Overview

• Premier Danielle Smith hosted the Alberta Next town hall in Medicine Hat on Tuesday, launching the tour’s southern stretch at the Cypress Centre.
• Audience hand-raise straw polls supported every topic presented, with the strongest response for taking more provincial control over immigration.
• Some attendees challenged the framing of immigration and other questions, and the moderator cut off several critics’ microphones during the session.
• Event rules required advance registration and photo ID and barred recording and protest materials, reflecting tight procedural controls on the forums.
• Officials say data from the town halls and surveys will directly inform policy choices, with additional sessions planned in Lethbridge, Airdrie, Grande Prairie and Calgary.