Issue

Alberta is one of Canada’s most export-oriented provincial economies, and transportation and logistics play a critical role in supporting industries across the province. However, Alberta continues to rely on a single 24-hour commercial land border crossing at Coutts. Limited commercial hours and services at Wild Horse constrain trade, reduce route flexibility and leave Alberta without sufficient border redundancy. Improved access at Wild Horse would strengthen north-south trade, supply-chain resilience and economic security.

Background

Canada and the United States maintain one of the world’s largest bilateral trading relationships. Efficient, reliable border infrastructure is therefore essential to the movement of goods, services and people.

Alberta maintains an important trading relationship with the United States. Industries on both sides of the border, including agriculture, energy, tourism, manufacturing and transportation, depend on predictable cross-border access.

Alberta has six highway land border crossings, but Coutts remains the province’s only 24-hour commercial crossing. This concentration creates a strategic vulnerability when the primary corridor is affected by severe weather, infrastructure failures, security incidents or other disruptions. A second full-service commercial gateway would provide greater routing flexibility and system resilience.

Wild Horse is a critical link in the Eastern Alberta-Eastern Montana trade corridor, connecting economic activity from northern Alberta to the Ports-to-Plains corridor and markets in the central and southern United States. Its potential has been constrained by limited commercial hours, service levels and customs-processing capability.

As of September 2026, CBSA lists traveller service from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days per week, from May 15 to September 30, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., seven days per week, from October 1 to May 14. Commercial service remains limited to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding holidays. Seasonal traveller-hour improvements are welcome, but they do not resolve the commercial-access limitation.

Wild Horse also lacks full Electronic Data Interchange equivalency and the range of technology, staffing and customs-processing services expected at a modern commercial port of entry. Operational capabilities are required for dependable commercial processing and movement of goods.

Border traffic at Wild Horse has declined over the years. However, volume should not be considered independently of service availability. Restricted commercial hours, limited customs capabilities and uncertainty can suppress demand and discourage carriers from routing through Wild Horse. A phased service-expansion plan should include measurable usage targets, carrier engagement and promotion of the corridor.

A 2016 survey of commercial trucking companies found that longer operating hours and infrastructure improvements could divert a portion of existing trips to Wild Horse and produce mileage savings. With outdated data, an updated economic, traffic-demand and resiliency assessment would also be warranted to establish a stronger business case for the extension of hours.

Wild Horse is included in the federal Land Border Crossing Project with improvements including a new main building, a covered primary lane, a detached secondary garage and an inspection booth designed for passenger and commercial vehicles. As of August 2026, CBSA indicated that the project remained in the planning phase and that the infrastructure work would not, on its own, change operating hours.

This investment provides an opportunity to move the advocacy focus from securing basic facility replacement to ensuring that the renewed port can support expanded commercial hours, modern customs processing and future full-service operations.

Alberta has also invested in the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor, including Highways 36, 41 and 881. Border services should be planned in coordination with these highway investments so that public infrastructure spending translates into greater trade capacity and economic development.

An improved Wild Horse port could reduce mileage and uncertainty for carriers, strengthen economic development in eastern Alberta and Montana, provide an alternate route when the Coutts-Sweetgrass corridor is disrupted, and improve the utilization of highways and public infrastructure. 

Investment leads to trade, as companies’ activities increasingly become part of global value chains. Canada and the United States must ensure that goods and services produced in the region can reach markets efficiently. Coordinated action by Alberta, Canada, Montana and the United States is required to align infrastructure, staffing, technology and operating hours on both sides of the border.

Recommendations

The Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce recommends that the Government of Alberta work with the Government of Canada to:

1.    Expand commercial operating hours at Wild Horse to a minimum of 13 hours per day, 365 days per year, with the long-term objective of establishing Alberta’s second 24-hour commercial port of entry.

2.    Ensure Wild Horse has the staffing, technology, customs-processing systems, digital connectivity and electronic reporting capabilities required to operate as a modern commercial port of entry, including full Electronic Data Interchange equivalency.

3.    Align Canadian operating hours, services and implementation timelines with U.S. counterparts to provide consistent and predictable cross-border access.

4.    Complete the planned federal infrastructure renewal at Wild Horse with design and operational capacity that supports expanded commercial service and future 24-hour operations.

5.    Develop a phased implementation plan for expanded service that includes demand-building measures, carrier and industry engagement, performance metrics, staffing requirements and clear triggers for progressing toward 24-hour operations.

The Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce recommends the Government of Alberta:

6.    Align provincial transportation, trade-corridor and economic-development planning to fully leverage investments in the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor.

7.    Undertake an updated economic impact, traffic-demand and trade-resiliency analysis for establishing Wild Horse as Alberta’s second 24-hour commercial port of entry.

8.    Continue joint advocacy with the Government of Montana, regional municipalities, chambers of commerce, carriers, exporters and federal partners for enhanced services and expanded commercial access at Wild Horse.

9.    Work with industry and regional partners to promote use of the Wild Horse corridor and collect credible origin-destination, commodity and carrier-demand data to support phased service expansion.

Resources

[1] https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/economist-economiste/analysis-analyse/merchandise_trade-commerce_marchandises-2021.aspx?lang=eng

[2] https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/us-eu/relations.aspx?lang=eng

[3] https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/united-states-of-america-etats-unis-amerique/montana.aspx?lang=eng

[4] https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/9269de23-6d7a-448e-867e-293b4b0568e1/resource/0476dbee-695c-41ac-8ef7-b76d52b6f65a/download/montana-ab.pdf

[5] https://explore.dot.gov/views/BorderCrossingData/Annual?:isGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&:embed=y

[6] https://pal.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/newsletter/port_of_wild_horse_a_business_case_for_service_improvements_030817.pdf

[7] https://do-rb.cbsa-asfc.cloud-nuage.canada.ca/?lang=en_CA&id=659

[8] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-second-us-border-crossing-9.7203558

[9] Government of Canada. 2022. Wild Horse Port of Entry Redevelopment. https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/83501

Date Approved: May 2008
Date Renewed: May 2011, May 2014, May 2017, May 2023, October 2026