Whether you're starting a business in Brazeau County, are already a business owner or want to expand your business, the Economic Development Department can connect you to information and networks vital in making your location and expansion decisions. If you have plans to expand your business or would like to take a closer look at what Brazeau County has to offer, this section will help you.
The two growing sectors of our economy at this time are in tourism and agriculture.
Tourism
With two rivers, large tracks of boreal forest and the amazing Brazeau Reservoir, Brazeau County is home to 4,113 hectares of fresh water, and the area is fast becoming the backyard playground of the greater Edmonton region. In addition, the paving project of the Sunchild Road (Highway 620 from the Brazeau Dam to Highway 11 to the Rocky Mountains) which is 55 kilometres west of Drayton Valley, is now complete. It will enhance the provinical north-south traffic corridors by connecting Highway 11 to Highway 620 and it also serves as a link to the O'Chiese and Sunchild First Nations.
Also exciting on the tourism front is the newly designated Eagle Point Provincial Park and Blue Rapids Recreation Area. These new areas will only enhance what is a rapidly growing tourism destination.
Opportunities in commercial tourism at the Brazeau Reservoir and surrounding areas include:
Agriculture
With the focus on eating local and eating safely the opportunities for market gardens is on the rise. The great thing about market gardens is that they don’t require great amounts of land. You can enjoy the agriculture lifestyle without the huge investment that is needed in equipment and land that traditional agriculture demands. A small scale farm with a market garden and an agri tourism component is very viable.
For more information on the opportunities that exist on agriculture visit our website. Brazeau County will also be hosting another Farming into the Future Conference in February of 2012; an excellent way to find out about what is new in agriculture and to listen to and network with the folks who are actually doing it.
