Je suis heureuse de vous présenter la quatrième édition de Invest in Alberta, la publication officielle de Economic Developers Alberta (EDA). Cette publication jette un coup d’œil sur les divers secteurs industriels et les magnifiques occasions d’investissement de l’Alberta.

EDA est enchanté de faire équipe avec RedPoint Media pour produire cette excellente publication et est très heureux de cette quatrième édition. Nous sommes transportés par le fabuleux nouveau développement de l’édition de 2018 : le microsite Invest in Alberta. Essentiellement, ce microsite est le magazine en format de site Web avec son propre URL (www.investalbertamag.ca). Cliquez avec la souris ou touchez l’écran pour avoir accès à toute l’information contenue dans le magazine. Le microsite est sécurisé, consultable, moderne et convivial pour les appareils mobiles. Puis, comme il est basé sur le Web, sa portée est sans limite.

Que vous tourniez les pages d’une édition imprimée ou passiez en revue le magazine sur votre tablette, vous lirez un échantillon des nombreux avantages que la province offre. Lisez des articles sur la diversification et les améliorations technologiques dans le secteur énergétique, comment Alberta est un chef de file sur le plan de la technologie et de la recherche sans oublier les développements intéressants dans son secteur forestier. Il y aussi un article en profondeur soulignant les ressources de notre organisation et des renseignements sur les pratiques exemplaires permettant aux entreprises et systèmes économiques de se préparer à une reprise après des perturbations imprévues ou des crises artificielles. Vous apprendrez comment l’EDA et son homologue international, l’International Economic Development Council (IEDC) ont adapté un programme aux collectivités canadiennes appelé Economic Resilience Training for Community and Regional Leaders (Formation en résilience économique pour les dirigeants communautaires et régionaux). Ce cours de formation donne aux dirigeants communautaires de solides assises pour une planification en résilience économique dans les collectivités et accélérer la reprise économique après une catastrophe.

Mon objectif en tant que chef de la direction de Economic Developers Alberta est de voir à ce que les membres disposent des outils dont ils ont besoin pour améliorer le développement économique. L’EDA est la seule organisation de professionnels en développement économique de la province et elle fournit à ses membres des moyens, du perfectionnement professionnel et des occasions de réseautage. L’EDA compte plus de 350 membres diversifiés dans tous les coins de la province. En équipant nos membres des derniers moyens de développement économique, ceux-ci peuvent alors créer des collectivités dynamiques.

L’EDA est prêt et a les moyens de servir ses membres, de faire avancer le développement économique en tant que profession et d’appuyer les collectivités albertaines en favorisant une prospérité économique durable. Les Albertains sont diversifiés, déterminés et motivés et c’est un privilège de faire partie de leur succès. Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous.

The post Message du chef de la direction appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

Between 1986 and 2016, several non-energy sectors of the Alberta economy have grown significantly, including:

• Construction: 7.0% of GDP to 10.7%
• Finance and real estate: 13.5% of GDP to 16.7%
• Business and commercial services: 6.6% of GDP to 11.7%

Between 2006 and 2016, Alberta accounted for 22 per cent of Canada’s population growth. In fact, Alberta’s population increase of 24 per cent over that period was the largest increase of any province or state in North America.

In 2016, almost 2.3 million Albertans were employed, international merchandise exports were $79 billion, per capita investment in Alberta was $14,606 (more than twice the national average of $6,579), and investment totaled $62 billion.

Here are a few key economic indicators that demonstrate the growth in several areas of Alberta’s economy.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, Alberta Economic Development and Trade

The post Alberta, By The Numbers appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

De 1986 à 2016, le taux du PIB des secteurs suivants de l’économie de l’Alberta, non reliés à l’énergie, a beaucoup augmenté :

• Bâtiment : de 7,0 % à 10,7 % du PIB
• Finance et immobilier : de 13,5 % à 16,7 % du PIB
• Services commerciaux et d’affaires : de 6,6 % à 11,7 % du PIB.

Entre 2006 et 2016, la population albertaine représentait 22 pour cent de la population canadienne. En fait, la population de l’Alberta a augmenté de 24 pour cent pendant cette période ce qui représente la plus forte augmentation de toutes les provinces et de tous les États en Amérique du Nord.

En 2016, près de 2,3 millions d’Albertains avaient un emploi; les exportations internationales s’élevaient à 79 milliards de dollars, l’investissement par habitant était de 14 606 $ (deux fois plus que la moyenne nationale de 6 579 $) et l’investissement total se chiffrait à 62 milliards de dollars.

Voici quelques indicateurs économiques clés illustrant la croissance dans plusieurs secteurs de l’économie de la province.

L’Alberta En Chiffres PDF

The post L’Alberta en chiffres appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

Battle River
Calgary
Capital
Central
Mackenzie
North Central
Northeast
Palliser
Peace Country
Slave Lake
South Central
Southwest
West Yellowhead
Wood Buffalo

Regional Economic Development Alliances in Alberta (REDAs)

REDI
Regional Economic Development Initiative Association for Northwest Alberta

PREDA
Peace Region Economic Development Alliance

LSLEA
Lesser Slave Lake Economic Alliance

AlbertaHUB
Northeast Alberta Information Hub

GROWTH
Grizzly Regional Economic Alliance Society

BRAED
Battle River Alliance for Economic Development

CAEP
Central Alberta Economic Partnership

CRP
Calgary Regional Partnership

PEP
Palliser Economic Partnership

SouthGrow
SouthGrow Regional Initiative

AlbertaSW
Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance

The post Alberta’s Economic Regions appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

This map highlights stories of economic innovation contained in the 2018 edition of Invest in Alberta, and is not meant to be a representation of the entirety of economic activity taking place in any specific region of the province or in Alberta as a whole.

The post Map of Alberta’s Economic Regions appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

PROJECT: Capstone Infrastructure’s Whitecourt Power Facility
VALUE ADD: Biomass

Capstone Infrastructure develops, owns and operates thermal and renewable power generation facilities across Canada. The company got a boost in funding from the Government of Alberta’s Bioenergy Producer Program for its $14.3-million refurbishment of Whitecourt Power. The upgrade was completed towards the end of 2016, and included repairs to the facility’s boiler and an overhaul of its steam turbine/ generator.

“Whitecourt represents a great move forward in minimizing environmental footprints by using waste products to create energy,” says Troy Grainger, executive director of the Grizzly Regional Economic Alliance (GROWTH Alberta), an alliance of nine communities and four supporting agencies in north central Alberta.
Whitecourt Power is located in Woodlands County close to Whitecourt, a town with a population of a little more than 10,000 people that sits on Highway 43 about 180 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The plant was the first power generating facility in Canada to be certified under the federal government’s EcoLogo program, which recognizes products and services that adhere to stringent environmental standards and practices.

The plant generates power from wood waste supplied from nearby saw and pulp mills. The waste is transformed via fluidized bubbling bed boiler combustion. The combustion generates hot gases, which produce the steam that creates electricity in the turbine/generator. The electricity is sold under a long-term power purchase agreement and delivered to Alberta’s power grid.

Grainger says Whitecourt Power’s 25-year track record of providing green energy, “supports the viability of our biomass industry overall. For forestry communities like Whitecourt, it keeps people employed, reduces industry footprint, and is less of a burden on landfills.”
Capstone Infrastructure chief executive officer Dave Eva is confident the forestry sector around Whitecourt will be able to supply waste wood in the volumes required for the overhauled facility, securing most of its supply from the nearby Millar Western pulp and lumber mills.

With seven mills less than 100 kilometres away from Whitecourt, the area could become a hotbed of biomass activity.

“Even though the biomass industry in Alberta is still up and coming, it is steadily evolving, as are technological advances,” says Grainger. “There are plenty of opportunities for growth given the amount of product available in the region.”

The post Renewing Renewable Investment appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

There are a lot of trees in Alberta. In fact, there are 38 million hectares of forest in the province, which makes up 58 per cent of the total land area. Of the forested area, about 60 per cent, or 22.5 million hectares is considered suitable for harvest. Alberta harvests less than 1 per cent of the forested land base annually, but the many species of coniferous and deciduous trees that make up the harvest are known for being lightweight and high strength lumber.

Alberta’s sought-after wood products are more than just lumber. With more than 40 mills, the province’s forestry sector produces a diverse suite of products from lumber and engineered wood products to pulp, paper and bioproducts that are exported around the world.

Here are just a few projects that are helping diversify Alberta’s forestry sector and creating economic opportunities along the way.

Re-engineering Opportunity
Tapping into byproducts
Renewing Renewable Investment

The post Value Add appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

The efforts are paying off. A 2016 Deal Flow Study from Alberta Enterprise Corporation revealed that the number of technology companies headquartered in Alberta grew by 48 per cent from 927 to 1,373 between 2012 and 2016. Revenues have also followed with one in five Alberta technology companies in the study reporting over $1 million in annual revenue.

With government support, this trend has high potential to continue. The Alberta government’s research and development expenditures are among the highest in Canada, on a per capita basis, partially thanks to annual draws on two research endowment funds valued at over $2 billion. The province also has an established competitive funding program for Alberta’s post-secondary institutions that supports the acquisition of research equipment to build research capacity. Since 2001, the program’s investment of $287 million has leveraged $926 million more in other funding.

Here we look at just a few initiatives helping Alberta plug into the international technology scene through education, collaboration and commercialization.

Education: Alberta Post-Secondary Institutions Prepare Students for Economic Diversification

Collaboration: Global Artificial Intelligence Leader Taps Into University of Alberta Brain Power

Commercialization: Calgary-Based Innovation Accelerator Sees Promise in Lifesaving Technology

The post Alberta 2.0: Innovation and Unique Technology Partnerships appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

PROJECT: West Fraser’s Lignin Recovery Plant
VALUE ADD: Lignin

One of the high-profile projects advancing the evolution of Alberta’s bioproducts sector is West Fraser’s $30-million lignin recovery plant at its pulp mill in Hinton, a town of nearly 10,000 people a little less than 300 kilometres west of Edmonton at the foot of Jasper and the Rocky Mountains. The commercial-scale plant is the first of its kind in Canada and was completed last year.

Lignin is extracted during pulp manufacturing operations and is then repurposed as a renewable substitute for synthetic resin components currently derived from fossil fuels. Alberta Innovates – an arm’s length provincial government agency working with different industries to spur innovation – invested $3 million into the plant.

Steve Price, Alberta Innovates executive director of bioindustrial innovation, says that prior to the upgrade, lignin was used to generate power for the plant, “but now West Fraser is recovering a portion of the lignin and generating a new revenue stream.”

The most promising application for repurposed lignin to date has been as glue for wood products, such as glulam beams. In a collaborative research and development effort, specialty chemical provider Hexion has determined it can use up to 20 per cent of the new plant’s lignin in its adhesives.

“Many companies are seeking additional revenue streams in order to diversify in what is a cyclical industry. They’re also looking to improve their environmental performance, and we believe business arrangements such as that between West Fraser and Hexion open the door for other initiatives,” says Price.

In this regard, he views West Fraser’s lignin recovery plant as a significant milestone in the growth of the Alberta bioeconomy. The technology has the potential to be adopted by all pulp mills in Canada, which provides not only an economic opportunity but an environmentally friendly opportunity as well, considering every tonne of recovered lignin prevents a tonne of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Price points out that other potential applications for lignin include green chemicals, thermoplastic composites and additives.

“This is the first of many applications; another possible one is lignin as a bonding agent for asphalt,” he adds.

The post Tapping into By-products appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.

PROJECTS: High Prairie Forest Products and Tolko Industries Mill Upgrades VALUE ADD: Engineered Wood Products

Lee Barton, general manager of High Prairie Forest Products, says the improvements to the mill he oversees will make it “one of the most modern in North America” and “bring long-term stability to our employees, families, and the people of High Prairie.”

High Prairie Forest Products (a division of West Fraser Mills) is investing $55 million to modernize its High Prairie stud mill, which will boost its capacity from 86 million board feet to 180 million board feet. Studs are vital in wall construction as they carry vertical structural loads and are also used in non load-bearing applications such as partition walls.

The mill upgrade is scheduled for completion in March 2018 and the expansion includes a new modernizer and log in-feed, new canter line, new waste conveyors, and a second continuous kiln – the improved efficiencies of which will enable the facility to better withstand market downturns.

Also, more jobs will be created to supply increased volumes of fibre to the mill.

Meanwhile, Tolko Industries Ltd. is preparing for a re-opening in early 2018 of its High Prairie oriented strandboard mill after receiving $70 million in upgrades. When fully operational, the facility will employ 175 people directly, as well as create shared responsibilities for forest management with local First Nations and Métis settlements. A harvesting plan to ensure sustainable forestry activity in the region has been drafted in consultation with Métis and First Nation communities in the area, with one proposed activity area being Whitefish First Nation.

Situated about 370 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, High Prairie has a population of approximately 2,500 people and is part of the Lesser Slave Lake Economic Alliance (LSLEA) – one of Alberta’s busiest regions in the forestry sector.

“We’re hoping that demand for oriented strandboard will remain strong and allow the mill to operate for many years to come,” says Linda Cox, general manager of the LSLEA and former Mayor of High Prairie. “We look forward to the employment opportunities and economic benefits that both of these mills will provide.”

The post Re-Engineering Opportunity appeared first on Invest in Alberta Magazine.