Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel will kick off Thursday at the AUMA Leader’s Panel in Edmonton from 10:45 –11:05 a.m..

Afterwards, he will embark on a trip to Red Deer where he is expected to make an announcement to expand the QEII Highway in an effort to create Canada’s first corridor for self-driving vehicles.

Mandel will make the announcement at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, 4200 Queen Elizabeth II Highway, at 3 p.m.

“Self-driving vehicles are already in use and more are on the way,” Mandel said in the news release. “We can either get ready for this, or get left behind. An Alberta Party government will not only get us ready by building a new lane on the QE2 — we’ll position Alberta as the world leader in self-driving vehicles for colder climates.

“This can be an entirely new source of jobs, growth and wealth for our province, fuelled by the incredible minds we have in artificial intelligence.”

Afterwards, Mandel will take a tour of DC Inspections Services Ltd., a mobile inspection company working in the oil and gas industry, from 3:45-4:30 p.m., and then he will be taking part in a Pints & Politics event at a Red Deer Boston Pizza, 7494 50 Ave., from 5-6 p.m.