Beaumont expects a proposed innovation park to attract investment and create jobs in the city and region. Mayor Lisa Vanderkwaak said the development could draw businesses in health sciences, technology and safety, as council works to diversify a tax base that remains largely residential.

Alberta announced Friday it will invest $38.5 million over three years in a proposed safety campus for the Alberta Motor Transport Association. The funding will pay for roads, underground infrastructure and utilities on a 160-acre site in Beaumont’s southeast corner, south of Highway 625 between Highway 814 and Range Road 241. No construction start date has been set.

The campus, intended to provide specialized training for commercial transportation workers and law enforcement, is being positioned as the innovation park’s anchor tenant. Beaumont is an Edmonton-area bedroom community just south of Edmonton and east of Highway 2.

Speaking outside city hall during the funding announcement, Vanderkwaak said the project could encourage further investment and bring in related organizations. “I believe once this starts to get going, it’s going to have a spin-off effect of other investors wanting to come in, other complementary businesses and organizations that want to come alongside,” she said.

“It’s going to open up opportunity for jobs (and) for more opportunities for investment,” Vanderkwaak said. The provincial contribution is expected to help establish infrastructure for the proposed campus and support the city’s broader economic development plans.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.