The Alberta government said it would be collaborating with the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on economic corridor projects to improve infrastructure, enhance network efficiency, and reduce regulatory hurdles. Alberta is marking more than one year of working with Saskatchewan and Manitoba through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance economic corridors and enhance collaboration. The Alberta government said this agreement represents a crucial step towards enhancing connectivity and collaboration, paving the way to make nation-building projects possible in Western Canada. “By keeping the momentum of the Prairies MOU going, we can continue to lead the way in building economic corridors, cutting red tape, and creating jobs,” said Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Thursday press release.“This paves the way to make nation-building projects a reality again in Western Canada.”The Alberta government confirmed it was working with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to identify and prioritize strategic infrastructure that will enhance trade and transportation between them and the world. To enhance connection to tidewater at Hudson Bay, it said it was making progress towards establishing the Northern Trade Corridor. In Alberta, this includes the extension of Highway 686 between Peerless Lake and Fort McMurray. It will be moving forward with plans to create new highway connections between Alberta and Saskatchewan, improving the flow of people, goods, and industrial activities. This includes a new highway connection between Fort McMurray and La Loche, SK. “For Saskatchewan people, improving transportation efficiency with initiatives like these supports our strong and growing export-based economy,” said Saskatchewan Highways Minister Lori Carr.“A strategic approach helps the province invest in key services and helps build and protect our quality of life.”The Alberta government went on to say it was partnering with Saskatchewan to complete safety improvements on Highway 17 along the border. It added improvements will be completed at various locations on Highway 17 between Lloydminster and north of the North Saskatchewan River Bridge in Alberta, including two sets of passing lanes, a climbing lane extension, and major improvements at four intersections.It will fund up to 50% of the Highway 17 project costs. The project will improve safety by providing drivers with more opportunities to do safer passes. Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers said it “works with many communities in both provinces to better position the region for growth and to enhance the services for all the people we all have the privilege of serving.”“It’s wonderful to see the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan working toward a common goal to enhance Highway 17 in the future, which will improve transportation in the area when the project is completed,” said Aalbers. Other ongoing work under the MOU includes joint advocacy to the Canadian government to ensure adequate, timely, and accessible federal funding that enables programs such as the National Trade Corridors Fund to continue supporting the infrastructure people and businesses depend on. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba will work together on co-ordinated advocacy in support of maintaining and enhancing air service between them. They will continue to call for enhanced representation on the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Board of Directors to ensure their needs are reflected in policies and operational decisions at the Port of Vancouver. Future proposed work under the MOU includes them working with their provincial trucking associations to identify additional opportunities for regulatory harmonization. They will be conducting joint research to improve all forms of transportation infrastructure that provide links to services and markets to move their imports and exports. Dreeshen followed up by saying Alberta and Saskatchewan are landlocked. “We’re in the business of making friends to ensure we get our products to markets around Canada and around the world,” he said.“And so to have effective economic corridors — whether that’s roadways, railways, utility lines, pipelines — we need to make sure that we can get our products to markets because that allows us to have mortgage-paying jobs in our communities and the tax revenue to pay for all the things everybody uses on a daily basis.” As an exporting region in Canada, he said it is important to have strong economic corridors. In response, he said governments and regulations should be lined up to ensure investments can come to Western Canada.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 before the election and was waiting on final approval. The Western Standard learned they will contribute to perform geotechnical and other studies to establish a right-of-way rail and utilities lines from Alberta across northern Saskatchewan to Port Nelson, which would be expanded to handle deep water vessels.
The Alberta government said it would be collaborating with the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on economic corridor projects to improve infrastructure, enhance network efficiency, and reduce regulatory hurdles. Alberta is marking more than one year of working with Saskatchewan and Manitoba through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance economic corridors and enhance collaboration. The Alberta government said this agreement represents a crucial step towards enhancing connectivity and collaboration, paving the way to make nation-building projects possible in Western Canada. “By keeping the momentum of the Prairies MOU going, we can continue to lead the way in building economic corridors, cutting red tape, and creating jobs,” said Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Thursday press release.“This paves the way to make nation-building projects a reality again in Western Canada.”The Alberta government confirmed it was working with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to identify and prioritize strategic infrastructure that will enhance trade and transportation between them and the world. To enhance connection to tidewater at Hudson Bay, it said it was making progress towards establishing the Northern Trade Corridor. In Alberta, this includes the extension of Highway 686 between Peerless Lake and Fort McMurray. It will be moving forward with plans to create new highway connections between Alberta and Saskatchewan, improving the flow of people, goods, and industrial activities. This includes a new highway connection between Fort McMurray and La Loche, SK. “For Saskatchewan people, improving transportation efficiency with initiatives like these supports our strong and growing export-based economy,” said Saskatchewan Highways Minister Lori Carr.“A strategic approach helps the province invest in key services and helps build and protect our quality of life.”The Alberta government went on to say it was partnering with Saskatchewan to complete safety improvements on Highway 17 along the border. It added improvements will be completed at various locations on Highway 17 between Lloydminster and north of the North Saskatchewan River Bridge in Alberta, including two sets of passing lanes, a climbing lane extension, and major improvements at four intersections.It will fund up to 50% of the Highway 17 project costs. The project will improve safety by providing drivers with more opportunities to do safer passes. Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers said it “works with many communities in both provinces to better position the region for growth and to enhance the services for all the people we all have the privilege of serving.”“It’s wonderful to see the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan working toward a common goal to enhance Highway 17 in the future, which will improve transportation in the area when the project is completed,” said Aalbers. Other ongoing work under the MOU includes joint advocacy to the Canadian government to ensure adequate, timely, and accessible federal funding that enables programs such as the National Trade Corridors Fund to continue supporting the infrastructure people and businesses depend on. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba will work together on co-ordinated advocacy in support of maintaining and enhancing air service between them. They will continue to call for enhanced representation on the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Board of Directors to ensure their needs are reflected in policies and operational decisions at the Port of Vancouver. Future proposed work under the MOU includes them working with their provincial trucking associations to identify additional opportunities for regulatory harmonization. They will be conducting joint research to improve all forms of transportation infrastructure that provide links to services and markets to move their imports and exports. Dreeshen followed up by saying Alberta and Saskatchewan are landlocked. “We’re in the business of making friends to ensure we get our products to markets around Canada and around the world,” he said.“And so to have effective economic corridors — whether that’s roadways, railways, utility lines, pipelines — we need to make sure that we can get our products to markets because that allows us to have mortgage-paying jobs in our communities and the tax revenue to pay for all the things everybody uses on a daily basis.” As an exporting region in Canada, he said it is important to have strong economic corridors. In response, he said governments and regulations should be lined up to ensure investments can come to Western Canada.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 before the election and was waiting on final approval. The Western Standard learned they will contribute to perform geotechnical and other studies to establish a right-of-way rail and utilities lines from Alberta across northern Saskatchewan to Port Nelson, which would be expanded to handle deep water vessels.
