Our History

A storied history

The ACR began in 1936 as the Alberta and Northwest Chamber of Mines. It was developed to regulate labour and supplies in the mines of Canada’s North, to promote resource extraction and to help put Albertans back to work during the Great Depression. By the Second World War the Chamber’s scope expanded to include all of the resources industries and after a series of name changes the Chamber settled on its present moniker in 1977.

Throughout its history the ACR has been committed to improving the competitiveness of the sectors its represents through thoughtful conversation and debate around conditions for future success including Indigenous and community consultation, regulatory reform, evolving ESG expectations, land use planning and supportive policy development to encourage investment. To learn more about our history, please see the resource links below.