At the end of February, Whitecourt town council received an annual report from the Community Services department and a summary of the Whitecourt Business Market Analysis Attraction and Retention Strategy.
According to the 2025 report from Community Services, there were over 186,458 scanned visits at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, and 1,943 participants registered in swimming lessons or other aquatic courses.
Additionally, the transit system provided service to 29,636 passengers over the course of the year, while the Dial-A-Bus Program transported over 3,861 passengers.
The Whitecourt Food Bank also served 2,712 residents with regular fills.
Council also received a report on the findings of the Whitecourt Business Market Analysis Attraction and Retention Strategy.
Carried out by Fowler Bauld Mitchell (FBM) Architecture Ltd. and Goodeve and Associates, the project identified trade areas for current consumers and future growth potential, areas of retail strength and weaknesses and which businesses would be the best fit for the town.
The engagement process included interviews with local businesses and stakeholders, a strategic planning session with members of the town’s Economic Development Committee, a resident/consumer online survey and a local business online survey.
According to the final report, Whitecourt’s overall commercial vacancy sits at 3.9 per cent, below the industry standard of five per cent. On the other hand, downtown vacancy is higher due to a few large retail buildings that are currently vacant.
Tracking data from mobile phones also helped the researchers determine where regional visitors came from. During the research period, the majority of visitors in town for longer than one hour were from Barrhead, Fox Creek, Edson, the Edmonton area and Grande Prairie.
The town says the recommendations from the project will be incorporated into Whitecourt’s Economic Development and Tourism Strategic Plans for the short and long term.
