Transportation and logistics play an important part in the modern economy, especially in southern Alberta.
According to Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL), transportation and logistics are a primary consideration in investment attraction.
The recently completed Lethbridge Goods Movement Study focused on assessing the current state of freight transportation in Lethbridge, as well as identifying barriers to the efficient movement of goods in the area and highlighting strategies, which support freight-dependent economic development.
A corresponding rail benchmarking and economic analysis was compiled in tandem with the Lethbridge Goods Movement Study and helps quantify the impact this sector has on the local economy.
Figures outlined in this report confirm rail served businesses in the Lethbridge area generate an estimated $687 million in annual output locally and support approximately 1,000 jobs, with broader impacts reaching $1.5 billion nationally.
Canada’s Western Gateway’s Cluster Development Manager Brady Schnell says having quality data and economic indicators help market the region and tell a compelling story about the value proposition Lethbridge offers.
Schnell adds the study was undertaken because EDL recognizes logistics play a significant role in southern Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food manufacturing sectors.
Southern Albertans seem to take the movement of goods for granted and sometimes forget how much it plays a role in our everyday life. “If you bought it, a trucker brought it.”
Some of the findings were focused on rail, particularly looking at what types of land in Lethbridge and region have rail access or have the potential to have rail access and what kind of barriers might exist in land use planning and zoning.
“In terms of having investment ready land that is suitable for rail access. Some of the findings point to championing rail advocacy, formalizing rail-ready site marketing, exploring the idea of a third-party rail operator and leveraging funding opportunities to continue to investigate further,” Schnell explains.
Schnell notes EDL recently released its Year in Review for 2025, with the notion to understand, attract, grow and connect.
EDL also released the subsequent Brighter Together Survey and a commercial industry study.
“They’re all part of understanding what the business community is experiencing. The project I’m working on is Canada’s Western Gateway. It’s a regional cluster development project focused on transportation, logistics and warehousing in the Lethbridge region, particularly around Highway 4 to Coutts,” Schnell adds. “There are seven municipal partners in Canada’s Western Gateway, so we have a targeted effort in a specific region to see how we can support carriers and trucking, rail, rail users and people who rely on shipping.”
Another focus, Schnell says, is how to support cross-border trade and what types of land and opportunities are available to lean into that. “It’s not that dissimilar from Canada’s Premiere Food Corridor, a brand that’s been around since 2018. Also, a cluster development project.”
With the Lethbridge Goods Movement Study, EDL will bring it to businesses, and the idea is to stress test what it says, notes Schnell.
“There are seven recommendations. We’re going to approach people who rely on rail, people who service rail and support rail and say, ‘Do these recommendations make sense to you?’ From there, we can determine which of these have the most impact and start to take additional steps to investigate further or solve the issue,” says Schnell.
To read the full report, visit online at chooselethbridge.ca.
