While I don’t disagree there’s a high likelihood it’s Albertans, very few Albertans drive west and not back east again, so your anecdotal data doesn’t represent your argument.

I’m a proud resident of one of Canada’s only four provinces.

The idea was to build giant floating barges in the mid North Atlantic for sub hunting escort aircraft to refuel halfway across. The escort aircraft at the time couldn’t stay with the convoys the whole way, leaving a stretch in the mid Atlantic where they were vulnerable. An ice runway would allow aircraft to cover the convoy for the entire passage, and in the North Atlantic would last months (if not longer) before melting.