Past SouthGrow Studies
Access our research on a variety of topics.
Regional Skills Gap
Southwest Alberta Regional Skills Study
2020: SouthGrow Region
The Southwest Alberta Region Skills Study Partnership is a collaboration between regional stakeholders to help identify regional skills and competency gaps and explore ways to address them.
Southwest Alberta Regional Skills Study
2020: City of Lethbridge
The Southwest Alberta Region Skills Study Partnership is a collaboration between regional stakeholders to help identify regional skills and competency gaps and explore ways to address them.
Southwest Alberta Regional Skills Study
2020: Technical Document
This technical report has been formulated as a support document for the Southwest Alberta Skills Study.
This project incorporated multiple inputs that validated the strategic directions and recommendations
that are shared in the final Strategic Plan.
Broadband
2019 Cost Benefit Analysis of Alberta Rural Broadband
This study begins with the question: "what is the return on our investment, as a society, if we spend the money to connect every Canadian?"
and attempts to quantify the return on our investment so that decision makers can move forward informed with defensible estimates.
2017 SouthGrow Broadband Project Master Plan
Determining how much Internet capacity a community needs to be successful now, and into the immediate future, is a challenging question. SouthGrow has attempted to
provide guidance for its member communities in answering that question, while recognizing that different
solutions may be needed for each municipality.
2015 Broadband Assets in SouthGrow
A summary o the broadband infrastructure in the SouthGrow Region.
Alternative Energy
2021 Buffalo Plains Wind Project Economic Impact Report
An assessment of the economic impacts of the Buffalo Plains Wind Project currently proposed for construction in Vulcan County.
2017 SAAEP Powering Opportunities Report
This report outlines the current alternative energy industry in the region, and outlines opportunities for further investment.
2017 Energy Diversification Report Southeast Alberta
The purpose of this report is
to explore the potential direct, indirect, and induced economic and employment-related impacts of proposed large-scale solar and wind projects in Southeast Alberta.
2013 The Renewable Energy Challenge in SouthGrow
The purpose of this report is to begin a discussion about how many communities in the SouthGrow region might draw upon their heritage of respect for the environment, hard work, innovation, and capacity for collaboration to engage in the renewable energy sector in a financially prudent manner.
2010 Renewable Energy Toolkit for Economic Development
This toolkit has been prepared by Alberta Finance and Enterprise to assist communities, to evaluate the potential benefits and risks of renewable energy projects that may provide new economic development opportunities.
2008 Biofuels for Producers Report
The objective of this study was to provide information to
agriculture producers, municipal authorities, waste management bodies, government departments, and alternative energy entrepreneurs both internal and external to the region.
2007 Integrated Biofuel Study for SouthGrow
A Feasibility Study of an
Integrated Biodiesel Refinery, Crushing and Pressing Processing Plant.
Business and Investment
2018 SouthGrow Business Attraction, Retention, and Expansion Report
This Community Business Retention, Expansion and Marketing Plans Master Report synthesizes the information from these last three projects
with new community interviews, analysis, providing marketing recommendations to specific communities
and to the overall regional alliance.
2016 SouthGrow Investment Profiles - Chinese
This report summarizes SouthGrow's investment profile in Chinese.
2015 Tourism Investment Opportunities in SouthGrow
This report aims to identify specific land based tourism development opportunities that will help to position SouthGrow Alberta as a significant tourism destination area.
2015 Investment Readiness Report SouthGrow
Rainmaker Global Business Development partnered with the SouthGrow Regional Initiative to deliver direct and customized Investment Readiness and Attraction assessments for each of the 22 communities that surround the Lethbridge area.
2014 Targeted Investment Leads Report
This document summarizes the research and analysis to evaluate opportunities and trends for the SouthGrow Region. It presents the results of the project and the work to complete the investment
attraction strategy and to develop leads for the SouthGrow Region.
2009 Study of SouthGrow Business Trends
About 15% of businesses in the SouthGrow region submitted information about business issues and conditions they were facing. The information was compared to information available from the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association.
2005 Southern Alberta New Product Processing Centre
A market demand study was conducted using surveys, interviews and focus group meetings in order to determine if sufficient demand exists in Southern Alberta to warrant the development of a food-processing facility in the region.
Water and Natural Resources
2013 Water for Economic Development
A report prepared for SouthGrow Regional Alliance on Water Reuse, Opportunities for Innovative Waste Water and Water Treatment Processes and Storm Water Mitigation.
Regional Reports
2011 SouthGrow Productivity Report
SouthGrow is proud to showcase the organizations of the region and the people who allow them to flourish in the 2011 productivity report.
2010 SouthGrow Productivity Implementation Report
SouthGrow Regional Initiative recognizes that productivity fuels economic growth and that it is important to the future growth and sustainability of the economy and growth in productivity is seen as the only way to increase the long-term material standard of living of its residents.
2010 SouthGrow Intermodal Opportunity
The international inter-modal transportation services business would provide
over-the-road international ISO container services for exporters and importers in the SouthGrow region.
2008 SouthGrow Innovation and Commercialization Assessment
SouthGrow investigates the feasibility of a market-focused product commercialization centre that includes technology development advisors and has a strong link
to area business development centres.
2008 SouthGrow Opportunity Identification Report
The Economic Development and Innovation Committee initiated the Opportunity Identification Project to identify, attract, and support the further development of industry in the region.
2007 SouthGrow Opportunity Identification Report
In addition to the steady organic growth we see for SouthGrow companies, the findings of this project show that SouthGrow has a tremendous opportunity to differentiate itself from the rest of Alberta and put itself on the global map as a centre for innovative bioindustry production.
Agriculture
2010 SouthGrow Organic Produce Opportunity
There is an opportunity to either start an organic farming operation or to convert an existing mainstream farming operation into an organic farming operation.
2009 Agricultural Inventory and Impact in SouthGrow Report
The main objective of the study is to detail exactly who the major players are in the Agri-food sector, how the locally produced foods can be utilized within the region, possibly replacing much of the food imported from outside the region, and identify economic investment opportunities in the region.
2007 SouthGrow Ag Impact Report
The main objective of the study is to detail exactly who the major players are in the Agri-Food sector, how the locally produced foods can be utilized within the region, possibly replacing much of the food exported from outside of the region, and identify economic investment opportunities in the region.
Transportation and Logistics
2010 SouthGrow Truck Stop Opportunity
There is an opportunity for a truck stop along the CANAMEX Trade Corridor Highway that runs through the SouthGrow Region.
2005 SouthGrow Gateway to Alberta Phase 1 Report
The Gateway To Alberta Opportunity Identification Project – Phase One will assist in developing an implementation plan that determines how to reach and attract the industry sectors that rely on these transportation systems for the movement of people and goods.
2004 Highway 3 Twinning Economic Impact Study
The conclusion from this report is that twinning Highway 3 will bring about economic benefits to the region of Southern Alberta which exceeds the costs of building the highway.
Waste Management
2008 Waste to Energy Treatment Alternatives Study
In September 2007, a study was initiated by SAAEP to investigate energy recovery from wastes in Southwest and South-Central Alberta.
1994 Southern Alberta Integrated Waste Management Study
The results and recommendations contained in this report provide the Committee with the information required to implement an integrated waste management system for the southern Alberta region.