Most communities have a central visitor centre. Wood Buffalo has one on wheels, an initiative of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development & Tourism.
“I don’t think that’s something that you see in most communities,” says Jennifer Warren, manager of the Wood Buffalo Regional Innovation Network (RIN), outlining one example of innovation that has emerged from the region. “Most communities have a main hub where you come and get your visitor information, but we’ve got a mobile one.”
That difference says a lot about how new ideas are unfolding in northeastern Alberta.
In Fort McMurray and across the sparsely populated Wood Buffalo region, Warren and her team aren’t replicating familiar playbooks. They’re designing support systems that reflect the geography, infrastructure, and real gaps in access. This
This isn’t only a local story either, as Warren explained to Digital Journal at Inventures 2025. Across Alberta and Canada, regions are under pressure to deliver economic transformation. Warren’s work shows what that looks like on the ground, and that includes improvisation and collaboration that’s shaped by distance as much as ambition.
[Watch the interview in full in the video below]
Designing for distance, not density
The Wood Buffalo RIN covers a stretch of northeastern Alberta from Fort Fitzgerald down to Athabasca. Its communities are spread out, and its population is small, with the main regional hub Fort McMurray counting about 77,000 residents in the last census.
That geography creates challenges.
It’s harder for entrepreneurs to access province-wide resources. Infrastructure gaps are visible in everyday services. But it also creates opportunities to rethink how support is delivered.
“Access to resources is a big one,” says Warren. “Being a more remote community, we know that there’s a lot of resources that are available throughout the province that all entrepreneurs and innovators can access. However, sometimes it’s a little bit harder, or a little bit of a challenge to get those resources.”
In response, Warren’s team looks for ways to meet people where they are. One is a local maker space outfitted with 3D printers, laser cutters, and virtual reality headsets.
“We’re also one of the only RINs, I think the only RIN, that has a technology maker space in it,” she says. “Stuff that entrepreneurs and innovators can play with.”
Building connections across regions
While the RIN operates in a remote region, it’s not isolated. Collaboration between Alberta’s regional innovation networks has grown stronger in recent years, with shared events and regular communication.
“It’s really great. It’s been amazing over the past few years,” Warren says. “We’ve got a great group of people that are really good to work with. We share lots of information between us. We do lots of events together.”
One example is Pitch Up, a province-wide event for rural communities held each December and April. Each RIN selects a representative to pitch at the event, which brings entrepreneurs together from across Alberta.
“It just kind of brings all entrepreneurs together from across the province,” says Warren. “Each RIN has somebody that gets to pitch at the event, and we just share resources and all of that.”
These connections help balance out the structural disadvantages of distance. They also align with a broader push to strengthen collaboration between regions, allowing local innovations to scale without leaving their home base.
[Watch the interview in full in the video below]
Listening to lead the next chapter
For Warren, the next step is understanding the region’s needs more deeply. The RIN is now conducting a gap analysis to determine where services fall short and what entrepreneurs are looking for that isn’t yet available.
“We’re doing a gap analysis in our next year right now,” she says. “Just really honing in on what it is that entrepreneurs and innovators are looking for in the region. And so I’m looking forward to hearing more about that and seeing where we’re missing the mark and where we can do better.”
She also hopes to expand the maker space, which has the tools to help early-stage entrepreneurs prototype new products but needs more resources to reach its potential.
“We’re really looking to kind of push that forward in the next year,” she says. “Getting some people that are looking to create prototypes and build things and get them out into the community and the economy.”
At a national level, Canada is investing in regional innovation and economic diversification. But those efforts depend on leadership like Warren’s, and people who understand the difference between building something new and simply bringing in something that was built elsewhere.
Watch the interview:
This series is produced in partnership with the Alberta Regional Innovation Networks
