Page 10
Ken Gousseau
Phot
Cypress County
Medicine Hat News
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our
t
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anadian B
The appeal of the rural lifestyle is
proving to be both a blessing and a
adlands Initia
curse in Cypress County.
Deputy Reeve Darcy Geigle says the
tiv
e
rustic atmosphere and courteous
country residents are two major
elements that attract people to the
county and its hamlets – Dunmore,
Irvine, Seven Persons, Suffield, Ralston,
Veinerville, Schuler, Walsh, Hilda,
Elkwater and Desert Blume.
“When you live in a small hamlet, you
know everybody walking down the
street and say ‘hi,’” Geigle says. “In
Medicine Hat, you can live a block
away from someone and not even
know who they are.”
per cent of the land in the county is
An increasing number of urban
e developed.
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dwellers have been moving into the
county in recent years. New residents
Nevertheless, protection of agricultural
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broaden the tax base in the area of
land has been chief priority for Geigle
slightly under 7,000 people.
and county councillors George Russill,
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LeRay Pahl, Herb Scott, Jerry Clark,
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However, that growth comes at a cost,
our Brad Betcker, Garry Lentz and Peter
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Geigle says, pointing to a trend of
Phot
Konosky.
people selling prime farm land for use
as residential or commercial property.
The county is in the midst of creating an
intermunicipal development plan with
“You make more money doing that
the City of Medicine Hat and the Town
than you do farming now, but that’s
of Redcliff to govern development in
The Voice of Business
also eating up all of our agricultural
the fringe areas of the two communities
land,” Geigle explains.
for the next 50 years.
About 55 per cent of the county’s
County officials say the development
Since 1900!
roughly 13,000-square-kilometre land
plan should be completed sometime
base is held in long-term government
in 2009.
grazing leases. By contrast, only eight
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40253313•03/24/09
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