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| Okotoks is Chris Ashby's Specialty |
Worried about Climate
Change? Okotoks is Canada’s Greenest Place to Live!
Taking the Lead
The good people of Okotoks make daily decisions about how
important the environment is in their community. Okotoks was one of the first
municipalities in the world to establish growth targets as far back as 1998. Since
the town is dependant on the Sheep River for its water Okotoks made the choice to
live within its limits.
Famous Quote from
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
At an environmental
conference in Montreal in 2007, Stephen Harper said, “Not far from my hometown
of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, there is a beautiful
little town called Okotoks. About 10 years ago, the folks there decided they
were going to live within their local environmental means.”
Dealing with
Population Growth First
A key feature of Okotoks' development path is their
population cap. Since the licensed limits of the Sheep River aquifer (approx.
30,000) became prevalent they needed to do something fast and effective.
Okotoks: The Rock
The town's name is derived from "ohkotok", the
Blackfoot First Nation word for "rock" and according to Wikipedia, it
perhaps refers to the largest known glacial erratic. Erratic means a rock transported from its place of
origin by glacial ice. Okotoks is about 18 km (11 mi) south of the
City of Calgary and the rock is about 7 km (4.3 mi) west of the town.
Transportation: Buses
Rule
Undertaking their own initiative, the Council of Okotoks makes
progress towards local and inter-municipal transit services. They intend to
further assess the demand and viability of both a local and inter-city transit
service. A key component of the plan includes an integrated Okotoks with
Calgary Transit Service to allow for a seamless transfer for users between the
different jurisdictions.
The Best Place to Live
Last year, Money Sense magazine
ranked Okotoks as both the 36th best city overall to live and the 18th best
small city to live in Canada.
Okotoks is Chris Ashby’s specialty. Why not give him a call
403-680-4479
