can strengthen investor readiness and help support Central Alberta as a competitive location for future growth.
Speaker: Colin Harvey, Municipal & Community Relations Manager, AltaLink
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Stay tuned for a calendar invitation to attend this event, coming soon. For more information, please contact Marta Bristow at mbristow@investcentralalberta.ca
Save the Date! CAEP Fall General Meeting
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Location: Lacombe Golf and Country Club, Lacombe, AB
Join us for our 2026 Fall General Meeting — a gathering designed to share progress, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaboration across the region.
Agenda and registration details coming soon.
Paul Salvatore, BA, ALUP, CLGM
Executive Director
Phone: 587-447-2237
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