(Town of Sylvan Lake/Supplied)

By Ian Gustafson

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Year-in-Review: Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson proud of community growth in 2025

Dec 31, 2025 | 12:17 PM

Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson said 2025 was a busy year for the town, but also an interesting one because of the municipal election.

Looking back at the past year, she’s proud of the community’s growth.

“I think we are incredibly fortunate to live in the community that we are in. We have so many services, and we have such a focus on staying connected with each other. I hope that’s something that stays for years to come. It’s something, municipally, that we’re really conscious of in how we make spaces and places to get people together. I hope we continue to have a population that utilizes that and enjoys all of the great things we have to offer.”

A highlight is reintroducing the school resource officer position into schools. She said this ensures those who are up and coming in the community will be supported.

Meantime, she said they had significant growth in the town’s volunteer fire department, doubling its volunteers since 2022. The department attended approximately 640 fire calls in 2025, which she said was unprecedented.

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Hanson also explained their efforts in improving accessibility, such as introducing new programs like the Swim Abilities program, a specialized swim lesson program offered to children with diverse needs through the town’s recreation services at the NexSource Centre. The town also introduced the Zoomers program, which offers door-to-door transportation to those who register, such as grocery shopping trips and attending community events.

“I’m really proud of the work we’ve done when it comes to accessibility in Sylvan Lake,” she said. “From the programming to installing ramps on the lakefront, we’ve really tried to be conscious of making sure that Sylvan Lake is a place everyone can enjoy.”

The mayor is proud of what they were able to introduce transportation-wise, including when they brought forward the off-highway vehicle bylaw, which allows recreational vehicles such as ATVs to be driven on town roadways.

And over the summer, they approved the use of golf carts; however, council passing the bylaw doesn’t mean Sylvan Lakers can start driving golf carts on public roads quite yet, but rather it begins the process of potential approval. The town will now seek approval from the Government of Alberta’s Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services, and if approved, the bylaw will become active.

In 2025, Sylvan Lake saw a decrease in commercial vacancies, and there was growth in its housing market.

One of the biggest challenges that council faced this year was variable cost. She said costs have increased, but municipal budgets haven’t kept pace at the same rate.

“Keeping up with the growth we are seeing in costs is also a significant challenge. I don’t see that ending anytime soon. We’ll continue to have to be pretty creative to make our budgets work,” Hanson said.

Looking ahead to 2026, Hanson said one of the biggest projects is the next phase of Pogadl Park, an 80-acre sports park that they’ve been building over a number of years.

With an $8 million budget, they’ll build an artificial turf football field, four pickleball courts, pave the parking lot at Gulls Stadium, and more.

“It will really help make that site near Gulls Stadium look a lot more finished and a lot more polished,” she added.

In addition, Hanson hopes to continue to make steps towards building a new high school in the community. She added that they rezoned the land at a council meeting earlier this month and are waiting for the nod from the provincial government.

“We are looking forward to a fantastic year ahead.”