Infrastructure projects spur jobs, growth
Taxpayers are spending tens of billions of dollars on public infrastructure as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, creating 50,000 direct and 40,000 indirect jobs.
As we see economic conditions improving, Alberta Infrastructure is delivering hundreds of projects in every corner of the province, including schools, health and capital maintenance and renewal, which are employing thousands of architects, engineers, contractors, and skilled tradespeople, and putting food on the tables of Alberta families.
Highlights from 2021
• Construction was completed on 14 school projects, creating more than 5,600 new and 5,900 modernized student spaces throughout the province. Fifty-seven more school projects are underway – in the planning, design or construction phase.
• Construction was also completed on six health projects, including the Willow Square Continuing Care Centre in Fort McMurray. The $102-million facility supported more than 570 well-paid construction-related jobs in the community. Work continues on 27 more health projects.
• Phase Two of the new Grande Prairie Regional Hospital was completed, which added a 28-bed mental health unit, 32 medical beds and two new operating suites to the main facility that was completed in 2020.
• The Calgary Cancer Centre is 90 per cent complete. There are about 900 workers on site daily and construction of the $1.4-billion facility is scheduled to be completed next fall.
• Design is underway on the new Calgary Court of Appeal facility with approved funding of more than $100 million, which will support more than 570 construction-related jobs.
• Construction began on the $130.5-million Bridgeland Riverside Continuing Care Centre in Calgary. The project is supporting about 730 jobs and is scheduled to be completed in late 2023.
• Redevelopment of the Misericordia Community Hospital emergency department in Edmonton is well underway. With about 60 construction workers from 10 subtrades on site daily, this $85-million project continues to be on track and is expected to be completed in 2023.
• Demolition of the Red Deer Michener Centre North has begun. The project is supporting up to 100 jobs and is expected to be completed in 2022.
• The planning stage for the expansion and redevelopment of the Red Deer Regional Hospital is being finalized.
• Capital maintenance and renewal work is ongoing to upgrade or repair existing government-owned facilities, such as courthouses, provincial buildings, housing and cultural facilities. This includes replacing boilers, upgrading safety and security systems, and replacing leaking roofs and windows.
• Alberta’s government saved $118 million by relocating staff to redeveloped spaces in two government-owned facilities rather than building a new facility or keeping unnecessary leased space. This included modernizing office space in Commerce Place in Edmonton and moving the Alberta Emergency Management Agency Provincial Operations Centre to renewed space in the Muriel Stanley Venne Provincial Centre.
Alberta’s government also tabled the Infrastructure Accountability Act, which received royal assent in December, and released Building Forward: Alberta’s 20-Year Strategic Capital Plan. These initiatives align specifically with Alberta’s Recovery Plan to ensure we are investing in the right provincial infrastructure and supporting jobs and the economy well into the future.
“It’s been a productive year. Together with our government partners and job creators, we have made headway on hundreds of infrastructure projects. Every infrastructure project we undertake counteracts pandemic-related challenges by boosting our economy and supporting well-paying, much-needed jobs. Ultimately, this ensures Albertans have thriving communities to call home.” - Prasad Panda, Minister of Infrastructure
