This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Northeast Capital Industrial Association (NCIA) working with industry and community members in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. In 1981, the association began as a non-profit organization called the Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association (FSRIA), whose aim was to encourage economic stability and commercial growth in Fort Saskatchewan. At that time, FSRIA had only six members. Since then, the association has built that membership base to now include 25 industrial partners spanning four municipalities.
From those humble beginnings as the FSRIA through to its transformation into the NCIA in 2001, the association has built a legacy as a respectful champion of collaboration between industry, government and the community in support of sustainable industrial growth and the reduction of associated environmental impacts. Over the course of its existence, NCIA has developed a number of progressive strategies for addressing issues related to industrial development and activity—including those pertaining to water, air, land use, safety and noise. For 50 years, community residents in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland have co-existed with industry, and NCIA will remain committed in helping industry and community members to reach shared aims and find areas of consensus in support of their co-existence into the future.
Some of the association’s most prominent milestones over the past 30 years are highlighted in the timeline to the right.
1981
The Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association (FSRIA) was formed as a non-profit organization to foster economic stability and encourage commercial growth within the Fort Saskatchewan area—a recognized industrial center in Alberta. FSRIA started with 6 members, and today has grown to 25 members in four municipalities.
1988
Working with the provincial government on Industrial Property Taxation, FSRIA successfully demonstrated that the application of education taxes on top of the Machinery & Equipment taxes was not competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada. As a result of this work, and a commitment on the part of industry to invest an additional $20 billion in new plants, the government agreed to phase out education taxes from the Machinery & Equipment taxes paid by industry beginning in 1996 over a five-year period. With the industrial investment commitment achieved in 1997, education taxes were eliminated from the Machinery and Equipment taxes paid by industry in the 1998 tax year. The reduction in education taxes paid by industry was more than offset by increased taxes paid from the increased investment in the province.
1991
Northeast Region Community Awareness and Emergency Response (formerly a subcommittee of FSRIA) was formed as a non-profit organization to continuously strengthen an integrated emergency response capability in the region and to develop a cooperative community awareness program.
1996
The FSRIA Business and Economics Committee advanced the concept of a collaborative approach to industrial growth between industry and the four host municipalities. This resulted in the formal launch of Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association in 1998.
2000
In the late 1990's, a few industrial members provided some ‘seed’ monies to get Fort Air Partnership (FAP) launched. In 2000, all members of the industrial association provided ongoing support to the Fort Air Partnership.
2001
The Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association changed to the Northeast Capital Industrial Association (NCIA), a non-profit co-operative that seeks to understand, and reduce the environmental impacts of member industries through collaborative efforts with the community and all levels of government to support sustainable industrial growth.
2003
Partnered with the Northeast Community Awareness and Emergency Response group to launch a new Community Notification System, the first of its kind in Canada, featuring an UPDATEline and a Call-Out system.
2011
The Northeast Capital Industrial Association celebrates 30 years in your community.