Water on the agenda at annual PNWER summit

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Trevor Busch
Sunny South News
editor@tabertimes.com

Despite trade issues and tariffs dominating cross-border discourse in North America throughout 2025, working together to tackle pressing issues is still a necessary and important goal for neighbouring jurisdictions.

That spirit of intercooperation was prevalent during the recent Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) Annual Summit which took place in Bellevue, Wash. from July 20-24.  

“They have Canadian provinces represented, from Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC. And they also have American states represented there as well. So Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, different states,” said Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter, who attended the conference as an Alberta representative. “So I was asked to go down to sit on two panels and speak about our aquatic invasive species rollout that we’re doing here in Alberta, I went and presented on one of those panels. Another panel was on water technology, and we talked about some of the things that we can do, some of the better practices, best practices that are being applied in different states and provinces for water conservation, and some of the newer practices – so that was really good. I really enjoyed that.”

Hunter, who also serves as Associate Minister of Water, participated in two panels: Aquatic Invasive Species: Lurking Threat to the Regional Economy and Environment, and Technology and the Future of Water.

“Two things I’d like to mention. First of all, for the aquatic invasive species panel, they brought forward a motion to try to harmonize the efforts amongst our provinces and states, which I thought was really important. You might remember that I was able to pass in the Council of State Governors West organization the first Canadian resolution passed in that organization on being able to standardize the efforts against aquatic invasive species. So that was great, and I think that they’re going to pass that as well, next meeting. So they presented it, and it speaks to work that we did.”

While highlighting the importance of economic corridors i n facilitating Alberta’s mutually beneficial trade with the region, Alberta’s delegates brought the province’s perspective to future-focused discussions on a broad range of priorities when meeting and engaging with U.S. state legislators, officials and influential corporate leaders from across the Pacific Northwest region. These priorities included making the case for enhancing Alberta-U.S. energy collaboration and working together to support the key policies, infrastructure and pathways needed to move even more of Alberta’s traditional and emerging energy products to a growing list of customers in the U.S.

Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen, MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland Shane Getson, MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright Garth Rowswell, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat Justin Wright, MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore Chantelle de Jonge and MLA for Leduc-Beaumont Brandon Lunty also attended the summit, teaming up to advance Alberta’s priorities in meetings, working groups and sessions.

“The second thing that I would say was really important about that, and I’m really proud – I think we had 65 people from Alberta there,” said Hunter. “And so you have businesses, you have community mayors – Alberta businesses were well represented there. And then we had four or five MLAs that were represented there. So we had a really good turnout, and each then goes out and starts networking – and we really need to tell our story to the Americans. We’ve taken that relationship for granted for many, many years, and now we’re recognizing that we can’t take it for granted. So I think it was extremely important, and those organizations are extremely important.”

Alberta’s government and industry partners have begun preparations to host the July 2026 PNWER Annual Summit.

“Next year we’re going to have it hosted in Edmonton, so we’re going to bring them up,” said Hunter. “So that’s pretty exciting.”

PNWER is a non-partisan, public/private partnership that was established in 1991 to advance the economic well-being, quality of life and common interests of its 10 member jurisdictions, which include the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington, the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

—The U.S. is Alberta’s largest trading partner, and Alberta is the second-largest provincial exporter to the U.S. after Ontario.

—In 2024, Alberta’s exports to the U.S. totalled C$162.1 billion, accounting for 88.7 per cent of total provincial exports. The U.S. is also an important source of industrial inputs and consumer goods for the province.

—The Pacific Northwest is an important trade region for Alberta. In 2024, bilateral trade between Alberta and the PNWER U.S. member states totalled C$21 billion.