Woodlands County council is exploring cooperative initiatives with the Town of Whitecourt, and recently prepared for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Fall 2025 Convention.
The convention runs Nov. 17-20 in Edmonton and includes keynote speakers, workshops, a ministerial forum, hospitality events, and the RMA Resolution Session.
Council is in attendance, though the county has not yet put forward any resolutions.
According to the agenda, in addition to the general convention schedule, the following meetings and events have been scheduled for council and the administration:
- November 18, 2025 – 10:30 a.m. – Meeting with Alberta Transportation
- November 18, 2025 – Supper meeting with an adjacent county (details to be confirmed)
- November 18, 2025 – 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Fortis Alberta Reception
- November 19, 2025 – 7 p.m. – Keyera Energy Reception, Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
The convention also features a ministers’ open house on Nov. 19 from 5-7 p.m., plus a ministerial forum on Nov. 20 from 9-11:45 a.m., where attendees can engage directly with cabinet ministers on rural issues.
County council accepted a report with these details for information early in November. In the same meeting, council authorized administration to send a formal letter to the Town of Whitecourt to explore the potential for two cooperative initiatives.
The first is the Ambassador Program’s Community Survey partnership.
In May this year, Woodlands County launched the program to promote local events, activities and businesses and collect visitor feedback through a public survey. Event-based surveys were conducted at county events throughout the summer, but a site-based survey in development hit a block in September when the former council reportedly said it was not interested in pursuing additional surveys.
The county says no costs were anticipated to the town as a result, and it would have had access to all the raw data collected.
The county has also partnered with D&A Paulichuck Consulting Ltd. to conduct a study on travel patterns, facility use, and regional mobility for users of facilities like the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, Rotary Park, Eastlink Park and other recreation areas. Because this work involves data collection on town road allowances and town-owned properties, the county needs town authorization to move forward.
The county also says it’s fully prepared to cover the consultant costs associated with the town site work, which is about $32,650, as the project wasn’t reviewed during either party’s 2025 budget cycle. It will also share the data with the town for joint use in planning and cost-sharing.
The county hopes to advance both studies collaboratively with the new council, and transparently for the following purposes:
- Support cost-sharing decisions under Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) agreements
- Improve regional tourism and facility planning
- Demonstrate accountability and transparency in regional collaboration
- Strengthen public perception of partnership between the municipalities
