Coaldale and region welcome harvest season

By Kristine Jean
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Communities across southern Alberta, including the Town of Coaldale and Lethbridge County, are welcoming harvest season with several new agricultural projects that will benefit the region and all of southern Alberta.

Two of the region’s most recent projects include the NewCold facility in Coaldale, which completed construction in June and is now fully operational, and the McCain’s expansion in Lethbridge County, which is set to be completed this fall.  

“With state-of-the-art technology, the facility has created 70 permanent jobs and hundreds of temporary construction jobs, strengthening Coaldale’s position as a key hub within Canada’s Premier Food Corridor,” said Town of Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “At the same time, McCain’s expansion in Lethbridge County will be ready for harvest this fall, adding to processing capacity for our region’s potato producers and bringing long-term stability to growers and ag businesses alike.” 

Van Rijn also noted how Coaldale is advancing major infrastructure projects to support agriculture-related development. 

“The Town’s Industrial Rail Spur project will directly connect facilities like NewCold to the CPKC mainline, giving producers and processors efficient access to markets across North America,” he added. “We are also investing in stormwater management projects such as the Malloy Drainage Basin improvements, which directly benefit area farmers by protecting high-value cropland from flooding. These projects show how Coaldale will invest in the backbone of agriculture for generations to come.”

Over the past several years, Coaldale council has also prioritized agriculture, noted Van Rijn, pointing out how the town has worked to create an environment that attracts large-scale investment by focusing on infrastructure that supports producers and processors.

“Our council successfully advocated for provincial support to fund the Industrial Rail Spur, and, together with our partners Lethbridge County and the St. Mary River Irrigation District, we advanced the Malloy Drainage Basin Project. Both projects were developed with agricultural stakeholders in mind, and both are critical to reducing costs and risks for farmers and processors in the region,” explained Van Rijn, noting they have also partnered with groups such as SouthGrow Regional Initiative and Economic Development Lethbridge, to promote the region to agri-food investors. 

“By showcasing our competitive advantages, including irrigation infrastructure, rail and highway connections, and a skilled workforce, we are positioning Coaldale as a natural choice for businesses that rely on agriculture,” he said. 

Van Rijn said the town and region’s agriculture-related projects have had a profound “ripple effect” and the impact these projects are having can be seen in the investment dollars they bring into the local economy and in creating stable, high-quality jobs that allow families to live and work in the Coaldale community. 

“They generate tax revenue that helps us reinvest in recreation, roads, and amenities that benefit all residents,” said Van Rijn, adding that for the broader region, projects such as NewCold and McCain’s expansion strengthen the entire supply chain. “They provide farmers with reliable buyers for their crops, they anchor the logistics and warehousing sector, and they draw additional businesses and services into southern Alberta,” he said. “It is a true win for both urban and rural communities.”

Van Rijn reflected on the meaning of Harvest time, saying it is “a season that symbolizes the strength of southern Alberta,” and pointed out the important role Harvest season has in the area, as “the heartbeat of this region.”

“In and around Coaldale, the fields come alive with activity, from potatoes to sugar beets, grain, and specialty crops. For farmers, harvest represents the culmination of a year’s worth of work, risk, and hope,” he said. “For ag businesses, it is a time of peak operations that fuels everything from processing plants to trucking firms, and for organizations such as the Coaldale Lethbridge Foodgrains Project, harvest is also about giving back, with proceeds supporting food security worldwide,” Van Rijn added. “As mayor, I see harvest as a season and a reminder of the resilience, hard work, and community spirit that define our region. It is a time of pride for everyone connected to agriculture, which in a community like Coaldale means just about all of us.”

He also noted how Harvest time highlights how interconnected the community is with agriculture, with everyone playing a role in harvest season events and successes.

“It reminds us how fortunate we are to live in the heart of Canada’s Premier Food Corridor, where agriculture is not just an industry but our way of life,” said Van Rijn.