Town Crier - February 24, 2017

Current News & Updates

Learn about the population increase in High River; Register for the annual Health and Wellness Fair and Registration Round up; Read about the new Community Counselling program offered by FCSS and check out High River's new brand narrative 'Rooted in People.'

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Upcoming Events

Visit our online events calendar to stay up-to-date on everything that's going on around town!

Submit your community events to [email protected]

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Careers in High River

The Town of High River is a people-first community on the Highwood River and a great place to live, work and play. We strive to meet our values of being respectful, ethical, transparent and always acting in the best interest of the community.

As a member of our team you will have the opportunity to work on important projects that are helping to shape the future of the town - a vibrant and thriving community that offers an inclusive social environment and many locally-owned and dynamic businesses.

Current openings:

Click here for full details

High River population has grown 5.1 per cent since 2011, according to the 2016 Federal Census

Statistics Canada released an updated Federal Census on February 8 that reports the population of High River has increased by 654, or 5.1 per cent, to now be at 13,584.

"The Town of High River has invested significantly in rebuilding and ensuring the town is a vibrant, thriving community," said Mayor Craig Snodgrass. "We encourage people to experience this growth first-hand, and we hope they will choose to make High River their home."

The Town has invested a great deal in new infrastructure throughout the town, including completely redesigning the downtown core to be a walkable, people-focused area that is great for businesses, as well as for hosting special events like outdoor markets, parades and festivals.

Additionally, more than $100 million has been invested in flood mitigation to protect new and existing residents and businesses, making High River one of the most well-protected communities in Canada from flooding.

"This growth shows confidence in the changes the Town has made, and we are excited to push forward and show people that now is a great time to move to or invest in High River," said Jodi Dawson, manager of economic development for the Town. "We have been working hard for three years to make High River a vibrant community with plenty of opportunity for all residents."

There has also been a significant increase in the number of new business license permits purchased annually over the past three years, Dawson reported, an indication that the High River business community is flourishing.

New businesses are opening on almost a weekly basis, and just under 260,000 square feet of commercial and industrial development space has opened in High River in the past two years.

To view the full census report click here, for more information on living, working or doing business in the Town of High River, please visit www.choosehighriver.ca

Town appoints volunteers to represent HR

Town appoints three local volunteers to lead High River's Canada 150 celebrations

At the Feb. 13 regular meeting of Council, three High River residents, Courtney Berlinguette, Tammy Beach, and Duncan Scott were named as the Town's volunteer community leaders for Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation.

"We have chosen these three amazing volunteers to represent High River at a national level because of their unique contributions within our community," said Mayor Craig Snodgrass. "All three of them are from different walks of life and are extremely strong leaders in our town."

Council is encouraging community groups, businesses, organizations, residents, and anyone who is planning activities to celebrate Canada 150 to connect with these leaders for support, networking, and to participate in the many different activities that High River will offer this year.

For information on High River events and activities for the Canada 150 celebrations, please visit www.highriver.ca and click ' Canada 150' under the Public Forums menu. Events will also be listed on the events calendar.

Reminder: Yard waste drop off station to close by Feb. 28

The Wallaceville drop-off station for grass, leaves, branches and other yard waste will close by the end of February.

Wallaceville was purchased by the Government of Alberta as part of the Town's flood mitigation program and they have requested that the Town remove the yard waste bins.

Crews will begin to dismantle this area during the week of Feb. 21-24 and drop-offs will no longer be accepted. The drop off station will reopen on April 24, 2017 at the Town's Operations yard located at 640 7 Street N.W.

In the interim, yard waste can be taken to the Foothills Landfill, for more information visit http://www.foothillslrrc.com

Health and Wellness & Reg. Round up on March 11

Foothills Community Counselling program to open March 1

Community Counselling program begins March 1

High River Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) will soon be offering a new Foothills Community Counselling program (FCC) based on a sliding fee scale.

"The program will offer affordable counselling services for adults, children and youth and will include individual, family and couple's counselling," says Toby Malloy, lead counsellor for FCC.

Counselling with Malloy and other trained professionals will be available at the FCSS office located at 101, 303 9 Avenue S.W. (Charles Clark Medical Centre) starting on March 1. The service will be offered during regular FCSS hours plus extended hours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Those who are interested in counselling can contact FCSS by phone, email or in person to fill out an intake form. Counsellors will review the intake form and personally call the potential client to schedule an appointment.

To find out more or to begin the intake process, please call FCSS at 403.603-3549, email [email protected] or visit the FCSS Resource Centre inside the Charles Clark Building at 101, 303 9 Avenue S.W.

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New brand, 'rooted in people,' showcases High River's strengths

The Town of High River's new branding narrative was presented to council at the Monday, Feb. 13 council meeting. The selected concept, "rooted in people" will be used as the foundation to shape the town's marketing and communication efforts over the next several years.

The concept was developed by Anstice Communications after several months of in depth interviews and surveys with High River residents and key stakeholders, best practice research and a review of trends and statistics. Public engagement sessions were also held in late January to further refine the concept.

Throughout all the research and engagement sessions, the idea that High River's strength is in its people came out loud and clear. The diversity of the population and the stories they have to tell make High River the amazing place it is.

With the people of High River behind them, business owners can find safety in their endeavours, young families can find comfort and assurance from their neighbours, and long-standing residents can find pride in the town's roots and continued evolution.

Read full article

Planning division continues to engage with public

This article is part of a continuing series of communications on new growth and development in High River. Check out previous editions of the Town Crier for information on some of the previous updates.

Over the past year, the Town's Planning & Development Services division has been preparing monthly mini-articles highlighting specific new residential, commercial, and institutional projects in High River. These developments all reflect physical, tangible outcomes of community planning.

However, the planning staff would like to direct this communication to members of the general public who may wish to learn and understand more about community planning itself. With the February 8 release of the Statistics Canada population figures from the 2016 census, indicating a 5.1 per cent growth rate for High River since 2011, the importance of continuing to be proactive in planning for growth is reinforced.

Citizens play an important role, in collaboration with our planners, in identifying community objectives and creating the policies to achieve those objectives to guide development. If you are interested in learning more about planning a community, and what has shaped or is shaping High River as it moves forward, we welcome your inquiries. For more information, or to request a meeting with one of our planners, please contact us at [email protected].

High River Town Crier | 403.652.2110 | c [email protected] | www.highriver.ca

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