ATHABASCA — In Canada, fall is synonymous with back to school; school sports start back up, after-school programming resumes, and students look ahead to the new year before them.
Fall also signals the approach of a new year for municipalities — as budget planning begins, priorities need to be identified, and the achievements of the past year are catalogued.
Athabasca’s annual Mayors Breakfast serves as an opportunity for local representatives to do exactly that: celebrate the community wins, present an update on work done, and look forward to the goals of 2025 and beyond.
More than 80 locals gathered at Johnny’s Eatery early in the morning Wednesday, Sept 11 to hear the updates and speeches from Athabasca Mayor Rob Balay, Boyle Mayor Colin Derko, and Athabasca County Reeve Brian Hall.
As always, a common theme between the three leaders was regional partnership and collaboration, especially when it comes to healthcare.
The goal of getting the Boyle Healthcare Centre up and running at full capacity was a point in all three politicians speeches, and Balay noted during his time on the mic that five new nurses will be coming to the region, with three slated to work in Athabasca and two headed for Boyle.
Derko also highlighted the recent addition of a new doctor to the village, bringing the total up to three. Other highlights for the village over the year have been the letter of intent from Redwolf Corporation for new commercial development, a project Derko said is slowly but surely progressing.
Despite the closures of the Buy-Low grocery store and CIBC bank branch, Derko said this year a bump in Boyle School’s enrolment numbers, especially in the lower grades, is a sign of growth. In another piece of good news, an individual has purchased the former CIBC storefront.
“Not just the councils are working together, the communities always work together,” said Derko. “I always bug Rob, on the ice we’re fighting to win, and in the dressing room we drink beer together.”
Hall also touched on the importance of full healthcare provision for all county residents, as well as the importance of well-equipped emergency responders.
One of the county’s long-term plans moving ahead will be to prioritize an emergency services equipment management plan to ensure trucks, tools, and gear are replaced as they age.
Another big priority for the County in the near future will be the Island Lake waterline expansion. Ninety percent of project costs will be covered by a recent approval of $15.75 million for funds under the Water for Life grant.
In the past year, the county revised their snow clearing and dust control programs, created a discounted property tax rate for small businesses, saw 49 new development permits issues, and focused funds and efforts on maintenance of the areas 204 bridges.
Hall was prompted by a familiar face to address the status of one bridge outage that has garnered much attention from residents and drivers: “The Colinton Bridge funding is top priority for 2025.”
For Balay, the efforts of the healthcare attraction and retention committee were paramount to the town’s successes of 2024 and will continue to play a role in the coming years.
In addition to the four students currently undergoing training in the healthcare centre and the upcoming education event which will bring 30 future healthcare workers into the area in October, the committee has started a unique program to help the incoming international nurses.
The ‘adopt a nurse’ program was started to allow Athabascans to help international healthcare staff adapt and adjust to the community, and so far, the initiative has been a success.
Work to recruit a nurse practitioner to the region is ongoing, as well as efforts to bring three more doctors to the town.
Notable accomplishments for the town in the last year include new tax incentives for both residential and commercial development, as well as a new tax subclass for derelict and abandoned properties. Balay also noted the storefront improvement grant was fully utilized, indicating a desire to have Athabasca look its best.
A main focus of the town this year and moving forward is housing: with the purchase of a transitional house for healthcare workers with regional partners, Athabasca is hoping to think outside the box when it comes to housing growth.
Balay said he has gotten wind of interest from developers but wouldn’t say more. However, he did note the town is considering being its own developer, using municipal-owned land to create modular housing.
Other priorities for the town will be creating infrastructure reserves to avoid the type of major disaster seen with Calgary’s water line and working on a new municipal development plan to attract more investment — a year-long process Balay said will require consultation from the public.
“When we work together, we accomplish so much more,” said Balay. “That’s happened a lot on this council, and I just think that we’re growing stronger and stronger in that regard.”
