Wild Horse border upgrades take step forward
Wild Horse border upgrades take step forward
Wild Horse border upgrades take step forward
By ZOE MASON on August 8, 2026.
Upgrades to the border crossing nearest to Medicine Hat are advancing after years of local advocacy.
The Canada Border Services Agency is undertaking the Land Border Crossing Project, a major infrastructure project to upgrade or replace ports of entry across the country.
Wild Horse, a crossing located about an hour and a half south of Medicine Hat down Highway 41, is the only Alberta port included in the project.
Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce president Aaron Fleming says the announcement represents progress in achieving a policy priority for the chamber.
“Our policy calls for expanded and more consistent hours at Wild Horse to reduce bottlenecks and strengthen Alberta’s trade capacity with the United States,” he said.
Alberta is currently the only Canadian province bordering the U.S. with only one 24-hour port of entry.
Fleming says conversations have been taking place with other Alberta chambers and with chambers on the U.S. side of the border to expand access.
“The natural corridor we have for energy that goes between Texas and Fort McMurray – the most direct line comes right through Wild Horse.”
Adding a second 24-hour border crossing there, Fleming says, could shave hours off the trip for goods and personnel passing through that channel.
Alberta’s one 24-hour crossing is located at Coutts. The Wild Horse port of entry is open to travellers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an extension until 9 p.m. in the summer months.
Commercial clients are served at the port from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Chamber of Commerce has long pushed for extended hours at the at Wild Horse.
CBSA says there are no plans to adjust hours at this time. That said, the agency has the ability to extend or amend hours of service flexibly as needed.
Fleming still looks at the upgrades as a win, and, he hopes, a precursor to further operational expansion.
“This is a win. This is something that we’ve looked for improvement in for a long time, because this will allow for lengthened hours and additional services, and then we can look at longer hours.”
CBSA says Wild Horse will receive a new main building, a covered primary lane and a detached secondary garage as part of renovations. It will also be equipped with an inspection booth for passenger and commercial vehicles.
Although a Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce release indicated construction may start in June, an Aug. 6 statement from CBSA indicated it is still in the planning phase.
The chamber estimates the project will take five months to complete once commenced.
Fleming says construction, landscaping, snow removal and maintenance contracts for the upgraded port are likely to be granted to Medicine Hat businesses. Some contracts have already been awarded as the crossing gears up to expand services.
Up-to-date information on CBSA services and operations, including hours and closures, can be found at @CanBorder on X and Facebook.
By Zoe Mason, with Medicine Hat News
Online link: https://medicinehatnews.com/news/local-news/2026/08/08/wild-horse-border-upgrades-take-step-forward/