September 2025 Newsletter
- CAEP Author
- Sep 18
- 4 min read
As the leaves begin to turn, we take a few moments to reflect back on the work that CAEP has been doing over the summer. We would also like to thank all of our Board Members past and present, who continue to add strong voices as advocates of regional economic development in Central Alberta.
UPCOMING ELECTIONS
With municipal elections in the air and voting taking place on October 20th, we will have to say goodbye to some elected officials who have served us so well over the years. In my opinion, every elected official makes a huge personal sacrifice to serve us. While we may differ on the “whats” and “hows” of getting things done, there’s no doubt that each has a vision for leadership that is always intended to lead to great things for the communities that they serve. To those who are running – best of luck! To those who have decided to retire from future work on Council – enjoy the transition. We all appreciate the work that you have generously provided.
A SUCCESSFUL SITELINK EVENT!
CAEP hosted the SiteLink Forum in Red Deer County on September 3 – 5, 2025.
Presented by Webster Global Site Selectors, the event was a valuable opportunity to hear from international site selectors and connect with leaders in economic development, construction, architecture, engineering, and real estate to network, gather insights, and share expertise.
Attendance at the event was very strong, with nearly 50 registered participants over the three-day event. We had excellent representation from CAEP’s member communities, who used their complimentary registrations to attend three days of sessions plus an exclusive sponsor’s dinner with the site selectors on September 3rd.
Event highlights included presentations from site selectors Paige Webster, Rob O’Brien, Christopher Steele, Christine Rambo Wong, Sabrina Champagne, Jeffery Garza Walker and David Gaines—all of whom shared their unique perspectives on what communities need to do to position themselves for future investment opportunities.
Their advice aligns with CAEP’s focus on invest readiness: communicating the region’s competitive advantages such as our links to major industries, transportation corridors and advanced work force training and development.
The real X-factor is the power of collaboration. The event showcased CAEP as a place where we collaborate and share amongst the membership to ensure that we all win together.
The panel discussion at the dinner on Thursday, September 4th highlighted the importance of working together with government, industry and educational partners to continue creating opportunities for big projects in the future.
A huge thank you to our panel speakers:
Supreena Sekhon, Vice President, Government & External Affairs, Invest Alberta
Rob Thompson, Vice President, Manufacturing West, Nova Chemicals
Todd Orman, Vice President, External Relations & Research, Olds College
All three provided amazing insights about Central Alberta’s infrastructure and regional competitive advantages, and how they position the region for investment opportunities.
We also thank CAEP Board Chair Jean Barclay, Mayor of Innisfail, and Mayor Jim Wood of Red Deer County for their opening remarks at the dinner.
CAEP also arranged for a regional showcase tour for the site selectors after the formal event ended on Friday.
By the time the tour finished on Friday evening, the site selectors had seen more than 200km of the CAEP region, winding up with a tour of the Sylvan Lake Gulls Stadium and an incredible lake view over dinner as the sail boats cruised by. There is no doubt that the three-day event left a very positive impression with each of the site selectors and showcased the region as a great place for future investment.
A HUGE THANK YOU…
A special thank you to all of the EDO’s, elected officials and municipal administrators who participated throughout the three-day event. Special thanks to Kneehill County and Meringue 3.14 for producing the event program and organizing the gift bags for the site selectors. We also thank the Town of Innisfail for sponsoring the coffee break and Sylvan Lake for sponsoring the dinner for the Friday showcase tour.
OTHER ON GOING PROJECTS
CAEP continues to advance several ongoing projects including:
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT READINESS PROFILES
CAEP has partnered with the Northern and Regional Economic Development (NRED) Program to commission Community Profiles for 10 CAEP members. These profiles will support economic development efforts, build a common understanding of local economic development and community assets, improve overall investment readiness, and help respond to investment inquiries. This project also includes an update to the Centra lAlberta Regional Profile that covers the full CAEP region. All profiles will be completed by November.
HOWSE PASS CORRIDOR STUDY UPDATE
CAEP and other regional partners have commissioned an updated pre-feasibility study for the proposed "Howse Pass Corridor." This corridor is a road that would create a more direct transportation route between BC and central Alberta, running from Highway 1, just north of Golden BC, to Saskatchewan River Crossing in Alberta.
CPCS, the firm conducting the study update, will be holding a Technical Workshop on November 20, 2025 in Rocky Mountain House to present its initial findings and obtain input. All CAEP members will be invited to attend. Stay tuned for more details!
TEAM CENTRAL ALBERTA
CAEP is developing a program to expand CAEP’s corporate partnerships and engage corporate leaders more fully in the economic development work that benefits us all. Stay tuned for more details!
And as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime to chat! Our team at CAEP always loves to hear from communities about what matters most to you.
Paul Salvatore, BA, ALUP, CLGM
Executive Director
Phone: 587-447-2237
