Transportation, Logistics & Warehousing

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As a regional hub with strategic infrastructure in place that serves a population of nearly 300,000, Grande Prairie is an ideal location for transportation, logistics and warehousing. The city is also well situated to serve as a hub for the north, well positioned to serve NW Alberta and NE British Columbia, while maintaining high demand for goods and services within the immediate surrounding areas. With enhancements to technology in the industry, as well as continued population growth in the region, opportunities for investment continue to emerge.

 

Investment Opportunities Include:

  • Distribution centres
  • Innovative technology
  • Transportation support

Advantages

Access to Market Demand

The city has steady population growth at a rate of 3.69% from 2000-2018 and benefits from a large trade area of nearly 300,000 people and forecast to grow by over 40,000 over the next decade. This young and affluent population base and surrounding trade area results in high demand for products with total retail spending of $4.7 billion. Grande Prairie is the largest commercial center north of Edmonton, reducing competition and attracting demand from surrounding communities.

Skilled Labour

According to the 2020 Regional Labour Market Needs Study, Truck Transportation ranks the 8th top employment sub-sector. This translates to a large network of skilled Truck transportation labourers available to support the Transportation and Warehousing industry.­­

Access to Strategic Infrastructure

Distribution centres also benefit from Grande Prairie’s accessibility to various markets through high-quality and easily accessible infrastructure and connectivity. Three major local highways connect the City to the rest of Alberta and Canada, offering direct connections to Edmonton, British Columbia, and the Northwestern Territories.

On an international level, Grande Prairie is located on the CANAMEX trade route, which connects Canada with both the United States and Mexico. Additionally, Grande Prairie’s rail connects to the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert and the rest of Northern America which offer the most cost-effective way of shipping bulk goods out of the region and into export markets.

The Grande Prairie region is served by Canadian National Railway. High load capacity lines connect with the CN mainline at Hinton, linking Grande Prairie to the port of Vancouver, Prince Rupert and the rest of North America. In June of 2021, CN Rail announced an investment of $445 million dollars in Alberta to help meet demand and future needs of its customers. CN’s investment strategy is focused on creating a more fluid and more efficient network, and encouraging the use of rail for long haul transportation, leading to reduced emissions.

Grande Prairie is the closest municipality in Alberta to western shipping ports, offering a competitive advantage in getting bulk product to Asian markets faster than from anywhere else in Alberta.

Side Group Rail provides rail reload and transportation services with seven facilities in the Peace Country. Managing broad inventories, Side Group Rail directs the movement of ½ billion dollars of goods annually from their Grande Prairie operations.

Availability of Land

With recently annexed land, over 2,000 acres of industrial land and an existing industrial inventory of 6.1 million square feet, there is a wealth of land and real estate available that is easily accessible by major infrastructure.

Westgate/Vision West/Centre West

The Westgate Vision West and Center West industrial parks are located on the west end of the city, developed to avoid conflicts and reduce negative interactions with the public, normally associated with industrial uses adjacent to residential and agricultural developments. The optimized industrial locations allow your employees to maintain a high quality of life with commutes of less than 15 minutes to anywhere within the city, offering employees more time at home with family and less time spent on the highway. Similarly, nearby hotels, conference facilities and airport ensure that travelling consultants and executives can maximize their time with your business.