Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity

The report establishes a statistical framework for the natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies, dividing it into watershed management, municipal natural infrastructure, education/training, and regulatory/public administration. Using 2022 as a baseline, it projects that a 'Stretch Growth' scenario involving CAD 100 million annual investment would increase total jobs in the region to 73,420 and total GDP to CAD 8.2 billion by 2030.

• The natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies is categorized into four distinct subsectors: watershed management, municipal natural infrastructure, education, training, and capacity building, and regulatory and public administration.
• In 2022, the combined natural infrastructure sector across the Prairie provinces supported 33,454 direct jobs and contributed CAD 4.14 billion in direct GDP; when indirect and induced effects are included, these figures rise to 58,553 jobs and CAD 7.09 billion in GDP.
• Under a 'Business-As-Usual' (BAU) scenario, the sector is projected to grow by 13% in direct jobs and 6% in direct GDP by 2030, reaching 37,823 direct jobs and CAD 4.4 billion in direct GDP.
• A 'Stretch Growth' scenario, based on a total annual investment of CAD 100 million across the three provinces, is projected to result in 42,147 direct jobs and CAD 4.8 billion in direct GDP by 2030, representing a 26% and 16% increase respectively over the 2022 baseline.
• Alberta possesses the largest natural infrastructure sector of the three provinces; in 2022, it accounted for 21,823 direct jobs and CAD 2.96 billion in direct GDP.
• In Manitoba, a 'Stretch Growth' scenario with CAD 25 million annual investment is projected to generate CAD 737 million in direct GDP and support 7,244 direct jobs by 2030.
• In Saskatchewan, the 'Intermediate Growth' scenario (CAD 10 million annual investment) is projected to increase the direct job count by 39% and GDP by 30% compared to 2022.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2023). Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity-appendix.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-appendix.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-appendix.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-appendix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }