Wabasca Regional Investment Profile

Wabasca Regional Investment Profile
November 2013
Contacts
Overview
For more information on the Lesser Slave Lake Economic Alliance or the Wabasca Regional
Trading Area please contact the following:
Box 2437
High Prairie, AB
TOG 1E0
Wabasca
Trading Area
Population
Approx.
4,000
Phone: 780-523-1900
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.lslea.ca/
Wabasca is a hamlet in northern
Alberta, with a population of
1,302 in the hamlet and
approximately 4,000 in the
immediate surrounding area.
Wabasca is the seat of the
Municipal District (M.D.) of
Opportunity No. 17.
Other communities located
within the M.D. of Opportunity
No. 17. include, Calling Lake,
Sandy Lake, Trout Lake, Peerless
Lake, Red Earth Creek and
Chipewyan Lake.
Land Development Contacts
For more information on land development opportunities in the Wabasca area, please contact
the following:
The two communities of Wabasca and Desmarais are located between and along the
South and North Wabasca Lakes, 123 kilometers north-east of Slave Lake.
Municipality
The settlement population is largely Native Canadian and the five Bigstone Cree Nation
reserves surrounding the settlement almost double the population base. These reserves,
Wabasca 166, 166a, 166b, 166c, 166d are the seat of the Bigstone Cree Nation. The
name Wabasca originates from the Cree word wapuskau, meaning “white rapid” which
is the name for the Wabasca River. Desmarais was named after Father Alphone
Desmarais, the first missionary in this area.
M.D. of
Opportunity
Name
Address
Chad Tullis,
Municipal
Planner
Box 60
Wabasca, AB
T0G 2K0
Phone
(780) 891-3778
Email and Website
[email protected]
http://www.mdopportunity.ab.ca
Economic development has prospered through oil and gas exploration and extraction, as
well as in the forestry and logging industry. Recently diamond exploration has shown
some promise. However, tourism is expected to bring the most rewards. The district
has made significant improvements to camping and recreational areas in recent years –
promoting the lakes, woods and wildlife.
The provincial government plans on the
construction of a highway from Fort
McMurray to Peace River that will open up
the northern area to more industrial
growth which will have a positive impact
on all economic sectors.
Transportation Infrastructure
Land Available for
Development
Highways
Secondary Highways 754, 813, 686, and primary Highway 88 link the Wabasca area with the
outside communities of Slave Lake, Athabasca and Peace River.
Airport Commission
The Wabasca Airport is located within the Hamlet of
Wabasca. The runway is all weather asphalt and is
3,900 ft long. It is capable of handling most
lightweight aircrafts, including executive type planes,
small jets, small twin engine airplanes, and helicopters.
The runway is lighted and night landing is available.
Jet fuel is available on-site 24 hours a day.
Phone: Airport Maintenance - (780) 891-0132
M.D. Public Works -Inquiries - (780) 891-3815
Distance to
Major Centres
Current Development
Municipality Size of Land
Wabasca
100 acres
Blocks are 4-5
acres
Slave Lake
123 km
Edmonton
321 km
Calgary
622 km
Red Deer
481 km
Grande Prairie
444 km
Municipality Zoning
Saskatoon
820 km
Wabasca
Vancouver
1,379 km
US Border
871 km
Size of Current
Sites
Zoning
Services
Approximately 4 acre
lots
All sizes
Industrial
Serviced
Commercial
downtown and
high density
housing
Serviced
*Paved, water/sewer expansion,
franchise utilities in place,
constructing storm water retention
pond and lift station
Future Development
Calling Lake
Information
Commercial
Further downtown expansion to accommodate future developers.
Industrial
Further industrial development adjacent to existing site. Preliminary
engineering completed with an estimated 300-400 acres potentially available
for development.
Residential
Future residential land available for land developer.
Commercial
Engineering complete for approximately 20 acres.
2012 Taxes
Municipal Tax Rate
School Requisition
Seniors
Total
M. D. of Opportunity
Residential /
NonFarmland
Residential
2.3906
20.6997
1.9634
3.5323
0.0688
0.0688
4.4228
24.3008
Employment and Labour Statistics
The Wabasca trading area contains a highly experienced labour force as shown by the following two
charts. There is a good representation of most of the major occupations across the region. The largest
concentration of the labour force is shown in the trades, transport and equipment operators
occupation, which is dominated by males (92%), as well as education; law and social; community and
government services occupation, which primaily employs females (84%). These occupations
represented almost 40% of the trading area’s labour force in 2011.
In 2011, the mining; quarrying; and oil and gas extraction industry was the largest industry and
maintained a strong base of male workers (86% in that category). Public administration also
contained a significant amount of the labour force, equally split between males and females. These
two industries accounted for almost 38% of the labour force.
In the Athabasca, Peace River, Grande Prairie Economic Region, substantial wage increases from
2009 to 2011 were evident in the industries of health care and social assistance (34%), and mining
(20%).
Source: Statistics Canada. 2013. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile. 2011
Source: Source: Statistics Canada. 2013. National Household Survey (NHS)
Property Value 2013
Estimates
Wabasca Trading Area
Employment and
Labour
Zoning
Wabasca Municipal Lots
Residential – serviced (½ acre to 1 acre)
$50,000 - $100,000
Industrial – serviced
$100,000 - $150,000 per acre
Commercial – serviced
$150,000 - $250,000 per acre
Zoning
MD of Opportunity
Sandy Lake Residential – unserviced
$25,000 - $50,000 per acre
Calling Lake Residential – unserviced
$25,000 - $50,000 per acre
Calling Lake Residential – serviced
$30,000 - $50,000 per acre
Red Earth Creek Residential – serviced
$50,000 per acre
After showing a decrease of employment in Alberta from 2008 to 2010, gains were seen
from 2010 to 2013 of 8%, while unemployment dropped considerably over the same
time period (-23%). Almost 100,000 jobs were added in Alberta in 2011, which was
more than half of the net gain for Canada. 2011 job vacancy rates in the larger
Athabasca, Grande Prairie and Peace River Economic Region have dropped considerably
from rates seen in 2009.
As indicated by the table below, the participation and employment rate in the Wabasca
trading area remained relatively unchanged from 2006 to 2011 while the
unemployment rate increased overall.
Aboriginal people across Canada have experienced an overall increase in the
employment rate from 2008 to 2010. The largest increase in the employment rate
across Canada from 2010 to 2011 was within the 25-54 age group, increasing by five
percentage points up to 70.1%.
The Government of Alberta has a strong commitment to Aboriginal people in the
province by encouraging education and promoting career and employment
opportunities. Subsequently, governments, industry, trade unions, training
organizations and Aboriginal communities are investing close to $7 million in a training
initiative that was announced in March 2013. This program is designed to address
Alberta’s critical skills shortage and build better futures for Aboriginal people.
Wabasca and Trading
Area
Participation rate
Employment rate
Unemployment Rate
2011*
2006
Total
61.0
Male
66.1
Female
54.5
Total
61.8
Male
69.1
Female
53.4
49.2
51.2
46.4
49.2
56.0
43.3
19.7
21.6
15.6
16.1
20.2
19.5
Source: Source: Statistics Canada. 2013. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile. 2011,
Statistics Canada 2006 Community Profiles
*Note: please use caution in comparing numbers as the sampling method was different from
2006 to 2011