Amazon Eyes Medicine Hat's Historic Ogilvie Flour Mill
A building that once anchored Ogilvie's Western Canadian flour business could soon be sorting parcels for the Gas City. On Monday, Medicine Hat city council will decide whether a historic South Flats landmark gets a second working life as an Amazon delivery hub.
By Jason LaFace | Alberta Radio
Sunday, October 4, 2026
What's on Monday's agenda
Council will consider a land-use change for the Ogilvie Flour Mill complex at 1222 Allowance Ave., with planning staff recommending the property be redesignated Industrial Operations Minor. The municipal planning commission heard a presentation on the proposed logistics facility last week and sent it on to council. It's the first step toward a local package distribution and sorting operation serving Amazon customers in Medicine Hat and the surrounding region.
Staff say the proposal complies with the Land Use Bylaw and found no heritage impact, since no exterior changes are planned for the six-storey building. The interior was built for heavy industry and meets code, though minor upgrades to utilities, electrical and safety systems are needed before warehouse work could start.
Jobs, trucks and timing
The operator's plan calls for more than 50 full-time workers, plus up to 30 seasonal staff during peak periods such as the holidays and Prime Days, seven days a week. Two semi-trucks would arrive daily around 4 to 5:30 a.m. with packages, which would be sorted inside roughly 19,000 square feet of warehouse space and sent out on a fleet of 25 delivery trucks in staggered 20-minute waves to avoid congestion on an already busy street. The site would need a dedicated 30-metre gravel turning loop for larger trucks, and delivery trucks would park outside overnight.
A mill with a past
The mill opened in 1913, built by the Canadian Stewart Company, and served as the Western Canadian headquarters for Ogilvie Flour Mills. At its peak it produced more than 4,000 barrels of flour a day and employed more than 100 people before closing in 2013. Lately it has been used for RV storage under a three-year permit approved in 2023, and it has hosted the Grains to Glory street festival, which the owner says won't be affected.
Why it matters
This is the kind of story that doesn't trend in Calgary or Edmonton, but it's how real economies get built in the rest of Alberta. Private money wants to come in, put dozens of locals to work and reuse a century-old building with no exterior changes to fight over. Council's job Monday is simple: don't strangle it in red tape. Keep the trucks moving, protect the neighbours on the early-morning noise, and let Medicine Hat say yes to work.
Alberta Radio will report the outcome after Monday's council meeting.
Source: Os1ris News Aggregation
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