The Advocate is the main source of news and information for the community it has served since 1982.

As the 'Gateway to the Great New North', Athabasca is well positioned between the business centres of metro Edmonton and the energy sector centres of Northern Alberta, including Fort McMurray. Major local employers include Athabasca University and Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries, while many energy sector companies are also choosing Athabasca for their regional offices. The community has all the amenities of a regional service centre, yet maintains a family-friendly, small-town atmosphere. Athabasca has experienced strong residential and retail growth including a new Canadian Tire store and Days Inn. Athabasca University is set to open its new $38 million Academic and Research Centre in 2012, which will help make Canada’s largest distance education centre more attractive to both students and faculty.

Similarly well-positioned on the Highway 63 corridor is the Village of Boyle, which is also experiencing rapid residential and industrial growth as a result of its location on the Edmonton-Fort McMurray corridor.