Recommendations of the Port of Wild Horse
Business study TONYA LAMBERT A
lberta is Canada’s second largest provincial economy after Ontario. Most of the province’s exports (86 per cent) and imports (66 per cent) go to and come from the U.S. Yet, Alberta has
only one full-service 24-hour port-of-entry compared to the 12 in Ontario. This places a great deal of stress on the infrastructure at Coutts/Sweetgrass while also increasing the financial burden on many companies that transport goods by truck as this port is not always the most direct route. It also means that if this port-of-entry were to close temporarily for any reason, the lack of a suitable alternative route for commercial vehicles would have far-reaching consequences.
Medicine Hat’s municipal government has long wanted improvements to be made at the Port of Wild Horse 146 kilometres south of the city and the easternmost border crossing between Alberta and Montana. City officials have argued that improvements would turn the port into a viable option to Coutts/Sweetgrass, bringing commercial and investment benefits to the region. Now, a report commissioned by the Palliser Economic Partnership and Montana’s Bear Paw Development Corporation and funded in part by the City lays out the business case for extended hours and technological and infrastructure improvements at the Port of Wild Horse.
“The report proposes simple and economically viable strategies to boost capacity for goods to be moved through the Port of Wild Horse,” explains Councillor Celina Symmonds, Co-Chair. “The research conducted indicates that a better level of services and expanded hours of operation will lead to considerably more traffic using the border crossing.”
The report recommends implementing the changes slowly, beginning with the least expensive. The first recommendation of the report was to extend the hours of operation at Wild Horse to 13 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round, all of which would be open to commercial traffic. Currently, Wild Horse is open only 13 hours a day during the summer and nine in the winter with commercial traffic restricted to weekdays from 8a.m. to 5p.m. on the
Canadian side.
The report notes that “expanded hours and improved commercial operations at the port of Wild Horse will result in economic benefits from more efficient trucking services, expanded tourism and additional family and business automobile traffic, and more efficient use of current infrastructure.”
Switching to a 13-hour day year-round would require Canadian Border Services to hire two more officers at an estimated annual cost of $203,000. U.S. Customs and Border Protections would require existing officers to work longer hours. However, the economic benefits would far outweigh the costs.
Truckers indicated they would use the port significantly more often if the hours of operation were extended. Eleven per cent of the province’s exports and 42 per cent of its imports to and from the U.S. are carried by truck. The report estimates that extended hours at Wild Horse would yield an annual savings of U.S. $1.1 million for trucking companies. In addition, commercial interests on either side of the border would benefit as shoppers would no longer be limited by the 5p.m. border closing time.
The report next recommended the installation of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system on the Canadian side of the border. An Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the American equivalent of EDI, is already available on the U.S. side. This technology enables a customs broker to electronically transmit shipment information to border agents in advance of the shipment’s arrival, greatly decreasing the wait time at the border. The Canadian side is wired for EDI but lacks the equipment.
Wild Horse is one of two border crossings in Alberta that does not have EDI, despite handling more traffic than EDI-equipped Aden/Whitlash, Carway/Peigan and Del Bonita. The report indicated that, depending on the carrier, companies would divert five to 50 per cent of truck traffic to Wild Horse if the hours were extended and EDI was installed on the Canadian side.
The report’s third recommendation was that the structures and facilities on the Canadian side of the
border be upgraded. The $2 million in capital that the federal government has promised for the construction of modular port buildings and improved accommodations for border agents at Wild Horse would be the first step in this recommended infrastructure upgrade. This work is scheduled to take place this year.
On both sides of the border the infrastructure required to conduct on-site cargo inspections is lacking, so commercial loads must be pre-approved to cross there. The infrastructure improvements required to turn Wild Horse into a full-service, 24-hour port-of-entry are extensive and expensive. Much of the costs for doing so would be borne by the federal government on either side.
The report’s fourth recommendation is to harmonize truck size and weight regulations on both sides of the border in line with the BNSF railhead at Havre,, Mont. This would be similar to what is done at the Coutts/Sweetgrass crossing à la Shelby, Mont. Greater use of Wild Horse would occur, resulting in less permitting, larger payloads and lower greenhouse gas emissions due to shorter mileage.
Better accommodation for oversized loads was the report’s next recommendation. Ensure that the bridge at Havre can accommodate such loads and work with the municipal authorities there to facilitate the movement of over-sized loads through the city. Also, the Alberta High Load Corridor would need to be extended along the TransCanada to Highway 41 and then south to Wild Horse. This recommendation is consistent with the provincial government’s plan to remove some of the load from the Fort McMurray-Edmonton-Calgary route to other pathways, as expressed in the 2015 A Long-Term Transportation Strategy for Alberta. An extension of the corridor from Highway 36 to Medicine Hat is already being considered.
Wild Horse is situated on Alberta’s Highway 41 and Montana’s Highway 232. The final recommendation of the report suggests substantial improvement be made to these highways, include twinning, bypassing small settlements and creating additional pullouts and less steep ditches on the American side.
However, at present, Wild Horse is a major constraint on the trade corridor that stretches from Fort McMurray to Mexico. Improvements to the port are supported by the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor and the Ports-to-Plains Corridor. Palliser Economic Partnership is a member of both.
American cities east of Denver-Salt Lake City would be better served by a full-service border crossing at Wild Horse in terms of distance. This includes Houston: 12 per cent of Alberta’s exports (or $1.2 billion) go to Texas and almost all that by truck. Significant mileage savings would result in lower freight rates with benefits trickling down to shippers, manufacturers and consumers. Furthermore, improvements to Wild Horse would stimulate business in eastern Alberta and central Montana.
“The business case clearly demonstrates the value in making service changes at the Port of Wild Horse,” says Mayor Ted Clugston. “I appreciate the committee’s hard work to bring this report forward for the benefit of business owners, travellers and the local economy on both sides of the border.”
“The Port at Wild Horse has the potential to be a river of commerce for us,” says Walter Valentini, Executive Director, Palliser Economic Partnership. ❚
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