Twenty-twenty-five year in review

By Serena Lapointe
It does not feel as though 365 days have passed since the last yearly look back article here
inside the pages of your printed, locally owned, and community-minded newspaper, but the
calendar says otherwise. Twenty-twenty-five arrived quickly and seemed to leave quicker than
any year before it, or so it certainly felt.
One of the biggest differences between the start of 2025 and the start of 2026 is the amount of
snow in the region. Scrolling through the Whitecourt Trailblazers social media, posts from early
in the year showed low snow accumulation, with grasses visibly popping up from beneath
winter’s blanket. But unlike the disastrous season of 2024, there was actually some snow to
cruise on.
However, it was certainly not the winter wonderland they are enjoying today. At the end of 2025,
average snowfall accumulation data was shattered throughout much of the region. Although
specifics for Whitecourt were not available, Edmonton was 416 percent above its 30-year
average for December snowfall, and Grande Prairie was just slightly above that, at 418 percent.
Talk about a white Christmas!
In February, the Town of Whitecourt held a snow sculpture contest, encouraging residents to
use some of the snow on the front lawns to create a masterpiece. Several folks took part,
including one resident who built a monstrous Godzilla-like creature, and another who created a
massive shark charging out of the ground, mouth open wide. Time will tell what creations are
made this year with the mountains of snow we’ve got now!
In April, as drought conditions swept across the region, the risk of wildfire ignited. Mid-month, a
small fire in the Hilltop East Industrial Park, which was quickly handled, upped the nerves as
everyone patiently waited for rain to reduce the hazard. But the rain did not come in the
amounts needed, and for most of May and part of June, the Whitecourt community remained
under a fire ban.
Up the highway, in Swan Hills, a fire was dangerously close to the community, within eight
kilometres, leading to the community’s evacuation on May 26. Whitecourt became the home
base for evacuees, as it has done several times in the last five years, for various affected
communities. Swan Hills residents remained in Whitecourt until June 5.
A significant piece in Whitecourt’s wildfire defense, the Community Fireguard Project, was
started and completed in 2025. It begins near the Kanata hotel on Highway 43 and ends just
past Ecole St. Joseph School. The strategically placed gap is 100 metres wide and 4.5
kilometres long. Brush, trees and other fuel sources were removed within the stretch, creating a
break in the forest and an accessible zone for emergency responders to attack an incoming fire.
The community snagged an impressive $1,534,180 from the Forest Resource Improvement
Association of Alberta to construct it.
A change in the visual landscape last year included the removal of the burned CN train engine,
which had become a seemingly permanent installation near the pedestrian crossing bridge. The

burned wreckage was from the August 2023 fire involving a fuel truck, which shut Highway 43
down for hours near the Highway 32 junction. In April, the charred skeleton was meticulously
taken apart piece by piece and removed over just a few days.
In May, the Whitecourt Fire Department handed out some hardware to its newest firefighters.
Following three months of hard work and extensive training, the group of eleven received their
pagers. Now, when a call comes through, and someone is having their worst day, these new
firefighters are ready to respond and help keep their community safe.
In June, the Rotary Club of Whitecourt announced its next collaboration with the Town of
Whitecourt to enhance Festival Park. Multi-use courts will be constructed near the bouncy pillow
and parking lot, thanks to a partnership between the Active Communities Initiative Fund, the
Rotary Club and the Town. The courts will allow for pickleball, basketball, tennis and ball
hockey, and will be a fun spot for residents once it opens.
Also slated to open this fall is the new Culture and Events Centre, which saw tremendous
change over 2025. The construction site started the year fairly bare, with steel columns showing
the building’s skeleton. However, the year ended with colourful exterior walls, windows in, a full
parking lot complete with lights, and busy bees working inside on interior projects. By
November, wall framing was near completion in the library and theatre spaces, and tile work
started in December. Roughly 2,100 cubic metres of concrete will be used to complete the
structure, which is over ten million pounds.
In July, Whitecourt sent a delegation to its sister community, Yubetsu, Japan. Youth, from
grades 8-12, and their chaperones enjoyed a two-week immersive visit, which included one
week staying with families in Yubetsu, visiting locals and attending school with similarly aged
students. The second week took the visitors outside of Yubetsu to visit Hiroshima, Kyoto and
Tokyo. Before going, students and chaperones had the chance to meet a delegation from
Yubetsu, which visited Whitecourt in 2024.
One of the special pieces that make Whitecourt the community that it is are the people willing to
help others. The Whitecourt Food Bank received a lot of support from generous Whitecourtians
last year, including a 71-pound donation of much-needed pantry staples from Victor Haas, 960
boxes of Kraft Dinner from Mike and Rebecca at No Frills, 1,100 pounds of non-perishables and
nearly $1,400 from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And that’s just the start.
There were also the schools, including Ecole St. Mary School, where students raised 1,855
pounds of food plus $2,700 through their Food Fight event, and Percy Baxter Middle School,
where a food drive raised 521 pounds of food. Also, Hilltop High School’s 12 Days of Christmas
food drive brought in 556 pounds of food.
As for the Whitecourt Food Bank’s largest individual supporter, that title goes to none other than
Marilyn Stevens. Since bringing the idea of meat draws with her when she moved to Whitecourt,
she has raised nearly $120,000 for the food bank. Two events held in November at the Road
House raised over $1,000 alone.

How can anyone read that and not feel emotional? The amount of time and money that
supported these events is nothing short of amazing. And remember, this is a very short list
compared to the actual list. To properly name each group, individual or company that donated
would require this entire paper. Every single donation, no matter the size, puts food in
someone’s belly where they may have had none otherwise, and with food bank use continuing
to grow, support remains critical.
As we head into 2026, ready to take on whatever the year has to offer, keep in mind how
blessed we are to live where we do. Things might not be perfect, and there are always things
that can change, but there are many people in our area who are a special breed and whose
actions should stand as encouragement for others.
So, be the helper, the difference maker, the silent supporter. It doesn’t always mean money, and
there are many opportunities where even the smallest gift of time has a big impact. It could
mean shovelling your neighbour’s walkway, joining a committee, smiling and saying hello,
supporting a fundraiser, helping someone who doesn’t expect it, waving to a driver for being
courteous, donating to a non-profit, visiting with Whitecourt’s seniors, or simply remembering to
say please and thank you. Let’s make 2026 one for the books. Cheers!