The Mounted Patrol performs the Musical Ride in July and August at the Fort Museum in Fort Macleod.
Can you name three strategies to boost tourism in Livingstone-Macleod, a southern Alberta hub of mountains, foothills and prairies with historic and ongoing connections to the province’s development and identity?
Sure can, MLA Chelsae Petrovic would probably answer.
Better highways, better protection from wildfires and more year-round resorts should dominate any recipe for tourism success in Livingstone-Macleod, Petrovic and her Alberta legislature colleagues heard.
The UCP member fished for information about tourism-related spending in the southern Alberta communities she represents.
“God’s country has breathtaking landscapes and abundant outdoor activities,” Petrovic said during a recent sitting. “Our region is ideal for attracting visitors year-round.”
Tourism Minister Joseph Schow said new government legislation will reduce red tape while streamlining the building of all-seasons resorts. (The All-seasons Resort Act received first reading in the legislature soon afterwards, on Nov. 7.)
Said Schow, the member for neighbouring Cardston-Siksika: “We want more people to come to our landscapes, more people to visit, more people to know what we already know best, which is that Alberta is the best place to live, to play and to visit.”
Home to about 43,000 people in the southwest corner of the province, Livingstone-Macleod includes attractions like historic Fort Macleod, the first headquarters of the North-West Mounted Police. There’s Waterton National Park, known for diverse ecosystems, and its physical and symbolic connection to the U.S. as the Canadian side of the world’s first international peace park.
Situated along Alberta’s major north-south corridor are the Highway 2 communities of High River,about a half hour’s drive from the south end of Calgary, and 70 kilometres later Claresholm.
Claresholm’s farming and railway town background is accented by a Second World War connection, because of a nearby British Commonwealth air training site.
High River, the birthplace of former Canadian prime minister Joe Clark, also connects to Alberta’s wartime and flying history. RCAF Station High River opened near the town in 1921, becoming one of the country’s first air force stations.
A rural hub for ranchers, farmers and tourists, Pincher Creek has been dubbed the Wind Energy Capital of Canada. A strong connection to coal mining in Alberta is celebrated in the Municipality of Crowsnest, which links the riding to the mountains and the province’s border with British Columbia. The ’Pass is known for outdoor recreation like fishing, biking and snowshoeing.
But Petrovic’s riding has endured setbacks because of wildfires. The 26-day Lost Creek Fire in the summer of 2003 threatened Crowsnest communities, forced evacuations and burned an area of 22,000 hectares.
In September 2017, the Kenow Wildfire swept through Waterton National Park, burning more than 39 per cent of its area and damaging popular picnic areas, campgrounds and trails.
Todd Loewen, the province’s minister of forestry and parks, noted that his government supports the construction of fireguards in Livingstone-Macleod. The province announced $5-million towards fireguards in Alberta municipalities in 2023, followed by $14-million more in April 2024.
Loewen, the member for Central Peace-Notley, also pointed to FireSmart Canada, a national program founded in 1993 to help communities and individuals develop strategies to protect their neighbourhoods and homes. With national, provincial and territorial support, FireSmart partners with municipal governments and the private sector.
Devin Dreeshen, the minister of transportation and economic corridors, said “incredible work” is being done to handle traffic efficiently and safely in Livingstone-Macleod.
Dreeshen, the member for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, highlighted:
- Passing and climbing lanes along Highway 22, a.k.a. the Cowboy Trail, from Longview to the Highway 3 intersection.
- Wildcat Creek bridge replacement near Lundbreck on a section of Highway 22 south of Highway 3.
- Twinning from Blairmore to Sentinel on Highway 3, a.k.a. the Crowsnest Highway, the main east-west corridor through Livingstone-Macleod.
- Construction of the Rock Creek wildlife underpass and related fencing along Highway 3 west of the Highway 22 intersection.
- Rehabilitation of the Mill Creek bridge east of Coleman on historic Highway 507.
- Upgrading the backcountry road Highway 811 between Highway 3 and Highway 519 east of Granum.
Said Petrovic: “Our region is ideal for attracting visitors year-round. However, to realize this potential, we must ensure that we have the necessary levels of investment, including infrastructure and fire safety.”
