Woodlands County is the centre of Alberta, and will soon take care of the site that proves it

By Serena Lapointe

On April 9, during the Woodlands County Council meeting, elected officials voted to
have the municipality become the caretaker of the Centre of Alberta Natural Area, found
about 25 kilometres northwest of Fort Assiniboine, on Highway 33. Their vote in favour
allows its administration to enter into a Trail Manager Agreement with the provincial
government, which owns and operates the land through Alberta Environment and
Protected Areas under the Recreation, Education and Partnership Program, which had
previously asked Woodlands County to consider the role.
Parks and Recreation Coordinator Tina Prodaniuk explained that it would help boost the
municipality’s tourism portfolio, considering the growing interest in rural tourism. “Alberta
Parks presented to you guys a couple of weeks ago, so you got to hear all the exciting
upgrades on the three-kilometre walkway, as well as the improvements on the day-use
facilities at the cairn site.”
Alberta Parks had recently completed upgrades at the site, which features a grizzly bear
statue, commemorating its proximity to the Grizzly Trail (Highway 33), including
mulching, rerouting wet area crossings, updated signage and the installation of
boardwalks. They also cleared debris, including fallen trees, removed deteriorated
structures and replaced the aging outhouses, which were unusable, with a new one.
Now, the province wants to see a group take over the site’s upkeep, and Woodlands
County was their first call. “We are the only ones that Alberta Parks has approached so
far, hoping that we would be the ones (to say yes) because it’s clearly within our area
and we are the obvious ones to take care of the site,” explained Prodaniuk.
She said with the enhancements, the site is a great opportunity for the County. “They
significantly improved the visitor experience and increased the site’s overall appeal. I’m
certain that it’s going to be a fantastic little area for everyone to visit. The Centre of
Alberta is a unique landmark. I think the potential to draw visitors from across the region

is an amazing opportunity. It’s one of those things that nobody else can say. I think
that’s a tourism initiative and I already have ideas to promote it,” smiled Prodaniuk.
Signing the agreement, said Prodaniuk, would formalize the roles and expectations with
the partnership, while strengthening the county’s relationship with Alberta Parks,
opening up the possibility for future collaborations and joint developments. “It positions
Woodlands County as a contributor to high-quality regional attraction. It can become a
signature destination that benefits residents, businesses and visitors.”

She said once they sign on the dotted line to become trail managers, Woodlands
County will have access to grants through Alberta Parks. She said they would be “put
on the top of the pile” for this year’s funding, but that nothing is guaranteed. Prodaniuk
added that $30,000 had been allocated through the budgeting process to support the
venture. She said that similar sites cost about $22,000 for upkeep, and she expected
this one to be no different.
Fort Assiniboine/Timeu Councillor Benny Whitten asked if it would be Fort Assiniboine
that would specifically be taking care of the work at the site, given the proximity.
Prodaniuk said that her staff out of the Whitecourt Woodlands County office would be
doing the work, adding it to the work they already do at sites around the county. She
said the side-by-side at the Fort Assiniboine office would be borrowed, though.
Councillor Karen St. Martin asked about the wording of the agreement, specifically
where it mentioned “society and indemnity,” to which she assumed that meant for the
municipality, not a society. She also pointed out that the agreement, as written, is
retroactive to 2024. Prodaniuk said the agreement before the council was a sample and
that the proper dates would be added.
CAO Matthew Ferris also spoke to the refinement that would take place. “There isn’t
anything that we think is insurmountable in changes. The one question I have is that the
agreement doesn’t really state what happens if the province takes it back, and we’ve
invested new assets. Those are things that, to me, are very important if we are going to
do this. We should be able to recoup those taxpayer dollars.” He said they would have

further discussions and refinements before signing.
Ferris said prior to the province’s recent repairs, it gave the impression that the site was
mismanaged by Woodlands County, even though they had no part in its fallen state.
“There were signs from Woodlands County up there marking the trail that were
deteriorated and rotten. By default, it became our asset for some reason, and I think at
least having this agreement ensures we can uphold it to our standard, which I believe is
higher than the provinces.”
Councillor Peter Kuelken said it will be nice to be able to say where Woodlands County
is, as the centre of Alberta. He also noted that it is his understanding that Alberta Parks
is interested in spending grant dollars in the north, which should help in the goal of
accessing funds to offset yearly upkeep costs. He also mentioned that capital projects
would still fall onto the province to pay for.
Councillor Patricia McNeil wondered if it would be better to defer the agreement for one
year, given that Woodlands County is looking to have a tax increase this year. Reeve
Dave Kusch clarified that dollars were already budgeted. It was noted that if Woodlands
County didn’t sign on to be the Trail Manager, the province would seek another entity to

do it. The group decided to go for it, authorizing their administration to finalize and
execute a Trail Manager Agreement with Alberta Parks.