Summer Village of Waiparous Contact Information
587-574-0744
PO BOX 806, COCHRANE, AB, T4C 1B8
Next Meeting of the Summer Village of Waiparous Council
Organizaitonal Meeting of Council
Saturday, July 18 at 9:30am
Location – Waiparous Community Building, Summer Village of Waiparous
If you would like to formally address Council on a specific item, please email Administration at admin@waiparous.ca at least one week prior to the regular meeting explaining the item you wish to discuss in order to be placed on the agenda.
Save The Date:
May 12 – BRIDGE CLOSED 8am-8pm
June 13 – GWTA Spring Work Bee
July 18 at 10:00am – SVW Community Meeting & Annual Picnic at the SVW Picnic Grounds
August 8 – SVW Bench Maintenance Day
September 26 – GWTA Fall Work Bee
Highway 40 Bridge
UPDATE May 7, 2026 – Closure Update
We have had an update from Alberta Transportation that the bridge will now be closed from 8:00am-8:00pm on May 12.
UPDATE May 6, 2026 – Temporary Bridge Installation
The bridge will be closed May 12 for the day (a day is considered 7:00am – 7:00pm) as they install the temporary bridge. They will get the work completed as quickly as possible but please plan for the full day closure. During the closure, no one will be able to cross the bridge, this includes pedestrians and school buses. There will be signage at the intersection of Highway 40 & 1A as well as closer to the Village along Highway 40 notifying people of the closure. The MD of Bighorn Emergency Services will have the sprinkler trailer parked at the Waiparous Community Building and a Fire Truck will be located at Ghost Country Place to ensure there is emergency response on the west side of the bridge for the day. If you have any questions, you can contact James Herian with Alberta Transportation at james.herian@gov.ab.ca
UPDATE April 25, 2026 – Temporary Bridge Installation
The bridge will be closed May 12 for the day (a day is considered 7:00am – 7:00pm) as they install the temporary bridge. During the closure, no one will be able to cross the bridge. The MD of Bighorn Emergency Services is working on a response plan for the west side of the bridge. This closure is the only feasible option to get the temporary bridge installed. If anything changes with this schedule (day and/or times), they will give as much notice as possible. As more information comes in it will be shared with everyone, but in the meantime, plan for the full day closure of the bridge on May 12 and adding the additional time to your travels that day to detour around if needed
UPDATE April 8, 2026 – Temporary Bridge Preparation Work
The highway maintenance contractor is going to start doing some prep work in the next few weeks to get ready for the temporary bridge installation on Highway 40 in the Summer Village of Waiparous. They anticipate that there will be intermittent closures of 5 to 10 minutes while this prep work is occurring. Alberta Transportation is still working on the details for the temporary bridge install and will provide an update once they have more information of the required closure for the bridge install.
March 10, 2026 – Temporary Bridge Deck being installed in April 2026
Alberta Transportation implemented the weight restrictions on the Highway 40 bridge last week. We have been advised this will be temporary. They are currently manufacturing a temporary bridge deck that will be placed on top of the current bridge. Once completed, the weight limits will return to their original limits. It is anticipated sometime in April they will be installing the temporary bridge decks, and these will stay in place until the new bridge is constructed and operational. There will be work that needs to be done on the current bridge structure to support the temporary bridge decks. This work will impact traffic similar to the impacts a few years ago when they replaced the bridge deck and controlled traffic flow with flagmen. Once the temporary decks are ready to be placed, they will need to stop traffic over the bridge while the decks and new approach ramps are installed. At this time, they are not sure how long traffic will be impacted but as the construction plan is developed they will know more details. They are looking at planning construction to be in the evenings/nighttime to ensure the least amount of traffic impacts. Albert Transportation will be working with Emergency Services to ensure they have a plan for response while the bridge is not in use. Once they send the construction plan and timeline it will be posted.
In Fall of 2025, an inspection was completed on the current bridge and as a result the reduction on the weight limits for the bridge is as follows:
| Current | Revised | |
| single unit trucks | 19 t | 9 t |
| semi-trailer trucks | 33 t | 18 t |
| truck trains | 47 t | 29 t |
These restrictions are now in place. This will impact you if you live on the west side of the bridge. For example, septic services – we were in contact with a septic truck company that provides services to the Village to see how their services may be impacted. They have confirmed that the new weights will limit their ability to use the bridge with the size of truck they have and they will probably have to come the other way via Water Valley which will add $250-$300 to the service. Each property has different size tanks and has different providers with different size trucks so you are encouraged to contact your regular provider to discuss the impact to you directly. FIRE SERVICES WILL NOT BE AFFECTED by these new limits as there will be exemptions for emergencies.
The current schedule for the construction of a new bridge is to have the design completed and tenders out in the fall of 2026 with construction to begin spring of 2027. This is the current plan but until the work is tendered, a construction timeline of 2027 can not be committed to. It is anticipated a Public House will be held in the summer of 2026 for the new bridge project.
Community Building Project
We are getting everything in place to start construction on the new storage building in June. Once the new building is completed work will start on the renovations to the existing building.
Waiparous Community Association
For many years, our Village had an active Community Association. In addition to our annual summer picnic, the Association organized other events and activities throughout the year, helping to bring the community together and foster a sense of belonging. Eventually the association disbanded, although the annual picnic continued thanks to dedicated volunteers.
Now, we are pleased to announce that the Waiparous Communality Association (WCA) is making a comeback! Why now? Exciting changes coming to the Community Building will make it much more accessible and usable for social gatherings and events. Also, as more and more residents are living in Waiparous full time or spending more time here, a revived WCA creates additional opportunities for us to connect and strengthen our special community.
Our enthusiastic team of volunteers are: Iona Parsons (President), Laura Newcombe (Vice President), Sandra Barker (Treasurer), Libby Graham (Secretary), Cheryl Wauthier (Director and Liaison to the Village Council), Gwen Moncayo, and Jodie Grisdale (Directors), and Suzanne Gaida (Village Chief Administrative Officer and general support).
We are still in the process of being registered as a non-profit organization while we continue important background preparation work. In the meantime, fun and inspiring ideas for community‑strengthening events are taking shape, and we look forward to hearing from residents as spring and summer unfold. While the Take It or Leave It event will be deferred until warmer weather and the completion of the Community Building, this time allows us to plan thoughtfully and build momentum for vibrant and engaging times ahead.
Waiparous Community Association
2026 Federal Census
Statistics Canada has contacted the Village and asked that we let everyone know they are looking for local census workers for the 2026 Census. Join the census team and help collect the information that shapes programs and services people rely on every day.
Census jobs offer flexible, short-term employment and the chance to contribute to data collection activities. Census information is used to plan programs and services that support employment, education, public transportation and health care.
If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity visit census.gc.ca/jobs.
Ghost-Kananaskis Sub-Regional Plan
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is inviting Albertans to share their input as we begin developing the Ghost-Kananaskis Sub-regional Plan. Phase 1 engagement is now open. They are looking for feedback on the draft vision and outcomes that will guide future land management decisions and support sustainable recreation, tourism, and traditional land uses in the Ghost-Kananaskis area. The survey also includes an interactive mapping tool to identify how you use and visit the region. Your perspectives will help shape the draft plan.
Visit the website to learn more and participate in the survey: alberta.ca/ghost-kananaskis-sub-regional-plan-engagement
EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy Trail Camera Review
John E. Marriott and the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy team presented and reviewed the best trail camera footage captured from Exposed’s Cougar Coexistence Trail Camera pilot project in Waiparous and the Back 40 from January 2023-December 2024.
Waiparous in the news!