Port Alberta is a joint venture betwee
Edmonton Globaland
Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport, as of August 29, 2022, officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Canadian province of Alberta. Designat ...
(EIA) based in the
Edmonton Metropolitan Region
The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Alberta's provincial capital of Edmonton.
The EMR's commonly known boundaries are coincide ...
in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada. Port Alberta provides transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions to connect Alberta's economy to worldwide markets. Its office is located in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
.
An independent advisory board representing regional businesses led by two co-chairs and a project manager provides leadership and direction to the Port Alberta network.
Network
Port Alberta's network comprises
* roads, rail, runways and marine;
* a foreign trade zone;
* innovation technology;
* professional services;
* logistics and manufacturing facilities; and
* the Edmonton International Trade Program.
Foreign Trade Zone
Port Alberta’s Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) enables companies involved in handling or moving goods to reduce and eliminate normal trade barriers, such as tariffs, quotas and compliance costs. Within the FTZ, located at the EIA, a company imports raw materials or partially finished goods, completes manufacturing and exports the products throughout Canada, North America or internationally.
History
Pre–2010
Port Alberta was inspired by the
Port of Houston
The Port of Houston is one of the world's largest ports and serves the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas. The port is a 50-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. ...
, a one-stop shop for customs and security with a
free trade zone
A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cu ...
and with air, rail and trucking connections in one place. In 2007,
Edmonton Airports
Edmonton Airports, officially the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, was formed in 1990, under the ''Regional Airports Authorities Act'' passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1989, and is responsible for the management and operation ...
, the EEDC, and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce signed a
memorandum of understanding to create an
inland port
An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port.
Examples
The United States Army Corps of Engineers pub ...
at the EIA.
The federal government provided C$1.5 million in funding to the Port Alberta inland trade and transportation hub project.
2010–2014
In 2010, Port Alberta transitioned to an industry-led association from its government-based founders and a board of independent industry directors was established in November 2010. Port Alberta incorporated as a legal entity on December 2, 2012, independent of the EIA and was represented by an industry and government led board that acted as a single point of entry for a multipurpose community port system of
inland port
An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port.
Examples
The United States Army Corps of Engineers pub ...
s connecting Alberta with the
Port of Prince Rupert
The Port of Prince Rupert is a seaport managed by the Prince Rupert Port Authority that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located in Prince Rupert Harbour in the North Coast Regional District of British Columbia.
The ...
and the
Port Metro Vancouver
The Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada and the fourth largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, facilitating trade between Canada and more than 170 world economies. The port is managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, whic ...
.
Port Alberta members integrate various Canadian inland transportation hubs such as
CentrePort Canada
CentrePort Canada is a tri-modal dry port and Foreign Trade Zone located partly in northwest Winnipeg, Manitoba (CentrePort South) and partly in the Rural Municipality of Rosser (CentrePort North), and situated adjacent to the Winnipeg James Arms ...
and the
Global Transportation Hub while connecting the
CANAMEX Corridor
The CANAMEX corridor is a series of improvements to freeways and other transportation infrastructure linking Canada to Mexico through the United States. The corridor was established under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Currently the corr ...
with the
Asia Pacific Gateway, and Canada's
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
and
Northwest Territories. Port Alberta's location on the CANAMEX Corridor, established by the
North American Free Trade Agreement, combined with proximity to
Alberta's Industrial Heartland, and the
Nisku Business Park
Nisku is a hamlet and an industrial/business park in Alberta, Canada within Leduc County. It has an elevation of .
The hamlet and industrial/business park are located in census division No. 11 and in the federal riding of Edmonton—Wetaskiwin. ...
places Port Alberta at the economic centre of Canada's energy industry.
Port Alberta's geographical positioning and collaborative relationships extend business access to
foreign trade zone benefits and a well-established network of highways, railways, air and sea connections to important regional and international markets, including
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrado ...
,
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
, the
Canadian Arctic, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, and the rapidly expanding
Mexican and
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n markets. Port Alberta represents a multi-point inland port capacity exceeding 500,000
twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2013 with expansion in 2014 to approximately 800,000 TEUs.
Port Alberta's board of directors during this timeframe consisted of private sector and government members representing
Canadian National
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN ...
(CN),
Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
(CP),
Edmonton Airports
Edmonton Airports, officially the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, was formed in 1990, under the ''Regional Airports Authorities Act'' passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1989, and is responsible for the management and operation ...
, Momentive,
Stantec
Stantec Inc. is an international professional services company in the design and consulting industry. The company was founded in 1954, as ''D. R. Stanley Associates'' in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Stantec provides professional consulting servi ...
, Graham Construction, the City of Edmonton,
PCL Construction
The PCL family of companies is a group of independent general contracting construction companies in Canada, the United States, Australia and the Caribbean. PCL has headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with the United States head office in D ...
, the
City of Leduc, Symmetry, Inc., ONPA Architects, and Waiward Steel. The chair of the board was Daryl Procinsky of ONPA Architects,
while its last chief executive officer (CEO) was Gordon Groat, formerly of
Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is an American business software company that specializes in financial software. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and the CEO is Sasan Goodarzi. Intuit's products include the tax preparation application Tu ...
Global Business Division, the
CKUA Radio Network
The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...
Board of Directors, and the
Town of Devon.
Partnerships included BBEX/Braden Burry Expediting Ltd., CN, CP, Clark Builders,
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
, the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Airports, the EEDC, the
Government of Alberta
The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—is ...
, the City of Leduc,
Leduc County
Leduc County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada that is immediately south of the City of Edmonton. It spans east to west and north to south, and has a population of 14,416. The municipal district is home to prairie parkland and several ...
, the
Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association
The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association (EDA) was an economic development partnership founded in 1984 that marketed Alberta's International Region. It dissolved at the end of 2019.
The partnership included the founding members of Leduc ...
,
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Canada Inc., the Oil Sands Developers Group (now the Oilsands Community Alliance), ONPA Architects, Stuart Olson Dominions, Trans America Group, Trans Port International Corporation, Waiward Steel, and
Western Economic Diversification Canada In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, diversification, and job creation specific to their respective regi ...
.
2015–present
In 2015, Port Alberta was restarted through the EEDC and the Edmonton International Airport Authority as a joint venture.
When EEDC was shut down in 2020,
responsibility for managing Port Alberta was shifted to Edmonton Global, the region's FDI and international trade company. A reimagined and reinvigorated Port Alberta was launched on March 24, 2022.
See also
*
Acheson Industrial Area
*
Athabasca oil sands
*
Cold Lake oil sands
The Cold Lake oil sands are a large deposit of oil sands located near Cold Lake, Alberta. Cold Lake is east of Alberta's capital, Edmonton, near Alberta's border with Saskatchewan, and a small portion of the Cold Lake field lies in Saskatchewan.
...
*
Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board
The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Alberta's provincial capital of Edmonton.
The EMR's commonly known boundaries are coincide ...
*
Refinery Row
*
Wabasco oil sands
Wabasca is an oil field in a remote area of northern Alberta, Canada. It is the fourth largest deposit of oil sands located in Alberta, located southwest of the larger Athabasca oil sands deposit. It is also known as the ''Pelican Lake Oilfield'' ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Port Alberta(Archived)
Dry ports of Canada
Edmonton Metropolitan Region