Southern Alberta Officials Seek Expanded Hours at Wild Horse Border Crossing
Business groups and governments in Alberta and Montana are calling for the Wild Horse border crossing to operate as a second 24-hour commercial port. The Canada Border Services Agency plans to replace the aging facility but has not announced changes to operating hours or inspection services.
calgaryherald.comBusiness groups in southeastern Alberta, along with the Alberta and Montana governments, are urging federal authorities to convert the Wild Horse border crossing into a second 24-hour commercial port of entry. m. m. m. in summer. Only pre-screened commercial loads are permitted during those hours.
The Canada Border Services Agency will demolish the existing station next month and replace it with a new building as part of a national upgrade covering 12 minor ports. The agency has stated it is not considering extended hours or additional inspection services at this time.
Coutts-Sweetgrass, about 125 kilometres away, remains Alberta's only 24-hour crossing with a commercial inspection station for unscheduled loads.
Danielle Smith and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a joint letter in late 2023 requesting 24-hour operations at Wild Horse to increase trade and reduce congestion at Coutts. Lisa Dressler, executive director of the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce, said the region has relied on the Coutts crossing for years and that expanded access at Wild Horse would support commercial traffic along the eastern Alberta trade corridor.
U.S. building completed in 2012 and represents an initial step toward further investment. A 2017 study by the Van Horne Institute projected that tonnage at Wild Horse could rise from 3,000 tonnes in 2015 to 100,000 tonnes by 2040 if hours were expanded.
The Alberta Transportation work plan includes repaving and widening shoulders on sections of Highway 41 leading to the port. The Montana legislature passed a resolution in 2025 calling for expanded border services across the state.
