Page 19 - InvestinAlberta-EDA-2024-2

NORTHEAST ALBERTA INFORMATION HUB (ALBERTA HUB) Positioned for growth
LOCATED IN THE east and northeast parts of Alberta, the Alberta HUB region covers ten counties and encompasses over 43,000 square kilometres
with excellent infrastructure and competitively priced commercial and industrial land and buildings.
The Alberta HUB region totaled
$1.8 billion in gross farm receipts in 2021, along with over three million cultivated acres providing a major feedstock
supply of barley, oats, wheat, canola and industrial hemp. The region grows 17 per cent of Alberta’s oats, which combines
to make Alberta a supplier of 20 per cent of Canada’s oat supply, providing ideal investment opportunities in oat milk and
ALBERTA HUB AT A GLANCE
protein production.
Alberta HUB is home to Canadian Forces
Base (CFB) 4 Wing Cold Lake, the largest and busiest air force base in Canada, which receives major investment from the Future Fighter Capability Project. With the strong aerospace foundation and maturing regulatory space,
the City of Cold Lake is expected to see major growth and is well positioned for opportunities in the aerospace sector.
Also, within the aerospace industry, the Alberta Hub region is uniquely positioned
to explore the Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UAV) sector. Of the 43,000 square kilometres that Alberta Hub represents, a substantial percentage of the region remains boreal forest, parkland and prairie landscape, which lends itself to UAV research and development supported by a strong research base, training programs, proven UVS applications and
CFB 4 Wing.
Rounding out the investment potential
of the region, Travel Alberta has recently designated a large portion of Alberta Hub as one of ten Tourism Development Zones (TDZ),
identified as Northeast Lakelands. Along with great investment
opportunities, the communities in the
Alberta HUB region represent an exceptional
quality of life with healthcare, primary and secondary education, and a variety of recreational and lifestyle options year round. We invite you to come for a visit and stay for a lifetime.
Member Communities
51
Area
43,000 km2
Population
146,000
Major Projects Value
$7.4 billion
Number of Businesses 4,184
Key Industries
Aerospace, Agriculture, Energy, Industrial Hemp, Manufacturing, Tourism, UAV
Website
AlbertaHub.com
Source: Government of Alberta, Alberta HUB
BRAED AT A GLANCE
Member Communities
24
Area
15,618 km2 Population
53,682
Major Projects Value
$840 million Number of
Businesses
2,368
Key Industries
Agriculture, Defence, Energy, Manufacturing, Tourism
Website
BRAEDalberta.ca
Source: Government of Alberta, BRAED
BRAED
for FDI and build relationships with business leaders and investors. This is part of a strategy to ensure that, as a region, investors know about the facts on the ground and are sure of their welcome.
“BRAED has intentionally gone to where the conversation is happening in the plant protein industry as a whole,” said Caroline McAuley, executive director
of BRAED. “After several years of building stakeholder support by developing the tools and resources, BRAED is in active engagement with industry, not just sitting back and waiting for someone to find our part of rural Alberta.”
In 2022, BRAED began a strategic rebrand and digital strategy to support this work long term. Local stakeholders know that maintaining the local story and recognizing economic facts are fundamental to build trust in investment attraction. As investors and industry decision makers meet the leadership and stakeholders of the region, there is a digitally modern and fresh face of rural Alberta to move the conversation forward. Additionally, research documents with unique and relevant insights that investors need to make decisions have been produced.
Through extensive training and discussions with our members at the regional table, our local leaders are ready to have the conversation investors expect when they are making decisions to invest in rural opportunities.
In pursuit of plant protein
THE BATTLE RIVER Alliance for Economic Development (BRAED) is in year three of a multi-year strategy to capitalize
on the strengths of the region in East Central Alberta. BRAED
is targeting foreign direct investment (FDI), and development opportunities based on geographic strength in canola production, access to infrastructure, competitive site pricing and its proximity to Calgary and Edmonton. Investors within the plant protein industry are able to step into strong discussions with local experts and leaders when looking for a precise fit for plant protein production facilities of all kinds.
BRAED’s efforts in 2023 included traveling to an industry- leading global trade show to showcase the regional opportunity
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