Alberta's economy is about to get a boost to ensure that it remains in high gear.

A newly announced transportation advisory panel is being put in place to help make certain the industry will have the tools and infrastructure it needs in order to keep the province competitive in an increasingly global marketplace.

The external advisory committee on strategic transportation policy will address gaps and challenges in Alberta's transportation system, providing input directly to the minister in charge, Lyle Oberg.

From topical issues, such as a high-speed train linking Calgary and Edmonton, to existing concerns of a lack of qualified drivers for the trucking sector, the committee is expected to look at everything that will put Alberta's transportation system on the right track.

"I've been in this ministry about a year," says Oberg, the minister of Infrastructure and Transportation.

"It takes about a year to see what the strengths and weaknesses of the ministry are and I feel one of the areas of weakness was from outside (input), and secondly, we have some money and I want to see that it's spent correctly."

Oberg and other officials say they don't want transportation concerns potentially to derail the economic growth cycle the province now enjoys.

"The announcement by the minister of a committee is, in my view, the first step in creating some new thoughts, new ideas and new opportunities in the field of transportation, which is so vital to Alberta - vital because we're a landlocked province and we're now marketing globally and transportation becomes a big issue," says Art Smith, who will co-chair the committee with Oberg.

Smith's career has been deeply rooted in the transportation sector, including involvement in Calgary's airport authority, running an airline and being a former chairman of the Calgary-based Van Horne Institute, which was created to address transportation concerns.

He says all sectors of the industry will be looked at: Rail, trucking, roads, aviation and access to West Coast ports.

Both Oberg and Smith, who had yet to meet to discuss the actual composition of the committee when they were interviewed, expect it to be composed of somewhere between 10 to 20 members representing interested parties.

"There will be representation from unions, from truckers, from airlines, from rail, from all modalities of transportation," says Oberg, who adds that he expects to have municipal representation as well.

"Everything is on the table. We're getting people's opinions about what directions we should go in. It's a very high-powered committee."

While it's too early to say what directions or recommendations may come out of the committee - its first meeting is not expected until early in the new year - Oberg did say his department is already moving forward on the high-speed train dossier.

His department is expecting a market-grade ridership study from the Van Horne Institute that would look at the volume of riders utilizing a high-speed train service between Calgary and Edmonton. That study could well go to this new committee too, he says.

While Oberg says that it is likely the committee's role will be primarily an advisory one, he does say that even though its composition will be limited to Alberta interests, it will look beyond the province's borders to western and northern Canada and perhaps even farther as transportation concerns do not stop at borders.

For Peter Wallis, president and CEO of the Van Horne Institute, the formation of the committee is a step in the right direction.

"I think it's a great idea," says Wallis. "I believe that transportation is so important to the economic development of this province. As we move to a value-added society with an economy based on both value-added and primary products, transportation will be a key facilitator of our economic success."

Wallis also believes that direct input from industry will give the province the best bang for its transportation dollars by assisting the minister in making strategic decisions on the allocation of funds.

But Wallis is not just looking at roads and infrastructure-related items to keep Alberta ahead of the game. He says training, particularly in supply chains and logistics at the secondary and post-secondary levels, is vital if the province is going to have the skilled people it needs to identify and solve future transportation issues.

Also looking at an educational aspect is Darshan Kailly, president and CEO of Canadian Freightways, who says there is a demand for increased driver education and training in the trucking sector.

"We have a severe driver shortage in the business and there is a need to address that," says Kailly, who is based in Calgary.

Kailly, who was on hand when Oberg announced the formation of the committee, adds, "I was just delighted that the minister had gone to the point where he's stressing the need on his part to listen to industry and see where it goes from there."

Also giving a green light to the concept is the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA), with offices in both Calgary and Edmonton.

"We would certainly welcome this, where we could have some input into the future direction or infrastructure or support that is going to happen in Alberta regarding transportation," says AMTA president Jim Davis. "The trucking industry is a significant part of the movement of goods into and out of Alberta and industry relies on it, so we would like to have a voice here."

Davis also sees the need for movement on increasing the number of qualified drivers and says any support for driver training and education would certainly be welcomed by industry.

Meanwhile, he also points to other concerns such as the high cost of fuel, harmonizing trucking regulations with neighbouring provinces and improved infrastructure such as twinning the highway to Fort McMurray.

Infrastructure is also front and centre in Edmonton and Calgary.

Lori Schmidt, program manager for Edmonton Economic Development Corp.'s (EEDC) transportation and logistics cluster, says completion of its regional ring road, the Anthony Henday, is important to the capital region as well as looking into a regional rail strategy to improve access to West Coast ports.

"It's always a good idea to be looking into the future to assess what our needs will be," says Schmidt.

EEDC's counterpart in Calgary also has transportation issues it says should be addressed.

"We have the fastest-growing cargo airport in North America, we have an intermodal facility for CP and CN that is at capacity or moving beyond capacity, and in terms of roadways, our critical mass is now getting to the point where we can justify a true ring road," says Michael Brown, vice-president of business development and retention for Calgary Economic Development.

"We've been working with our provincial colleagues as well as industry to move forward on some of these issues. But the biggest issue is the (lack of) labour force in the transportation sector," says Brown, adding that "this type of committee can be a real valuable tool. What it will allow is for government and industry to work together to ensure those key pieces within the transportation sector are there to keep our economy growing."

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)