Protecting Alberta’s ‘Food Corridor’ a Good Reason to Pause Renewable Energy Developments, Says Local Group

Solar panels near Drumheller, Alta., on July 11, 2023. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

A major concentration of irrigation and food production in southern Alberta is one example of why the provincial government was wise to put a six-month pause on renewable energy projects, according to the director of a landowner advocacy group.

Called “Canada’s Premier Food Corridor” (CPFC), the stretch of land along Highway 3 in southern Alberta is home to some of the country’s biggest agri-food ventures, including a recently announced $600-million expansion to McCain Foods potato processing facility in Coaldale—the largest single expansion in company history.