In its first meeting of 2026, held on Jan. 13, Yellowhead County council gave first reading to a bylaw that would repeal another bylaw relating to a defunct development agreement and approved the purchase of two new fire pumper-engines.
Bylaw 01.26 would repeal Bylaw 8.01, the Cougar Rock Area Structure Plan, which was adopted by county council in 2001 to support a development by Cougar Rock Holdings Ltd.
The bylaw was intended to facilitate a commercial recreation and adventure tourism development on about 1,200 acres of Crown Land between Hinton and Jasper National Park. The Alberta government cancelled the Crown Land leases with the company in 2010, citing a failure to meet the agreement conditions within the given time frame.
Yellowhead County council has scheduled a public hearing to discuss the repealing of this bylaw on Feb. 10. Second and third reading of Bylaw 01.26 will proceed after this point.
During its regular meeting, council also approved the purchase of two fire pumper-engines to replace engines YCF-24 and YCF-26, which are reportedly nearing the end of their regulated service life.
The county says the fire department’s replacement schedule for heavy equipment is based on a 25-year lifespan. Additionally, the fulfillment time for these heavy vehicle orders has reportedly reached three years since the COVID-19 pandemic, and emission system changes planned for 2027 are expected to drive costs and production times even higher.
As such, the 2026 Interim Budget allocated $4,404,860 towards the purchase of two new fire pumper-engines. Council has awarded the purchase to Rosenbauer America, which is represented by Rocky Mountain Phoenix in Alberta, for $4,032,398, which is $372,462 under budget. The company estimates a 21-month build time from the day the purchase order is issued.
