The Alberta government is giving the City of Beaumont $38.5 million to build infrastructure for its planned Innovation Park, including a proposed safety training campus for law enforcement and commercial drivers. The community is south of Edmonton, and the funding was announced Friday. The campus would bring specialized, hands-on training to a site intended to support Alberta’s public safety and commercial transportation sectors.

Beaumont has secured 160 acres for the proposed development south of Highway 625, between Highway 814 and Range Road 241. Plans for the Alberta Motor Transport Association Safety Campus include an emergency vehicle operator track for high-speed and emergency driving, a firearms range, scenario-based training areas and facilities dedicated to commercial vehicle training.

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said provincial funding will support roads, utilities and servicing for future development in the Innovation Park. “This funding is going to go to the City of Beaumont to support roads, utilities, servicing for a future development of an innovation park,” Ellis said.

The project is also expected to bring economic activity and jobs to Beaumont, a bedroom community five minutes south of Edmonton. Mayor Lisa Vanderkwaak said it could help diversify the city’s tax base and create opportunities for skilled professionals and labourers. “It’s also going to help us diversify our tax base so all of those are benefits in terms of creating opportunities, brining in skilled professionals as well as labourers,” Vanderkwaak said. “I see this as, once it gets started it’s just going to take off.”

The Alberta Motor Transport Association is responsible for financing, building and operating the campus. There is no firm timeline for when it will open. Tim Bennett, chair of the AMTA, said the association must now work out how to build it and when it could first be occupied. “It’s up to us to go roll up our sleeves and say, ‘How do we build it, when can we have it first occupied?’ and move forward and continue to grow,” Bennett said.

The province said combining the training opportunities would build on existing ties between law enforcement and Alberta’s commercial transportation industry. Alberta’s Sheriff highway patrol already works with the commercial sector on vehicle inspections, enforcement and safety standards.

Ellis said trained professionals and supporting infrastructure are important to public safety. “Strong public safety depends on well-trained professionals and the infrastructure needed to support them,” he said. He added that the investment would establish a foundation for a modern facility serving public safety and commercial transportation for years, while supporting economic growth and employment in the Beaumont region.

Brandon Lunty, MLA for Leduc and Beaumont, said he was proud of the community and looked forward to seeing the plan advance. “I’m so proud of Beaumont and I can’t wait to see this come to life,” Lunty said. The same statement was also attributed to him as MLA for the region. Ellis described the project as a positive and potentially groundbreaking change for Beaumont, saying: “This is going to really, truly change the landscape of this community in a positive way that I think is gonna be groundbreaking, quite frankly,”

Based on reporting by Global News Edmonton.