Town of Grande Cache

Anticipated Trends

Economy & Tourism

• Changing value of Canadian dollar has impacts as Grande Cache moves forward to diversify into an enhanced tourism destination and marketing of the Alaskan Highway network.
• Growing competition from regional and international markets such as Kananaskis, Jasper, Banff, and Canmore, etc.
• Changing tourism patterns such as shifts from eco-tourism to adventure tourism to education tourism.
• Increasing service, land, and infrastructure demands from resort developments and service industries wanting to expand and invest in Grande Cache.
• Pine Beetle infestation which threatens the entire forest ecosystem and forest economies including harvesting and tourism.
• Influenza pandemic and other disease outbreaks which stand to seriously impact our local economy.

Social

• Growing wealth gap in our community and larger Province. In addition increased demand for skilled trades are pushing development costs higher, pricing entire segments of our local population out of the market and community.
• Changing demographics such as the sudden shift from retirement focused community to an influx of young families.
• Global socio-political insecurities such as turmoil in the Middle East, which directly impact, fuel costs in our community.
• Rapid technological changes that impact older workers or those attempting to retrain into new positions. Moreover, rapid technological changes in building and infrastructure systems represent significant cost increases in maintenance and replacement costs.

Environmental

• Changing climate, which impedes the development of winter tourism products and uncertainty in winter activities.
• Declining natural resources and ever-increasing competition for land as oil and gas development grows. Pipeline, well construction, and coal mining will have a tremendous impact on our natural environment.
• Accumulating substances that affect health and pollute nature, including the municipal solid waste facility and the release of contaminates from industry into drinking water supplies.