Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity

The report assesses the economic impact of natural infrastructure in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, estimating that the sector supported over 58,500 jobs and contributed CAD 7 billion to GDP in 2022. It projects that additional annual investments of CAD 40 million to CAD 100 million could increase direct employment by 18% to 26% and direct GDP by 10% to 16% by 2030, enhancing climate resilience against floods and droughts.

• In 2022, the natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies directly employed 33,454 people and contributed CAD 4.1 billion to the region's GDP. When including indirect and induced economic activity, the sector supported 58,553 jobs and contributed CAD 7 billion to GDP.
• Alberta is the primary economic driver of the sector in the region, accounting for approximately 65% of direct jobs and 71% of direct GDP generated by natural infrastructure across the three Prairie provinces.
• Under a 'Business as Usual' (BAU) scenario based on historical growth, total direct jobs in the Canadian Prairies are projected to increase by 13% to 37,823 by 2030, while direct GDP is expected to grow by 6% to reach CAD 4.4 billion.
• An intermediate investment scenario involving an additional annual investment of CAD 40 million across the Prairies could increase direct sector jobs by 18% and direct GDP by 10% by 2030.
• A 'Stretch Growth' scenario with an additional annual investment of CAD 100 million could boost direct sector jobs by 26% and direct GDP by 16% by 2030.
• Natural infrastructure serves as a climate-resilient tool to bridge the water infrastructure funding gap, particularly in the Prairies, which is a global climate change hotspot where warming exceeds the global average.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2023). Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity. 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity |date=November 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2023natural, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }