Olson, in fact, said tourismbranding for the
town focuses on the phrase “Hip,
Happening andHistoric.”
“It’s really about quality of life,” he said.
“Small-town living and being near the big
city of Calgary, and having the ability to go
to the mountains and go into the city if you
need to.”
Of course, now that the people are coming,
they’re going toneedmore places to go.
With that in mind, Okotoks submitted a
notice of annexation to the province’s
Municipal Government Board last fall,
after the town council voted to lift a
previously established population cap of
30,000 people. The proposed annexation
area includes more than 1,000 hectares,
mainly to the northeast and south of
existing town boundaries, which could
accommodate a doubling in size from
current numbers.
“In the next five years, the annexation will
be complete and that will put us into a
whole new ballgame in terms of growth,”
said Marley Oness, the town’s municipal
engineer. “I do believe we will be hitting
past growth rates. Back in 2006 and 2007,
we were doing 1,000 housing starts a year in
that period, which is phenomenal growth
for amunicipality our size. I do expect, once
the annexation is complete, there will be
multiple cells of new development opening
up.”
The townhas beennegotiatingwith the city
of Calgary to bring in a treatedwater supply
line – specifically, a 450-millimeter main
stretching over 16 kilometers – tohelpmeet
long-term water needs while simul-
taneously facilitating the growth. Oness
said the plan is for Okotoks to keep its
existing water treatment plant operational,
and use the water line from Calgary to
supplement that existing supply.
An updated “visioning process,” in which
the town will reach out to community
members to revise its strategic vision for the
future, is set to begin this year as well.When
completed, according to Sustainability
Coordinator Dawn Smith, it will yield an
integrated sustainability plan that will be an
umbrella plan for future directives dealing
with environmental, social and fiscal
responsibility.
44 | BusinessWorld |
July-August 2014
