Wetaskiwin

Manluk Centre: Wetaskiwin Regional Aquatics and Fitness, and the Regional Fire Training Facility.The City Hall revamp was beautifully done to respect its heritage,while adding functionality to the whole building.Original jail cells in the basement are popular with visitors who come through on sightseeing tours. Even the old caretaker’s suite has been kept as a mini-museum. Burgess adds,“City Hall is on our main street, 50th Avenue. Just to the west is downtown,where restored historic buildings and hand-painted mu- rals portray the city’s past.One block east are our arenas and recreational facility,with a phenome- nal indoor pool. So,we have new and old.We’re on the last phase of the four-part main street rebuild. Our downtown has been refurbished nicely, as far as aesthetics and functionality; reconfiguring of the roadway is working well to slow people down through the core. Four new retail business- es opened downtown in the last five weeks, and more are coming.And City Council is supporting our plan to have a business incubator set up in the downtown area, not only to fill vacant space, but to encourage others to expand their business- es as they grow.” Walkability and bikeability are today’s buzz words, yet, somethingWetaskiwin has focused on for years. Burgess relates,“We have a tremendous amount of paved walking paths.A gem of our city is By the Lake Park that has walkways around the Proudly serving the community of Wetaskiwin for many years NorQuest College supports learners through credit and non-credit programs, and businesses by providing workforce relevant graduates ready to contribute to the local economy. We’re here to support your organization and help you take the next step forward. Explore the possibilities norquest.ca WETASKIWIN, ALBERTA lake and through the bush. It’s a 2.2 km path that’s easily accessible from downtown on walkways leading to that park.” The city’s population hovers around 13,000. Many residents commute to jobs in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Leduc–while other people trav- el intoWetaskiwin to work. Burgess shares,“One of the nicer parts of moving herewas having a three-minute commute towork,but also having the Edmonton International Airport nearby,just north of Leduc.We’re actuallycloser to the airport thanmany peoplewho live in Edmonton.” One of the city’s largest employers is theWetask- iwinHospital and Care Centre–an 83-bed facility with a plethora of amenities,including dialysis treat- ments,and a STARS helipad for emergency service. Existingmanufacturing businesses have expand- ed inWetaskiwin’s industrial parks,and the cityhas also expanded its offering of industrial land.Land costs are about fiftypercent less per acre than areas closer to Edmonton (a 45minutes’drive away) or the airport,Wetaskiwin doesn’t charge taxon business equipment or machinery,and has no offset levees for industriesmoving to town.Burgess says,“That gives us a great competitive edge.Lands are all serviced and ready to go.We just finished an annexation,last year,for another industrial park.Andwe have a lot of land within the city that can be developed for residential, as well.” Transportation-wise, a very active CP Rail freight