ALBERTA FOOTHILLS INVESTMENT && BUSINESS Site Selection Guide
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ALBERTA FOOTHILLS INVESTMENT && BUSINESS Site Selection Guide Town of Black Diamond • M.D. of Foothills • Town of High River • Town of Okotoks • Town of Turner Valley • A Business Development Initiative of the Alberta Foothills Region www.albertafoothills.ca Welcome to the Foothills Region In the quiet of the dawn of new days, the first light paints itself across the snowpack clinging to the face of the Rocky Table of Contents Mountains to the west. The green grasses bend away from the breeze, Welcome 2 over a washboard of rolling hills as far as the The Foothills Region 3-5 eye can see. Our at a Glance common geography - the Foothills Region of The Calgary Region 6-7 Southern Alberta - is inspired and inspiring. Investment Targets 8-11 From artist to entrepreneur to movie The Foothills Region: industry to new resident drawn by its beauty, a Industry Profile 12 vibrant, growing and prosperous economy Business 13 has emerged. The Resources bounds of opportunity live on imagination’s Real Estate 14 terms. Finance 15 Today, 65,000 people live in our five Tourism 16-17 communities - the M.D. Infrastructure of Foothills #31 and the towns of Okotoks, High River, Turner Valley and Black M.D. of Foothills 18-20 Diamond. Population growth exceeds the Alberta average. Investment opportunity abounds. Town of Okotoks 21-24 The Foothills Region has come together to embolden pursuit of Town of 25-27 opportunity sympathetic to the physical endurance of a High River geography that counts among the world’s special places. Our common goal is to promote responsible, innovative, Town of 28-30 prosperous, and sustainable development of our region. Turner Valley RISE is a descriptor of people, place, aspiration and direction. Town of 31-34 It is an expression of our passion for this place we call ’home’. Black Diamond Alberta Foothills Region at a Glance CONNECTIVITY Quick Facts Road access: convenient access to two of Canada’s primary highway networks (2015) Highway 2 Canamex Corridor, linking north / south corridors from northern Alberta to Mexico TransCanada - Highway 1, linking west and east corridors from coast to coast across Canada Highway 22 - “the Cowboy Trail” - a scenic and convenient route along Alberta’s Foothills Highway 7, east / west access to Highway 22 south to Crowsnest Pass and B.C. Population Highway 549, access to Millarville, Bragg Creek and Highway 1 to Banff Distance to: 67,080 Calgary- south city limits: approximately 25 km Downtown Calgary: 60 km Calgary International Calgary International Airport - 65-100 km Edmonton - 325 to 375 km U.S. border - 230 to 290 km Residential Air Calgary International Airport - 45-60 minutes north Structures Regional airports: Okotoks, High River 3000 ft. lit runways for light aircraft Rail Canadian Pacific Railway—mainline/spur access in Okotoks, and M.D. of Foothills, 24,000 Aldersyde industrial corridor between Okotoks and High River Bus Greyhound Service, commuter bus service daily from Okotoks, High River, Turner Valley, Black Diamond Courier Full courier services Housing Starts Average hours of Internet High speed Internet commonly available sunshine per day 6.34 Average number of 470 Chinook days per 25 year CLIMATE Number of frost free Min. Max. Min. Max. days 112 Construction Month temp. temp. temp. Temp. Annual mean rainfall 300 mm (C) (C) (F) (F) Value (11.8 inches) January -15 -3 5 27 February -12 0 10 32 Annual mean 153 cm snowfall (60 inches) March -8 4 18 39 $292 million April -2 11 28 52 Annual mean 42 cm May 3 16 38 62 precipitation (16.7 inches) June 7 20 45 68 Number of days with # Registered July 9 23 49 73 precipitation 113 August 9 23 49 73 Businesses Climate severity Calgary 34 September 4 18 39 64 index Victoria 13 October -1 12 30 37 Range: 1 (very mild) to 100 Vancouver 18 (very severe) Winnipeg 51 3,890 November -9 3 16 37 December -13 -1 8 30 Toronto 35 Source: Environment Canada Source: Environment Canada 3 The Foothills Region 4 The Region at a Glance Black Diamond (population 2,373) Friendly people, beautiful natural surroundings, and a historic main street characterize the community. Located 35 minutes southwest of Calgary adja- cent to the Sheep River, amidst the steep foothills that rise to meet the Rocky Mountains, people are drawn to unique shopping, culinary, recreational, and art/cultural experiences. Enjoy a relaxed pace, inspired geographic setting in a gateway to the Kananaskis. Municipal District (M.D.) of Foothills # 31 (population 21,258) A 3600 sq. km municipality bordering Calgary’s southern city limits and extending 100 km south, the M.D. typifies the best of all worlds with its proximity to urban amenity amidst a peaceful rural atmosphere. With an emphasis on gracious family living, the M.D. features beautiful residential developments, picturesque golf courses, a Highway 2 industrial corridor that will serve as a significant employment generator, and spectacular scenery extending from the Rocky Mountains, through steeply rolling foothills, out onto Alberta’s prairie. High River (population 12,920) Located 30 minutes south of Calgary on Highway 2, High River is a sub-regional service centre with a diversified economy driven by health services, manufacturing, and agriculture. As a lifestyle community, a progressive business environment is enhanced by the strong presence of arts and culture, and heritage. Okotoks (population 28,016) Located 15 minutes south of Calgary in the Sheep River valley in the heart of the Alberta Foothills, the Town of Okotoks is a youthful, vibrant and friendly community. Alberta’s youngest, and one of Canada’s fastest growing, communities, Okotoks offers full services, diverse recreational amenity, and substantial opportunity in a rapidly growing business sector. A commitment to sustainable development practices is at the heart of the community. Turner Valley (population 2,511) Lying at the base of the Rocky Mountains 35 minutes southwest of Calgary, Turner Valley’s geography is inspiring and the lifestyle relaxed - which has attracted a thriving community of visual artists and musicians. Community- mindedness, feeling of belonging, and environmental focus values offer economic opportunity for independent free spirits, and affordable, family- friendly housing options. A primary gateway to Kananaskis Country, a myriad of outdoor recreation options are at the core of community life. 5 The Calgary Region 1 Business Environment Calgary Rankings1 #2 - Top 10 Large North American Cities of the Future 2013/14 – Overall Ranking (out of 52 large North American cities) FDI Magazine, 2013/2014 #2 overall - Entrepreneurial Cities - Calgary periphery (excludes the city) (out of 121 2nd best city to live in Canada. Canadian cities/areas) - Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Entrepreneurial MoneySense Magazine, 2015 Cities, October 2014 Highest labour force participation #5 with a Grade A – Scorecard on Prosperity 2014: Overall Economy Ranking (out of 24 global cities). Toronto Region Board of Trade, Toronto as a Global City: Scorecard on rate of major cities in Canada. Prosperity, 2014 Statistics Canada, 2015 Calgary’s Key Industries1 Calgary created 19,900 jobs in 2014, 17.9% of Canada’s job Energy - employing 68,500 (2014), \Calgary is home to the majority of Canada’s oil and growth. Statistics Canada, 2014 gas production companies, major pipeline operators, oilfield service and drilling compa- nies, energy-related engineering and consulting firms, and headquarters to major North American pipeline and energy distribution companies. Canada's largest concentration of Lowest commute time of major investor owned electric power generation companies are based in Calgary. cities in Canada. Tom Tom, 2014 Finance Services - employing 19,000 (2014), 8,100 new jobs were created over the past 10 years (2003-2012), an increase of 48%. In 2011, Calgary was added to the list of cities eligible to be recognized in the Global Financial Centres Index (rank #28). 3rd best place to raise kids in Transportation & Logistics - employing 78,700 (2014), major retailers like Walmart, Canada. MoneySense Magazine, Target and Costco have selected the Calgary Region as an integral part of their Western distribution strategy. Recent investments include a $100 million Calgary 2015 logistics park announced by CN Railroad and the $30 million UPS distribution centre at the Calgary International Airport. Highest concentration of small Technology - employing 24,500 (2014), Calgary is home to the largest number of tech- nology start ups per capita in Canada. Over half of Alberta’s fastest growing companies businesses of major cities in are in the ICT sector. Canada. Statistics Canada, 2014 Manufacturing - employing 49,200 (2014), comprising a variety of consumer and indus- trial products. Film, TV & Creative Industries - $150 million in annual film production. Rapidly grow- ing cultural, convergent media, and creative design and consulting industries. Calgary is… 2 Alberta's Positive Business Climate and Recent Growth #5 most livable city in the world (140 cities ranked) in 2014 Competitive Business Costs - One of most competitive tax environments in according to the Economist Intelli- North America - no provincial retail sales tax, provincial capital taxes, payroll gence Unit taxes, or machinery & equipment taxes. Modern Infrastructure - highly efficient and competitive transportation and lo- gistics system. Strong Exports - export of $121 billion in commodities to 195 countries in 2014, Calgary has… an 17% increase over 2013. Market Access - central position in a growing western Canadian market of 10 million people. Overnight delivery service to 50 million consumers in western The highest concentration of head Canada / US Pacific Northwest. office employment in Canada (on Abundant Resources - third largest petroleum reserves in the world, after Sau- a per capita basis). di Arabia and Venezuela. Crude oil and equivalent production to rise to 4 million barrels/day by 2024, up from 2.3 million barrels in 2014.