Edson, which sits along the Yellowhead highway – a vital transportation route just a little over an hour east of Jasper National Park – has long seen its share of work boots in the community. Today, the town is positively booming. Construc- tion on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion saw an influx of thousands of workers almost immediately after the project received its final approval in 2018. And with work on various natural gas pipeline expansions and development of the $1.5 billion Cascade power plant, the economy in the region is expected to continue to stay heated for years to come. This is great news for the town’s business leaders, who were impacted significantly during the sus -
by Mark Cooper COMMUNITY BALANCE F or Edson Mayor, Kevin Zahara sharing
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY AT EQUILIBRIUM IN EDSON
his community’s experiences with natural resource development is an obligation he hopes will help protect and strengthen the economic fortunes of rural Canada. That’s why the mayor of the West Central Alberta town that sits in some of the most pristine rolling woodlands in the continent takes every oppor- tunity to speak to fellow elected officials and business leaders across the country about the transformative powers responsible oil and gas development can have on communities. And the great care – often above and beyond regulatory requirements – that is taken to protect the environment. “There’s a false narrative out there about
Canadian oil and gas through the various anti-Al- berta energy campaigns over the last decade, so connecting one-on-one and talking directly with leaders in other communities is really important for me,” said Zahara. “I think it’s important to not only speak to politi- cal leadership but also business owners and res- idents who need to understand the full story.”
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2022
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