Newsletter

Upcoming event – Christmas in the Heartland

Once again this year, Life in the Heartland will be greeting Christmas Country Market shoppers with free canvas bags at the Moyer Recreation Centre in Josephburg. Feel free to spend a moment chatting with one of us about Heartland-related topics like industrial growth, transportation, environment, and planning.

We hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 26, 2011
Moyer Recreation Centre (one of several venues part of Christmas in the Heartland)
Opens at 10 am

For more information on Christmas in the Heartland, click here.

Local resident needed for NRCAER Public Member-at-Large Board position

Northeast Region CAER, the area’s mutual aid emergency response organization, is searching for a community-minded individual to serve on its board of directors effective January 1st, 2012. The position is a two-year commitment with an opportunity for renewal at the end of the term. “Northeast Region CAER has been operating for 20 years and the Public Member-at-Large fills an important role within our board, bringing the public perspective and helping to guide our direction and activities,” says Carol Moen, Board Chair and Dow Chemical Canada representative. “We are looking for someone who has an interest in safety and emergency preparedness within the community, and can contribute thoughtful input to the successful management of Northeast Region CAER.”

The 10 member board currently has representation from large and small industry, an elected official from each major municipality within the Northeast Region CAER boundary, a local fire chief and a public member-at-large. Board meetings are held up to six times per year and take place during the work day. There is no compensation for Northeast Region CAER board positions.

To self-nominate, please email executivedirector@nrcaer.com with the following information:

• Name, phone number, residential and email address
• Overview of past community involvement and previous board experience
• Why you are interested in the position

Visit www.nrcaer.com to learn more about the region’s mutual aid emergency response organization.

How cold weather affects air quality

When the weather gets cold enough, exhaust from vehicles and homes becomes a very visible mist in the air. Is all that vapour simply more visible to the eye, or is the level of pollution actually greater in the winter? The answer is yes to both questions.

Some sources of pollution, like industrial emissions, stay fairly constant throughout the year, no matter what the season. But roaring fireplaces and wood stoves and idling vehicles in the winter all add up to higher levels of particulate matter (the particles that make up smoke) and carbon monoxide (from vehicle emissions).

On top of this, cold temperatures and stagnant air have a way of creating a build-up of these substances near the ground, particularly during a weather phenomenon called temperature inversions. In other seasons or weather conditions, warm air sits near the ground and the air can rise easily and carry away pollutants. In a temperature inversion, cold air is trapped near the ground by a layer of warm air. The warm air acts like a lid, holding these substances down. During a temperature inversion, smoke can’t rise and carbon monoxide can reach unhealthy levels. From an air quality perspective, storms are a welcome weather event. Wind, rain and snow storms are sometimes called scrubbers because they help clear out and disperse substances of concern.

Fort Air Partnership is the organization responsible for collecting and reporting air quality data in the Heartland region. Most of the time during the winter, the ambient outdoor air quality in the Fort Air Partnership Airshed stays within good or low health risk ranges, as measured by the Alberta Air Quality Health Index. If AQHI readings do increase in the winter, it’s generally due to the temperature inversion phenomenon.

Indoor air quality also becomes a greater concern during the winter because of the amount of time that people stay inside with poor ventilation. Without adequate circulation, carbon dioxide levels can become an issue, leading to headaches and lethargy. Generally, outdoor air quality is better than indoor air, so the best antidote is to get outside regularly, open windows for short periods if possible and keep fireplaces and ventilation systems clean and maintained.

Heartland transportation study identifies four key recommendations

An efficient and well maintained transportation network in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland is vital to both residents and businesses. As part of ongoing planning activities in the Heartland, a transportation study was completed this past summer to ensure the transportation network for passenger traffic is adequate for potential growth in the region.

Study Procedure

The first step in the process was conducting a baseline assessment of traffic conditions in and around the Heartland region. The next step was evaluating potential growth scenarios for industrial development. This was completed because of the dynamic nature of major industrial developments and the level of uncertainty of expected growth. Initially, three scenarios were created representing High, Medium, and Low growth. This was supplemented by a fourth scenario based upon what was considered the most realistic expectation of growth and development.

Using these growth scenarios, traffic analysis was conducted over various time periods. This accounts for peak conditions during facility construction when as many as 5,000+ workers would be traveling to site daily as well as post construction periods when the main traffic to site would be operational workers. The traffic flow analysis determined where traffic congestion would likely occur and identified bottle necks in the transportation infrastructure. The study also examined alternatives to single car traffic, especially during construction peaks.

The final report incorporated feedback from two public open houses held in Fort Saskatchewan and Partridge Hill Hall in Strathcona County in 2010.

Recommendations

Four key recommendations were identified:

• Policies be established to ensure that 70% of all construction workers at major projects be bussed to site.
•  A comprehensive system of park and ride locations be studied and implemented for the Capital Region that ties into existing road and transit systems and provides options for future use of these locations in long term transit plans.
• Priority is given to road system improvements in and around the Heartland region at the following locations:
• The junction of hwy 37 – 15 – 825
• Hwy 825, from hwy 37 to hwy 643
• Hwy 643, from hwy 825 to hwy 38
• Hwy 15, from hwy 830 to west of RR 213
• Hwy 643, from hwy 28A to hwy 825
• Hwy 45, extending straight south to hwy 16
• The Capital Region Board and Alberta Transportation consider, and work with, Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association in the development of road systems in and around the Heartland region. This should include the work completed on the by-pass option and an evaluation of how it fits with the outcomes of the larger regional planning exercise.

Next Steps

The study is submitted to Alberta Transportation as well as the Capital Region Board for their consideration and use in planning and development of the larger regional transportation system.

For more information and a copy of the summary including recommendations, please visit www.industrialheartland.com. To arrange a viewing of the full report, which is too large to post online, contact Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association at 780.998.7453 or inquiries@industrialheartland.com.

Company plans and project updates shared with residents at information evening

Industrial activity in the Heartland continues at a steady pace 365 days a year. Activities vary from expansion projects to new construction to regular maintenance to training exercises. For residents in and around the region, it’s important and interesting to know companies’ plans and the resulting impact on the local community.

Helping bridge the communication between industry and residents, Life in the Heartland held its first community information evening in October for near neighbors of industry in the Sturgeon County portion of the Heartland. More than 40 residents attended the event, which provided people with an opportunity to visit booths and hear presentations from industrial companies operating in close proximity to their homes. Nearly 20 industrial companies and local industry-related organizations, as well as Sturgeon County and the Town of Redwater were available to provide the latest updates on activities and future plans.

Highlights of the presentations include:

• Life in the Heartland presented research results that show air quality, water quality, and traffic are the topics of greatest interest to residents. Additionally, the survey completed earlier this spring showed local newspaper as the preferred source of information.
• Agrium (Redwater) is the largest corporate employer in Sturgeon County with over 500 employees. Agrium maintains a strong environmental focus by adopting emission reduction technology and proceeding with plans to be part of Enhance Energy’s CO2 recovery project.
• Access Pipeline shared details of their proposed pipeline project stretching from Conklin to Sturgeon County. The 297 km pipeline would be 42” in diameter and bring a bitumen blend from the Athabasca oil sands. The public consultation process has begun, with plans to submit their regulatory application in spring 2012.
• 
  Evonik’s hydrogen peroxide production facility near Gibbons employs 46 full time employees. They boast an excellent safety record with 9+ years without a lost work injury and are active participants in local organizations such as United Way and the Community Advisory Panel 643.
• North West Redwater Partnership’s planned bitumen refinery facility has received all regulatory approvals. Site preparation for the facility, called the Sturgeon Refinery, has begun and their employee team has grown to over 200 people, including several based out of the Redwater office. Official sanction decision by the partners’ Boards of Directors is expected near the end of 2011.
• Provident Energy has a number of planned projects in the near future including a yearly turnaround in June 2012, expansion of the truck terminal, development of three caverns, and a debottleneck project to increase plant capacity. During peak construction, manpower on site is expected to reach 400 – 450 employees and contractors.
• Williams Energy is working on a new project that will use upgrader off-gases from oil sands operations in the Fort McMurray area to produce useful feedstocks for industry. The project includes a new tower or “fractionator” to separate these off-gases into several different useful components
• Sturgeon County’s presentation provided a summary of economic development activity in the County, which shows maintained strength.  Household income is 32% above the national average, housing starts were up in 2010, and three significant industrial development projects (Univar, Bunge, and McAshphalt) look promising. The County continues to promote value added agriculture through the Sturgeon County Bounty initiative.

Several other companies and organizations attended the evening either with a booth or with company representatives available to discuss future plans and answer questions from residents.

Both residents and industry recognized the value of bringing all together in one venue on a single night. Life in the Heartland has plans to discuss future similar events including frequency, location, and promotion to a larger audience in communities surrounding the Heartland.

Emergency Response Exercise held at Sherritt

Members of Northeast Region CAER took part in a training exercise hosted by Sherritt on August 31st. “Exercises are an excellent way for us to train together to ensure our response is as effective as it can be,” says Cal Towns, Executive Director for Northeast Region CAER. “Through the exercise planning process, we are able to share best practices and provide opportunities for our members to improve their individual plans, as well as test and improve our mutual aid response systems.”

Simulation exercises with a mutual aid component involve dispatching resources such as emergency response vehicles and responders from a number of partners. With most industrial facilities continuing to fully operate during simulations, the planning phase takes eight months to a year. Involving multiple responding partners is a key strategy to ensure all potential aspects of major incident management are coordinated and promote a constant state of readiness in the region.

Individual Northeast Region CAER members conduct exercises throughout the year using scenarios that are relevant to their sites. The Sherritt exercise expanded its response scenario to include participation from the City Fort Saskatchewan, Dow, the RCMP and Shell. An additional 50 observers from industry and municipalities, provincial regulators and other agencies also attended the exercise. Northeast Region CAER is the region’s mutual aid emergency response organization. Nearly 30 industries and nine municipalities have a 20 year history of working together for a safer, more informed community. For more information, visit www.nrcaer.com

NCIA and Industry in the region celebrate 30 years!

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Northeast Capital Industrial Association (NCIA) working with industry and residents in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. When it began, the non-profit organization—then known as the Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association (FSRIA) with a membership base of only six—was struck to encourage economic stability and commercial growth in Fort Saskatchewan. From those modest beginnings, NCIA has grown to include 24 industrial partners that span four municipalities.

Since its inception, NCIA has built a legacy as a respectful champion of industry, government and the community working together in support of sustainable growth and the reduction of environmental impacts associated with industrial development. To this end, NCIA has developed a number of progressive strategies for addressing issues related to industrial activity including those related to water, air, land use, safety and noise management.

Over the course of 30 years, there have been many milestones including the following:

• In 1991, the Northeast Region Community Awareness and Emergency Response (NR CAER)—formerly a subcommittee of FSRIA—was formed to build capacity in integrated emergency response in the region and develop a cooperative community awareness program.
• In 2000, NCIA industrial members joined together in providing ongoing support to Fort Air Partnership, the airshed responsible for collecting and reporting ambient outdoor air quality data in the Heartland region.
• In 2001, the Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association (FSRIA) became what is now known as NCIA.
• In 2003, NCIA partnered with NR CAER in launching a new Community Notification System—the first of its kind in Canada.

Learn more when the 2011 NCIA Report to the Community lands in regional community papers in early July or visit their website today at www.ncia.ab.ca.