Two M.D. of Opportunity councillors are excited by the prospect of greenhouses for growing produce in the area.
M.D. councillors Tahirih Wiebe (Sandy Lake) and Cheri Courtorielle (Calling Lake) attended a greenhouse presentation in Athabasca. A representative from company from Ontario called greenshaus talked about the company’s passive solar greenhouses to grow vegetables, which are sold at local grocery stores.
They reported on the presentation at the April 9, 2025 council meeting.
At minus 25°C outside, it is plus 27°C inside, said Wiebe. The greenhouse circulates heat through the ground.
The presentation showed “great potential for things to be happening in our communities,” said Wiebe.
Athabasca County and the Town of Athabasca brought in the speaker, said Courtorielle, because they had identified commercial fruit and vegetable producers as a gap in agriculture. Very little land is farmed in for fruit and vegetables in the county.
Courtorielle mentioned the bitcoin company that plans to power computer data banks using gas powered generators on gas well sites. They are experimenting with vertical greenhouses to use the excess heat, but these are the least efficient types of greenhouses.
