LAC LA BICHE COUNTY’S PATH FORWARD & 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW
We respectfully acknowledge the traditional and ancestral lands of the First Nations peoples of Treaty 6, Treaty 8 and Treaty 10 territories and the Homeland of the Métis people. Lac La Biche County continues to be home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial, and we recognize the vital contributions of Indigenous culture, history and perspectives in our shared past, present and future.
Nous reconnaissons respectueusement les terres traditionnelles et ancestrales des peuples des Premières Nations faisant partie des territoires visés par le Traité no 6, le Traité no 8 et le Traité no 10 ainsi que la terre natale des Métis. Le comté de Lac La Biche abrite les peuples autochtones depuis des temps immémoriaux, et nous reconnaissons l’apport essentiel de la culture, de l’histoire et des perspectives autochtones à notre passé, notre présent et notre avenir collectifs.
Nimanācitānān naskwēyasihtamōwin nēhīyaw ōtipamakan askiya ēkwa ōtipimiso askiy. Wāwāskēsiw sākahikanihk kiyāpic nēhīyaw isiyiniw ēwīkiw aspin ohci kakiskisihk ēkwa nisitawēyitīnan nēhīyaw kayas pimacihowin ēkwa ēwāpatamahk asonamātōwin pīci ōtahk, anohc mēkwac, ēkwa ōtīnīkan.
Lac La Biche County’s Path Forward & Year in Review:
Over the past two years, Lac La Biche County has undertaken a series of initiatives to enhance service delivery and ensure the organization remains both efficient and responsive. In July 2023, Council requested a comprehensive Business Process Improvement Review (Efficiency Review), and by mid-2024, its findings led to a corporate reorganization intended to streamline operations and align with Council’s strategic objectives.
Our focus remains on maintaining quality services while embracing innovation and continuous improvement. Following the Efficiency Review, Council and Administration conducted a strategic workshop on January 23, 2025, resulting in 15 Resolutions for Success. These resolutions address priorities such as stabilizing healthcare infrastructure, enhancing recreational and tourism offerings, and exploring new economic development opportunities.
This 2024/2025 Path Forward & Year in Review offers an overview of the progress made so far, along with a transparent look at our goals for the coming year. By applying the recommendations from the Efficiency Review and the 15 Resolutions for Success, we intend to support future growth, sustain meaningful partnerships, and continue delivering high-quality services that meet the needs of our residents and businesses.
Key accomplishments since Efficiency Review
• Through the review, found $5 million in savings while keeping service levels the same or better.
• Established a 24-hour community patrol to reduce local crime and enhance safety.
• Introduced a process to deal with customer concerns and complaints within 24 hours.
• No increase in municipal tax rates.
• Made 15 Resolutions for Success to establish a vision for the community and attract economic growth and new development.
Image courtesy of Tracy Lord
LAC LA BICHE COUNTY COUNCIL
Paul Reutov Mayor
Darlene Beniuk Councillor, Ward 1
Kevin Pare Councillor, Ward 2
Colette Borgun Councillor, Ward 3
Jason Stedman Councillor, Ward 4
Charlyn Moore Councillor, Ward 5
Sterling Johnson Councillor, Ward 6
John Mondal Councillor, Ward 7
Lorin Tkachuk Councillor, Ward 7
County Council is elected every four years.
The next municipal election will take place Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Visit laclabichecounty.com/p/municipal-election for all of the latest election information.
Lac La Biche County electoral wards map
Resolutions for Success: A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Lac La Biche County Council has adopted 15 key resolutions as a roadmap for building on our community’s strengths, enhancing residents’ quality of life, and deepening our relationships with our partners. These resolutions are all related to three major priority areas:
A. Tourism & Recreation
B. Quality of Life
C. Industry Development
Flip through the next few pages to learn about each priority area, and which resolutions fall under each category.
A. Tourism & Recreation
Lac La Biche County’s tourism sector is strong, and we plan to keep building on that strength. From our amazingly diverse urban communities, to our numerous lakes and outdoor adventure opportunities, we’re uniquely positioned to offer the best of both worlds.
We also have top-tier sports facilities, like the Bold Centre multiplex (and its world-class outdoor fields) that offer opportunities for sport-related tourism by attracting tournament organizers throughout the province, as well as event planners from all over Canada to host major events in our County. Resolutions in these categories explore ways to round out our offerings and ensure that we’re ready to host visitors of all stripes and walks of life.
1.
Conduct a feasibility study for the development of a lagoon, evaluating potential locations, economic benefits, and environmental impacts.
A lagoon in this case refers to an artificial body of water, separated from the rest of Lac La Biche Lake. A lagoon would allow us to create a clear, clean body of water for swimming and other recreational activities, and could function as a major tourist attraction, especially in the summer months.
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Develop a detailed plan for expanding sports tourism and events, in collaboration with tourism partners, and create a comprehensive marketing package to promote the region as a sports tourism destination.
The Bold Centre is already a busy facility, regularly hosting hockey, volleyball, baseball, and futsal tournaments. It’s not unusual to see visitors from all over Alberta hanging out at our facility over the weekend while their families and friends participate in high-level sports. We want to see even more of this, so we’re taking a critical look at our schedules and marketing materials to attract even more tournament and event organizers to our community. We’ve also proven our ability to host international events like the 2024 World Archery Field Championships – making movement on this resolution will set us up to do even more of that.
3.
Explore and pursue viable options for a conference centre/hotel, including potential locations, business partners, and economic feasibility.
Having a conference centre that can be used not only for that purpose (hosting conferences), but also by private industry to provide luxury tourism experiences on the nearby Lac La Biche Lake, could attract new audiences to our area and enhance the overall economy. We plan to explore this option while considering the best place to put it, who we might partner with, and whether it will have a strong, positive impact on our existing business community.
Procure water transport options for emergency response and tourism within Lac La Biche County, including identifying suitable vessels and an implementation strategy.
Water taxis in the summer months could provide an interesting option for tourists and residents looking for quick and scenic transportation options between, for example, Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park and McArthur Park. At the same time, water taxis could also be used for emergencies, helping first responders access remote areas more quickly and, if needed, conduct evacuations safely and efficiently.
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Develop a growth strategy to support public and private campground facilities, including streamlining permitting processes and identifying potential bylaw amendments. 5.
Although we already have great local camping options, Lac La Biche County wants to see even more camping facilities of all types made available. As we build ourselves into a resort community, we want to be known for the accessibility and variety of camping experiences that our region offers. To reach this goal, we’re taking a closer look at our development processes and bylaws to make sure it’s as easy as possible to quickly, safely, and efficiently develop a new camping option.
15Resolutions for Success: A
Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
B. Quality of Life
The foundation of any successful community with a high quality of life is built on four pillars: education, job opportunities, top-quality amenities, and healthcare.
The next five resolutions focus on strengthening each of these four pillars, enhancing our regional healthcare options, improving our community safety, ensuring that housing is available for people of all income levels, and reaffirming that Portage College has the full support of our municipality as they expand to meet the needs of job seekers and employers.
Stabilize and secure the existing clinic infrastructure while developing a long-term plan to enhance regional healthcare services, including options for a modernized facility.
Lac La Biche County is exploring the administration of the local clinic, taking the burden of caring for the building off the shoulders of local doctors and medical staff. This will help doctors focus on diagnosing and treating patients, while at the same time making us a more attractive place for new physicians to practice (since they won’t need to worry about creating and maintaining a traditional “practice” that involves setting up a building, office and staff roster).
Develop a Safe Community Plan leveraging technology, tools, training and education (in collaboration with Portage College) to enhance applied research through new technological innovations.
Community safety has always been one of Lac La Biche County’s top priorities, and new technology opens up possibilities for making our municipality safer. For example, drones will be used to aid first responders in wildfire or emergency situations (assisting with size-up or victim searches), as well as to gather data for incident pre-planning (which is key for ensuring fast, efficient responses when disasters do happen). Like many other resolutions, we’re committed to working with Portage College staff and researchers, leveraging their expertise to help us make our community the safest it can be.
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Conduct a comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities in affordable rental housing, including multi-unit developments, and work with the development industry to address needs. 8.
Everyone needs a safe, affordable, and comfortable place to stay. Lac La Biche County’s local housing market certainly has some gaps, especially in the rental market, that need to be identified and actioned. Once we complete the Housing Needs Assessment, we’ll see what options are available to us and consult with housing industry experts.
Collaborate with Portage College in meeting the needs of students and community housing. 9.
This is similar to the previous resolution, but more specific to addressing the unique challenges that Portage College’s students face in securing housing. Portage College is also unique, in that many of their students are older and have families—this can be more complex to address than by simply building traditional student dorms. County staff will meet with Portage College representatives and decide on concrete actions that we can both take to improve student and community housing in the County.
Lac La Biche County
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Work collaboratively with Portage College to identify, zone, and subdivide lands required for both the trades lab and housing projects, and furthermore, have agreements in place for both sections of land to be acquired by the College with a targeted completion date of January 2026. 10.
Portage College plans to build a lab for trades students, which will expand the industryrelated education they can offer in our area. They also plan to increase the amount and types of housing offered to students. The County will help by ensuring that the land they need for both projects is readily available: we want work to start on these necessary projects as quickly as possible.
15Resolutions for Success: A
Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
C. Industry Development
What’s a community without a strong economy to support it? We need solid jobs that can support growing families. Council is exploring ways to not only increase the number of jobs locally, but to also diversify our economy to ensure that we can weather any market fluctuations and industry changes.
Additionally, there are many people who commute to our community for work. We want to see more of those workers live here, too, which will help local businesses grow and thrive (a bigger population means a larger market of people who need local products and services).
Conduct a feasibility study for industrial recycling operations to support a circular economy and job creation, in collaboration with Indigenous communities, private businesses, and industry stakeholders. 11.
Lac La Biche County already has robust recycling and waste disposal programs, which are far ahead of similar-sized municipalities. Locally, there’s an opportunity to do industrial recycling processing in our municipality, which could create jobs, bring in more income, and provide a useful service to our neighbours, all while enhancing the County’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Develop a Work & Live Strategy to attract and retain workers in Lac La Biche County by promoting key benefits such as transportation accessibility, education opportunities, and quality of life. 12.
There are many workers with local industry players (like Canadian Natural and Cenovus) who commute to Lac La Biche County for work, then return to their home municipalities after their shift is done. We want these workers to learn about Lac La Biche County’s unparalleled quality of life, enticing more to work and live here. Increasing the number of people who live here creates greater demand for local products and services, which will enhance economic conditions for our local business community while attracting greater investment from outside the County.
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
Provide a report on shovel-ready and development-ready lands inventory for industrial, commercial, and residential development.
Lac La Biche County has a lot of land that is “shovel-ready,” meaning serviced parcels ready for developers to buy and build on. By having all appropriate lands neatly inventoried and ready to sell, we can attract more investors to our municipality and drive economic growth.
Collaborate with a third-party consultant to develop a longterm Rail Transport Strategy, exploring opportunities for freight, commuter, and tourism connectivity.
We’re fortunate to have rail running through our municipality, but there’s currently no local way to connect to or utilize the rail lines for shipping or receiving products. The County is looking into the feasibility of bringing passenger and/or freight rail transportation into our municipality.
Develop a streamlined system to enhance engagement with the Economic Development Advisory Committee and the Industrial Committee for more effective collaboration and decision-making.
Lac La Biche County has committees specific to advising Council on economic and industrial development matters. Although these committees have provided excellent suggestions that have improved the local economy, we’re looking at ways for these committees’ feedback to be incorporated into Council’s decisionmaking in more efficient, streamlined ways.
15Resolutions for Success:
A Roadmap for a Prosperous, Exciting Future
What’s next?
We’ve set up a page on our website where we’re documenting all the actions we’re taking on each of Council’s 15 resolutions. In addition, periodic updates will be shared through the Your County In Touch monthly newsletter, social media, the Council Connector (our weekly page 5 advertisement in Lakeland This Week) and regular Council reports (all Council meetings are open to the public, except for portions held in Closed Sessions, and regular Council meetings are streamed live online at laclabichecounty.com).
We’re excited to share more about the transformative effects these resolutions will have on Lac La Biche County’s growth.
Use your smartphone or tablet device’s camera to scan the QR code at left, or visit laclabichecounty.com/p/15resolutions-for-success, to learn more about the actions we’re taking.
2024 YEAR IN REVIEW
Our Key Accomplishments (and Next Steps)
We’re doing things a little differently this year. Lac La Biche County is a single, unified team, with all staff and Council working towards the goal of growing and building a vibrant, prosperous community. Although departments with specific responsibilities continue to exist in our organization, we’re breaking down silos and ensuring that staff work more closely together than ever to enhance our efficiency and capacity.
As a result, rather than listing accomplishments by the specific administrative division or department (as we traditionally did in previous Year In Review documents), we’ll instead be listing our biggest accomplishments under Council’s six strategic priority areas. These include:
1. Economic Growth
2. Service Excellence
3. Strategic Communication
4. Social Wellness
5. Tourism & Recreation
6. Environment & Agriculture
These do roughly align with the three priority areas that Council’s 15 Resolutions for Success contain, but keep in mind that these were set years ago as part of Council’s larger Strategic Plan. All of Lac La Biche County’s accomplishments in these six priority areas set the stage for 2025, allowing Council to make their 15 Resolutions for Success.
We feel that there is value in listing the County’s 2024 key accomplishments by the priority areas in Council’s Strategic Plan, showing how Council’s previous planning efforts and Administration’s accomplishments created advantages that we’re now able to leverage in 2025 and beyond.
2024 Year in Review ECONOMIC GROWTH
We will develop strategic policy that supports current businesses and attracts new businesses to diversify and strengthen our economy.
• To retain current residents, attract new ones, and build the County’s overall quality of life, significant progress was made on many multiyear construction projects like the McArthur Park Redevelopment, the Lac La Biche Main Street Revitalization, the New Aquatics Facility at the Bold Centre (slated for completion in 2026), and Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club improvements.
• We approved 33 employers under the Rural Renewal Stream program, and administered just under 100 endorsement letters under the program. The Rural Renewal Stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program connects local businesses with qualified newcomers to Canada, helping those businesses meet workforce demands they’re not able to address otherwise with the local labour pool.
Development concept plan for 94 Ave. corridor
Council has approved a vision for the vacant lands surrounding 91 Ave. in the hamlet of Lac La Biche. This plan was created after several days of community engagement, where residents were asked to share their ideas and tell us what types of development they would like to see in the neighbourhood. Now the work of prepping the lands for development and pitching to potential investors can begin.
ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2024 (2 of 2)
• We completed a Lac La Biche Industrial Land Profile, which helps us determine which industries have room to grow, and which lands are ready for industrial development.
• Staff trained 749 people through the County’s Law Enforcement Training Centre (LETC) –this is a record for the LETC. The department also delivered two Community Peace Officer Induction Programs in 2024, with a total of 33 recruits becoming Alberta’s newest Community Peace Officers. The significant amount of law enforcement professionals being trained here has injected significant economic support for local businesses. Additionally, the LETC brought in $555,000 in revenue for the municipality in 2024, up from $400,000 in 2023.
• Staff launched a Cultivating Economic Growth & Agritourism project, beginning with a series of workshops to bring local agricultural producers, retailers and other partners together to grow bold new ideas for the region. Workshop topics included value-added agriculture, cluster development (working together to build capacity and tap into new markets), connecting local ingredients with local vendors and restaurants, and more.
#DYK?
The County-owned and operated Lac La Biche Airport (CYLB) saw 2,000+ arrivals and departures in 2024.
2024 Year in Review SERVICE EXCELLENCE
We will set the standard for service delivery every day to sustain and improve quality of life of residents and attract new residents.
Efficiency:
• Lac La Biche County increased the number of cross-trained staff, to ensure that our organization is efficient and customer-focused.
• Staff added additional GPS and reporting software on all County vehicles, which resulted in less idle time and lower kilometres driven to get the same amount of work done.
• Staff completed 1,030 in-house vehicle/equipment repair requests in 2024 (up from 817 in 2023) and 64 in-house Commercial Vehicle Inspections (up from 56 in 2023), which resulted in fewer resources spent on third-party repairs.
• Staff graded 912 km of gravel roads in 2024. As part of the annual road re-gravelling program, staff placed 61,000 tonnes of gravel over 261 km of roads.
Council approved our 2025 Budget on Dec. 3, 2025. The operating expense budget was set at $69,641,376, with an overall budgeted surplus of $1,021,314. Further, Council allocated more than $1.6 million towards stabilization and contingency reserves—we still have more than $1.5 million in stabilization reserves. These reserves help us weather market fluctuations in property values, which means fewer impacts on everyday taxpayers.
• In 2024, Lac La Biche County received several larger competitive grants to support the costs of construction projects and services, including:
• $200,000 from the Northern Regional Economic Development program (NRED) for the McArthur Park Redevelopment project.
• $72,077 in Small Communities Opportunity Program (SCOP) funding to support the County’s Cultivating Economic Growth & Agritourism project.
• $49,750 in FireSmartTM programming funding.
• Other smaller funding contributions, including for aquatics programming and tree planting.
SERVICE EXCELLENCE
IN 2024 (2 of 3)
Staff & Community Safety:
• The County earned the maximum 20% refund of $63,299 from the Worker’s Compensation Board through the Partnerships in Injury Reduction Program, reflecting our dedication to proactive safety measures and compliance with high safety standards.
• The County delivered in-person safety training to 130 employees and introduced more online training options, increasing participation in safety training across the organization
• As of Dec. 11, 2024, Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue responded to 447 separate emergency incidents, including:
• This year’s Firefighter Recruit Class welcomed seven new recruits to our fire department. Currently, 57 people are in Fire Services, whether working on-call in one of five fire stations throughout the County, or in the Protective Services Building on Beaver Hill Road.
• Fire Services upgraded our fleet with a new fast-attack fire engine based out of Plamondon.
• Our firefighters spent nine days deployed as a Structure Protection Unit at various wildfire incidents, bringing in $129,000+ of revenue for the municipality.
• Lac La Biche County once again led the province (per capita) in offering FireSmartTM assessments and educational events, helping residents better protect their properties from the threat of wildfires.
motor vehicle collisions
vehicle fires &
67 medical assists 118 false alarms
SERVICE EXCELLENCE
IN 2024 (3 of 3)
• Enforcement Services (Peace Officers) responded to 7,102 files in 2024, up from 2,624 files in 2023. This meant a significant increase in community patrols, crime prevention and overall community safety.
• To improve community safety, staff replaced and installed 80+ road signs. Cracks were sealed along 70 km of paved roads, and 5.2 km of cold mix road were rejuvenated. 3.1 km of new cold mix was placed on McGrane Road and in the local subdivision. Staff patched potholes and completed other minor road touch-ups along 169 km of paved roads.
• To improve driver safety and sightlines, staff completed 288 residential dust suppression requests, each consisting of 200-metre strips of applications in front of residences. Dust suppression was also completed at key intersections and along gravel haul routes.
• Snow and ice control was completed on 1,200 km of roads. There were four complete hamlet snow removals in 2024. 188 residents registered for the seniors and disabled residents driveway program, and 35 residents registered for the seniors and disabled residents sidewalk program.
PLAYGROUND UPGRADES
Lac La Biche County installed new play structures and swing sets in Birch Grove, Hylo and Rich Lake.
We also added to our walking trail network, to help all of our residents enjoy the great outdoors in our beautiful community.
2024 Year in Review STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
We will develop strategic communications to build relationships, enhance our community identity, and promote our advantages.
• Staff completed hundreds of day-to-day communications and marketing tasks for all County departments, including 1,068 requests for staff in 2024, which included:
• Designing brochures, posters, social media graphics, and crafting newspaper and radio advertising from week to week.
• Running marketing campaigns for County events, programs and services across social media and traditional media sources.
• Creating new investment guides, including a supplement to specifically attract data centre investment, complete with maps.
• Regularly updating the County’s websites and social media channels with new and relevant information.
• Publishing 12 editions of the monthly Your County In Touch newsletter.
• Responding to 100+ media requests for information, providing comments and explanations to local, regional, provincial and national journalists who cover our area.
• Published 49 editions of the Council Connector (Lac La Biche County’s full-page newspaper advertisement), updating the public each week on Council meetings, major decisions, special events, high-profile construction projects, and more.
Handy ways to stay in the know
We are introducing a Lac La Biche County app, available on the iOS and Android app stores. This app contains events and key County information, and also allows residents to receive push notifications about particularly important events and services. Just download the app, create an account, enable notifications, and you’ll automatically receive the latest County-related information.
In addition to our app, staff also maintain a Local Alerting System, which doesn’t require a smartphone or app download. Residents can receive information about emergency situations via text message, email, or phone call, and can also optionally receive notifications about non-urgent matters like snow removal and fire bans. Visit laclabichecounty.com/p/ local-emergency-alerting-system to sign up — it only takes a few moments of your time.
2024 Year in Review SOCIAL WELLNESS
We advocate for programs, services and amenities that promote a healthy and connected community.
Family & Community Support Services (FCSS):
• In 2024, the FCSS Board approved $84,500 in grants to organizations that support the community, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Lac La Biche Canadian Native Friendship Centre, Hope Haven Women’s Shelter, Owl River Recreation Association, and many more. These grants support volunteer work, youth programs, early childhood development, and community resilience.
• FCSS staff hosted 80 programs and services across all age demographics. Seniors’ programs created connections between our elders, early childhood programs taught parents about healthy childhood development, children strengthened their family relationships, and youth programs developed self-esteem and leadership skills.
• 467 registered families and adults/seniors accessed FCSS programs and services, totaling 1,480 individuals who were supported and built greater resilience. The number of times that these individuals have accessed FCSS or FCSS-related programs and services includes:
• Northern Lakes Family Resource Network: 1,397
• FCSS Programs: 12,537
• Child Minding: 5,389
• Community Access Bus Service: 9,959
• Lakeland Catholic School Division – Mental Health Project: 1,036
• FCSS staff, with the support of many other County staff, was able to assist the Lakeland Out of the Elements Shelter Society in opening the Transitional Housing Facility in January 2024.
• In May 2024, our Emergency Social Services team assisted 1,036 people who had to leave Fort McMurray because of wildfires.
Mayor
visits the Emergency Social Services team running a reception centre for evacuees at Parkland II Motel. In the past several years, Lac La Biche County has hosted evacuees from a wide variety of communities under threat from wildfires, and Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue is regularly asked to send firefighters and equipment to communities in need.
Right:
Paul Reutov
SOCIAL WELLNESS IN 2024 (2 of 2)
Community support:
• In 2024, Community Grants staff supported a variety of programs, events, construction and renovation projects, and operational costs for more than 20 Lac La Biche County-based organizations. This was accomplished by making the following funding available:
• $580,000 in operational grants to 16 different organizations under the Recreational/Cultural Operating Grant Program.
• $190,000 in Community Development Program funding (four organizations).
• $382,000 in operational funding to the Plamondon & District Community Development Society (PDCDS), including staffing costs.
• $50,000 in funding to the Lac La Biche Back Country Riders Club for snowmobile trail development.
• $170,000 in capital project aid approved under the Capital Projects Assistance Grant Program.
• $195,000 made available in funding for events.
• $140,000 in operational funding issued to the Lakeland Interpretive Society.
• $100,000 in sponsorship contributions to Portage College.
• $42,000 for contributions to local cemeteries through the Community Cemetery Improvement Program.
• $28,000 for insurance coverage for community organizations.
• $7,500 in ad hoc grants.
• $7,500 in Sporting Event Attendance Program funding.
• 324 km of roadside ditches were cleaned during the spring and fall roadside clean-ups. This program helped 11 community groups fundraise $36,675.
The road to reconciliation
Lac La Biche County’s Indigenous Collaboration Committee (ICC) has continued its work throughout 2024, building stronger relationships with neighbouring First Nations and Métis Settlements.
This has paved the way for an exciting partnership: a one-day traditional Pow Wow, which the County will co-host with Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Heart Lake First Nation and Whitefish Lake First Nation. This one-day Pow Wow will take place on Monday, Aug. 4 at the Bold Centre’s new sports fields.
We know there is a lot of work to be done as we walk the road to reconciliation, but we believe in the importance of this ongoing work and we value our growing relationships with the Indigenous peoples and communities of the region.
2024 Year in Review
TOURISM & RECREATION
We advocate for recreational programs, services and amenities that provide a high quality of life for our community and make Lac La Biche County a destination of choice.
Tourism:
• We welcomed over 400 visitors in-person at the Visitor Information Centre.
• 4,000 Summer Fun Calendars, a print publication that lists County and community events in a convenient form factor for residents and visitors, were ordered and dropped in local mailboxes.
• Social media accounts for Lac La Biche Region, the County’s tourism brand, continued to grow. Our Facebook reach was 886,706 from 402 posts, with 373 new followers. Our Instagram reach was 49,964 from 272 posts/stories, with 120 new followers.
• 7,000 Lac La Biche Region Visitor Guides were distributed locally and across the province.
• Staff attended a variety of local events as tourism ambassadors, representing Lac La Biche Region and promoting our area’s attractions and experiences to both visitors and residents.
Below: Competitors from around the world march into McArthur Park at the start of last year’s World Archery Field Championships, hosted in Lac La Biche County.
TOURISM & RECREATION IN 2024 (2 of 2)
Recreation:
• Last year saw the completion of the Pump Track & Skateboard Park in McArthur Park, along with the Mountain Bike Adventure Park at Alexander Hamilton Park (which complements the existing trout pond and Rotary Disc Golf Course).
• More than 480,000 visitations are estimated for the Bold Centre, which saw a huge amount of use for sports, tournaments, fitness, and other community programming. 20,000+ visitations were registered for Portage Pool in 2024, with 701 individuals participating in public swim lessons.
• 57,000+ membership scans were processed at the Bold Centre and Portage Pool, which gives users access to paid facilities. More than 30,000 membership scans were registered at the Bold Centre’s fitness desk throughout 2024, and there were 7,900 free walking/running track uses in 2024.
• 13,000 daily drop-in admissions and 2,795 memberships and passes were sold at the Bold Centre.
• The Bold Centre campground saw increased use in 2024, with 141 bookings from May to Oct. 2024.
• 79 fitness classes were offered, with a wide variety of fitness and skill levels. They saw 632 registered participants and 667 drop-ins.
• Staff ran 32 registered recreation programs, with 745 participants, encouraging families to lead more active, healthy lifestyles.
• More than 7,000 sports equipment loans were processed.
• There were 901 visits to the Summer Shack daytime activity program, with 164 different children accessing the program and enjoying the County’s parks and outdoor playgrounds in a safe environment.
2024 Year in Review ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE
We commit to taking practical, balanced, sustainable actions to protect the environment for our residents today and in the future.
Environment:
• The County’s waste and recycling programs kept our municipality clean and organized:
• The Beaver Lake and Plamondon landfills together received 7,041 tonnes of waste and 14,769 tonnes of recycling material in 2024. Recycling volumes were high, which helps divert waste away from our landfills and extend the sites’ useful life.
• Under the Community Organics Recycling Enhancement (CORE) program, 400 kg of organic waste was diverted from landfills in 2024.
• The County’s online “What Goes Where” tool saw 413 first-time visitors, with 801 materials being searched. This tool helps residents choose the right streams to dispose of their waste and recyclable items, and encourages better recycling.
• 765 tree seedlings were sold in 2024. Residents can plant these on their properties, adding to the natural environment and enhancing the natural beauty of our municipality.
• Staff offered a variety of workshops on environmentally-friendly practices throughout 2024, including Gardening During Drought workshops, a Vermicomposting workshop, a Companion Planting workshop, and a Waterfowl Nesting Box workshop.
• Environment Week, from June 2-8, 2024, saw more than 240 participants. The week’s events included a launch party, composting workshop, birdwatching workshop, and the ever-popular Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up and Shredding Event.
• The Mad About Science children’s program hosted six events during July and August, with more than 200 total attendees.
Above: Waterfowl Nesting Box workshop
Below: Environment Week launch party
ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE IN 2024 (2 of 2)
Agriculture:
• Staff rented out agricultural equipment a total of 114 times over 327 days, helping producers access specialized farm equipment that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive or not available locally.
• County staff sprayed 225 kms of municipal roadside for noxious and prohibited noxious weeds, and completed 217 weed inspections through the County. This work makes growing conditions and the environment more favourable to agricultural producers.
• Staff offered a variety of programs to producers, including Forage Testing, Plot Variety Trial, Weed Control Rebate, and more. Staff also hosted an Agricutural Grants 101 workshop, for local producers to further their knowledge of how to properly identify and apply for grants.
Above: Ernie and Linda Desjarlais received our 2024 Rural Beautification Award, for going above and beyond to make their little piece of countryside look good.
Below, left and right: Our 100 Year Farm Family Award was given out twice in 2024, to the Plamondons and Thompsons. This honour goes to local families who have been farming the same land for an entire century or longer. The Plamondons and Thompsons have been putting food on other families’ tables for generations!
