CGC officially opens Wheatland wallboard facility

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

CGC’s operations in Wheatland County have begun in earnest, as their new wallboard manufacturing facility is officially complete and operational.

Stakeholders, dignitaries, and invited guests were offered an opportunity, June 10, to tour the facility and be present for its ribbon cutting.

“It gives us the ability to serve builders and our customers across Alberta and Western Canada with a more localized and reliable source of Sheetrock brand wallboard,” said Steve Youngblut, president of CGC. “This matters at a time when demand remains to be strong for housing, for infrastructure, and for commercial construction. Builders need consistency. They need reliable access to quality material, and they need supply they can depend on to keep their projects moving forward.”

The facility represents a $210 million investment and is geared to create 100 full-time positions to work within the local region.

Youngblut added the facility has put a particular emphasis on efficiency and sustainability, built with features designed to reduce water consumption, maintain low carbon emissions, and support a goal of zero waste. 

“Wheatland is the result of decades of thinking, planning, and commitment. For a long time, we have understood the importance of having wallboard capacity in Western Canada,” said Chris Macey, president and CEO of the USG corporation. “During my time at CGC and USG, I just saw how important this market is to our customers and how valuable it would be to have local production close to the market, enabling us to support our customers’ growth.”

The Wheatland facility was credited as being among the most advanced plants in the corporation’s network, aiming to significantly broaden their ability to serve markets across Western Canada.

Joseph Schow, minister of jobs, economy, trade, and innovation, iterated that diversification of Alberta’s economic footprint is key to ensuring jobs are available for people both currently residing and who are coming to the province. 

“Through a more than $3.7 from the Investment Growth Fund, Alberta has helped secure this over-$200-million-dollar investment that strengthens our manufacturing sector, supports economic diversification, and delivers benefits that will extend well beyond today,” said Schow. “As Alberta continues to grow, we are proud to have CGC as part of our story. This facility stands as a vote of confidence in Alberta as the best place to do business.”

Macey added one of the primary reasons for the facility is to insulate CGC to a certain extent from American gypsum tariffs. The general idea being to be a reliable source for CGC customers to be able to depend on a source of material at more affordable rates.