Investments with big impact don’t just happen in big cities. The entrepreneurial spirit of Alberta is everywhere you look here, in counties and regions as diverse as our landscapes. Alberta has come a long way in the effort to diversify its economy—a story of local collaboration, grassroots problem solving and Alberta grit. We often hear investors talk about Alberta’s “make it happen” attitude. It’s easy to see why.
Since Invest Alberta was created two years ago, we’ve worked with investors and partners to announce a plant protein facility in Strathmore, a net-zero hemp manufacturing hub in Vegreville that works with local farmers, an advanced manufacturing plant in Lethbridge County, hydrogen opportunities in the Peace Region, and a new wallboard manufacturing plant and state-of-the-art aircraft facility in Wheatland County. This not only means billions in investment for new and growing sectors; it also creates thousands of local jobs for Albertans.
We didn’t do it alone. Economic development is a team sport that requires everyone rowing together in the same direction to win. In Alberta, we see opportunities where others see only challenges. Together, we make big things happen.
When the Battle River Alliance for Economic Development (BRAED) approached Invest Alberta to work on a pilot project to help us learn more about investment opportunities in the BRAED region, taking the chance to share knowledge and build new investment attraction tools was a no-brainer.
The work included community tours, workshops, engagement, and feedback from both sides on how to bring high-impact investment to the region. It also reinforced the bold, adventurous spirit of leaders in our ambitious communities.
After a successful pilot and growing interest from other regions, we’ve launched the ‘Alberta CAN: Regional Investment Initiative’ this week, starting with the Alberta HUB region in northeast Alberta. As part of this partnership, Invest Alberta will:
- Connect with community representatives to understand their interests and needs;
- Host a webinar with community representatives to outline the steps in the process and help them prepare;
- Host a tailored workshop with community members, including first-hand experience, feedback from investors and market research;
- Participate in a tour of select communities where Invest Alberta representatives will play the role of investors/site selectors and learn more about the assets in the community and share information on what investors look for in a community tour; and
- Provide feedback and continued engagement with the communities as Invest Alberta shares their value proposition with our global team and investors to attract high impact investment to the region.
Competition for talent, jobs, and investment is intense due to inflation heating up, food and energy security being top-of-mind, and an ever-shifting post-Covid global economy. But this is a competition Alberta can win. We have competitive advantages like our cost, ease, and speed of doing business, matched with Canada’s youngest talent pool.
As a strong group of regional partners, Team Alberta has unparalleled determination. If we come together as communities, regions, and as a province to combine our efforts with our globally-known Alberta “make it happen” attitude, Alberta CAN make anything happen.
It’s an exciting time for Alberta. We will continue collaborating locally to compete globally, so we can all win high value, high impact investment and jobs for our province.
Learn more about the Alberta CAN: Regional Investment Initiative at investalberta.ca/regional-investment-initiative and let us know if you’d like to get involved.
-Lynette Tremblay, Chief Operating Officer, Invest Alberta
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