EDMONTON, Alberta — The Canada Infrastructure Bank has reached financial close on a $72.1 million (U.S.) loan to Cando Rail & Terminals for expansion of its Sturgeon Terminal in the Alberta Industrial Heartland.
The project will double the size of the terminal, which currently handles car supply for a dozen industrial customers in the Edmonton area, including refineries and petrochemical plants. The facility, which opened in 2020 and is currently operating at capacity, provides storage and staging, haulage, and transloading services.
The new Sturgeon West Terminal will add up to 3,700 new railcar storage and staging spaces, including multiple tracks to handle arriving and departing unit trains for Canadian National. It will support the movement of goods for Alberta businesses, driving trade and economic growth opportunities for the region and across Canada, including commodities and manufactured goods.
“As Cando Rail & Terminals works to expand capacity at our rail terminal in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, support from partners such as the Canada Infrastructure Bank enables us to provide access to increased transportation and logistics solutions to our customers at an accelerated pace,” Cando CEO Brian Cornick said in a statement on Wednesday. “The majority of the value-added products produced in the Heartland are shipped to national and global consumers by rail. Cando’s investment, combined with the financing from the CIB, will increase market access and allow industrial facilities in the Heartland to concentrate on their core business. World-class rail infrastructure will further enhance the competitiveness of Sturgeon County and Alberta’s Industrial Heartland for petrochemical, downstream energy, and heavy industrial investment.”
Manitoba-based Cando anticipates the new west terminal will create up to 50 new full-time local jobs once operational, adding to the 60 jobs already supported by the existing terminal. Construction of the terminal is underway, with operations expected to begin in late 2026.
The terminal is located on the CN network in the Alberta Industrial Heartland, Canada’s major petrochemical and refining region. Sturgeon allows Cando to provide first and last mile rail infrastructure and services to CN and CPKC customers in the area. The facility builds CN unit trains bound for the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, as well as merchandise trains bound for Vancouver and other destinations in Canada and the U.S.
The project is being financed through the CIB’s Trade and Transportation sector which supports developing stronger, more efficient corridors to domestic and international markets to help Canadian businesses compete and grow.
Cando operates in more than 55 locations across Canada and the U.S., including intraplant switching, terminal operation, and transloading.
