Although the region’s hot economy continues to remain strong, the housing market offers many attractive options whether you are looking at building a home, buying a home, or checking out rental accommodations.

One realtor is located in Special Areas No. 4:

Ron Stab Realty
12-5006 50th Street
Consort, Alberta
Tel: 403-577-2954

For more information

• CMHC - A national site that has lots of general information about buying, renting, and renovating homes.  You will also find detailed information and links about housing costs, financial assistance programs, legal information and specialized housing issues. Links to various related Government sites also assist with housing related information.
• MLS Canada - A searchable data base that lists homes for sale.  Property searches by community are available.

Sunshine coupled with warm dry summers means more time to spend outdoors and exploring our region.  The low altitude of the region produces a very warm climate, with particular areas often matching or surpassing the “hot spot” of Canada.  Winters have become very mild over the last few years with average temperatures on the rise.

The climate for Special Areas No. 4 is considered semi arid, which means lots of sunshine.  The average rainfall for the year is 27.5 cm while the average snowfall for the winter is 139.8 cm. The average temperature in July is 17.1 degrees Celsius while the average temperature in January is -14.8 degrees Celsius.

Utilities including natural gas, power, and water are necessary expenses to consider for both homeowners and renters. Communities in south east Alberta boast some of the lowest rates in the country.

Electrical Power  

ATCO Electric  
P.O. Box 184
Consort, Alberta
T0C 1B0
Tel: 1-800-668-2248

Natural Gas

ATCO Gas

Box 780
4912 Windsor Avenue
Coronation, Alberta
T0C 1C0
Tel: 403-578-2720

Telephone

TELUS Ltd.
Tel: 310-2255

TELUS Mobility
1-866-558-2273

Water Supply

The water source is the Shirley McClellan Regional Water Line, which is sourced from the Red Deer River.  The water is treated at the Town of Stettler Water Treatment Plant and distributed through the regional water line.

Waste Management

Sewage treatment is provided in the Village of Consort by a lagoon consisting of 2 short and 1 long detention ponds. Rural residents manage their own septic systems.

For more information

• The Office of the Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) provides consumers with information about Alberta's restructured electricity and natural gas markets

Providing access to education and training opportunities is essential in creating a well-prepared workforce and strong communities. Southeast Alberta schools, college, other education institutions and have a lot to offer newcomers in lifelong learning.

One of the largest school jurisdictions in Alberta, Prairie Land Regional Division #25  encompasses approximately 15,500 square kilometers (6,000 square miles) in the east central region of the province. Although geographically very large, the jurisdiction serves 1,625 students in Grades 1 to 12, as well as approximately 112 kindergarten students.  All schools in the Special Areas No. 4 region have video conferencing capabilities.

The eight member Board of Trustees serves students attending 19 schools scattered widely throughout the jurisdiction. Ten of these schools, one of which is an Outreach School, are located in towns and hamlets, while nine are located in colonies of Hutterian Brethren.

Public Schools

Altario School is a small Grade 1 to 12 school located in the hamlet of Altario. The school serves about 60 students from the rural communities of Altario, Compeer and Kirriemuir.

• Altario School
  General Delivery
  Altario, Alberta T0C 0E0
  Tel:403-552-3828

Consort School is located in the Village of Consort, and serves around 260 Kindergarten to Grade 12 students from the Village of Consort and surrounding areas. Students from Veteran School take their high school grades at Consort.

• Consort School
  Bag 1002
  5215-50th Street
  Consort, Alberta T0C 1B0
  Tel:403-577-3654

Veteran School serves 58 Kindergarten to Grade 9 students from the town of Veteran and surrounding area. Students finish their schooling at Consort School.

• Veteran School
  201 Lucknow street
  Box 649
  Veteran, Alberta T0C 2S0
  Tel:403-575-3915

Continuing Education

The Neutral Hills Community Adult Learning Society provides community based adult learning. Located in Consort, the Community Adult Learning Society provides learning opportunities for the entire region. Learning opportunities include a wide selection of adult and continuing education classes year-round.  The Neutral Hills Community Adult Learning Society has video conferencing capabilities.

• Neutral Hills Community Adult Learning Society
  5231-50th Street
  Box 573
  Consort, Alberta  T0C 1B0
  Tel: 403-577-3011
  Fax: 403-577-2024

Post-Secondary Education

• Medicine Hat College (MHC) has been serving students in southeastern Alberta and beyond since 1965. Situated in Canada’s sunniest city, MHC’s main campus services almost 3,000 students each year with another 200 attending Brooks Campus, located 100 km west of Medicine Hat. With some of the lowest student-to-instructor ratios in the province, MHC offers a very personal, one-on-one student experience. MHC offers a wide variety of programs to meet the ever-changing needs of students from southeastern Alberta and around the world.
• Athabasca University Canada’s Open University, is dedicated to the removal of barriers that restrict access to and success in university-level study and to increasing equality of educational opportunity for adult learners worldwide.

For more information

• ALIS (Alberta Learning Information Service)  – This site provides information on education, training, financial assistance, grants, bursaries, transfers, on-line student services, and more.
• Alberta Education Curriculum - Excellent information and resources for parents of students is provided on this site; it includes information on school choices, summaries of required curriculum, and “homework” help.
• Alberta Education - Schools  -  A complete list of schools and school boards is available here.
• Alberta Children's Services – This site provides information and check-lists to help parents find quality child care; information and links about child care subsidies, adoption, parent support services; and phone numbers for the Kids Help Line, and the Child Care Help Line for Parents.
• Child Care Subsidy – If you have child care costs for preschool children, you may not be aware that all eligible Albertans may qualify for the Child Care Subsidy Program.  Go to this site to get complete information about the Child Care Subsidy or to try the Estimator.
• Monthly Living Allowance - Information from the Alberta Student Finance Board is available at this site.
• National Child Benefit (Low Income Families)  - This program provides financial and social support to low-income families.

The job market in Southeast Alberta is strong! There are lots of great career opportunities in many different industries from trades to healthcare to manufacturing and many, many more. There is demand for all levels of positions, from entry-level to senior positions.

Check them out at www.findingwork.ca 

Employment opportunities within the Special Areas can be found here.

For more information

• Alberta Government Learning Information Services - Alberta's leading on-line source for career, learning and employment information and services. Here you'll find the resources you need to make the most of your future.
• Alberta Occupational Profiles - Information about a variety of career occupations, and advice about how to develop careers in Alberta, including information about current job markets is available at this site. There is a searchable database that makes it easy to research career options by interest, professional title, or industry.
• Alberta Wage & Salary data  - The Alberta Wage and Salary Survey covers over 400 occupations and provides information on wages and salaries for full-time and part-time employees in Alberta by occupation, geographic area, and industry group.
• Alberta Works - Alberta Works focuses on training people for employment.
• Service Alberta’s Job Seekers provides information for those looking for employment.  Here, you will find the Alberta Work Search Online, the Federal Job Bank, and even a free e-Résumé Review Service.
• The Government of Canada has bilingual information about Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Service Canada, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and Foreign Credentials Referral Office.
• The Government of Alberta provides information on immigration process for Canada and Alberta, as well as about programs and services designed to help immigrants before and after they arrive.
• Canadian Information Centre for Immigrants - A bilingual site that provides a thorough overview of information about credentials, education, qualification, and employment in Canada. It is well organized and easy to navigate.
• Job Bank Canada - Job Bank is the largest web-based network of job postings available to Canadians.