Westglen Milling, Manola. Processors of pearl and pot barley and oats.

With the current economic boom we have anticipated what new opportunities would come in the future. We didn’t have to wait long, as it was announced in early spring 2007 that BarrCana Homes Inc. had purchased the vacant pork processing facility east of the Town of Barrhead.  At the beginning of April  they started expansion to the existing building that would expand the facility to over 150,000 sq.ft.  BarrCana Homes is a modular home manufacturer that builds ready-to-move units, and are looking to employ over 200 people. These homes and units are moved across western Canada with major targets being Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and central Alberta. This new industry has quickly made their community presence known.  They are supporters of the community. Their involvement includes the proposal for a new location for the Day Care, and they have also been supportive of municipal government initiatives such as the proposed Neerlandia waterline and new twinning opportunities. 

Other 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.  Most of the signs have been installed and it is anticipated the project will be completed in early 2008.  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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