Innisfail

Welcome

The Town of Innisfail with it's strategic central Alberta location on Highway 2, has
enjoyed a steady growth since incorporation in 1903.

We benefit from our proximity to the Rocky Mountains, visible to the west of town. Residents and tourists alike flock to the area to enjoy camping and world class fishing and hunting.

While location has been a key factor in attracting industry to Innisfail, the quality of life offered to its people has also played a significant role.

Our twin arena, indoor pool and curling rink all built since 1984, provide year round recreation. In summer, the tennis courts, ball diamonds and parks are an additional
source of recreation. A ski hill is located on the town's west side for winter enjoyment.

Local schools offer enrichment programs such as band and drama. Our health care
needs are met by competent medical practitioners, and the Innisfail Health Care Centre
has both acute and long term beds.

We, the Mayor and Council of the Town of Innisfail are proud of the town we serve, but are most proud of the people we represent. Our citizens have a reputation for a strong work ethic, but it is their commitment to voluntarism that makes Innisfail the ideal place to live and raise a family.

Mayor and Council
Town of Innisfail

Welcome To Innisfail!

Area Overview

Ever since the days when stage-coaches travelled back and forth on the old Calgary-Edmonton Stage-Coach trail, Innisfail has been a favoured stopping place. A century
later, Innisfail continues to be a town flavoured with western hospitality, but it is now complemented by industries employing the latest technology.

The humble cabins and workplaces of the pioneers have given way to contemporary facilities and industrial development. Now 100 years old and with a population nearing
7000, Innisfail is a prosperous community offering many attractive amenities.

Innisfail is situated on the major north/south Highway 2, and 118 km north of Calgary,
173 km south of Edmonton, and only a few minutes drive south of Red Deer. It has excellent air and rail transport service too. Red Deer Airport and Innisfail Airport are just minutes away, and CP Rail's main line passes through town.

Companies operating out of Innisfail span the entire spectrum of manufacturing, taking advantage of the economical and abundant land and the state-of-the-art waste
disposal and recycling system. Innisfail is also a major service centre for one of western Canada's finest agricultural regions. Many of the major grain companies operate large elevators in the Innisfail area.

Tourists and residents alike enjoy the nearby area's lush scenery and attractive
camping, hiking and fishing spots. The town boasts a curling rink, twin ice arena, indoor swimming pool, 8 shaled baseball diamonds, a bowling alley, ski hill, hiking trails, cross-country ski trails, 12 horseshoe pits, 3 asphalt tennis courts and one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in Alberta. The community has an advanced life support ambulance service, volunteer fire department, contracted RCMP policing service, and excellent education system and modern health care facilities.

By supporting local businesses and attracting vibrant new industries, Innisfail puts into action its slogan "Pride in Our Past, Faith in Our Future". Above all else, though, Innisfail's future is its people.

Community Services

Municipal Government

Town of Innisfail
4943 - 53 Street
Innisfail, Alberta
T4G 1A1
Tel: 403-227-3376
Fax: 403-227-4045
E-Mail:townhall@telusplanet.net
Website:www.townofinnisfail.com

Municipal Library
Service Delivery Department
Family and Community Support Services
Innisfail Neighbourhood Place
Tel: (403) 227-7744

Provincial Government

• Family and Social Services
• Medical Examiner-Coroner
• Mental Health
• Transportation and Utilities

Federal Government

• Canada Post Office
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Community Lifestyle

Recreation
The pride and joy of Innisfail residents is their 18 hole golf course - with expansion to 27 holes in progress, rated as one of the finest in the province. The Alberta Golf Guide describes this magnificent and challenging course in glowing terms, saying: "The designers have taken full advantage of the sharp changes in elevation offered by the natural hills. Standing on the tee at No. 14 the golfer has a marvellous view over the town and over miles of surrounding parkland countryside. A moment to stop and enjoy the view will be welcomed by most golfers, because playing this course can be a "humbling experience." The course offers a good selection of water hazards, sandtraps and doglegs as well as several tiered greens.

The Town has upgraded all of its major facilities since 1984. A curling rink with 4 sheets of ice has proven to be very popular with all age groups and a new twin-ice arena is serving the needs of youth, adults and seniors. A new modern 25-metre indoor swimming pool with hot tub and sauna is open year-round. Other facilities include 3 asphalt tennis courts, outdoor waterpark, skateboard park, BMX course, 12 shaled horseshoe pits, 8 shaled baseball diamonds, soccer pitches, hiking trails, x-country ski trails, wildlife viewing platform, water-skiing on Dodds Lake, ski hill with rope tow, and numerous neighbourhood parks, playgrounds, and paved biking trails.

Dodds Lake located in the heart of the community has been the site of many premier water-skiing events including Canadian Championships, Western Canadian Championships and 8 Provincial Championships. Adjacent to the lake is a 40 stall campground, all of which are serviced with electricity. Power sites are $15.00/night, and tenting sites are $10.00/night. There is a camp kitchen, horseshoe pits, day use area and playground facilities on site. Hot showers, washroom facilities, and firewood are available as well.

Other camping areas include Pine Lake, 32 km. east of Innisfail, and Red Lodge Provincial Park, 28 km southwest of Innisfail on the Red Deer River. Gleniffer Lake created by the construction of the Dickson Dam has become a tourist hot bed for boat and fishing enthusiasts.

Community Organizations
-Innisfail has numerous active community and service groups, as well as recreational and sports clubs, that are active in the town.

Religious Facilities and Churches

• Alliance Church
• Anglican Church
• Baha'i Faith Church
• Baptist Church of Innisfail
• Our Lady of Peace Church
• Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints
• Church Of The Nazarene
• Innisfail United Church
• Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
• Parkland Community Church
• Peace Lutheran Church
• St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
• Victory Chapel

Innisfail Tourism 
Innisfail's Historical Village is a unique tourist attraction and provides visitors and residents a glimpse into the community's past. The Village includes the "Stopping House" for stage coaches and wagon trains that travelled the Calgary-Edmonton Trail a century ago. Other historical sites in the area include the Markerville Creamery, Stephansson House and Dickson Store.

Our 100 year celebration in 2004 saw the inception of Centennial Park - park within the center of town which will enhance a 200 acre natural site to include walking trails, wildlife viewing and amenities for all ages.

Visitors are encouraged to "take a walk on the wild side" and visit the Discovery Wildlife Park which is home to many exotic animals featured in movies and documentaries. Visitors can also hike on the Destiny Trail System, or attend the annual Daines Rodeo in June, Country Music Picnic in August or the Scarecrow Festival in October. Check out why we're wild about Innisfail!

Accommodation

• Highwayman Motor Inn
• Bluebird Motel
• R&R; Motel

Restaurants
-Restaurants in Innisfail include Tim Hortons, the A & W Restaurant, Aunt Peg's Soup and Sandwich, Bluebird Diner, Chicken Chef, Club Cafe, Dairy Queen, Flames Family Restaurant, Fox and Hound Lounge, Highwayman Restaurant, Innisfail Hotel, Innisfail Subway, Lau's Family Restaurant, McDonalds, Mountainview Family Restaurant, Mulligans Pizza, Obee's Pizza and Pasta Take Out, Poplar Grove Cafe, Red Ox Steak House, Royal Canadian Legion, Sandy's Restaurant and Bar, Tuckers Taphouse and Eatery, and the D & R Drive-In.

Economic Base

Long before manufacturers were attracted to Innisfail, it served as a major service
centre for one of Canada's finest agricultural regions. Rich soil conditions and mild
weather make the area ideal for growing various types of grain, grass, and hay as well
as raising cattle, hogs and sheep.

Agriculture continues to be a major industry in the Innisfail area, but it is well complemented by a mix of other industrial growth. Oil & gas wells dot the picturesque countryside, contributing economically to the prosperity and high quality of life in the region.

Economic Facts

About 50 km west of town is one of the largest sour gas developments in the world
[without doubt the largest in Alberta for the last 20 years]. The Caroline Gas Field has
been estimated to contain 2 trillion cubic feet of reservoir fluids composed of roughly
equal amounts of natural gas natural gas liquids and hydrogen sulphide.

Shell Canada is spearheading this development. Other oil and gas companies in the area include Amoco Petroleum, G.N.E. Resources, Kerr-McGhee, Czar Resources, and Nova.

 A major part of Innisfail's economic base is the Johns Manville Canada Inc. fibreglass insulation manufacturing plant. 170 employees, mostly local residents, work at the plant. The firm recently received the Emerald Award by the Alberta Foundation for 
Environmental Excellence for recycling glass bottles and utilizing the crushed glass as a major component for its insulation.

Another major firm operating here is Nestle Purina Petcare, a manufacturer of a variety
of pet foods. Most of the ingredients of the pet foods are produced locally, and local trucking firms do much of the transporting to major distribution centres. A key to this
firm's success has been it strategic location in western Canada.

Sepp's Fine Foods Ltd. manufactures a variety of processed foods. The plant employs approximately 60-70 people when in full production.

Sunterra Foods Inc. is an Alberta based, family owned business, and is the only federally inspected lamb and veal slaughter/processing plant in Western Canada. Sunterra's
Innisfail location processes about 1300-1700 lambs, 60 veal calves, and 900 hogs per
week for world-wide markets. They are currently expanding to include a beef slaughter floor.

Innisfail Meat Packers has grown from a small 3-4 employee business to a thriving operation now employing 28 people.

Another thriving business is the Innisfail Auction Market, a family owned and operated business. Some $60-70 million worth of livestock go through the auction each year. As many as 4,000 head of cattle sometimes pass through the auction ring in one day, with an average sold of around 2,000.

Laden Industrial has been in Innisfail since 1996 and has expanded to include custom steel fabrication, installation and service, an environmental product line and commercial handling systems. In addition to their manufactured products, their companion software provides management tools for their system users.

Bilton Welding and Manufacturing provide a wide range of service involving welding, machining and repairs, equipment installation, and fabrication.

Octane Energy Services Corp specializes in 8" and under steel, fibreglass, plastic, zaplok and epoxy lined types of line pipe using conventional and progressive plowing techniques. They are able to build from grass roots to a fully commissioned facility, and have a fully equiped fabrication facility.

Financial Institutions

•  Bank of Nova Scotia
• Community Savings Credit Union
• Royal Bank of Canada
• Alberta Treasury Branch

Education

Innisfail is part of the Chinook's Edge Regional Division #5, headquartered in Innisfail
[Tel: 403-227-4272].

Daycare/Nursery

Innisfail Day Nursery Ltd.

Innisfail Family Day Home Society

Public Schools
Schools in Innisfail include:

• John Wilson Elementary School [K-4]
• Chinook Centre School
• Innisfail Junior/Senior High School [8-12]
• and now the new Middle School [5-7], which opened for the 2003-2004 school year.

John Wilson School was the first school to offer year-round education and 10-month calendar programs. The school is proud of its open and receptive environment, and the proactive involvement of parents through initiatives such as the Parents Advisory Association. Programs are offered in Kids Helping Kids Peer Support, special education, intramurals, etc. It also has an award-winning band program.

The mission of Innisfail Junior/Senior High School and Innisfail Middle School is to provide high quality educational services in a clean, caring and secure environment. The school offers a wide range of programs including special education, an integrated occupations program, a self-directed learning program, as well as an extensive extra-curricular program. The music program has established a reputation of excellence in Alberta. The drama department consistently presents excellent plays and musicals. A broad athletic program is also offered.

Separate Schools
Red Deer Catholic Regional Division established the Innisfail Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 604 in October 2001.

Emergency Services

Town of Innisfail is serviced by E-911

Fire Protection
Innisfail is served by a volunteer fire department that has 1 tanker truck, 3 pumpers, and an emergency rescue unit [Tel: 403-227-3333].

Police Services
Innisfail is served by a local detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] [Tel: 403-227-3341]. Innisfail is also the headquarters for the force's national dog
training centre and the area's Highway Patrol.

Ambulance Services
Local ambulance service as well as air ambulance service is available [Tel: 403-227-3272]. A STARS Helicopter landing site is located immediately across the street from the Innisfail Health Care Centre.

Health Care

The Innisfail Health Care Centre is a fully modern active and extended care facility. The facility has 20 acute care beds and 80 extended care beds. The facility has an emergency ward, day surgery, x-ray and laboratory departments. The hospital was built in 1984 and underwent an expansion in 1992/93.

Innisfail has 2 medical clinics with 9 medical doctors serving the community and surrounding area. Also, there are 3 dental offices with 4 dentists providing services from cleaning to dental surgery. Other services include 1 optometrists, 4 chiropractors, 2 reflexologists, 1 physio-therapist and 4 massage therapists.

The David Thompson Regional Health Authority provides community based services in community health nursing, home care, health promotion, environmental health and speech-language-hearing programs.

Dodd's Lake Manor, Innisfail Country Lodge, Snowberry Downs Condominium, Poplar Grove Court and Autumn Glen Lodge provide seniors who are no longer interested in maintaining their own homes with an alternative housing choice.

Key Contacts for Business Development

Municipal
Town of Innisfail
4943 - 53 Street Innisfail, Alberta
T4G 1A1
Tel: 403-227-3376
Fax: 403-227-4045
E-Mail:townhall@telusplanet.net
Website:www.townofinnisfail.com

Mayor
Ken Graham

Councillors

• Patricia Churchill
• Gary Macdonald
• Don Shygera
• Jason Heistad
• Derek Baird
• Tracey Walker

Town Manager
Dale P. Mather
Email:matherd@telusplanet.net

Director of Operations
Tim Ainscough, P.Eng
Email:towneng@telusplanet.net

Provincial (Updated May 2006)

Alberta Economic Development
2rd Floor, Provincial Building
4920 - 51 Street
Red Deer, Alberta
T4N 6K8
Tel: 403-340-5300
Fax: 403-340-5231
Dawna Allard, Regional Manager
dawna.allard@gov.ab.ca
Lisa Houle, Regional Project Officer
lisa.houle@gov.ab.ca

Honorable Luke Ouellette
Member of the Legislative Assembly [MLA]
Innisfail-Sylvan Lake Constituency

Constituency Office
Eastgate Mall #18, 4804 42 Avenue
Innisfail, AB
T4G 1T4
Phone: (403) 227-1500
Toll Free: 1-888-655-2535
Fax: (403) 227-5350
innisfail.sylvanlake@assembly.ab.ca

Legislature Office
#319 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 422-7355
Fax: (780) 422-5279

Federal (Updated May 2006)

Member of Parliament-Red Deer, Alberta
MILLS, Robert (Bob) (Conservative)

Parliamentary Address
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 995-0590
Fax: (613) 995-6831
E-Mail: Mills.B@parl.gc.ca

Constituency Address
4921 - 47th Street
Red Deer, Alberta
T4N 1R4
Telephone: (403) 347-7426 1-800-667-0523
Fax: (403) 347-7423
TTY:
E-Mail: bmillsmp@telusplanet.net

Location

The Town of Innisfail is strategically located in central Alberta along the Highway 2 corridor, within the County of Red Deer, just a few minutes south of Red Deer. Innisfail is 118 km north of Calgary and 173 km south of Edmonton.

Post Secondary Education

Both Red Deer College and Olds College are within commuting distance of Innisfail. Red Deer College offers a wide range of certificate, diploma and transfer courses, while Olds College is an agricultural college.

Taxation

	Residential/Farmland	Non-Residential
2005
Municipal Tax Rate	8.9600	8.9600
Education - Alberta School Foundation Fund Tax Rate	4.3849	6.1462
Education Opted Out Tax Rate	4.3849	6.1462

Mill Rates
[1997]
Residential-Public 15.41
Non-Residential-Public 22.67

[1998]
Residential-Public 15.5
Non-Residential-Public 18.8

[1999]
Residential-Public 15.25
Non-Residential-Public 19.03

[2000]
Residential - Public 15.00
Non-Residential - Public 18.96

[2001]
Residential - Public 14.20
Non-Residential - Public 17.30

[2002]
Residential - Public 13.93
Non-Residential - Public 16.66

[2003]
Residential - Public 13.84
Non-Residential - Public 16.49

[2004]
Residential - Public 13.67
Non-Residential - Public 16.17

[2005]
Residential - Public 13.34
Non-Residential - Public 15.11

Transportation

Air Service
-Air service is available from the Innisfail Airport, Red Deer Industrial Airport and the Calgary International Airport.

Rail Service
-Innisfail is served by a C.P.R. main line. Spur trackage is available.

Highways
-Innisfail is located on the intersection of Highway 2, the main north-south highway
linking Calgary and Edmonton, and Highway 54, the east-west highway servicing Spruce View, Caroline, and the West Country. Secondary Highway 590 runs east of Innisfail to connect with Highway 21.

Trucking Firms
-A number of firms operate out of Innisfail, including Loadmasters International, serving the needs of the community and area.

Bus Services
-Greyhound Bus Lines provides regularly scheduled inter-community service.

Couriers and Taxis
-Loomis and Purolator Couriers, Parcel Way, Greyhound Courier Express. Innisfail Taxi and Royal Cabs, and Western Cabs provide local taxi service.

Utilities

Electrical Power
Aquila Networks Canada
Tel: 310-WIRE (9473)

Natural Gas
Atco Gas
4912 - 52 Street I
nnisfail, Alberta
Tel: 403-227-3618

Telephone
Telus
4831 - 51 Street
Red Deer, Alberta
Tel: 403-342-3611

Water Supply
-The Town of Innisfail provides water for the community. The user rate is a minimum charge of $11.33 per billing or a user fee of $1.10 per cubic meter consumed.

Waste Management
-The Town of Innisfail provides sewage treatment services for the community. Sewage is assessed at 70% of water charges or $7.91 on minimum water consumption.

-Garbage collection costs for residential users is $15.00 per month, while those for commercial users is based on volume.

Population

Total Population 1991-2001

Innisfail Population by Age Group (2001)

Education Statistics

Innisfail Highest Level of Schooling 2001

Labour Force

Innisfail Labour Force By Industry - 2001

Income

Family Expenditure

Innisfail Family Expenditures (1996)

Building Permits

Total Housing Starts

Value of Building Permits

Dwellings

Projects

Summary of Projects in Innisfail as of September 2006

Value of Projects by Sector (as of September 2006)

Largest Projects in Innisfail as of September 2006