Stony Plain-Alberta

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 specifically in the value-added ag space research and agro tech manufacturing Health and life sciences is also a target sector for us moving forward, being that we have a hospital and a number of businesses that already support the ecosystem. Of course, shopping, dining, arts, and culture are on the list to continue growing in the community. We have a very strong tourism sector, and we work diligently at building out the destination, retail, food, and beverage to support that.” On the tourism side, Stony Plain works with entities such as the Greater Parkland Regional Chamber of Commerce, whose Visitor Information Center is often the first point of contact for new residents and people visiting the community. This provides an opportunity to highlight the events and experiences available in Stony Plain, many of which draw a regional crowd. “Internally, as a municipality, we have a really strong culture around hosting events in the community,” says Levasseur. “We have long-standing events led by the town that have grown and morphed into tourism events. We have dedicated resources for that, and we have a really strong volunteer sector in the community that supports this work.” An annual Winter Light Up Festival is one of those events, bringing crowds to the downtown to shop, eat and celebrate the season with neighbors and friends. Chelseay Rudolph, Sustainability Planner remarks, “It’s good exposure for our business community, and also good exposure for residents, as they might be new to the community or not necessarily familiar with the great assets that we have, especially on our main street. We really enjoy putting on our community events, and I know that the residents really love and appreciate it, too.” As Sustainability Planner, Rudolph notes that her role is to develop a