Empress
Empress' community spirit remains strong
Medicine Hat News
In Empress, everyone celebrates their birthday on the same day. Each August, the village’s approximately 180 residents gather to play games and share their special day, regardless of when they were born.
The camaraderie residents share is evident at other events held in the village throughout the year, whether it’s at one of several annual curling bonspiels or the artisan open house that draws over 800 visitors from as far away as Winnipeg and Edmonton to the community, seeking custom made-furniture, paintings and pottery. And lately, the village’s tight-knit community has become a draw for those looking to get away from the anonymity of big-city living.
“I think people are trying to move out of cities and come to small villages,” says Empress mayor Rod Briggs. “We had people from B.C., people from Calgary move in. That seems to be where our growth is, out of big cities.”
The village has been growing steadily for the past few years. Most importantly, says Briggs, there are now 41 children in the community, almost four times as many as there were four years ago.
Briggs - a former city-slicker himself - says he could see Empress’ population increase continuing, so long as new residents could find somewhere to live.
“Right now, I think we only have one house for sale,” he explains. “Everything else is occupied. I think a lot of people would move here if we had the housing.”
Although wheat, cattle and canola farming are the key economic drivers in Empress, the village also has a strong energy industry. Coyote Enterprises, an oilfield services company, is a major employer in the community. Two new businesses also opened their doors this year, one mechanical, the other beauty-based.
In 2009, the village underwent the first of many planned changes to its water system, installing a new well. Briggs, deputy mayor Bev Farnden and councillor Bob Irwin also plan to have the community’s aging water pipes replaced within the next few years, which will be followed by road improvement projects.
“For years we were at a stalemate,” says Briggs. “Things weren’t happening, weren’t working right. So now we’re getting lots of grants and we’re having things done.”
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Schuler's spirit indomitable
Schuler
Medicine Hat News Schuler may be small, but its community and volunteer spirit is tough to beat.
The roughly 60 residents of the hamlet enjoy several amenities, including a community hall, two churches, a corner store and curling and skating rinks. A strong contingent of volunteers help out at local events, such as card nights, year round.
With Medicine Hat just 30 minutes away and cost of living much lower than in the city, houses in the hamlet are snapped up whenever they hit the market, says the area’s elected official Floyd Haas. However, an inadequate water supply and land costs driven up by speculators have made it difficult for the town to grow beyond its current size.
"I think a lot of people up in Calgary and Edmonton, they bought land at $200 and now they're advertising it at $5,000. It's not what we as a county would like," says Haas.
"There's a lot of people that would buy lots in these hamlets and develop them, but they don't want to pay that kind of money for a lot."
The hamlet’s water problems, at least, may soon see a resolution. Haas says the Cypress County Council has filed a request with Alberta Environment to construct a second well for the community in Hilda, where the water will be treated and cleaned before it’s shipped to Schuler. Because the county is waiting on the province, Haas says no timeline is set for the project’s completion.
The hamlet was named after Norman Banks Schuler, who settled in the area nearly a century ago. Alberta Wheat Pool built grain elevators in the area in 1924 and 1928, around the same time the Pioneer Grain Company erected a similar facility. Grain was last hauled from the hamlet’s two remaining elevators by train in 1997.
53627000•03/30/10
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