RJ Sigurdson is back in the Foothills for the summer.

The Highwood MLA was straight to work after this spring's provincial election, representing the governing UCP party in Edmonton.

Sigurdson says his main focus this summer is connecting with the constituents who elected him this past April.

"Because after the election we went to session so quick, for me I'm focusing this summer on connecting with the community," Sigurdson said. "We've spent the last eight weeks in Edmonton, so I'm really excited to be back working from my office here in Okotoks, and connecting with all the municipalities, stakeholders, and the entire community for the summer."

As a rookie MLA, Sigurdson was thrust into the Legislature right away, and was forced to hit the ground running, learning as he goes.

He says the transition to elected office was much easier thanks to the support from the other members of his party.

"We always say, at the start it's kind of like drinking from a fire hose," he said. "But we have such a strong team... We really came together as a caucus, and we're supporting each other. It gives us that strength."

In their first eight weeks in office, the UCP have already announced 13 bills to enact their platform.

The Highwood MLA says he's confident in the party's ability to reignite the Albertan economy.

"We're really excited about how these bills are going to help get us back to being the most competitive tax jurisdiction, and start reigniting our economy," Sigurdson said.

"These are the principal parts of our platform... (Voters) sent us up to Edmonton with a historic mandate, and we were all very excited to get to work and get these first few bills put in place."

As the southern chair of the UCP's Rural Crime Committee, Sigurdson intends to work on a report on rural crime through the summer.

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