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2022 Airdrie Business Breakfast and Economic Update recap

The 12th annual Airdrie Business Breakfast and Economic Update took place on Thursday, Nov. 17. More than 140 local business owners and professionals came together to learn about the Airdrie business environment, the current economy and projected economic trends. 

Rob Roach speaks on a stage in room full of people at the Town and Country Centre in AirdrieThank you to our presenters:

  • Mayor Peter Brown, City of Airdrie
  • Chief Administrative Officer Horacio Galanti, City of Airdrie
  • Team Leader of Airdrie Economic Development Sara Chamberlain, City of Airdrie
  • Deputy Chief Economist Rob Roach, ATB Financial
  • Entrepreneur in Residence Brock Dickinson, University of Waterloo

The morning’s presenters and guest speakers provided important city updates and analysis on how current economic trends will affect Airdrie residents and businesses. We’ve summarized the highlights here for you.

Airdrie sees continued growth

  • As the city continues to grow, so does the need for expanded municipal services, infrastructure and amenities. The City has been working diligently on major projects to accommodate this continuous growth, some of which include the
    • 40th Avenue interchange – estimated completion of Fall 2023
    • Multi-use facility and library – set to open in 2025
    • Downtown Revitalization Plan – approved by City Council in September
    • New regional park
    • New southwest recreation centre
  • Airdrie is 25th on Canada’s fastest growth municipalities list. Between 2016 and 2021, the city welcomed more than 12,000 residents, equaling a growth rate of around 20 per cent. Looking ahead, the city is expected to grow between three to four per cent annually. This growth rate would result in Airdrie reaching a population of 100,000 people by 2030.

Development opportunities exist in the residential and commercial markets

  • The demand for housing continues to be high and the residential development industry is working hard to keep up. This year, the City has issued 963 residential unit building permits. This is on par with last year, with more than 1,000 permits issues in 2021. The last time permit numbers exceeded 1,000 per year was in 2016.
  • There has been a tremendous amount of planning work completed by the development industry over the past three years with City Council approving six new areas. This encompasses more than 5,000 acres in every direction around our city – or an area of around 34 quarter sectors of land.
  • New developments in Gateway and Highland Park have absorbed most of the vacant industrial lots and construction is ongoing in those areas. East Points is slated to be Airdrie’s next industrial area. The City is working with landowners and potential developers to advance this project as quickly as possible. The six quarter sections in East Points will provide a long-term supply of industrial land.

Population increases drive business growth

  • Like population growth, the number of businesses in Airdrie has grown by 24 per cent over five years. The current tally of businesses is more than 3,000 with 1,100 store-front and 2,000 home-based businesses in the city. Job numbers are growing accordingly, with around 19,000 new jobs being created by local businesses in our community. That’s a seven per cent increase over last year.
  • The Airdrie Business Survey was conducted earlier in 2022. The survey found that 92 per cent of business owners are satisfied with owning and operating a business in Airdrie and 80 per cent feel confident in their business´ level of resiliency to operate and survive through any short-term crises or economic downturns that may arise over the next two to five years. The full survey results can be found here: www.airdrie.ca/businesssurvey

The Airdrie Business Breakfast and Economic Update is an annual event held each November. Watch for ticket sales for the 2023 breakfast to open in early Fall.