Looking at 2025, the Lethbridge-East MLA who also serves as minister of affordability and utilities said there are two pieces of legislation that will help not only people who live in Lethbridge but all Albertans.
Nathan Neudorf said Bill 52 would update electricity market rules and grid policies to support future demand growth and improve system reliability.
“Under the old system, anybody could build it and we as ratepayers had to pay for it, so straightening that out — very proud of that,” Neudorf said. “Then Bill 8, which helps us manage the new industry of data centres and having them come and pay their fair share of the transmission system, which will likely mean all of us will see a reduction in our power bills when those come online.”
He explained a single data centre could use as much electricity as the entire city of Calgary, something he called mind-boggling.
In 2025, Neudorf has been a vocal supporter of changes to provincial electoral boundaries in the area. He said this is because Lethbridge is the province’s third largest city but has only two seats in the Legislature, and the idea is representation by population.
“I think we need a louder voice, but I think it’s also the fact that Lethbridge is so collaborative by nature, team. So many of our industries are in both the city and rural areas.”
“Food is grown in the rural area, but it’s processed in Lethbridge, tractors, all those kinds of things that are sold and maintained in Lethbridge, but they’re utilised outside the city.”
Neudorf said this rural-urban relationship is part of the area’s heritage and something that should be recognised at the democratic level.
Moving into 2026, Neudorf said the focus is to continue to ensure strong investment in the region and to continue progress on work including irrigation, tourism growth and training medical doctors at the University of Lethbridge.
“As well as celebrating the advancements and additional course offerings at the Lethbridge polytechnic, formerly the Lethbridge College, and making sure that Lethbridge has a very active voice in our government,” he said. “Along with further investments in the cardiac cath lab at the hospital and making sure that as we restructure our health care system, we in Lethbridge are getting the benefits of that.”
As well in 2026, Neudorf said the conversation around nuclear energy will move forward as part of the province’s work towards reliable, low-emitting energy.
“We want to be cleaner as we do things, which is wonderful. I think it’s a great ideal to seek to try to achieve. The first wave of that transition was with wind and solar, which is great low-cost energy.”
According to the minister of affordability and utilities, the issue with solar and wind is that there are days when Mother Nature does not cooperate with cloud cover and no wind, so users end up relying on backup batteries that typically only store about four hours of energy. He said nuclear is the path towards a more affordable energy alternative, which provides a “terrific base load.”
“Canada has a very long, proud history of nuclear generation and we think that part of our goals for the future — having reliable, affordable and dependable electricity — will very likely include nuclear.”
“We’re excited to talk to Albertans and make sure we answer all of their tough questions about what do you do with nuclear waste? What do you do if something goes wrong?”
Neudorf said the province is talking to the right people when it comes to these questions, and he has heard from many Albertans they are excited about the possibility.
