Key Development Areas

Driven by attractive petrochemical and raw material feedstock costs, and combined with competitive transportation and construction costs, the Heartland region’s world-class facilities can produce global-scale quantities.

The 40+ companies in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, several being world-scale, provide fuels, fertilizers, power, petrochemicals and more to provincial and global consumers.

The Heartland region’s geographic footprint is 582 square kilometres (225 square miles). Alberta’s Industrial Heartland is situated near the capital city of Alberta, Edmonton, the northernmost metropolitan area in Canada and home to more than 1.4 million people regionally. Proximity to Edmonton provides both labour and transportation advantages to industrial investors.

The petrochemical investment window is wide open right now for North America. Alberta and Canada can be the location of choice for billions of dollars of investment in value-add energy facilities — if we work together at all levels of government to create a competitive investment climate. Alberta is poised to attract a potential $30 billion in new capital investments to Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.

Visit Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA) for more information

The Sturgeon Industrial Park (SIP) is ideally located for light and medium industry to capitalize on mega-projects in both Alberta’s Industrial Heartland and in Alberta’s oil sands. With recent County investments to upgrade infrastructure, SIP now has more than 2,000 acres of serviced land and another 1,400 acres available.

SIP has an established road network which includes excellent access to major highways including Alberta’s High Load Corridor, Alberta’s abundant natural resources and the CN Sturgeon Industrial Rail Line. Existing SIP businesses operate in the advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, chemicals manufacturing, transportation and logistics industries.

Sturgeon Valley is an established community of more than 3,500 residents supported by a statutory plan originally approved in 1999. This plan required amendment to allow for the future growth and completion of the community.

There has been significant work to date to advance Sturgeon Valley planning and development. In March 2019, Sturgeon County received provincial approval for a new policy to guide the planning of future Sturgeon Valley neighbourhoods.

Sturgeon County collaborated with the cities of Edmonton and St. Albert to develop these policies in response to a requirement of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board.

Sturgeon Valley offers compelling investment opportunities for both residential and commercial development. Sturgeon County looks forward to working with our regional partners, developers and real estate professionals to build the Edmonton Metropolitan Region’s best community.

For information on the Sturgeon Valley planning process:
Michael Klassen, Program Lead, Long Range and Regional Planning
780-939-8370 or by email.

For information on residential and commercial development in Sturgeon Valley:
Karim Khamisa, Investment Attraction Officer
780-265-0505 or by email.

The Villeneuve Airport (ZVL) is a key regional economic asset. It is the Edmonton region’s primary general aviation airport and is owned and operated by Canada’s largest airport (by land mass), Edmonton International Airport (EIA). The land around the airport is primed to support billions in new investment and thousands of jobs.

The area has tremendous intermodal (road, rail and air) transportation networks, direct market access, affordable lease and purchased lands, water and other municipal servicing, fibre optic broadband connectivity, major events such as the Alberta International Airshow, and a base of successful airside and ground side businesses.

New investment is expected across many sectors including aviation and aerospace, defence, research and testing, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, value-added agriculture, agri-innovation, and logistics. Recent economic studies predict the area will attract nearly $2 billion in new development and more than 1,700 new jobs in the initial development phases.

The Villeneuve Airport Area Master Plan (VAAMP) showcases the opportunities to capitalize on existing infrastructure in a way that complements the airport and Sturgeon County. The Villeneuve Airport Area – Area Structure Plan (VAA-ASP) is the development framework that carries out the direction of the VAAMP. The ASP supports and manages growth on the land around the Villeneuve Airport. The plan was developed in partnership with the Edmonton Regional Airport Authority and other parties, and was approved on Oct. 10, 2023.

The Villeneuve Landing Network (VLN) is a regional partnership focused on redeveloping the Villeneuve Airport. The VLN consortium includes local Indigenous communities, regional municipalities, Edmonton International Airport (EIA), the Government of Alberta, post-secondary institutions, and other associate members.