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Alberta
The capital of Alberta is Edmonton. Alberta
produces 80% of the crude oil and 90% of the
natural gas in the country (petrol and gas
represent 20% of the GDP). The asphalt sand ensures
a promising future (25% of Canadian petrol). In
1995 the gas production reached 16.3 billion
dollars. The projects planned for the next years
should bring in at least $10 billion and create
about 20,000 new jobs in Alberta.
Other economic resources are agriculture (20% of
the total Canadian production, 2nd big industry in
the province. In 1994 1.46 billion dollars came
from exports), and the food industry.There are
market opportunities in this sector, for instance
frozen foods and meat processing which is a growing
industry (second and third food industries in the
province).
In the electronic and telecommunication sectors,
67% of the production was exported in 1995, with
sales exceeding 2.1 billion dollars. There are
opportunities also in this domain, especially in
micro-electronics, laser technologies, in
automation and also in commands. The Nortel
company, which is worth remarking on, is
specialized in telecommunications systems and is
constructing its third factory in Calgary,
employing at least 3000 people.
Other sectors, like computer software (really
booming, growing by 20% each year), has nearly
1,300 companies in this province, 400 of them which
are exporting. Among other things they specialize
in : software for the petrol and gas industry,
software for transmission and managing networks and
for geomatics. The Americans have been investing in
this sector over the last few years.
Forestry and building materials (export 1.7 billion
dollars in 1993). Even if Alberta is dominated by
Japanese investment in this sector there has been 4
billion dollars made in new investments since
1986
(nearly 4 others are expected).
There is a large production of newsprint paper and
paper pulp, particle board and mean specific weight
fibreboard. Over the last three years companies in
Alberta have been very successful in exporting the
technology of prefabricated housing to Europe.
The environment sector is composed of nearly 800
companies (8,000 people working in it), it
brings
in 700 million dollars a year and represents 40% of
the export production. The sectors are water
treatment, air purification and drainage.
prises. Alberta is hoping to work more with Russia
and South America.
Alberta has a surface of 661,200 kms2
with a population of
2,700,000 (of which 1,500,000 were working, in
1995). About 30 French companies are established in
this province in which the rate of growth reached
2.7% in 1995, the rate of inflation 1.8% and the
unemployment 8.6%.
In this same year the GDP per inhabitant was 35,580
$Can. The exports from the province represented $23
billion and the imports $6.6 billion (of which
France was $74 million for exports and $81 million
for imports).
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