MLA and Premier Danielle Smith reflects on 2025, looks ahead to 2026

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Taber Times

By Nerissa McNaughton
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Danielle Smith has a unique role
in Alberta. Locally, she is the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat, a role she holds in tandem with being the provincial Premier. When she thinks back on 2025, her thoughts go to both the needs of rural Southern Alberta and the needs of the province as a whole.

For Smith, it has been a very busy year.

“One achievement I’m most proud of as the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat is the success we’ve had with JBS Foods,” she shares. “Earlier this year, we announced a $1.8 million investment to connect the JBS Foods plant with Highway 873, which will help plant workers to bypass the congested intersection and use a quicker, safer secondary route. The JBS Foods plant is growing, just like Brooks and the rest of Newell County, and this project will support that growth and improve the road infrastructure in this key part of Alberta.”

Smith notes that in addition to the continued work with JBS Foods and the 12 per cent non-refundable tax credit it was given, the next five years will see several notable projects that will help drive investment and engagement in the riding.

 Some of the projects in progress are:

 • Over $12 million invested in various Agriculture and Irrigation grants across the riding.

 • ICU Bed Expansion – Medicine Hat Regional Hospital: Budget 2025 had allocated $5 million  to enhance the intensive care unit capacity in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. An anticipated eight new intensive care beds in Medicine Hat are pending the completion of the planning stage.

 • New Urgent Care Centre – Medicine Hat: Budget 2025 included $15 million to support plans for eight new urgent care centers in the province, one of them in Medicine Hat to alleviate ER pressures and wait times.

 • Brooks Junior High School Replacement, Grasslands School Division: under construction. Upon completion the school will have a capacity of 720 students with room to expand to 820 students.

• Holy Trinity Academy (Formerly St. Francis Xavier K-9 Replacement School), Medicine Hat Roman Catholic School Division: under construction. Upon completion the school will have a capacity for 950 students.

 • New Middle School in Redcliff, Prairie Rose School Division: proposed/planning.

 • Brooks Composite High School Modernization, Grasslands School Division: proposed/planning. Upon completion, the modernized school will have a capacity of 897 students.

 • New 9-12 Catholic School in Brooks, Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division: proposed/planning. Upon completion, the school will have a capacity of 870 students.

 It’s no secret that the province – and the nation – have been challenged and changed politically in recent years. For Smith, this has meant adapting, learning, growing, and changing as required.

 When asked what she has learned or was surprised about in 2025, Smith reflected, “I would say there’s a time to fight and there’s a time to make a deal, because you can’t always take the same approach in every circumstance. For example, Justin Trudeau was a very different leader than Prime Minister Mark Carney. President Donald Trump is a very different leader than Joe Biden, and you have to be able to adjust your own diplomatic approach depending on the person who’s across the table from you at the time. It’s not always easy to shift gears like that, but you have to begin a relationship on a position of trust. Trust but verify, as I say, so you can see where you can find some common ground. Some leaders, you’re not able to find common ground with, but others you are, and that’s a good place to start from.”

 The year closes and a new year dawns. As an MLA, Premier – as an Albertan and as a Canadian – Smith has a message of hope.

  “To all the readers, I wish you a happy holiday season and a merry Christmas. In 2025, we saw record job creation, record business growth, record employment, record wage growth, and we have a lot to look forward to in the new year. This year we also made some big changes, such as the health care system restructuring. So, as we go in to 2026, our government will be focused on implementing these changes and delivering results for Albertans. I wish all of you a happy new year, and I’m excited for everything this next year holds for our province.”