Grant set to study Wild Horse

Bear Paw Development Corp. received $26,250 to assist a Port of Wild Horse project. The grant funds will go toward a study that aims to track the economic activity between Montana and Alberta, Canada.

Gov. Steve Bullock and Montana Department of Commerce Director Meg O'Leary announced that $1.041 million has been granted to seven Montana businesses, including Bear Paw Development, for business growth and expansion plans through the Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund.

"These grants are a great example of smart and strategic partnerships between the state of Montana and private business to responsibly grow Montana's economy," Bullock said in a press release Wednesday. "From renewable energy to nutritional supplements and advanced manufacturing, the variety of projects funded shows that many Montana industries are growing and thriving."

Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development, said Hill County and the city of Havre is also contributing a combined total of $5,000, making the total on Bear Paw Development's end, $30,000.

"There's an additional $30,000 coming from the Province of Alberta, Canada - through the city of Medicine Hat and Bear Paw Development's sister organization up in Medicine Hat," he added.

The Wild Horse Border Committee, a group of individuals made up of civic leaders, business leaders and economic development officials from the United States and Canada has a total of $60,000 that will be used toward the study.

Tuss said his group is planning on hiring a business consultant to assist them in developing a business plan and feasibility study for the port.

"For a decade, we have been attempting to pursue expanded hours at the Port of Wild Horse, including changing that port's status from a permit-only port to a commercial port of entry," he said. "Basically what we're attempting to do is to make the business case to the federal governments in both Canada and the United States that expanding the hours of this port and changing its status makes a lot of economic sense for both countries and that it would be a good investment to do that."

Tuss said his group plans to look more holistically at the economic impact of this particular project on both sides of the border - Montana and Alberta.

"We think that you need to do a more thorough analysis of the economic impact of what that visitation, what that traffic, what that spending by Canadians here and Americans in Canada really add to the economic development of our two countries," he said.

Tuss also said that survey data has been collected over the past couple of years in conjunction with the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce.

"We have asked Havre area businesses how important this project is to their bottom line," he said. "The resounding number of businesses in the Havre area respond positively and believe that we should continue to pursue expanded hours at the Port of Wild Horse."

Tuss said originally, a 24/7 port of entry idea was discussed, however recently there has been talk of 13-hour year round hours of operation.

"There's summer hours to the port, there's winter hours to the port, and in the last few years they've changed when those occur," he said. "What we would like to see is consistent hours of operation at the port, but also clearly something beyond a typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule."

Tuss said the Wild Horse Border Committee hopes to increase economic activity on both sides of the border.

"The ultimate goal is to have a quality document that is thoroughly researched that will be convincing to federal officials in both countries to make the affirmative decision to expand the hours of operation at this port," he said.