List of summer villages in Alberta

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Distribution of Alberta's 51 summer villages Alberta Summer Villages.png
Distribution of Alberta's 51 summer villages

A summer village is a type of urban municipality in the Canadian province of Alberta that has a permanent population generally less than 300 permanent inhabitants, as well as seasonal (non-permanent) inhabitants.

Contents

Alberta has a total of 51 summer villages that had a cumulative population of 5,176 and an average population of 101 in Canada's 2016 Census of Population. [1] Alberta's largest summer village is Sandy Beach with a population of 278, while Castle Island, Kapasiwin, and Point Alison are the smallest each with a population of 10. [1]

History

A summer village is a type of municipal status used in Alberta, Canada founded in 1913. It was used in resort areas that were mainly active in the summer and where most residents were seasonal. Cottage owners did not want to pay for municipal services that they didn't need but wished to have a voice in local government of the resort area. [2]

Changes were made to the provincial laws to allow elections to be held in July and to allow seasonal residents to run for office and vote in the summer village without losing these same rights in their place of permanent residence.

In 1995, provincial legislation was changed to prevent the formation of new summer villages. [2] The 54 summer villages that existed at the time [3] were permitted to continue to operate as before. [2]

List

Former summer villages

Four other communities in Alberta have previously held summer village status – Alberta Beach, [8] Chestermere Lake (now Chestermere), [9] Edmonton Beach (now Spring Lake), [10] and White Gull. [11]

CommunityIncorporation date
(summer village)
Status change
date
Subsequent
status
Alberta Beach August 23, 1920January 1, 1999Village
Chestermere Lake April 1, 1977March 1, 1993Town
Edmonton Beach January 1, 1959January 1, 1999Village
White Gull January 1, 1983January 1, 2003Unincorporated

See also

Notes

  1. The Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay conducted a municipal census in 2017 that counted a population of 73. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "The History of Summer Villages". Association of Summer Villages of Alberta. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  3. "1995 Official Population" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  4. "Communities Within Specialized and Rural Municipalities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. April 9, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  5. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (summer Villages)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  6. "Population and dwelling count amendments, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. October 6, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  7. "2017 Municipal Affairs Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. ISBN   978-1-4601-3652-2 . Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. "Location and History Profile: Alberta Beach". Alberta Municipal Affairs. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  9. "Location and History Profile: Town of Chestermere". Alberta Municipal Affairs. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  10. "Location and History Profile: Village of Spring Lake". Alberta Municipal Affairs. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  11. "Order in Council (O.C.) 461/2002". Government of Alberta. October 8, 2002. Retrieved February 5, 2012.