INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRY>NEWS New petrochemical facility coming to Alberta Northern Petrochemical Corporation has announced that it plans to build a $2.5-billion carbon-neutral ammonia and methanol production facility in the Municipal District of Greenview in Alberta. This project will provide a big boost to the province’s economic momentum by creating over 4,000 jobs during the construction phase and 400 permanent positions upon completion. The petrochemical facility will be part of the Greenview Industrial Gateway, a planned industrial sector, and will further diversify the Grande Prairie region. This investment is part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, designed to create jobs and diversify the province’s economy. “The announcement of this huge new job-creating project adds even more momentum to Alberta’s exciting economic recovery,” says Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. He adds that Northern Petro-
chemical’s decision to build this facility proves that the province’s natural gas vision and petrochemical strategy is working. This will the first facility of its kind in Canada given the plans to employ carbon capture and storage to produce very low-carbon products that can be used in the energy, agriculture and chemical industries. “This investment is another example of how Alberta is attracting world-scale hydrogen production facilities via blue ammonia and methanol products,” says Dale Nally, Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity.
Ontario announces that Highway 413 is going ahead Despite environmental objections from several groups, Ontario is moving ahead with plans to build Highway 413, a new 400-series highway across the Halton, Peel and York regions. The purpose behind this new transit corridor is to relieve gridlock, improve the movement of goods and cut commute times. It will also create plenty of jobs. “With Halton, Peel and York regions all set to grow at incredible speed, our government is saying yes to building the roads and highways that will keep these communities moving,” said Premier Doug Ford. He added that thousands of jobs will be created by this project, which is a key component of the province’s “Building Ontario” plan to beef up infrastructure. Ontario expects Highway 413 to benefit the Greater Golden Horseshoe area in many ways, including attracting increased investment in auto manufacturing and other industries. “Highway 413 will save drivers up to 30 minutes each way on their commute,
adding up to one hour per day and five hours per week in people’s schedules. This relief will be the difference between sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic and having dinner with your family at home,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. The highway will run from Highway 400 in the east to the Highway 401/407 express toll route interchange in the west, and will feature four-to-six lanes, separate infrastructure dedicated for transit and passenger stations, and intelligent transportation and truck parking. Preliminary design for the preferred route has already begun. “Investing in transportation infrastructure, like Highway 413, will not only improve our productivity and encourage economic growth by allowing goods to get to market faster, it will also have a measurable impact on the quality of life for Ontario drivers so they can spend more time with friends and family,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance.
Vinci Construction to acquire Canadian contractors Vinci Construction has signed an agreement to acquire the construction companies of the Northern Group of Companies in Atlantic Canada. If approved by Canadian competition authorities, Vinci will acquire the family-run group of public works contractors operating in roadworks, asphalt mixes and aggregates production in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The targeted companies have around 500 employees at peak season. In 2020, they generated $93 million in consolidated revenue. Vinci currently employs 5,500 people in Canada, including 4,000 at Vinci Construction, and earned approximately $1.57 billion in revenue in the country in 2020. Globally, Vinci is engaged in infrastructure and property construction, transport infrastructure concessions, and energy, and employs more than 217,000 people in 100 countries. on-sitemag.com / 7
