By LYNNETTE HINTZEThe Daily Inter Lake

Projected growth in Alberta, Canada, over the next several years is jaw-dropping for economic development leaders in the Flathead Valley who are looking for ways to tap into a burgeoning economy across the border.

Kim Morisaki, director of business development and special projects for Montana West Economic Development, rolled out some impressive statistics during the organization’s annual Flathead Forecast on Wednesday:

v The development of Alberta’s oil sands will create or preserve between 1,280 and 4,640 jobs per year in Montana and will contribute an average of $127 million to $437 million annually to Montana’s economy through 2035.

v Oil sands development will support an average 62,720 to 168,360 U.S. jobs per year between 2011 and 2035.

v Alberta intends to double its production from oil sands by 2020.

v Alberta’s population has doubled since the late 1970s and the population is increasing by 100,000 people every year.

v A worker shortage in Alberta is expected to top 114,000 jobs the province will be struggling to fill by 2021. About 492,000 new workers will be added to Alberta’s work force between 2011 and 2021.

All of these factors have business leaders not only in the Flathead but also across Montana interested in doing more business with Canada.

Morisaki said Montana sent a delegation — including Gov. Steve Bullock — last fall to Fort McMurray, the epicenter of oil sands development north of Edmonton.

“They were surprised by the established infrastructure,” she said. “It’s not the Wild West and it’s not North Dakota.”

There are as many as eight nonstop flights daily between Calgary and Fort McMurray and companies doing business there fly people in and out at their own expense.

Natural resource production began at Fort McMurray — an area that now has 89,000 residents and is comparable in size to the Flathead Valley — in the late 1970s.

By 2002 Canada became the top supplier of crude oil to the United States, and half of all Canadian crude is from Alberta’s oil sands.

The Montana Governor’s Office plans to attend a global petroleum show and conference in Calgary in June.

“To capture more trade, Montana needs to be all in,” Morisaki said. That means a continuous and consistent presence at trade shows, conferences and other events.

There are several areas of common interest between the U.S. and Canada.

Trade is an obvious area of joint concern. Both countries are looking for ways to engage cross-border service and supply companies to leverage the Bakken oil fields and the Alberta oil sands for trade and investment.

Education and identifying programs and processes to develop, accredit and move human resources across the borders will be crucial as labor needs must be met in both the Bakken and Alberta.

Montana State University-Great Falls has begun curriculum such as a welder training program in which students can be certified in both Canada and the United States, Morisaki said.

“We have to meet Canadian standards,” she said, noting there also are parameters for how long U.S. citizens can work in Canada. Generally that time span is four years.

Eureka is another Montana community that has taken a lead in cultivating a relationship with Canada. Business leaders there staged a Jobs Across the Border symposium last November. A golf tournament for U.S. and Canadian business leaders is planned this summer at the Wilderness Club near Eureka.

Two years ago there were five Montana companies doing business with Canada. In just the past 12 months another five companies in the state have tapped into doing business across the border.

Morisaki said CTA Architects and Engineers, for example, is seeing the results of a three-year relationship-building effort pay off. The company, which has several Montana offices including one in Kalispell, has been providing planning and design services at a competitive rate to several provinces because Canadian engineers are working at capacity. CTA provides commercial refrigeration planning for Target, which has opened 300 stores in Canada.

Technology is a huge area of opportunity as both countries work to resolve energy and environmental challenges. Agriculture, tourism and legislative collaboration are other areas of shared interest.

The Canadian city of Lethbridge recently expressed interest in forming a sister-city relationship with the Flathead Valley, creating yet another opportunity for leaders on both sides of the border to work together, Morisaki said.

“We need to know our customers in Canada,” she stressed. “Alberta has a bring-it-on attitude” for Montana to work with Canadians and sell products to them.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.