Life in the Heartland

By Grant Cree

“Alberta’s Industrial Heartland is one of the world’s most attractive locations for chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas investment,” said Mark Plamondon, Executive Director of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA). He hosted a media open house on June 15 to connect with residents following limited activities due to the pandemic.

“The association is guided by a non-profit association of municipalities dedicated to sustainable eco-industrial development,” said Plamondon.

Based in Fort Saskatchewan, the association is a collaborative 24-year partnership of five municipalities and three associate members. The municipalities are Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County, Sturgeon County, Strathcona County and the City of Edmonton. The associate members are the towns of Gibbons, Redwater and Bruderheim.

AIHA strives to provide a single approach to promote and facilitate industrial development. Plamondon and his team proactively collaborate on facilitating services and infrastructure for potential partners.

The Heartland is home to Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing centre and covers 582 square kilometres. The economic impact of more than 40 industrial heartland companies is $45 billion in existing investment resulting in $2 billion in annual local spending. This provides approximately 8,000 positions in direct employment and about 30,000 indirect jobs.

“Our competitive advantages include low-cost feedstock,” said Plamondon. “We have the lowest in North America and some of the lowest in the world. Along with world-class infrastructure driving significant foreign investor interest in our region.”

Plamondon added that carbon capture utilization and storage, geology and infrastructure will position AIHA as a leader in industrial decarbonization. “We have the potential to grow to a $70 billion jurisdiction by 2030,” he said.