Economic Development
Westglen Milling, Manola. Processors of pearl and pot barley
and oats.
Exciting
developments include upgrades to Connie May’s convenience store
operation at Lac La Nonne, a new building for DEZ Family
Enterprises for the expansion of their photography business and
P.O.W. Paintballing. We also had a major development at Camp
Encounter (Lac La Nonne), with the construction of a new 2,160 sq.
ft. dining facility. The Town and County partnered to upgrade the
airport with the installation of GPS using the Wide Area
Augmentation System (WAAS) design, which is proposed to be
complete in spring 2008. The installation of this system will
take the Barrhead Airport from a visual only airport to an
instrument approach airport, which means better airport
reliability and accessibility by allowing aircraft to use the
airport in adverse weather conditions.
A significant
project the County commenced in 2007 was the implementation of the
Rural Address System. The Rural Addressing System will make our community safer, as it
will assist emergency service providers in locating properties,
and in general, it will assist the public in finding specific
locations.
GROWTH Alberta, the
partnership of 8 municipalities and 2 school boards and the
assistance from the Provincial Government, continues to provide
the region with strong economic development support. The year
started with another successful Business Awards Gala, recognizing
local winners for 2007, which included A.M. Berry Farm, Campsie
General Store, Pollard Banknote and Tubs N Toys. Another annual
event was the School Expo held at Barrhead Composite High School
in November. This event promotes job and educational
opportunities not only for students but for anyone looking for
information about a new career. In the spring, GROWTH attended
trade fairs in Barrhead and in Fort McMurray. There is much
interest from Fort McMurray as our location is close to Edmonton
and also because of the natural amenities available for outdoor
opportunities. The Growth region, Barrhead, Westlock and Thorhild,
are attracting those who wish to live in our communities and work
in Fort McMurray and elsewhere. The bio fuels feasibility study
for Sustainable Energy Group Inc. was completed and confirms our
region as an attractive area for alternate energy opportunities.
In collaboration with Nexen Inc. and Trident Exploration Corp., a
Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of the Barrhead-Fort Assiniboine
area was completed on the topic of the effect of coal bed methane
drilling activity. The report did indicate economic and
residential opportunities in the area, but with the recent
provincial announcement on Royalties, many projects have been put
on hold. Our natural resources and attractive location does, and
will, create opportunities for the region.
The County of Barrhead received a prestigious provincial award,
winning the AlbertaFirst.com “2007 Community Profile” for
small communities. Other winners for larger communities were Red
Deer County and Wheatland County. AlbertaFirst.com is the
largest searchable online database promoting business and
community development across the province. This recognition has
won the County free advertising in high profile magazines.
For more information on the County of Barrhead's development activities,
please contact Development Officer Rick
Neumann or GROWTH
Alberta.
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