Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 8

126 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 Provincial Government recently announced funding for connectivity for rural communities, which could also help in providing connectivity to county residents. Connectivity is especially important during COVID. With approximately 68 percent of Cypress County’s population falling between the employment ages of 15 and 64 years, many residents were required to work from home. The other 32 percent being 14 years or younger, will be eligible to enter the labor force in the next two decades. On the business side, Hamilton reports, “We also have the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce and we partner with Verge Economic Development. It’s our economic development driver.” Verge is a resource for economic information and opportunities that works with community partners and local government to attract and retain investments. Cypress County has Yuma Valley, 1.6 miles southeast of Medicine Hat. We do have quite a bit that’s available for people to move into. Desert Blume is one of our premium hamlets, but it’s expanded to capacity. All the lots for Phase D are sold, although they’re not all built on. We have some hamlets a little further out of town that are reasonable to move into. But even their housing inventory is getting low because of the value.” Aaserud agrees, stating how the hamlets offer more affordable and diverse housing in addition to high-speed internet. She notes, “We don’t have the infrastructure throughout the municipality for broadband. Because of the vastness of Cypress County, there are some areas where we have no service.” To overcome this, the county is working alongside internet service providers that applied for the Government of Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund (UBF). If approved, expansion of high-speed internet could begin across Cypress County. The Alberta