Kelly Christman

County of Newell

The County of Newell is a rural municipality (5900 sq. km.) located inin the heart of the Palliser Triangle, southeast Alberta. The County of Newell, with 1.5 million acres of land and 7,502 people is in an area bounded by the City of Calgary 180 km east, 100 km west of the City of Medicine Hat, and 150 km northeast of the City of Lethbridge. The County of Newell is one of the most prosperous areas in Alberta. The largest urban communities within the County are the City of Brooks and the Town of Bassano. The County provides a number of services – directly or jointly with other municipalities – to the residents of the rural area and Hamlets. These services include general administration and maintenance, fire protection, garbage disposal, planning and development administration, agricultural services, recreation and parks, family and community support services and bylaw enforcement. The County has a dynamic and diverse economy driven by three pillars: Agriculture; Oil and Gas; and Tourism. There are approximately 500 primary agricultural producers in the County, and approximately 1500 non-agricultural business enterprises within the County and its municipalities. The County has one of Alberta's most active natural gas fields. There are roughly 30,000 wells in the County, which accounts for half of all wells in Alberta, and 37% of all wells in Canada. Approximately 170 production and service companies employ 4,000 to 5,000 people in the energy sector in the region. Business costs are low. Quality of life is high – with a full range of recreation,health and cultural amenities.