Five Growth Communities

Having grown a modest 1.2% in population since 2001, the town of Peace River doesn’t seem to be getting bigger, but a 15% increase in the number of business licences issued in 2009 over 2008 suggests entrepreneurial growth. The 230% increase in the total value of commercial development permits in 2009 over the year before includes the construction of a $2.5-million Shoppers Drug Mart and a $2-million Home Hardware.
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At a population of 50,227, the city of Grande Prairie has grown 35.8% since 2001. Major projects that have been announced in the city total $96 million, including the Weyerhaeuser electrical turbine valued at $30 million and the $22.6-million Alberta Transportation Highway 43 bypass.
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The biggest municipal area in Canada, at 68,454 square kilometres, Wood Buffalo has more than doubled in population since 2001. Its location in the Athabasca Oil Sands has helped position the municipality to be one of the fastest growing communities in North America. Fort McMurray, the region and industry’s urban centre, is one of 10 communities in the regional municipality.
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The town of Didsbury has seen an 8.7% growth since 2001. Current and upcoming major projects in the town of just 4,599 people total more than $10 million, with more than $7 million funnelled towards growing infrastructure in the community. The value in commercial developments has increased by nearly 30% over 2008 values.
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Situated along Highway 2, the town of Olds, with a population of 7,250, easily serves more than 40,000 people in the Mountain View County area in addition to the 57,000 who drive through the community. Among the major projects approved by the town are a school, housing development and a business banking complex, and a steadily increasing number of business licenses have been issued. Nearly 20% more business licences were issued in January 2010 than in January 2009.
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