Latest news with #DevinDreeshen
Global News
4 days ago
- Business
- Global News
New rail spur line aims to connect Coaldale to global markets
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. Story continues below advertisement 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. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy '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. 1:43 Coaldale McCain Foods plant looks to add 260 hires to workforce 'If you build it they will come,' said Grant Hunter, Alberta's associate minister of water. Story continues below advertisement 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.' Story continues below advertisement 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.
Edmonton Journal
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Transportation minister needs to stay in his lane
Article content Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen recently wrote to the mayors of both Edmonton and Calgary with 'concerns' about bike lanes. His first letter to Edmonton called for the cancellation of the 132nd Avenue project, but the letter to Calgary was more vague, stating 'we need to seriously consider on how to maintain adequate capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow for current and future traffic needs, not reducing capacity.' Article content Article content If Dreeshen is concerned about the movement of traffic through the city, he should support more transportation options, not fewer. Traffic doesn't just include cars, it includes people who walk, take transit and, yes, ride bikes. Article content Calgary city council has, in fact, been too hesitant in building cycling infrastructure. It has allowed the downtown cycle track to slowly crumble year after year, never making permanent what was built in the pilot project phase. This would be unacceptable if it were a road built for cars. Article content Much of the pathways end abruptly and large swaths of the city, including some of Calgary's lowest-income neighbourhoods, have little to no cycling infrastructure at all. Article content Buying and maintaining a car is a huge financial burden and one that should be optional. Thanks to inflation, people are forced to pay more of their income into their vehicles. If Dreeshen's concern is making life easier for Albertans, he'd make it so we wouldn't need to. Article content Article content Adding more car traffic lanes in cities with limited space isn't going to solve traffic problems. If anything, it forces everything to spread out, which in turn forces us all into cars. It's a vicious cycle that we have been doing for decades, and stretches both municipal and personal budgets. Article content I know Dreeshen supports transportation options. He made it legal to drive golf carts on roads in his home riding last year. So why does he want to constrain options in Alberta's cities? Article content The research is abundant — giving people options to get around not only reduces traffic congestion, but improves quality of life. Article content Additionally, being able to experience the city around you in a way that is impossible to do in a car also feels pretty dang good. Since the initial build out of the downtown cycle track, other factors have induced a boom in people riding for transportation. Bike shops saw a boom during pandemic restrictions, and Calgary streets that were converted to active transportation were well used.
Calgary Herald
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Transportation minister needs to stay in his lane
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen recently wrote to the mayors of both Edmonton and Calgary with 'concerns' about bike lanes. His first letter to Edmonton called for the cancellation of the 132nd Avenue project, but the letter to Calgary was more vague, stating 'we need to seriously consider on how to maintain adequate capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow for current and future traffic needs, not reducing capacity.' Article content Article content If Dreeshen is concerned about the movement of traffic through the city, he should support more transportation options, not fewer. Traffic doesn't just include cars, it includes people who walk, take transit and, yes, ride bikes. Article content Article content Calgary city council has, in fact, been too hesitant in building cycling infrastructure. It has allowed the downtown cycle track to slowly crumble year after year, never making permanent what was built in the pilot project phase. This would be unacceptable if it were a road built for cars. Article content Much of the pathways end abruptly and large swaths of the city, including some of Calgary's lowest-income neighbourhoods, have little to no cycling infrastructure at all. Buying and maintaining a car is a huge financial burden and one that should be optional. Thanks to inflation, people are forced to pay more of their income into their vehicles. If Dreeshen's concern is making life easier for Albertans, he'd make it so we wouldn't need to. Article content Article content Adding more car traffic lanes in cities with limited space isn't going to solve traffic problems. If anything, it forces everything to spread out, which in turn forces us all into cars. It's a vicious cycle that we have been doing for decades, and stretches both municipal and personal budgets. Article content I know Dreeshen supports transportation options. He made it legal to drive golf carts on roads in his home riding last year. So why does he want to constrain options in Alberta's cities? Article content The research is abundant — giving people options to get around not only reduces traffic congestion, but improves quality of life. Article content Additionally, being able to experience the city around you in a way that is impossible to do in a car also feels pretty dang good. Since the initial build out of the downtown cycle track, other factors have induced a boom in people riding for transportation. Bike shops saw a boom during pandemic restrictions, and Calgary streets that were converted to active transportation were well used.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Edmonton councillor calls on minister to reverse photo radar cuts after 20th traffic fatality of 2025
Twenty people have been killed on Edmonton roads so far this year, prompting alarm from a city councillor who blames the increase in part on the scaling back of photo radar. Edmonton police on Thursday announced a motorcyclist was killed earlier this week by colliding with a concrete barrier in a south Edmonton industrial park near Highway 2 and Highway 19. The 40-year-old's death brings Edmonton to 20 traffic fatalities for 2025, approaching the total deaths in all of 2023 (27) and 2024 (26). 'The unfortunate reality is that 20 individuals have died on our streets this year alone,' Interim Chief Devin Laforce said in a news release. 'These are our friends, our family, our coworkers.' The grim milestone comes less than one year after provincial Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen reduced the number of photo radar speed enforcement locations by 70 per cent. The announcement — made at an Edmonton barbecue restaurant, where an aproned Dreeshen decried the tool as a 'cash cow' — prompted concerns from Edmonton city councillors and Calgary's police chief, who accused the minister of being 'unprofessional' and making light of road fatalities. On Thursday, Edmonton Coun. Ashley Salvador said the changes — which banned city-operated photo radar in all but school, playground and construction zones — effectively eliminated photo radar as a speed enforcement tool. The City of Edmonton ended photo radar enforcement in school zones effective July 1, citing the cost, which was subsidized by revenue from photo radar on roads where it is now banned. 'Given what we've been seeing on our streets, given the surge in fatalities, I do think the province needs to reconsider their approach,' Salvador said. '(Photo radar) is a known tool that is backed up by data and evidence to help support traffic safety as part of a larger suite of tools. As a growing city, we need all the tools we can get to support safety in our neighbourhoods.' Edmonton police were not able to provide statistics Thursday on how often speed was a factor in this year's traffic fatalities. In May, police said speed was a factor in nearly half, including three people killed on Edmonton roads in a single weekend. Laforce said Thursday that police are focusing 'significant resources' on traffic safety, including education campaigns 'to remind Edmontonians that speeding on our roadways is not without immense risk and potentially tragic outcomes.' The service has not taken a position on the elimination of photo radar but has called for the power to seize vehicles clocked going 50 km/h above the speed limit. 'Regardless of the province's automated enforcement guidelines or the city's decision to scale back the tool, the EPS will continue in its ongoing traffic safety efforts using more traditional direct policing measures,' EPS spokesperson Brooke Timpson said in a news release. 'We will also work collaboratively with our numerous traffic safety partners to maintain and prioritize the safety of the public using its existing response and specialized traffic resources to ensure that those individuals choosing to engage in dangerous or other unlawful behaviours are held accountable.' Timpson added, 'The public should not interpret the scaling back of (photo radar) as implicit approval to engage in high-risk or other unlawful driving behaviours.' Salvador said she hears from constituents increasingly 'alarmed' by behaviours they're seeing from drivers. While the city has other tools to limit dangerous driving — including education campaigns and infrastructure improvements — limiting enforcement 'makes the rest of the strategy hard to deliver on,' she said. 'So it's a significant loss.' Dreeshen's office did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Edmonton has signed on to the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2032. jwakefield@ @ Related 'Absolutely concerned': Edmonton mayor, councillors react to Alberta photo radar plan Edmonton police chief pleads with drivers to slow down after three fatal weekend crashes City of Edmonton ends school photo radar, citing costs and issues beyond speeding You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
Calgary Herald
17-07-2025
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton councillor calls on minister to reverse photo radar cuts after 20th traffic fatality of 2025
Twenty people have been killed on Edmonton roads so far this year, prompting alarm from a city councillor who blames the increase in part on the scaling back of photo radar. Article content Edmonton police on Thursday announced a motorcyclist was killed earlier this week by colliding with a concrete barrier in a south Edmonton industrial park near Highway 2 and Highway 19. The 40-year-old's death brings Edmonton to 20 traffic fatalities for 2025, approaching the total deaths in all of 2023 (27) and 2024 (26). Article content Article content Article content 'The unfortunate reality is that 20 individuals have died on our streets this year alone,' Interim Chief Devin Laforce said in a news release. 'These are our friends, our family, our coworkers.' Article content Article content The grim milestone comes less than one year after provincial Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen reduced the number of photo radar speed enforcement locations by 70 per cent. The announcement — made at an Edmonton barbecue restaurant, where an aproned Dreeshen decried the tool as a 'cash cow' — prompted concerns from Edmonton city councillors and Calgary's police chief, who accused the minister of being 'unprofessional' and making light of road fatalities. On Thursday, Edmonton Coun. Ashley Salvador said the changes — which banned city-operated photo radar in all but school, playground and construction zones — effectively eliminated photo radar as a speed enforcement tool. The City of Edmonton ended photo radar enforcement in school zones effective July 1, citing the cost, which was subsidized by revenue from photo radar on roads where it is now banned. Article content Article content 'Given what we've been seeing on our streets, given the surge in fatalities, I do think the province needs to reconsider their approach,' Salvador said. '(Photo radar) is a known tool that is backed up by data and evidence to help support traffic safety as part of a larger suite of tools. As a growing city, we need all the tools we can get to support safety in our neighbourhoods.' Article content Edmonton police were not able to provide statistics Thursday on how often speed was a factor in this year's traffic fatalities. In May, police said speed was a factor in nearly half, including three people killed on Edmonton roads in a single weekend. Article content Laforce said Thursday that police are focusing 'significant resources' on traffic safety, including education campaigns 'to remind Edmontonians that speeding on our roadways is not without immense risk and potentially tragic outcomes.'
