Forty Mile No. 8, County of
http:www.40mile.ca
Welcome
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 Council, Staff and Residents would like to extend an open invitation to all to come and experience a very tranquil way of life.
We believe the area has something to offer for everyone from the beauty of the natural landscape to accommodating various business interests.
Forty Mile Logo 3D
Area Overview
Located in south-eastern Alberta, and centred between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, the County of Forty Mile No. 8 covers 7,283 square kilometres (2,812 square miles) of slightly rolling hills and deep coulees. The major land uses include large areas of pasture and dry cropland; extensive irrigated areas; the South Saskatchewan river valley; Red Rock Natural Area; the Milk River valley; Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve; and environmentally significant and sensitive areas.
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 surrounds both the Town of Bow Island and the Village of Foremost. Total population in the County is approximately 3,414 (2006). There are 602 farms (Agriculture Census 2006) scattered throughout the County with the majority of the rural population living in the northern, irrigated areas and many of the remainder found in the hamlets of Burdett, Winnifred, Whitla, Manyberries, Orion, Etzikom and Skiff.
People in the County of Forty Mile No. 8 primarily work in agriculture. The County has a diversified agricultural economy based on ranching, dryland farming, irrigated specialty crops, and intensive livestock operations, as well as a significant oil & gas industry.
The County was formed through the amalgamation of the Municipal District of Bow Island, Municipal District of Forty Mile, and Municipal District of Burlington. It was gazetted effective January 1, 1958. The County was named after the Forty Mile Coulee located 14 miles north of Foremost.
Location
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 is located in Southeast Alberta an equal distance (approx 1 hours drive) from the City of Medicine Hat and the City of Lethbridge. The County is a vast area containing 78 townships of land bordering the United States to the south and the South Saskatchewan River to the north, encompassing portions of Townships 1 to 13 and Ranges 5 to 14. Located within the County boundaries are the Village of Foremost and the Town of Bow Island. You’ll find that the County is less than an hours drive from two border crossings. Aden Border Crossing is located within the County’s boundaries and is open 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Coutts Border Crossing is located 89 km (55 miles) southwest and is open 24 hours. The Village Foremost, at the center of the County is located 327 km (204 miles) from Calgary, 622 km (386 miles) from Edmonton and 2257 km (1402 miles) from Minneapolis. Also, CP Rail has a rail line crossing through the northern part of the County. The County of Forty Mile No. 8 is part of the Palliser Economic Partnership.
Economic Base
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 is primarily agriculture based, with oil and gas activities scattered throughout the area. The County has a diversified agricultural economy based on ranching, dryland farming, irrigated specialty crops, and intensive livestock operations. There are 602 farms with a total farm area of 7,216 sq. kms.
| TOP CROPS |
Hectares
|
| Spring Wheat (excl. durum) |
122,957
|
| Durum Wheat |
46,155
|
| Barley |
28,329
|
| Dry Field Peas |
24,332
|
| Alfalfa & Alfalfa Mixtures |
12,145
|
Source: Agriculture Census, 2006
| Livestock |
Number
|
| Total Cattle and Calves |
79,314
|
| Total Pigs |
48,446
|
Source: Agriculture Census, 2006
Economic Facts
MAJOR BUSINESS PRODUCTS/SERVICES
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Foremost
Bow Island
Pivot Irrigating Field
Utilities
WATER SUPPLY
Domestic
Deep wells from 600 - 1600 feet.
Irrigation
113,000 acres of irrigation in the County of which 106,000 is served by the St. Mary River Irrigation District. The remaining 7,000 acres is made up of river users and spring flooding in the Orion and Manyberries area.
The Forty Mile Reservoir is off stream storage that is used during dry years to relieve pressure or canal flows for the Western Region and to supply enough water to the area north and east of the reservoir without rationing.
Forty Mile Reservoir
- Commissioned in 1988
- Length - 10.1 kms
- Maximum Depth - 25 m (83.3 ft.)
- Live Storage - 86,300,000 cu. Meters
WASTE MANAGEMENT
North Forty Regional Landfill Services
South Forty Waste Services Commission
Taxation
|
|
|
|
|
General
|
8.0000
|
8.0000
|
|
Forty Mile Foundation
|
.2910
|
.2910
|
|
Recreation
|
.1684
|
.1684
|
|
North Forty Mile Waste Regional Waste
|
.1055
|
.1055
|
|
South Forty Waste Services Commission
|
.4157
|
.4157
|
|
Education: Public
|
2.9974
|
3.8574
|
|
Education: Separate
|
2.9974
|
3.8574
|
Transportation
Air Service
Two airstrips are located within the County's boundaries. They are located in Foremost and Bow Island. The nearest commercial and airfreight services are located in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.
Rail Service
CP Rail also provides rail service in the County with a line running parallel to Highway No. 3
Highways
The County is served by two primary highways with Highway 61 crossing the southern half of the County (east to west) and Highway 3 also crossing the County from east to west in the northern portion of the County. Various Provincial Highways feed into the primary system providing good access to most areas in the County. Volker Stevin is the primary maintenance contractor for the highways. They can be reached at 1-888-VSROADS.
Bus Service
Greyhound Bus Lines provides regularly scheduled service to the Town of Bow Island and the Village of Burdett.
Courier Service
DHL - drop-off location in Bow Island at B&D Gas Bar (1-800-CALL DHL)
Purolator - drop-off location in Medicine Hat
Etikom Windmill Museum
Community Lifestyle
Recreation
A number of outdoor camping and recreation facilities have been developed in and around the County providing an excellent opportunity for everyone to enjoy the breathtaking scenery the County and surrounding area has to offer.
Attractions:
There are several stocked and natural fishing lakes in the County, providing year round activity for anglers, and for the hunting enthusiast, the natural terrain is home to a variety of wildlife.
Community Organizations
Several community organizations, sports clubs and service groups are active in the County. These include but are not limited to: 4H Clubs, Ag Society, Ambulance, Baseball, Book Club, Catholic Women's League, Cadets, Chamber of Commerce, Christian Women’s, Churches-many denominations, Cubs & Scouts’, Curling Club, Dance Club, Elks, FCSS, Figure Skating, Fire, Foremost Fish & Game Association, Flying Club, Golden Age Club, Hockey- Minor - Men’s Recreational- Old Timers’, Hospital Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, Library, Lionesses, Lions, Masons, Men’s Basketball, Pathfinders, Play Group, Quilter’s Guild, Riding and Roping Club, Rodeo, Royal Canadian Legion, Sage Club, Senior Citizens, Theatrical Society, TOPS, United Church Women, Women's Institute.
You can also checkout the community profiles for Bow Island and Foremost for more information.
Newspapers
Weeklies – County Commentator
Dailies - Lethbridge Herald and Medicine Hat News
Radio Stations:
The County receives the following local radio stations.
FM: CBC 91.7 & 92.1, B 93.3, COUNTRY 95.5, CHAT 94.5, MY 96.1, ROCK 106.7, & THE RIVER 107.7
Television Stations
The County receives Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Great Falls stations. Cable television is also available in a number of communities.
Internet Service Providers
Shockware and Platinum Communications currently provide high-speed wireless internet services to most County residents. Also, TELUS dialup service is available to all county residents. For high speed access where wireless is not an option satellite coverage is available.
Post Secondary
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 residents have access to post-secondary institutions located in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.
Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge offers degree programs in Arts and Science, Management, Education, Fine Arts, Music and Nursing. A Master of Education and graduate programs leading to an MA or MSC are also available, as are 12 professional transfer programs in areas such as engineering, medicine and law. A Bachelor of Social Work is offered on campus by the University of Calgary.
Lethbridge College offers credit and non-credit programs through ten schools: Agriculture and Natural Sciences; Engineering Technologies; Environmental Sciences; Liberal Arts; Apprenticeship & Trades; Business; Media & Design; Health Sciences; Human Services; and Justice Studies.
Medicine Hat
The Medicine Hat College offers a wide variety of University transfer, diploma, certificate, trades, academic upgrading, life skills and English as a Second Language Program. Specific courses for business and industry, general interest courses and the conservatory of Music and Dance attracts a large number of participants.
Athabasca
Athabasca University Online is available to those that choose to continue their studies while pursuing a job or from the comforts of their homes.
Health Care
Health care is provided by Alberta Health Services in the County of Forty Mile No. 8. Hospital care is available at the Bow Island Health Centre. The Centre is an acute care and continuing care facility. Core programs include acute/sub-acute medical and 24-hour emergency.
Bow Island Health Centre
938 Centre Street
Bow Island, Alberta T0K 0G0
Ph: 403-545-3200
Senior Housing/Services are available at the Pleasant View Lodge and Pleasant View Manor located in Bow Island and Senior Housing at Fairway Manor in Foremost. Medical Clinics are also located in Foremost and Bow Island.
Emergency Services
Fire Service:
Volunteer Fire Departments are located throughout the County and serve their respective community and surrounding area. They are located in Bow Island, Burdett, Foremost, King’s Lake Colony, Etzikom, Manyberries, Pendant D’Oreille and Aden.
Police Service:
The County is served by a detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with members in Foremost and Bow Island.
Ambulance Service:
9-1-1 Ambulance Service is available throughout the County and is provided by Alberta Health Services. Ground Ambulances are based in Foremost and Bow Island, and MedicAir provides Helicopter EMS services out of Medicine Hat.
Climate
The County lies mainly within the Dry Mixed Grass Region. At higher elevations in the southern part of the County and at higher elevations in the eastern part of the County, the Mixed Grass Region is present. The mean annual precipitation averaged from 3 meterological stations within the County measured 344.p millimeters based on data from 1971 to 2000. The mean annual temperature averaged 7.0C with the mean monthly temperature reaching a high of 21.1C in July and dropping to a low of -9.2C in January. The calculated annual potential evaoptranspiration is 625 millimeters.
Key Contacts
Municipal Contacts
Main Office:
County of Forty Mile No. 8
303 Main Street
Box 160
Foremost, Alberta
T0K 0X0
Tel: 403-867-3530
Fax: 403-867-2242
E-Mail: Info@fortymile.ab.ca
Lynden Hutchinson, Reeve
E-Mail: reeve@fortymile.ab.ca
Dale Brown, County Administrator
Tel Work:403-867-3530
Fax:403-867-2242
E-Mail: dale@fortymile.ab.ca
Keith Bodin, Public Works Superintendent
Tel Work: 403-867-3940
Cell: 403-647-7316
E-Mail: keith@fortymile.ab.ca
Dave Matz, Agricultural Fieldman
Tel Work: 403-867-3530
Cell: 403-647-8080
E-Mail: dave@fortymile.ab.ca
Stewart Payne, By-law Enforcement Officer & Water
Tel Work: 403-867-3530
Cell: 403-647-7674
E-Mail: stewart@fortymile.ab.ca
Nathan Cote, Protective Services Co-ordinator
Tel Work: 403-867-3530
Cell: 403-647-7675
E-Mail: firechief@fortymile.ab.ca
Provincial Contacts
Alberta Finance and Enterprise
109 Provincial Building
346 - 3 Street, SE
Medicine Hat, Alberta
T1A 0G7
Tel: 403-529-3630
Fax: 403-529-3140
Elvira Smid, Regional Manager
E-Mail: elvira.smid@gov.ab.ca
Gloria Filgas, Information Officer
E-Mail: gloria.filgas@gov.ab.ca.
Leonard Mitzel, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)
Cypress-Medicine Hat Constituency
503 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5K 2B6
Tel: 780-415-9590
Fax: 780-422-0351
Toll Free: 1-866-339-2191
E-Mail: Cypress.medicinehat@assembly.ab.ca
Constituency Office
TransCanada Place
#5-1299 TransCanada Way
Medicine Hat, Alberta
T1B 1H9
Tel: 403-528-2191
Fax: 403-528-2278
Toll Free: 1-866-339-2191
Federal Contacts
LaVar Payne, Member of Parliament (MP)
Medicine Hat Constituency
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-992-4516
Fax: 613-992-6181
E-Mail: Payne.L@parl.gc.ca
Constituency Offices:
112-1310 Kingsway Avenue SE
Medicine Hat, Alberta
T1A 2Y4
Telephone: (403) 528-4698
Fax: (403) 528-4365
6-403 2nd Avenue West
P.O. Box 640
Brooks, Alberta
T1R 1B6
Telephone: (403) 362-7677 or 1-800-565-4694
Fax: (403) 362-7055
Google Map
Forty Mile No. 8, County of, Alberta, Canada