Clearwater County approves Area Structure Plans for Saunders-Alexo and Whitegoat nodes

With West Country tourism expected to grow massively in the coming years, Clearwater County has approved two separate Area Structure Plan (ASP) development nodes in Saunders-Alexo and Whitegoat Lakes.

Following public open houses held in May and several amendments, council passed third reading of the development node plan at its July 8, 2025 meeting.

For Saunders-Alexo, located along Hwy. 11 between Rocky and Nordegg, potential amenities include day use areas, staging areas, rest stops and viewpoints overlooking the North Saskatchewan River.

It’ll also offer access to the fledgling Rocky to Nordegg Trail.

Despite the motions passing, concerns were brought up about access for emergency vehicles, access to electricity and utilities, crowding and deterioration of the natural landscape.

Officials in attendance say these types of plans are timely, especially since the province is making tourism a priority.

In 2024, the provincial government launched Higher Ground: A Tourism Sector Strategy. The strategy, officials point out, will unleash Alberta’s visitor economy potential by charting the path towards a bold and ambitious goal of growing Alberta’s visitor economy from $10 billion a year to $25 billion annually by 2035 while creating jobs and economic opportunity for all regions of the province.

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Proposed ASP for Saunders-Alexo including day use area, staging areas and viewpoints. (Clearwater County)

Third reading also passed for the ASP for the Whitegoat Lake development node.

Located approximately 48 km west of Nordegg, the node plan also includes accommodation for viewpoints, day use and rest stops.

Coun. Genny Mehlhaff says the ASP approvals are the next step in what’s already been a lengthy process.

“This is something that’s been worked on since the 90s,” she said. “This is the next step, and there are many other steps in which the public can tell us what they’re concerns are so we can put mitigating conditions on development permits.

She adds, the ASP could also make it easier for emergency vehicles to reach people, as it’ll have official municipal or provincial access down the road.

“If you look at the amount of people touring the West Country, it’s not getting less, it’s getting more,” said Stephen Shenfield, manager with Alberta Forestry and Parks. “By having a plan in place, we can put it in an organized fashion.

Shenfield pointed to population growth in Alberta. He points out it was was 2.5 million in the 90s when early ASP planning began, but has now more than doubled.

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