Lacombe County Reeve Barb Shepherd at the grand opening of the Burns Nature Park near Sylvan Lake this summer. (Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti

New dairy processing plant and youth awards

Year in Review: Lacombe County Reeve says 2023 has been a successful year despite challenges

Dec 27, 2023 | 2:02 PM

Despite challenges in the Canadian economy with rising inflation, Lacombe County Reeve Barb Shepherd says they’ve had a successful year overall.

One of the main highlights of the year, she says, was the groundbreaking of a new dairy processing plant in the Aspelund Industrial Park, west of Blackfalds, this summer.

With a new development permit being issued, the $67 million Dairy Innovation West de-watering plant will be the first of its kind in the country and take the better portion of 2024 to construct.

Right now, Shepherd says milk is hauled to Vancouver, British Columbia to be processed, and returned to plants for dairy products like cheese and yogurt.

“It will save transportation costs for the dairy industry of about 25-50 per cent,” she said, adding that now milk can be processed locally and shipped directly to dairy product plants.

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“We’re home to a large number of dairies so it’s good for the industry here,” she said. “To have it located in central Alberta, and in Lacombe County, was a real win.”

Apart from the challenge of providing necessary services like roads, which were thankfully aided by warm weather, Shepherd says the County’s new Economic Development Officer left her role early in the year, shortly after hiring. Needing someone to guide their new economic plan, Shepherd says they luckily found someone towards the end of 2023.

“She came to us with quite a bit of background in economic development in rural communities in northern Alberta and we feel like we really hit pay dirt because she’s turning out to be pretty amazing,” she said.

The Reeve says she was very proud this year of their efforts towards youth, including the hosting of their largest Farm Safety Day with local Grade 5 students this summer and receiving the Alberta School Boards’ Association Zone 4 Friends of Education Award for their Wolf Creek Public Schools’ School Resource Officer (SRO) Program.

READ: WCPS SRO Program receives Friends of Education ABSA Zone 4 Award

Shepherd says the program used to be run by the RCMP, however, they had trouble staffing the role. She says one Community Peace Officer, a former Calgary police officer, expressed interest and has been in the position for the past five years.

“He has made a lot of inroads with students and kids, and he’s been able to provide a lot of help for children who are maybe struggling. To me, that’s crime prevention because if we can get these kids early in their lives, get them into something a little more productive, a little better way of life perhaps, we will be preventing crime in the future,” she said.

From a municipal perspective, Shepherd says the County launched a new website this year, for residents to easily access information, and undertook an aerial pictography project of the county which will be on their website early in the new year.

Finally, the opening of the new Burns Nature Park near Sylvan Lake this summer, with its 20 acres donated by long-time residents James and Patricia Burns, has been a huge success among residents, she says.

“As news of the park spreads, the response we’re getting to that has been great. People love it, it’s just a great amenity that’s now a part of the county,” she said.

READ: Lacombe County holds grand opening of new Burns Nature Park, donated near Sylvan Lake

Shepherd says it has been a privilege to serve the residents of Lacombe County, and to serve again next year. She says many have contributed greatly in their own ways back to the community.

“I’ve had nothing but great experiences. Even though there are times when they [residents] don’t necessarily agree with some of the things that we have done as council, they’ve always been respectful and that is something that I’ve always truly appreciated about our citizens,” she said.