Valleyview

Welcome

Welcome to our community. We hope the information contained within this profile is useful. If additional information is required, please contact our representative from the "Key Contacts" section.

Area Overview

Known as the "Portal to the Peace", the Town of Valleyview is the main urban centre for a large trading area, and the first as one enters the beautiful Peace River Country of Alberta. Valleyview focuses on meeting the needs and expectations of retail and service businesses, industries, local consumers and travellers.

Valleyview is a thriving nucleus of trade and commerce, being almost equidistant from Grande Prairie and Peace River and located on the major arterial highways servicing northwestern Alberta and points further north. The Town provides a wide range of government, consumer, and industrial services to an area of over 50,000 square miles.

The regional focus of the community is accentuated by the presence of provincial and municipal government services, regional health care facilities, and educational administration.

The proximity to the forests and lakes make Valleyview a logical destination point for those wishing to spend some time in the great outdoors. There are a variety of amenities awaiting you at the Provincial Parks and campgrounds. Best of all, the air and water are clean and the fish are easy to catch.

Community Services

Municipal

Town of Valleyview
Box 270
Valleyview, Alberta
T0H 3N0
Tel: 780-524-5150
Fax: 780-524-2727
email valvadmn@telusplanet.net

Town of Valleyview
Valleyview Municipal Library
780-524-3033

Provincial

Advanced Education and Career Development
Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
Economic Development and Tourism [Grande Prairie]
Environmental Protection, Forestry, Parks and Wildlife
Justice - Provincial Court
Municipal Affairs
Public Works, Supply and Services
Alberta Infrastructure

Federal

Canada Post Office
Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Community Lifestyle

Recreation

The Valleyview region is part of "Big Game Country" and is noted for its abundance of wildlife for viewing and hunting. Moose, elk, and both whitetail and mule deer are most frequently seen although black bears are prevalent. Fur bearing animals such as coyotes and lynx are common but elusive and are only seen by the most observant. Sturgeon Lake just west of town is renowned for the spring walleye run and is one of the few places where Alberta's favourite game fish can be caught all year. The lake also yields pike, perch and whitefish. Trout are stocked at East Dollar Lake just north of Valleyview, at Swan Lake southeast of Crooked Creek, and in the Valleyview Trout Pond.

Valleyview also provides numerous recreational facilities and services, including conference and convention facilities for residents and visitors alike. Facilities include 1 arena, 5 ball diamonds, 4 community halls and meeting facilities, 1 curling rink [4 sheets and lounge], 1 fairground, two 9-hole golf course, 4 gymnasiums, and 1 outdoor swimming pool. Cross-country skiing trails are available at Sunset House, one of the nearby Hamlets in the area, and the Little Smoky River Ski Hill is located north of Valleyview.

Williamson Provincial Park is located 15 km west of Valleyview on Sturgeon Lake, and has 57 campsites and a day-use area [boat launch, swimming area, toilets, picnic facilities, etc.]. Young's Point Provincial Park is located on the northwest part of Sturgeon Lake, and has 57 campsites and a day-use area [boat launch, picnic sites, playgrounds, hiking trails, outdoor skating rink, etc.]. There are three other campgrounds in Valleyview [Town of Valleyview Campground, Riverside Golf Course, Sherk's R.V. Park].

Community Organizations

Local community and recreational organizations include the Valleyview & District Grazing Reserve Association, Valleyview Riding and Roping Club, Women of Unifarm, Valleyview Chamber of Commerce, Valleyview Regional Economic Development Board, Valleyview Retail Merchant's Association, Valleyview Adult Literacy for Individual Development, Valleyview and District Association for the Handicapped, Valleyview and District Further Education Council, Valleyview and District Santas Anonymous Society, Valleyview Voice of Life, Beavers and Cubs, Brownies and Girl Guides, Valleyview Children's Daycare, Valleyview Elks Club, Valleyview Environmental Society, Valleyview Lions Club, Valleyview Toastmasters, Valleyview Welcome Committee, Valleyview "Square 'N Aders", Valleyview and District Historical Society, and the Valleyview and District Sun Valley Pioneers. There are also many sports clubs in the town.

Religious Services

• Church of God of Prophecy
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Emmanuel Baptist Church
• Full Gospel Fellowship
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
• Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
• Pentecostal Evangel Temple
• St. Anne's Anglican Church
• St. Rita's Catholic Church
• Valleyview Alliance Church
• Valleyview United Church
• The Power Centre

Special Annual Events/Attractions

• Tree Burn, Community Fun Night, Young's Point Annual Skating Party -- January
• Family Day at Young's Point, RCMP & Town Family Skate -- February
• Young's Point Fishing Derby, Oilmen's Bonspiel -- March
• Farmer's Market Easter Sale -- April
• Spring Gigantic Garage Sale, Oilmen's Golf Tournament, Perogy and Cabbage Roll Luncheon -- May
• Valleyview Horse Show, Fly-In Breakfast and Air Show -- June
• Canada Day Celebration, Black Powder Shoot -- July
• Agricultural Parade, Fair and Rodeo, Community Corn Boils, Heritage Day Celebrations -- August
• Annual Clean-up Blitz -- September
• Halloween Dance -- October
• Community Skating Party, Midnight Madness, Polar Bear Swim -- November
• Christmas Decoration Contest, Frosty Friday, Santa Claus Parade, Farmer's Market Xmas Sale, Nifty Thrifty Craft Sale, New Year's Dance -- December

Hospitality

Accommodation

• Shamrock Motor Inn
• Hi-Valley Motor Inn
• Horizon Motel
• Raven Motor Inn

Restaurants

• A & W Drive Inn Restaurant
• Burger Baron
• Gold Fountain Restaurant & Dining Room
• Flintstones
• Humpty's Family Restaurant
• The Cappucino Bar
• Fred's Place (Petro Canada Restaurant)
• Traveller's Voyageur Restaurant
• Hi-Valley Motor Inn Restaurant
• Sammy's Drive Inn

Economic Base

The economic base of Valleyview is agriculture, oil and gas, forestry, and sand and gravel.

A great diversity of field crops are raised in the area, including wheat, barley, oats, canola, seed crops and quality forage crops that support a productive livestock sector. The large available land base and favourable growing conditions in the area provide for good expansion opportunities.

The petroleum industry also has a major impact on the regional economy. In search of natural gas and oil reserves, a number of seismic crews and drilling operations work in the region. This activity has spawned an array of petroleum service businesses in such areas as exploration, instrumentation, monitoring, transport, maintenance and equipment. As a result, this industry has become a primary source of employment for residents of the Valleyview area.

Forestry is a significant industry within the Valleyview area. Canadian Forest Products Ltd. [Canfor] is the major forest user. The southwest portion of the Valleyview trade area falls within this company's Forest Management Agreement area as does the area surrounding Puskwaskau Lake. Canfor's operations focus on the harvesting of softwoods for the production of lumber in its Grande Prairie mill.


The Alberta Forest Service also has areas where softwood permits are available for use by local residents. These permits are offered on an annual basis and provide wood for small local mills. Local residents may also harvest and sell timber from a selection of these permits to large companies as an additional source of income. The areas of harvest include DeBolt, Whitemud, Crooked Creek, Valleyview and Little Smoky areas.

The harvesting of hardwoods [aspen] is increasing in importance in this region. The Daishowa pulp mill in Peace River has created a market demand for deciduous wood from the Valleyview area. Commercial interest of the hardwood resource has been shown in the Sturgeon Heights and Puskwaskau areas, as well as areas east of the Little Smoky River.

Finally, sand and gravel extraction is also an important component of the area's resource base. There are numerous active surface materials leases found in the area, primarily located on the banks and valleys of the Smoky, Little Smoky, Simonette and Waskahigan Rivers.

Economic Facts

Major Businesses Products/Services

• Horizon Motel and Restaurant Accommodation
• Burlington Resources Canada Energy Oil & Gas
• Medicine Bottle Drug Mart Retail
• Northgate IGA Retail
• Valleyview Co-op Retail
• Flint Energy Services Ltd. Oilfield Construction
• Peace Pipe Line Ltd. Oil & Gas
• Hi-Valley Motor Hotel Accommodation
• Concord Well Servicing Ltd. Oil & Gas
• Suncor Resources Oil & Gas

Financial Institutions

• Bank of Montreal
• Bank of Nova Scotia
• Alberta Treasury Branch

Education

Valleyview is part of the Northern Gateway Regional School Division #10, headquartered in Whitecourt [Tel: 778-2800], and the Holy Family Catholic Separate School Division #17, headquartered in McLennan [Tel: 324-2012].

Daycare/Nursery

Valleyview Children's Daycare
Numerous Day Homes

Public

Public schools in Valleyview include Oscar Adolphson Primary School [K-3], Harry Gray Elementary School [4-6], and Hillside Junior/Senior High School [7-12]. Also, there is the Valleyview Colony School, which provides education for Grades K to 7.

Academic and vocational courses are available at the high school level. Special facilities include music rooms, computer labs, and New Distance Learning through Fairview College. Resource Room and Special Education programs are offered for those students who need it, and Guidance Counsellors, Speech Pathologists, and School Psychologists are on staff at most schools. Bussing is available throughout the region.

Separate

St. Stephens' Catholic School provides education for Grades K to 9. Junior and senior high school students currently attend Hillside Junior/Senior High School.

Private

The Sturgeon Lake Indian Band operates a newly constructed school located on the Sturgeon Lake Reserve. In addition to the standard curriculum, studies focus on native culture and language studies.

Emergency Services

Fire Protection

Valleyview is served by a 24-member volunteer fire department. The department has two pumper trucks, 1 tanker unit, rescue van, Jaws of Life, S.C.B.A., air bags, and a state-of-the-art communication system.

Police Services

Valleyview is served by a 15-member local detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] (Emergency dial 9-1-1) [Tel: 780-524-3345].

Ambulance Services

G.P.R.E.M.S. (9-1-1) provides a Advanced Life Support service to Valleyview, with 4 fully equipped ambulances and 5 EMT-A' [some with 10:1 skills].

VALLEYVIEW IS ABLE TO ACCESS 911 FOR ALL EMERGENCIES.

Health Care

The Valleyview Health Centre is a 35-bed acute care and 25-bed extended care hospital that serves the Valleyview area. The hospital provides the following services: physicians, dietician, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist, dentists and an optometrist.

In addition, a chiropractor serves the area from the offices of the Valleyview Chiropractor. Two pharmacists are also based at the Medicine Bottle Drug Mart.

The South Peace Health Unit also operates a district office in Valleyview. It offers a wide variety of services to area residents, including home care, counselling, speech therapy, immunization, pre-school dental care.

Several support and counselling organizations also operate in Valleyview, including: Early Intervention, Alberta Mental Health, Alcoholics Anonymous, Cansurmount, Green View F.C.S.S., and the MITAA Detox Valleyview.

Valleyview also has two facilities for seniors lodging: Red Willow Lodge and Wildrose Manor.

Key Contacts for Business Development

Municipal

Town of Valleyview
Box 270
Valleyview, Alberta
T0H 3N0
Tel: 780-524-5150
Fax: 780-524-2727
email: valvadmn@telusplanet.net

Norm Adolphson
Mayor
Tel: 780-524-7543

Gary Peterson
Town Manager
Development Officer
Economic Development Officer
Tel: 780-524-5150
Fax: 780-524-2727

Provincial (Updated December 2004)

Bob Hall
Regional Manager
Address and telephone number same as above
Email: bob.hall@gov.ab.ca

Mel Knight
Member of the Legislative Assembly [MLA]
Grande Prairie-Smoky River Constituency

Constituency Office
#105, 9804 - 100 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 0T8
Phone: (780) 513-1233
Fax: (780) 513-1247
grandeprairie.smoky@assembly.ab.ca

Legislature Office
#132 Legislature Building
10800-97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-1879
Fax: (780) 415-0968

Federal (Updated May 2006)

Member of Parliament [MP]
Peace River Constituency
Peace River, Alberta
WARKENTIN, Chris (Conservative)

Parliamentary Address
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 992-5685
Fax: (613) 947-4782
E-Mail: Warkentin.C@parl.gc.ca

Constituency Address
207 - 10605 West Side Drive
Grande Prairie, Alberta
T8V 8E6
Telephone: (780) 538-1677
Fax: (780) 538-9257

Location

The Town of Valleyview is located in the Municipal District of Greenview, in the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta. It is 111 km east of Grande Prairie, 140 km south of Peace River, and 345 km northwest of Edmonton.

Post Secondary Education

The Northern Lakes College - Grouard operates a campus in Valleyview, which is housed in the former School Division Office building. It provides credit and continuing education courses for persons aged 17 and over. A.V.C. offers academic upgrading, career programs, teleconference courses, and distance education to students.

Athabasca University, based in Athabasca, Alberta, offers credit courses and undergraduate degree programs by correspondence. The University has an open admission policy and offers year-round registration for students who are unable or unwilling to attend a conventional university.

Taxation

	Residential/Farmland	Non-Residential
2005
Municipal Tax Rate	14.2580	17.7560
Education - Alberta School Foundation Fund Tax Rate	4.5153	7.2072
Education Opted Out Tax Rate	4.5153	7.2072
Seniors Lodge Accommodation Tax Rate	.1782	.1782

Mill Rates [2002]

Residential 19.9438 mills
Commercial 26.4906 mills
Machinery & Equipment 17.9644 mills

Transportation

Air Service

The Valleyview Airport is located approximately 1.5 km south of the Town, adjacent to Highway 43. The airport has a 1000 metre [3,300 ft] paved runway and several hangars to serve many light aircraft.

The nearest scheduled air service is available out of Grande Prairie, where Westjet, Canadian Regional and Air BC [Air Canada] offer daily service to Edmonton, Calgary and other cities. Charter aircraft and helicopter services are also available.

Rail Service

The nearest rail service is at Grande Prairie. Contact Alberta Railnet Inc. at 780-814-7359.

Highways

Given its location at the intersection of two primary highways, 43 and 49, Valleyview has excellent paved access to many major centres. Highway 43 leads to the west, linking the area to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and the Alaska Highway, as well as the B.C. interior. Highway 49 provides an important link north to the Mackenzie Highway & Peace River, east to Highway 2 [High Prairie/Slave Lake] and south to Edmonton and other points.

In addition to these primary highways, the area is well served by six secondary highways, many of which are paved, and a myriad of local market roads.

Trucking Firms

• Arch-San Enterprises
• Boos Transportation Services Ltd.
• Canadian Crude Separators
• Dale Gervais Trucking
• Doug's Tank Truck Service Ltd.
• Farnquist Oilfield Trucking
• Gibson Petroleum Co. Ltd.
• George Stewart Enterprises Ltd.
• Grimshaw Trucking (Freight Depot)
• Lundblad Trucking Ltd.
• Maedae Oilfield Services
• Niemi Oilfield Maintenance Inc.
• Skye Contracting
• Total Oilfield Services
• Zama Carriers Ltd.

Bus Services

Greyhound Bus Lines offers inter-community service daily to Grande Prairie, Edmonton and other centres. Both passenger and freight service is available.

Couriers and Taxis

Greyhound Courier Express, Loomis, Purolator

Uptown Taxi provides taxi service to Valleyview and area.

Utilities

Electrical Power

ATCO Electric
5105 - 50 Street
Valleyview, Alberta
Tel: 1-800-668-2248

Natural Gas

Town of Valleyview
Box 270
Valleyview, Alberta
T0H 3N0
Tel: 780-524-5150

TELUS
General Customer Service for Residential Customers
Tel: 1-888-811-2323
Business Customers
Tel: 1-888-811-2828

Water Supply

The source of water is the Little Smoky River. The reservoir capacity, measured in treated substance, is 2.7 million litres [600,000 gallons]. The raw water reservoir design capacity is 204.5 million litres [45,000,000 gallons]. The water from the municipal reservoir is treated, fluoridated and then pumped throughout the community. Water usage rates are a flat rate of $20.00 per month, plus a usage rate of $7.00 per 1000 gallons over 2200 gallons. The bulk rate is $0.0125 per gallon.

Waste Management

Valleyview is serviced by a complete mix aeration lagoon system. Sewer rates are based on water consumption [minimum charge is $13.75 per month], and is assessed at 46% of water usage.

Commercial and industrial garbage is collected three times per week, while residential garbage is collected weekly, for disposal at a modified landfill outside of Town. Rural residents are required to haul their garbage to any one of 20 landfill sites that have been developed in the area.

Recycling is in co-operation with Recycle Plus from Grande Prairie.

Population

Total Population 1991-2001

Valleyview Population by Age Group (2001)

Education Statistics

Valleyview Highest Level of Schooling 2001

Labour Force

Valleyview Labour Force By Industry - 2001

Income

Family Expenditure

Valleyview Family Expenditures (1996)

Building Permits

Total Housing Starts

Value of Building Permits

Dwellings

Projects

Summary of Projects in Valleyview as of September 2006

Value of Projects by Sector (as of September 2006)

Largest Projects in Valleyview as of September 2006