Alberta government partners with Northwest Territories to expand economic corridors

The Alberta government confirmed it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Northwest Territories government to collaborate on economic corridor projects to support growth and development. To open up new export opportunities, the Alberta government said increasing access to Northern Canada is vital. It said the signing of the MOU between it and the Northwest Territories government will enhance connections between them, linking them to new markets outside Western Canada. “This agreement will strengthen the relationship between Alberta and the Northwest Territories,” said Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Wednesday press release.“It will allow us to align shared priorities and projects to benefit families from the US/Canada border to the Arctic Circle.”Dreeshen said Canada “should be a place for nation-building projects which attract investment, provide jobs, and enrich our people.” He said this work will allow for more opportunities to move products around Canada and the world. In the MOU, the Alberta government pointed out it includes working to enhance critical infrastructure and improve the efficiency of interjuridictional transportation networks. It added it focuses on reducing red tape and regulatory hurdles for commercial vehicles travelling between Alberta and the Northwest Territories.The MOU will involve partnering on enhancing road and bridge networks to support the movement of resources, including Alberta’s energy products and the Northwest Territories’ critical mineral deposits. With an increasing demand for energy and critical minerals globally, the agreement will expand market access opportunities.The Alberta government went on to say this partnership will help enhance Alberta’s access to the Arctic, which could open up opportunities to expand exports in key sectors. Additionally, it said new corridors in northern Alberta can enable exploration and potential mining access to deposits of precious metals and rare elements. Northwest Territories Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek said the MOU “marks a key step in our efforts to enhance co-ordination on economic corridors between our two jurisdictions.”“This collaboration underscores our desire to support regional connectivity, enhance transportation routes, and deliver reliable energy solutions, fostering sustainable growth for our communities,” said Wawzonek. “By working together, we can ensure lasting benefits for Northwest Territories and Alberta residents as well as the broader economy.”Northwest Territories Industry, Tourism, and Investment Minister Caitlin Cleveland said working with Alberta to improve connectivity and enhance collaboration on economic corridors creates new opportunities for it and allows it to show off its critical minerals. “Economic corridors are essential to attract investment, create jobs, and promote sustainable development, ensuring a vibrant and prosperous future for all,” said Cleveland. The Alberta government said it and the Northwest Territories will work together to ensure driver training and examination services are available for all classes of driver’s licences and working towards the harmonization of licensing.In addition, it said the agreement will identify opportunities to attract private sector investment and partner with indigenous communities on economic corridor development. They will advocate to the Canadian government and other transportation stakeholders to advance shared economic corridor and transportation priorities.Dreeshen followed up by saying he met Wawzonek at a meeting four months ago. “We talked about how our two jurisdictions can collaborate and work together on signing a memorandum of understanding similar to what Alberta had done about a year prior to that with the Prairie provinces to work on harmonizing our regulations as well as prioritizing certain transportation projects that obviously cross borders as well as promoting nationbuilding projects,” he said. “Canada was obviously built on nation-building projects — whether it was the railroad, Trans-Canada Highway — connecting the second largest country on Earth with nation-building projects is something that made us a great country.” He said the conversation flowed nicely and is amazing to see how fast they were able to reach the agreement. At the moment, he said there is plenty of potential coming from it. The Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba governments reached an MOU in 2023 to explore the feasibility of building a deep water harbour at Port Nelson, MB, on the Hudson Bay to export natural resources such as potash and liquified natural gas.READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Hudson’s Bay utility corridor agreement reached among Prairie provincesAlberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the agreement, which had been reached with Dreeshen and his colleagues in Saskatchewan and Manitoba prior to the election and is waiting on final approval. The Western Standard learned the three provinces will contribute to doing geotechnical and other studies to establish a right-of-way rail and utilities lines from Alberta across northern Saskatchewan to Port Nelson, which will be expanded to handle deep water vessels.

Alberta government partners with Northwest Territories to expand economic corridors

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