Stirling CAO looks back to the year that was

Posted on January 16, 2025 by admin

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Scott Donselaar, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Stirling, describes 2024 as being ‘an exciting year’ for the Village of Stirling.

This year, Donselaar stated, marked the Village of Stirling’s 125th anniversary, which brought the community together and saw peoples from all around Canada and the United States travel to join the community in celebrating Stirling.

“Trevor Panczak performing for our 125th, along with Saints and Sinners doing two performances in the Village, was definitely a highlight,” said Donselaar. “The way the community embraced our celebrations and those who visited our community was also a great highlight.   I think our 125th Anniversary really highlighted why people choose to make Stirling their home.”

Another key highlight from 2024, Donselaar says, was the Village of Stirling working through core infrastructure projects.

“These upgrades will provide the foundation we need to be able to grow the community and build a strong sustainable community,” said Donselaar.

Donselaar truly believes that the Village of Stirling has grown throughout 2024.

“We continue to see a strong spirit of volunteerism in Stirling and people embrace the neighborly approach, which many communities lost post-COVID,” said Donselaar. “Our community contributed to the betterment of Alberta by doing all the things necessary to make a community people want to live in. Our investment in our ability to achieve growth allows for homes to be build which will support the people needed in Southern Alberta to fulfill the growing agrifood industry. The welcoming and community minded nature of this Village creates a place which feels safe and assuring.”

Council, Donselaar emphasizes, has contributed to that feeling of safety by always communicating effectively with residents and that communication resulted in one of the largest turnouts at a Council meeting for the Land Use Bylaw Public Hearing.

“Council has always communicated effectively with residents,” said Donselaar. “Part of the complexity with communication is no matter how many ways you provide information, people have to want to be informed, and the challenge is always showing how you make people want to be informed,” said Donselaar. “We believe the staff have worked tirelessly alongside our dedicated volunteers who put on some amazing events which keep our community spirit vibrant and residents engaged.”

Administration, Donselaar says, would say that the Village Council has done a lot in 2024 and have as much prepared for 2025 to keep Stirling able to grow for all those people who also see why this is such a great place to live.  

2025, Donselaar says, is approaching as the Village of Stirling prepares for a large-scale potable water project and Administration also has a goal of not raising the mill rate while delivering the same high level of services Village residents receive.