MEDICINE HAT — Debate over whether immigrants are being scapegoated for Alberta's problems was a highly polarizing feature of an otherwise friendly town hall for Premier Danielle Smith's Alberta Next Panel in Medicine Hat on Tuesday night.

While discussions around creating a provincial police service and reforming equalization payments elicited their own debates, the province's proposal to take greater control over immigration by restricting some newcomers' access to social services brought strong opinions from audience members.

Several said they're concerned the province's messaging is stoking animus toward immigrants who don't bear responsibility for the province's problems.

Smith said Alberta's immigration system would be geared toward finding people who can work in the jobs that are

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