1. Todd Hirsch, Senior Economist For Alberta Council of Technologies June 2012 Economic Diversification: Alberta’s Holy Grail?

3. Questions to consider... Is Alberta’s economy diversified? Why bother? Diversity by export market? Can diversity be “created”? Do we need to move up value-add?

6. Why diversify?

8. Diversify for diversity’s sake?

11. FEDERAL Department of Regional Economic Expansion (DREE) – 1969 Department of Regional Industrial Expansion (DRIE) 1987 Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Western Economic Diversification Canada (WEDC) Federal Economic Development Northern Ontario (FEDNOR) ALBERTA - programs for direct ownership of industry (1970s and 1980s) - Proposals for an Industrial and Science Strategy for Alberta 1985 to 1990 - The Alberta Advantage in the 2000s - ??? Can Government Policy Induce Diversity?

12. Moving up the Value Chain

14. Summary: Chasing the Holy Grail? 1.worth it, but not easy 2. Alberta more diversified within its energy resources 3.gov’t efforts have been underwhelming 4.non-market sectors and design-oriented industries offer promise