Heartland 101

For many companies in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, warmer spring weather signals the start of clean up, maintenance, new projects and outside activities. It’s also a time referred to as turnaround season, where industrial facilities either stop or decrease production to maintain their facilities to keep them operating safely and efficiently. 


Alberta’s Industrial Heartland is a region rich with opportunity.  We have access to a world-class education system, vibrant communities, and an economic advantage that is second-to-none. Our region is considered one of the best in the world for petrochemical, manufacturing, oil and gas investment and is also Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing region. 

Alberta’s Industrial Heartland region has seen some very cold weather in recent weeks, keeping even those who love wintertime bundled up and indoors. A drop into the deep freeze often restricts our activities, and it can also affect the quality of the outdoor air. 


An online tool to view calm wind regional noise outputs in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland was recently updated in 2018, allowing users to zoom in and out of specific locations.

There is nothing more important than safety. As leaders in safety culture, industry in our region has comprehensive systems aimed at keeping employees and worksites safe. 


Whether for work, for school, or for fun, our region sees thousands of people traveling in and through it daily. It’s typically business as usual, however in a region as risk-diverse as ours, there’s always potential for an emergency to occur. In any emergency, community safety is the priority. In the early stages of an emergency, being able to quickly and safely notify the community is a challenge for responders.


It is that time of year again when facilities in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland take advantage of warmer weather. For many companies, spring signals the start of turnaround season and the continuation of or start of construction projects.

Most facilities operating in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland need an approval to construct, operate and ultimately reclaim their site. This is required from the province of Alberta as one way to manage the environment. Once an approval is granted, a renewal is necessary every ten years.

All communities have a plan in place to respond to emergencies, whether it’s a transportation incident, fire, flood, weather event or loss of utilities. When an industry cluster is part of the community, it is critical that municipal and industry emergency response departments communicate, coordinate and collaborate on an ongoing basis to know one another and work together to keep our community safe.