Sturgeon County is a proud and founding member of Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA). The Heartland is Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing region and is a world-class location for development of major industrial projects in the energy and petrochemical value chains. The Heartland is responsible for 43% of Canada’s annual basic chemical manufacturing output and has a geographic footprint of 582 square kilometres (225 square miles). Sturgeon County's portion of the Heartland is ~100 square kilometres.
New construction and expansion projects that locate in Sturgeon County's portion of the Heartland can apply for a municipal tax exemption ranging from 1.5 - 2.5% of total eligible capital costs. Sturgeon County’s tax exemption incentive is complementary to the Alberta Petrochemical Incentive Program (APIP), which offers grants for eligible facilities valued at up to 12% of eligible capital costs. A key feature and valuable competitive differentiator of Sturgeon County's Heartland Incentive Bylaw is the focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria. Projects demonstrating defined ESG criteria are eligible for municipal tax exemptions of 2.5%. In all other cases projects are eligible for exemptions totalling 1.5% of eligible capital costs.
Incentive Eligibility
A project that is deemed eligible for a municipal tax exemption In Sturgeon County must meet the following criteria:
- Be physically located within Sturgeon County's portion of Alberta's Industrial Heartland and within the county's I5 - Heavy Industrial District
- Be an Energy Value Chain project or associated infrastructure
- Be either a New Construction or Expansion project
- Have total eligible capital costs greater than $50 million CAD
- Employ at least 250 workers during Construction or 15 permanent staff once Operational
- Meet additional legal and financial requirements as outlined in Heartland Incentive Bylaw 1552/21
Application Process
Applicants can access the bylaw and application form by using the links below to visit Sturgeon County's webpage. It is highly recommended that interested applicants contact Sturgeon County Economic Development to discuss their potential eligibility for the program, ask questions about how to complete the application, or to notify of an incoming application.
Contact Information
For more information on the Heartland Incentive Bylaw, please contact: