Economic Development Officials from High River, Okotoks, and Calgary will be speaking about local initiatives on May 16.

The event will be hosted by the Alberta Party Highwood Constituency Association, and President Joel Windsor says it's a great chance for community members to network and learn more about local initiatives.

"Talking about how our local economies are working not only just on their own, but also how they can leverage some of the things that happen in neighboring communities. And the best way to do that is to have everybody from different communities come together to the same spot and network and see what they can learn from it."

He says the local economic development officers will be giving strategies for business owners and community members.

"We're just trying to give people an opportunity to connect a little bit more close to home and find different ways of being successful maybe in new ways. They'll hear different strategies coming from the economic development officers from High River, Okotoks, and Calgary, and know what those strategies are going to be going forward so that they can make their business plan kinda mesh up with that."

Windsor says he's concerned citizens don't feel listened to by the NDP government.

"Over the past bunch of months with our NDP government, we can't say that our local citizens have felt listened to on many fronts on agriculture, on the oil and gas industry, on business for that matter too. So, as an Alberta Party person I really want to make sure that I'm out listening."

Windsor says local businesses are worried about all sorts of economic challenges that come from reduced oil prices or potentially from provincial government policies.

The event will be held from 6-8pm at Joey's Only Seafood Restaurant in High River. Tickets are $20, which includes fish, chips, and a drink. Tickets can be purchased here.