Page 21 - InvestinAlberta-EDA-2024-2

SOUTHGROW
Featuring excellent growing conditions
THE DENSELY INDUSTRIALIZED agri-food corridor of Southern Alberta lies along Highway 3, which runs through the heart of the SouthGrow economic region. This rolling landscape of broad plains and deep river valleys is home to over 70 per cent of Canada’s irrigated cropland and has some of the best growing conditions on the continent. The long, hot summers allow for versatile crop rotations which means local farmers can scale production of crops to match the demand from agri-food producers. But one
of the really exciting opportunities in this
region is the growing momentum behind industrial greenhousing.
The SouthGrow region is already home to companies like Whole Leaf, which produces all
of the lettuce for Wendy’s restaurants in Canada from its 11-acre, automated greenhouse. Because of the dry atmospheric conditions, greenhouse operations in the region have a natural advantage
SOUTHGROW AT A GLANCE
and can efficiently control their internal conditions, driving profit margins higher.
The Province of Alberta’s self-supply and export regulations allow industrial operations to integrate energy storage into their sites, along with solar production, and to sell what they don’t need back to the grid. By investing
a bit more into the initial build, greenhouse operations can massively reduce long-term costs by fully offsetting their power supply and generating additional revenue by selling excess power back to the grid.
And there’s no shortage of end-markets
within shipping distance. The Calgary region is immediately adjacent to SouthGrow and boasts a market of nearly two million people that are more hungry than ever for fresh, reliably-sourced produce. Highway 3 also provides shipping options directly to the lower mainland of British Columbia, and the Canada-Mexico corridor provides freeway access into the Western United States and California. Finally, the Lethbridge Industrial Airport is an attractive alternative point of exit for loads that need to move to end markets quickly.
Member Communities
30
Area
34,460.90 km2
Population
197,659
Major Projects Value
$1.9 billion
Number of Businesses 6,464
Key Industries
Agriculture/Agri-foods, Biotechnology, Energy, Manufacturing, Tourism
Website
SouthGrow.com
Source: SouthGrow
Supporting renewable energy projects
20
Area
49,529 km2 Population
120,279
Major Projects Value
$5.7 billion Number of Businesses
4,415
Key Industries
Aerospace, Agriculture/Agri-foods, Defence, Energy, Manufacturing, Tourism
Website
PalliserAlberta.com
Source: Government of Alberta, PEP
PEP AT A GLANCE Member Communities
PEP
PALLISER ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP (PEP) has had a very good five years assisting various businesses and companies set up and grow in the southeast region of Alberta.
On the transportation front, the Highway 3 Corridor, running from Medicine Hat to the British Columbia border, has been successful at supporting the many renewable wind and solar energy projects in the
region. The Foremost and Oyen Railway projects have supported energy projects and other industries that require rail facilities for loading and off-loading.
In the agriculture and food industries, PEP is working with companies investigating new facilities
for cleaning and processing pulse crops, hemp and grains. PEP is also working with firms seeking to grow the added-value meat processing sector and expand intermediate commercial slaughter facilities that
will greatly grow the capacity for southeast Alberta’s livestock industry and create employment opportunities.
PEP is in the process of partnering with several
groups such as the City of Medicine Hat, Cypress County and industry partners to investigate the potential for
a hydrogen processing plant and storage facility in southeast Alberta.
Regional Economic Development Alliances like PEP are an amazing way for government to leverage funds to assist on-the-ground actions that will not only increase business in the province but create new, well-paying jobs to boost the economy.
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2024 INVESTINALBERTA 21