Last month, a Dutch company officially started operating at their first Canadian facility.
NewCold’s cold storage facility in Coaldale, Alta., was a $222 million project that has already added dozens of full-time positions, with management saying the employment ceiling hasn’t yet been reached.
However, exports out of the 323,000-square-foot facility aren’t moving at the level the new building is capable of.
To help move things along, the Government of Alberta announced on Friday its support of a new rail spur running through the heart of Coaldale’s industrial park.
A rail spur is a short offshoot of a main line, and in this case the spur will connect with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City running through town.
“This project will provide us with a connection to the NewCold storage facility, which will allow local producers to transport southern Alberta grown and manufactured goods to a global consumer base in the agri-food processing sector,” said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s minister of transportation and economic corridors.
In total, the Alberta government is spending $3.475 million via a grant through the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program.
“Coaldale is a growing hub for agri-food and industry in southern Alberta. By investing in key infrastructure like this rail extension, we’re helping unlock the region’s full economic potential and positioning Coaldale as a driver of long-term growth,” said Dreeshen.
Despite being a small town, Coaldale is situated at the heart of the agri-food corridor on Highway 3. Combining its location with a willingness to expand the agricultural industry and government support, Coaldale’s mayor is declaring a bright future for his town.
“Coaldale is open for business and we mean it,” said Jack Van Rijn, mayor of Coaldale.
In fact, he says this is a true game-changer for the southern Alberta community.
“This project represents one of the most significant industrial infrastructure investments in Coaldale’s history.”
The NewCold facility isn’t the only major agriculture investment in the region in recent years, either. In 2023, McCain announced a $600 million investment to double its potato operation just outside of town.
“If you build it they will come,” said Grant Hunter, Alberta’s associate minister of water.
He, like Van Rijn, says the region has a strong economic future.
“I think it’s just the beginning. I’ve been saying this for six years, I believe that southern Alberta is going to be some of the best real estate investment in Canada.”
Hunter says the government is serious about making an impact in the area.
“This partnership between the province, Town of Coaldale and private industry is exactly the kind of collaboration we need to drive long-term growth, support job creation and help establish southern Alberta as a leading centre for agri-food production and efficient supply chain distribution.”
NewCold’s area site manager, Derek Bedke, agrees that the area is ripe for business.
“When you’re working with local governments and provincial governments that allow you to operate quickly, it really facilitates the progress and it makes it a very easy decision to partner with towns like Coaldale and provinces like Alberta,” said Bedke.
That quick work is exactly what Van Rijn says he is happy to see.
“From the time that we shook hands on the deal moving forward, they had shovels in the ground less than a year later, so it’s just a testament that southern Alberta, the Town of Coaldale and Lethbridge County is open for business.”
The rail spur project will have a total estimated cost of $8 million, with the town of Coaldale and NewCold picking up what the grant doesn’t cover.
