General Questions

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We don’t want Lakers to sift through unrelated material to find the project information they need. But we noticed that reading about projects can bring up some really great, but unrelated, questions. We know that if one Laker is asking a question, other Lakers probably are too. So we are posting the answers here.

Keep in mind that:

  • We are listening
  • If you have questions about a specific project, ask it in that project's Ask & Answered section
  • We are doing our best to answer as quickly as we can


Remember, you can always ask any question, any time, here as well:

We don’t want Lakers to sift through unrelated material to find the project information they need. But we noticed that reading about projects can bring up some really great, but unrelated, questions. We know that if one Laker is asking a question, other Lakers probably are too. So we are posting the answers here.

Keep in mind that:

  • We are listening
  • If you have questions about a specific project, ask it in that project's Ask & Answered section
  • We are doing our best to answer as quickly as we can


Remember, you can always ask any question, any time, here as well:

  • East Leaderfield Park trail connections

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    On 14 May 2024, 12:06, Levi asked:

    Are there plans to put in a trail connecting Brookstone Drive and the trail to the north of Lucky Place? If so, any idea when?


    Hi Levi,

    We appreciate the time you took out of your day to ask about future trail development in our community. This question wasn't directly related to Pogadl Park, so we are answering it the General Questions area on this website.

    The trail north of Lucky Place is in Leaderfield East Park. The park along with the trail will eventually connect to the trails behind Cole Way.

    When will the trails connect?

    These developments usually happen when the surrounding land is developed. Right now, the park/trail corridor is zoned FD, or Future Designation (Page 168). You can find zoning on our land use map.

    The Future Designation zone means that the area is waiting for developers to start a project. Once developers start planning, we assign more specific land uses. Then the park and trails get built at the same time as the surrounding area is developed.

    We are not sure when these developments will begin, but the general guidelines are planned far into the future. This area is included in the Beacon Hill Outline Plan (pg. 16).

    Outline plans are general guidelines that help to coordinate the design and development of:

    • Infrastructure (Water, sewer, stormwater, internet, electricity, gas)

    • Roads (Vehicle and non-vehicle movement like bikes and walking)

    • Land Uses (Where residential, commercial, and park spaces are best placed to make a great neighbourhood)

    Outline plans are flexible and may change because future requirements may change.

    I know that this answer includes a lot of information. We wanted to give you the bigger picture of not just when and if the trail will connect, but how we make development decisions.

    Feel free to ask another question!

  • Public Transportation in Sylvan Lake

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    Hi PR!

    This is a great question that other Lakers might be asking, but was asked in the Centennial Street project. We don’t want Lakers to sift through unrelated material to find the project information they need, so we posted the answer here.

    In 2022, the Town contracted ISL to help us create a Transportation Master Plan. Section 5 of the plan reviews public transportation (pages 53 - 58). It was recommended that we plan for Public Transportation in about 25 years (page 53):

    5.2 Benefits and Challenges of Local Transit As concluded in the 2016 TMP, local transit is not recommended for the town in the short term. For the future 38,000 population (25-year) horizon, both a local transit and regional transit could be considered. Local transit includes the operation between residential areas and major destinations within town, and regional transit considers operation between Sylvan Lake and Red Deer.

    The following sources were reviewed to identify the benefits and challenges of offering local transit:

    • Design and Implementation of Transit Services in Small Communities, Transportation Association of Canada (2016)

    • Developing Sustainable Transit Options for Small Communities (2013)

    • Improving Travel Options in Small and Rural Communities, Transport Canada (2009)

    • Journey to Work. Canada Federal Census, StatsCan, (2016)

    One of the main challenges (Section 5.2.2, page 54) was cost and increased tax burden:

    Costs: Shortfall costs for operating transit (fare revenue vs. operation costs) are typically covered by the municipality in the order of 40-80%, depending on ridership and transit service levels. Transit funding shortfalls compete with other basic community needs for funds.

    You can find this and other planning documents on our website. Go to: www.sylvanlake.ca > Click the menu Your Government > Click Resource Library > Click the department on the left menu. The Transportation Master Plan is a Public Works document.

    We do acknowledge that vulnerable Lakers are most impacted by this decision. That’s why our FCSS Department offers the Transportation Support Program. The program assists Lakers with transportation barriers who meet the income threshold set by Alberta Senior’s Benefit. This program is for seniors and adults with physical and mental challenges.

    Council has heard other Laker’s questions about public transportation in Sylvan Lake. That’s why they are including a question about it on the 2024 census. All Sylvan Lake residents are encouraged to participate in the census. Watch out for the upcoming Census mailer with instructions.

    Thanks again for taking the time to ask questions. We encourage you to share this website, and to provide feedback through the annual resident priorities survey. It’s the easiest way for you to tell Council your priorities before budgeting starts each fall.

    Feel free to ask another question anytime!

Page last updated: 15 Jul 2024, 03:41 PM