2015 Alberta municipal censuses
← 2014 April 1 – June 30, 2015 2016 →
Distribution of Alberta's 269 urban municipalities

Alberta has provincial legislation allowing its municipalities to conduct municipal censuses between April 1 and June 30 inclusive.[1][2] Municipalities choose to conduct their own censuses for multiple reasons such as to better inform municipal service planning and provision, to capitalize on per capita based grant funding from higher levels of government, or to simply update their populations since the last federal census.[3]

Alberta had 357 municipalities between April 1 and June 30, 2015, which marked the closure of the 2015 legislated municipal census period. This was reduced to 356 on July 1, 2015 when the former Village of Minburn dissolved to become a hamlet under the jurisdiction of the County of Minburn No. 27. At least 52 of these municipalities (14.6%) conducted a municipal census in 2015. Alberta Municipal Affairs recognized those conducted by 50 of these municipalities.[4] By municipal status, it recognized those conducted by 12 of Alberta's 18 cities, 20 of 108 towns, 5 of 92 villages, 3 of 5 specialized municipalities, 2 of 64 municipal districts, and all 8 Metis settlements.[4][a] In addition to those recognized by Municipal Affairs, censuses were conducted by the villages of Kitscoty and Warburg.[5][6]

Aerial view of Red Deer
Red Deer's 2015 municipal census confirmed its population exceeded 100,000.

Some municipalities achieved population milestones as a result of their 2015 censuses. Red Deer became the third city in Alberta to exceed 100,000 residents, while Grande Prairie not only surpassed 60,000 people, but also overtook both St. Albert and Medicine Hat to become Alberta's fifth-largest city. Spruce Grove grew beyond the 30,000 mark, while both the Town of Blackfalds and the County of Vermilion River eclipsed 8,000. The Town of Westlock's population resurfaced above 5,000 after first doing so in 2006 but dropping back below in 2008. The Village of Thorsby surpassed 1,000, making it eligible to apply for town status.

Municipal census results

The following summarizes the results of the numerous municipal censuses conducted in 2015.

2015 municipal census summary[4] 2011 federal census comparison[7][8] Previous municipal census comparison[8][9][10]
Municipality Status Census
date 		2015
pop. 		2011
pop. 		Absolute
growth 		Absolute
change 		Annual
growth
rate 		Prev.
pop. 		Prev.
census
year 		Absolute
growth 		Annual
growth
rate
Airdrie City April 15, 2015 58,690 42,564 16,126 37.9% 8.4% 54,891 2014 3,799 6.9%
Barnwell Village June 1, 2015 960 771 189 24.5% 5.6% 812 2011 148 4.3%
Beaumont Town April 15, 2015 16,768 13,284 3,484 26.2% 6.0% 15,828 2014 940 5.9%
Big Valley Village May 11, 2015 347 364 −17 -4.7% −1.2% 300 1991 47 0.6%
Blackfalds Town May 1, 2015 8,793 6,300 2,493 39.6% 8.7% 7,858 2014 935 11.9%
Brooks City May 1, 2015 14,185 13,676 509 3.7% 0.9% 13,581 2007 604 0.5%
Buffalo Lake Metis settlement May 24, 2015 676 492 184 37.4% 8.3% 701 2012 −25 −1.2%
Calgary City April 1, 2015 1,230,915 1,096,833 134,082 12.2% 2.9% 1,195,194 2014 35,721 3.0%
Chestermere City May 1, 2015 18,496 14,824 3,672 24.8% 5.7% 17,203 2014 1,293 7.5%
Coalhurst Town May 20, 2015 2,522 1,963 559 28.5% 6.5% 2,301 2013 221 4.7%
Cochrane Town April 10, 2015 23,084 17,580 5,504 31.3% 7.0% 20,708 2014 2,376 11.5%
East Prairie Metis settlement May 24, 2015 459 366 93 25.4% 5.8% 345 2012 114 10.0%
Elizabeth Metis settlement May 24, 2015 690 654 36 5.5% 1.3% 671 2012 19 0.9%
Elk Point Town April 17, 2015 1,646 1,412 234 16.6% 3.9% 1,571 2012 75 1.6%
Fishing Lake Metis settlement May 24, 2015 491 436 55 12.6% 3.0% 425 2012 66 4.9%
Fort Saskatchewan City April 20, 2015 24,040 19,051 4,989 26.2% 6.0% 22,808 2014 1,232 5.4%
Gift Lake Metis settlement May 24, 2015 651 662 −11 -1.7% −0.4% 791 2012 −140 −6.3%
Grande Prairie City April 17, 2015 68,556 55,032 13,524 24.6% 5.6% 50,227 2007 18,329 4.0%
Hay Lakes Village June 4, 2015 492 425 67 15.8% 3.7% 429 2008 63 2.0%
High Level Town March 1, 2015 3,823 3,641 182 5% 1.2% 3,849 2004 −26 −0.1%
Innisfail Town May 4, 2015 7,953 7,876 77 1% 0.2% 7,922 2012 31 0.1%
Kikino Metis settlement May 24, 2015 918 964 −46 -4.8% 0.0% 810 2012 108 4.3%
Kitscoty Village [b] 846 967 2013
Leduc City April 28, 2015 29,304 24,279 5,025 20.7% 4.8% 28,583 2014 721 2.5%
Lethbridge City April 1, 2015 94,804 83,517 11,287 13.5% 3.2% 93,004 2014 1,800 1.9%
Lloydminster City April 1, 2015 31,377 27,804 3,573 12.9% 3.1% 31,483 2013 −106 −0.2%
Mackenzie County Specialized municipality March 1, 2015 11,750 10,927 823 7.5% 1.8% 9,687 2003 2,063 1.6%
Magrath Town March 30, 2015 2,398 2,217 181 8.2% 2.0% 2,376 2013 22 0.5%
Medicine Hat City April 10, 2015 63,018 60,005 3,013 5% 1.2% 61,180 2012 1,838 1.0%
Milk River Town April 13, 2015 892 811 81 10% 2.4% 846 2007 46 0.7%
Okotoks Town May 6, 2015 28,016 24,511 3,505 14.3% 3.4% 27,331 2014 685 2.5%
Opportunity No. 17MD of Opportunity No. 17 Municipal district April 1, 2015 3,214 3,074 140 4.6% 1.1% 3,061 2013 153 2.5%
Oyen Town May 8, 2015 1,006 973 33 3.4% 0.8% 1,070 2012 −64 −2.0%
Paddle Prairie Metis settlement May 24, 2015 530 562 −32 -5.7% −1.5% 464 2012 66 4.5%
Peavine Metis settlement May 24, 2015 639 690 −51 -7.4% −1.9% 651 2012 −12 −0.6%
Rainbow Lake Town March 1, 2015 938 870 68 7.8% 1.9% 1,082 2007 −144 −1.8%
Raymond Town May 15, 2015 4,139 3,743 396 10.6% 2.5% 4,081 2014 58 1.4%
Red Deer City April 1, 2015 100,807 90,564 10,243 11.3% 2.7% 98,585 2014 2,222 2.3%
Rocky Mountain House Town April 1, 2015 7,220 6,933 287 4.1% 1.0% 7,300 2012 −80 −0.4%
Spruce Grove City April 8, 2015 32,036 26,171 5,865 22.4% 5.2% 29,526 2014 2,510 8.5%
Stirling Village May 11, 2015 1,215 1,090 125 11.5% 2.8% 1,147 2013 68 2.9%
Stony Plain Town April 1, 2015 16,127 15,051 1,076 7.1% 1.7% 14,177 2010 1,950 2.6%
Strathcona County Specialized municipality May 1, 2015 95,597 92,490 3,107 3.4% 0.8% 92,403 2012 3,194 1.1%
Strathmore Town April 15, 2015 13,327 12,305 1,022 8.3% 2.0% 12,352 2012 975 2.6%
Sylvan Lake Town April 14, 2015 14,310 12,327 1,983 16.1% 3.8% 13,015 2013 1,295 4.9%
Taber Town May 6, 2015 8,380 8,104 276 3.4% 0.8% 7,935 2011 445 1.4%
Thorsby Village April 19, 2015 1,025 951 74 7.8% 1.9% 947 2012 78 2.7%
Turner Valley Town May 15, 2015 2,511 2,167 344 15.9% 3.8% 2,022 2008 489 3.1%
Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River Municipal district April 29, 2015 8,116 7,905 211 2.7% 0.7% 7,900 2008 216 0.4%
Warburg Village [6] 789 696 2009
Westlock Town April 15, 2015 5,147 4,823 324 6.7% 1.6% 4,964 2008 183 0.5%
Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo Specialized municipality April 1, 2015 81,948 65,565 16,383 25% 5.7% 74,631 2012 7,317 3.2%

Breakdowns

Lloydminster

The following is a breakdown of the results of the City of Lloydminster's 2015 municipal census by provincial component.

2015 municipal census summary 2011 federal census comparison 2013 municipal census comparison
Provincial component 2015
pop.[11] 		Prov.
percent 		2011
pop.
[7][12] 		Prov.
percent 		Absolute
growth 		Absolute
change 		Annual
growth
rate 		2013
pop.
[8] 		Prov.
percent 		Absolute
growth 		Absolute
change 		Annual
growth
rate
Alberta portion 19,740 63% 18,032 65% 1,708 9.5% 2.3% 20,011 64% −271 -1.4% −0.7%
Saskatchewan portion 11,637 37% 9,772 35% 1,865 19.1% 4.5% 11,472 36% 165 1.4% 0.7%
Total Lloydminster 31,377 100% 27,804 100% 3,573 12.9% 3.1% 31,483 100% −106 -0.3% −0.2%

Urban and rural service areas

Houses backing onto a pond in Sherwood Park
Sherwood Park is an urban service area within Strathcona County.
Aerial view of Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray is the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's urban service area.

Strathcona County

2015 municipal census summary[13] 2012 municipal census comparison[13]
Area 2015
population[4] 		Previous
population 		Absolute
growth 		Annual
growth rate
Sherwood Park urban service area[c] 68,782 65,465 3,317 1.7%
Rural service area[d] 26,815 26,938 −123 −0.2%
Total Strathcona County 95,597 92,403 3,194 1.1%

Wood Buffalo

2015 municipal census summary 2012 municipal census comparison
Area 2015
population[4] 		Previous
population 		Absolute
growth 		Annual
growth rate
Fort McMurray urban service area[c] 78,382 70,964 7,418 3.4%
Rural service area[d] 3,566 3,667 −101 −0.9%
Total RM of Wood Buffalo 81,948 74,631 7,317 3.2%

Hamlets

The following is a list of hamlet populations determined by 2015 municipal censuses conducted by the County of Vermilion River, Strathcona County and the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo excluding the urban service areas of Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park that are presented above.

2015 municipal census summary Previous census comparison
Hamlet Municipality 2015
population
[16][17] 		Previous
population
[17][18] 		Previous
census year
 Absolute
growth 		Annual
growth rate
Antler Lake Strathcona County 469 353 2012 116 9.9%
Anzac Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 763 714 2012 49 2.2%
Ardrossan Strathcona County 412 514 2012 −102 −7.1%
Blackfoot Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 422[19] 269[20] 2011 151 11.1%
Clandonald Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 107[21] 109[20] 2011 −2 −0.5%
Collingwood Cove Strathcona County 360 362 2012 −2 −0.2%
Conklin Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 376 318 2012 58 5.7%
Fort Chipewyan Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 1,014 1,008 2012 6 0.2%
Fort MacKay Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 51 59 2012 −8 −4.7%
Gregoire Lake Estates Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 232 275 2012 −43 −5.5%
Half Moon Lake Strathcona County 195 226 2012 −31 −4.8%
Hastings Lake Strathcona County 87 92 2012 −5 −1.8%
Islay Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 209[22] 208[20] 2011 1 0.1%
Janvier Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 155 171 2012 −16 −4.8%
Josephburg Strathcona County 117 233 2012 −116 −20.5%
McLaughlin Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 41[23]
North Cooking Lake Strathcona County 59 66 2012 −7 −3.7%
Rivercourse Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 16[24]
Saprae Creek Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo 977 925 2012 52 1.8%
South Cooking Lake Strathcona County 302 294 2012 8 0.9%
Streamstown Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 20[25]
Tulliby Lake Vermilion RiverCounty of Vermilion River 22[26]

Shadow population counts

Alberta Municipal Affairs defines shadow population as "temporary residents of a municipality who are employed by an industrial or commercial establishment in the municipality for a minimum of 30 days within a municipal census year."[3] The RM of Wood Buffalo conducted a shadow population count in 2015. The following presents the results of this count for comparison with its concurrent municipal census results.

Municipality Status Municipal
census
population[4] 		Shadow
population[4] 		Combined
population[4]
Wood BuffaloRM of Wood Buffalo Specialized municipality 81,948 43,084 125,032

Notes

  1. ^ No censuses were conducted among Alberta's 51 summer villages, 3 special areas and 8 improvement districts.[4]
  2. ^ The Village of Kitscoty began a municipal census but was "unable to complete it due to staffing and time constraints."[5]
  3. ^ a b The Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park urban service areas are deemed equivalents of cities.[14][15]
  4. ^ a b Strathcona County's and the RM of Wood Buffalo's rural service areas are deemed equivalents of municipal districts.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Municipal Government Act: Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000 Chapter M-26 (Office Consolidation)". Alberta Queen's Printer. November 24, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "Municipal Government Act: Determination of Population Regulation, Alberta Regulation 63/2001 (Office Consolidation)" (PDF). Alberta Queen's Printer. 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Municipal Census Manual: Requirements and Guidelines for Conducting a Municipal Census (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. January 2013. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-4601-0359-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i 2015 Municipal Affairs Population List (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. ISBN 978-1-4601-2630-1. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Census Day in Kitscoty is April 1st". Village of Kitscoty. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Council Notes from All over - Warburg". Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c 2014 Municipal Affairs Population List (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. ISBN 978-1-4601-2067-5. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  9. ^ 2011 Municipal Affairs Population List (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 5, 2011. ISBN 978-0-7785-9738-4. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  10. ^ 2006 Official Population List (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. February 5, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7785-4994-9. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  11. ^ "2015 Lloydminster Municipal Census Shows Small Population Decrease". City of Lloydminster. July 27, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  12. ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Saskatchewan)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Census: Strathcona County Historical Population". Strathcona County. September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Order in Council 817/94" (PDF). Province of Alberta. December 21, 1994. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Order in Council 761/95" (PDF). Province of Alberta. December 6, 1995. pp. 2–3. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  16. ^ "Census 2015: Overall Results" (PDF). Strathcona County. p. 4. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "The Municipal Census 2015 Report" (PDF). Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. p. 50. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  18. ^ "2012 Municipal Census Report" (PDF). Strathcona County. p. 4. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  19. ^ "Blackfoot Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  20. ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  21. ^ "Clandonald Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "Islay Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "McLaughlin Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  24. ^ "Rivercourse Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  25. ^ "Streamstown Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "Tulliby Lake Community Profile" (PDF). County of Vermilion River. Retrieved September 3, 2018.

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