Athabasca town councillor George Hawryluk is on a mission to seize the opportunity presented by Wabascaís expansion.
ìWe have to become more visible, we have to be open minded to welcome other people and businesses into the community,î Hawryluk said. ìThis is a golden opportunity.î
Wabascaís growth is set to reach a new level with the proposed steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil recovery project for the area. The project would bring camps to the area, and most of the workers would live in outlying communities to raise their families.
ìWe donít have to be afraid of newcomers,î Hawryluk said. ìI may be a fool, or a visionary ó time will tell.î
Hawryluk will be presenting to the Athabasca District Chamber of Commerce at their April 10 meeting.
ìI think it would be good for George to do his presentation to tell us what part we have in this,î chamber president Penny Semashkewich said. ìWe have not discussed this at all yet, but I canít see why not if there is something we can do.î
Hawryluk thinks it is up to local businesses to spread the word.
ìUnless we become aggressive in trying to present the town, we are going to miss the boat again, like we always do,î Hawryluk said. ìThis is an opportunity. It is two hours away, and a lot of people are already using the services and businesses in town here from Wabasca.î
Hawryluk also thinks Athabasca needs to have some promotional materials to help spread the word.
ìWe need to open dialogue and communication that will grow into a good relationship that would benefit both communities,î he said. ìYou canít expect council to do all of it. It has to come from within the business community to show that we are interested in dealing with the businesses in Wabasca.î
Hawryluk said it is just a matter of time before the boom.
ìYou see the traffic, and the business people are talking about how many people are coming from Wabasca.î
ìWe, on the other hand, have to work and prepare ourselves for this boom.î
Hawryluk thinks that if the council and chamber of Wabasca partner with their Athabasca counterparts, things could happen quickly, including the building of a new bridge across the Athabasca River.
ìWe need to be building more, and have the infrastructure that needs to be in place,î he said.
As for services, Hawryluk thinks Athabasca could use more.
ìWhat I would like to see is a couple more hotels,î he said. ìWe could use a couple more restaurants.î
However, Hawryluk thinks businesses should take an active role in the process.
ìHey, come down here. This is what we have to offer. Spend your money in our town. Stay a while, do something.î
ìIf you want to sell your merchandise to people from Wabasca, it is your job to go out there and present the opportunities.
ìWe might assume that people know what is available here, but people who havenít been in Athabasca are not aware of the fact that we have this and that to offer.î
