Another bright opportunity for investment has arrived in Wheatland County. This morning, Premier Jason Kenney and CGC Inc, a subsidiary of USG Corporation, announced a $210 million project near the community of Carseland.
The Canadian division of USG Corporation plans to build a new, state-of-the-art wallboard manufacturing plant in Wheatland County. Construction on the plant is projected to begin in 2023.
The announcement took place at the Carseland Fire Hall on Thursday morning. Dignitaries included Premier Kenney, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development Nate Horner, members of Wheatland County council, local MLA s, Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule, and Siksika Nation Chief Ouray Crowfoot.
Wheatland County’s Reeve Amber Link was the master of ceremonies.
“An unprecedented diversification of our economy is happening,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. “This investment by CGC to build a wallboard manufacturing plant in Wheatland County is proof of that, with more great news for Alberta’s economic recovery.”
Kenney also spoke about the Alberta Advantage and the creation of Invest Alberta to encourage investment in the province. He also noted that one of the greatest assets of Alberta is the entrepreneurial culture of the people.
President and CEO of USG Corporation Chris Griffin explained that “USG and our subsidiary CGC will be investing $210 million to build a state-of-the-art wallboard facility here in Wheatland County.”
Amber Link and Chris Griffin“We anticipate starting in early 2023. A wallboard plant generally takes somewhere between 24 and 36 months to build. We're going to try our best to accelerate that.”
Griffin noted that the plant will employ about 100 people in Wheatland County and produce around 450 million square feet of wall board on an annual basis.
“Wheatland County Council has been laser focused on cultivating a development landscape conducive to diversifying our rural economy and driving job creation through strategic growth,” said Amber Link, Wheatland County Reeve.
“CGC’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and its entrepreneurial spirit align with Wheatland County’s commitment to innovative, sustainable municipal service delivery. CGC and Wheatland’s alignment creates an environment where future employees and their families can experience the unparalleled quality of life that Wheatland County offers. On behalf of Team Wheatland, I am excited to work with CGC, stakeholders, our ratepayers, and businesses to create a development that works for everyone.”
Today’s announcement is the result of close collaboration between CGC, Wheatland County, the Government of Alberta, and Invest Alberta Corporation to fuel regional economic development by adding more than 100 high-value manufacturing jobs to the local economy at the plant long-term, as well approximately 200 construction jobs during site build. These new jobs will build on CGC’s existing 750-strong workforce at six manufacturing locations and customer service and distribution centres across Canada.
Wheatland County was selected as the home for CGC’s Western Canadian wallboard manufacturing plant because of the immediate economic benefits offered by local and regional governments, as well as long-term growth opportunities thanks to its close proximity to Calgary.
The Government of Alberta and Invest Alberta worked with CGC on the project and will provide $3.74 million from the Investment and Growth Fund to support CGC’s expansion to rural Alberta.
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