158 Business View - May 2015
ton, as an alternative to hectic urban lifestyles.
“We’ve got booming Western Canada cities that are
overflowing and people that are sick and tired of driv-
ing an hour to work each way,” Mackin said.
“Individuals can now work remotely here in Hinton with
this connectivity and enjoy our great quality of life.
We’re now in the top two to three percent of communi-
ties in Canada for bandwidth. We have faster Internet
in Hinton now than you can get in larger urban centers,
so there should be nothing holding a person back from
leaving downtown Calgary or Vancouver, and enjoying
a two-minute commute to work.. Residents of Hinton
can mountain bike after work go skiing at our world-
class Nordic center or nearby Marmot Basin ski hill.”
The attraction process will continue via a full-scale re-
brand that’s now in the planning stages and designed
to provide a new tone for town communications and
messaging going forward.
Additionally, Hinton was represented at a recent event
in Toronto that was aimed at encouraging newcomers
to the country to relocate. Confidence in the opportu-
nity that Hinton offers in both business and lifestyle,
makes selling the community an easy job, and so far,
the reception at events such as these has been posi-
tive.
Whether or not all the efforts are being effective will be
determined, Mackin said, by increases in annual de-
velopment permits and their collective value, by met-
INFRASTRUCTURE
