Last month, Albertans were told that money was so tight a $15-million program to redesign the province's licence plates would have to be shelved.
Well, money is still tight and a deficit still looms, but the Tory government is still pressing ahead with a pricey plan to adopt a new provincial brand.
Out is the 15-year-old motto: "Alberta Advantage". In is the more generic and blah: "Alberta: Freedom to Create. Spirit to Achieve." Municipal politicians attending a conference in Edmonton on Wednesday got a sneak peek at Alberta' new slogan and logo, which will cost the province $25-million over three years.
The millions will help pay for a tv, print and radio advertisting campaign the government plans to kick-off on Thursday.
Premier Ed Stelmach told reporters the new brand is "money very well spent" and will help counter "misperceptions" about the resource-rich province. The government has been angered in recent months by growing international criticisms that Alberta is an environmental wasteland.
