Room to Grow at CDC South — The County of Newell now manages 15 leases at the Crop Diversification Centre South, covering storage, offices, greenhouse bays and field space. Director of Agricultural Services Todd Green says two more greenhouse partners are expected in the coming months. Work has also begun to secure more field research projects for 2027.

Data Centre Petitions — The County of Newell received three sets of documents, described as petitions, ahead of the public hearing on proposed data centre rules. CAO Matt Fenske explained that, under Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, a formal petition cannot require council to change a land use bylaw. To acknowledge the effort people made and explain the requirements, he prepared a public memo outlining what a formal petition needs, including a clear purpose on every page, witnessed signatures and a named representative. The concerns still reached council. Letters submitted through the online “Send a Letter” tool were included in the public hearing package, and Fenske said they helped bring calls for environmental impact assessments to council’s attention. Read his full memo in the September 24 council agenda.

Waste-to-Energy Facility — Global Green outlined plans for a facility beside the regional landfill that would turn solid waste into energy. They expect the technology to process about 70% of that waste, with the remaining 30% still managed by the landfill. He said the project aims to employ at least 100 people locally, use local contractors and offer apprenticeships. Provincial permitting is still in progress. Once a permit is received, the company plans to open an information and recruitment centre in Brooks.

The End of a 5 Year Plan — After my first full season managing the Brooks Farmers’ Market in 2022, a vendor asked if I would be back. I said I had a five-year plan to complete. It was vague, but aspirational. In the coming weeks, follow along as I share what that plan was and how far we’ve come in growing the BEST little market.

Testing Hydrogen for Local Fleets — The Brooks-Newell hydrogen project proposes testing more than ten vehicles using hydrogen alongside diesel while designing a hydrogen production and refuelling hub. Testing and design work are expected to finish by August 2027. If results and demand support proceeding, a permanent facility could be operating in 2028.

More Requests Than Funding at FCSS — Grasslands Regional FCSS had fourteen requests for more than $659,000 in Core Grant Funding for 2027. Ten programs were funded in 2026, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Toy Library, Lifetalk, Seniors Outreach, SPEC and the University of Calgary’s Local Language Learning Centre. Councillor Holly Johnson said the board would meet to consider the requests but would not be able to fund everyone who applied, as only $348,000 is available.

Recycling Depot Services to Continue for Now — Councillor Kopp reported that the recycling and solid waste association boards met to discuss the rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recycling. As new recycling boxes are introduced, the boards plan to keep the depot, including compost services, operating as it does now. They will meet again in February to review how things have gone.

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