Page 39 - 03_April-2025

THE VIEW
A 600-acre commercial development
could be a game-changer for St. Albert
by STEVEN SANDOR + photography AARON PEDERSEN
F
ifteen years ago, St. Albert was
the very definition of a bedroom
community. It was a suburb where
72 per cent of its employed residents
travelled outside the city to work.
That number is closer to 59 per cent now.
But Mayor Cathy Heron, her council and
the city’s administration want to bring that
number down even further. Council unanimously
approved more than $62.7 million in front-end
funding for the Lakeview Business District. It is a
planned, 600-acre industrial development in the
southwest corner of St. Albert, which will bring
more than 5,000 new jobs to the area, plus feed
into a number of nearby high-density residential
projects (for reference, Disneyland, minus the
surrounding resort hotels, is 85 acres).
“It makes us financially sustainable,” says
Heron. “When it comes to industrial land, we
have very few lots, so we need to bring this along
as fast as we can.”
What does sustainability mean? To those who
run the city of St. Albert, it’s about being seen as a
self-contained municipality. It means having more
services and jobs within the city limits. It’s about
reducing the number of bedroom commuters.
And why is it important? Remember that,
across Canada, municipalities answer to their
respective provincial or territorial governments.
In 1998, Ontario’s provincial government made
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