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Alberta Transportation Minister Brian Mason said Thursday his Saskatchewan counterparts grumbled earlier this week about everything from Alberta’s lack of a provincial sales tax to our lower gravel prices, but never provided any evidence of companies being wronged in this province.

Just before Bilous and Mason spoke with reporters, Saskatchewan Economy Minister Steven Bonk said his government is concerned about what he sees as a “disturbing pattern of protectionist measures.”

That includes the so-called “beer wars,” in which Saskatchewan took Alberta to court over this province’s mark-up on beer.

Bonk also doubled down on his government’s claims Saskatchewan vehicles are unwelcome on Alberta sites — something Mason and Bilous say they’ve looked into repeatedly and is not true.

To Mason, the whole issue seems “fabricated.”

The kerfuffle is particularly vexing in the Alberta-Saskatchewan border town of Lloydminster.

Cody Bexson, president of the Lloydminster Construction Association, said his industry is grappling with the potential economic impact of being forced to have all their vehicles inspected, insured and plated on both sides of the border.

“We pick up our coffee on the Saskatchewan side and go to work on the Alberta side,” he said. “It would have complications … no doubt about it.”

He said while there’s no animosity between workers from either side of the border, “everyone’s just a little baffled.”