Western Standard - May 16, 2024


Designated Industrial Zone in Alberta's Heartland Receives Funding Boost


Episode Stats

Length

10 minutes

Words per Minute

138.4674

Word Count

1,451

Sentence Count

60


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Learn English with Premier Rachel Notley. Alberta is investing over $50 million over the next five years in the DDDZ, a new industrial development zone in the province's Industrial Heartland, to support clean industry and infrastructure development.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
00:00:00.000 growth in our province. The DIZ began as a bold new way to support infrastructure and
00:00:05.200 sustainable practices in Alberta's industrial heartland. Now we're reimagining how to regulate
00:00:10.640 industrial facilities. Of course there's still improvements to make to reduce red tape while
00:00:15.300 upholding our high environmental standards but this is absolutely a success story and we're not
00:00:20.500 just leading in Canada. We are showing the world a better way forward. Streamlined logistics,
00:00:26.740 reduced transportation costs, crystal clear environmental expectations, and shared access
00:00:32.280 to infrastructure and resources. These help the designated industrial zone attract transformational
00:00:38.420 projects to our province. Projects like Dow's Path to Zero project, one of the largest investments
00:00:44.500 in Alberta history, these cutting-edge projects are growing our petrochemical sector, and they're
00:00:49.960 proving that environmental leadership and economic growth absolutely can go hand in hand. Today,
00:00:55.580 companies around the world are looking for the best places to build the industries and facilities
00:01:00.040 of tomorrow. Alberta can and should and will be that place. We are the home of innovation. We
00:01:06.560 have the talent, we have the energy, and we have the designated industrial zone, a clear signal to
00:01:12.280 the world that we're serious about partnering for progress. That's why today I'm pleased to
00:01:17.420 announce that we're investing over $50 million over the next five years in the designated
00:01:21.800 industrial zone. This will help attract world-leading industrial projects right here in the
00:01:26.820 industrial heartland and ensure we have the infrastructure to support them, starting with
00:01:31.580 three new water intake facilities accessing the river right behind us. Water is critical for
00:01:38.120 industry. They need it to operate and they continue finding new ways to recycle and reuse it. It's
00:01:44.180 been over a decade since the last new water intake was built here. We need new water intakes if we're
00:01:49.380 going to keep expanding this rapidly growing area. Our $50 million will cover 30% of the
00:01:55.020 construction costs with municipalities and their partners funding the rest. This isn't just about
00:02:00.640 the industrial heartland. Our government is working hard to improve water infrastructure
00:02:04.360 right across our province. That's why we invested earlier this year in major new programs like the
00:02:09.700 $125 million drought and flood protection program. And earlier this year, our colleague Minister
00:02:15.720 Dreschen announced over $400 million in grants for municipal water programs over the next three
00:02:20.740 years. Through the designated industrial zone, the wildly successful Alberta petrochemical incentive
00:02:26.040 program, the new Alberta carbon capture incentive program, and the most talented workforce in North
00:02:31.180 America, we are attracting companies that are thinking big. Earlier I mentioned Dow's Path to
00:02:36.740 Zero, a nearly $9 billion project that will use CCUS to create the world's first net zero carbon
00:02:42.300 emissions integrated ethylene cracker. For us, this isn't an either or conversation. When we talk
00:02:48.100 about the resources and products everyday people will need every single day. Our government
00:02:52.820 understands that the world needs more responsible resource development and certainly the investments
00:02:58.540 we're seeing in petrochemicals. We also know that the world will need more energy as demand continues
00:03:04.040 to rise every single day and we believe that that energy and those resources should absolutely come
00:03:09.440 from Alberta. We're leading the way in so many areas, providing the fuels, fertilizers, power,
00:03:15.320 petrochemicals, hydrogen, and other materials that Albertans and Canadians need. That's the
00:03:20.640 Alberta approach, creating jobs, billions of dollars in investment, all while lowering global
00:03:25.280 emissions and promoting responsible development. Today's announcement will help us do exactly that,
00:03:30.260 and I just want to thank my amazing colleague and a huge advocate for the area, Jackie Armstrong,
00:03:35.900 Hominach MLA to say a few words. I'd like to start by thanking my colleague Minister
00:03:54.300 Schultz for all of her hard work on this project. Today's announcement doesn't only speak to her
00:03:59.980 knowledge of environmental and industrial issues but her knowledge of the constituency I represent
00:04:05.820 Fort Saskatchewan-Vagerville. The more than $50 million being invested over the next five years
00:04:11.500 is clear proof of that knowledge. The Heartland already provides approximately 30,000 direct
00:04:17.580 and indirect jobs. It is already a prime target for investment with $45 billion of capital
00:04:24.300 investment made so far and another $11 billion announced for construction. It is already a
00:04:30.140 a world-renowned hub for innovation in clean industry.
00:04:34.120 But without proper water access, industry can't grow,
00:04:36.960 and Alberta's industrial heartland
00:04:38.540 has been operating with the same supply of water
00:04:41.600 for more than a decade.
00:04:43.500 This is why I've been passionately advocating
00:04:45.680 for this project since my election.
00:04:47.980 The construction of three new water intake facilities,
00:04:51.520 or as I like to call them, straws in the river,
00:04:54.120 will allow industry here to continue to grow
00:04:56.580 for many years to come.
00:04:58.220 This means the area will become even more attractive
00:05:00.840 for investment.
00:05:02.300 This means even more jobs in my constituency
00:05:05.340 and opportunities for those moving here.
00:05:08.200 This means even more of a cutting edge innovation,
00:05:10.740 which is making Alberta trailblazer
00:05:13.000 in responsible industrial development.
00:05:15.600 To put it simply, as the heartland grows,
00:05:18.060 Fort Saskatchewan grows and Alberta prospers.
00:05:21.420 I'm happy to say that this will be happening
00:05:23.880 while the designated industrial zone
00:05:25.540 keeps strong environmental frameworks in place.
00:05:28.100 This ensures that today's investment
00:05:30.220 won't just lead to growth,
00:05:31.500 but will lead to growth,
00:05:33.000 the kind of sustained prosperity
00:05:35.100 we want our children to inherit.
00:05:39.580 I'm excited to see how that growth
00:05:41.480 helps my constituency thrive,
00:05:43.320 and I'm grateful I could be part of this announcement,
00:05:45.920 which will make that growth possible.
00:05:48.660 I'm now passing this on to Dave Dudek,
00:05:52.780 so he can tell you more about today's announcement
00:05:55.500 and what it means for the Alberta industrial heartland.
00:06:06.800 Thank you, Jackie, and welcome Minister Schultz.
00:06:10.520 Nice raining day, should alleviate our drought situation
00:06:13.160 anyway, right?
00:06:14.920 Good morning, my name is Reeve Didick
00:06:17.120 and I am the chair of Alberta's
00:06:18.380 Industrial Heartland Association.
00:06:21.060 Our association is responsible for the economic development
00:06:24.840 Alberta's industrial heartland. These new intakes will improve the business case for companies
00:06:34.040 choosing to locate in the heartland. It will provide dependable access to low-cost water
00:06:40.840 while simultaneously ensuring shared use of infrastructure across new users on these three
00:06:48.120 new intakes this will establish long-lasting economic benefits in an environmentally responsible
00:06:55.960 way when this new water infrastructure is paired with our existing infrastructure like rail pipelines
00:07:03.640 and carbon sequestration as well as access to a talented and advanced workforce and low-cost
00:07:10.360 feedstocks the industrial heartland provides outstanding opportunities for industrial
00:07:16.440 producers to locate their next project. AIH has over 45 billion in existing capital infrastructure
00:07:25.480 and with Dow's recent final investment decision will soon be home to the world's first net zero
00:07:31.480 ethylene cracker and derivative facility. Our region is solidifying our position as a world-class
00:07:39.400 destination for industrial development. Our strong partnership with the Government of Alberta
00:07:47.000 has helped foster this growth. I would like to recognize the Minister and the hard-working staff
00:07:53.400 at the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas for their continued commitment to this partnership
00:08:00.120 and for advancing the dual benefits of environmental stewardship and economic prosperity in our
00:08:07.160 communities. Their leadership on establishing Alberta's industrial heartland as Alberta's
00:08:14.040 first designated industrial zone and improving regulatory approvals and environmental controls
00:08:20.600 within our region is another example of how our collaborative relationship helps attract more
00:08:30.440 investment. The Alberta Industrial Heartland Association looks forward to seeing industrial
00:08:36.280 development as a result of the three new intakes and we look very forward to the results that may
00:08:44.840 be upcoming in the future thank you very much thank you david we are now going to go to questions
00:08:56.440 in person before going to the phone so it'll be one question one follow-up
00:09:00.440 seeing no questions in the room we're going to go oh we have one question in the room
00:09:04.360 Good morning, Lindsay Mori with the Sherr Park News, just wondering if there is currently
00:09:10.920 any projects in the pipeline or in the works that would be dependent directly on this kind
00:09:16.200 of policy?
00:09:20.520 There is, discussions are happening, they're happening all the time, but as of right now
00:09:26.420 there's, no one has made a final investment decision that would warrant the use of a new
00:09:32.980 intake i i just want to i just want to say though that uh one of the municipalities within the
00:09:42.340 association does have an application with alberta environment and uh we're waiting for final
00:09:50.980 approval on that uh hopefully that happens sooner than later here and i'm sure that once we get that
00:09:56.740 initial uh in final investment decision made then we can proceed with construction wherever that may
00:10:04.340 be within the heartland here did you have a follow-up no seeing no questions on the line
00:10:14.740 either this concludes today's announcement thank you everyone for joining us
00:10:26.740 You