The County of Wetaskiwin has exciting plans for the upcoming year, not the least of which is moving forward with a long-term municipal waste and plastics solution.
Last spring the county signed a Memorandum of understanding with Sustained Technology and Bishop said the county hopes to finalize the agreement in 2025.
Right now, they're investigating the feasibility with studies, and working to secure contracts.
One big initiative the County of Wetaskiwin was working towards in 2024 was a partnership with Sustane Technologies from Chester Nova Scotia to manage their municipal waste. The company recycles solid waste, diverting up to 90 per cent from landfills.
If signed, the agreement would also potentially benefit surrounding communities.
Sustained Energy is looking for a commitment of 200,000 tonnes of garbage per year. While the county believes it can supply that amount itself, they are also looking for other surrounding municipalities sign on to the agreement.
"It will add life to everybody's landfills," said Bishop.
The other part the county is really excited about, is that the waste that is recycles isn't lost resources, as Sustane Technologies converts the waste and plastics into useful products such as bio fuel, oil, natural gas, and diesel that can then be sold back into the market.
The county was also pleased to finalize its updated Land Use Bylaw at the end of the year.
"We finally got that done," said Bishop, adding the LUB is now modernized and will allow for increased economic development.
In 2024, the county made headway with its advocacy with the Government of Alberta to address issues that fall under provincial jurisdiction. Partnering with Alberta Council has helped facilitate scheduling meetings with ministers and securing financial grants, said Bishop.
Bishop was also recently elected as a director for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which Bishop says will further increase the county's profile at the provincial level.
The county has recently begun investigating a regional waterline strategy to bring in quality water and will continue those efforts into 2025.
The County of Wetaskiwin has no glacier-fed waterways and relies solely on annual precipitation, bishop explained.
There are multiple small systems, such as Pigeon Lake, but they are fragmented and the county would like to build a plan that brings in a water source that isn't just ground water, and then treat that water to bring it to drinking quality, said Bishop.
On the economic development front, the county is working towards building its industrial base. A report was recently done, showing the county had a high residential assessment base, but not as much commercial, which is where municipalities derive the "best bang for your buck," said Bishop.
The county is hoping to increase available commercial and industrial spaces to attract high value tennants to increase that assessment base, he explained.
The county has also taken steps to increase its road improvement capacity. They've created a posting for an in-house that would allow them to upgrade up to 20 kilometres of road per year - a significant increase from the three to six kilometres per year that is currently possible, said Bishop.
"That'll be a big change and I'm sure the residents will appreciate that."