Sparwood

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Sparwood
District municipality
District of Sparwood [1]
Canada British Columbia location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Sparwood
Location of Sparwood in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°43′56″N114°53′13″W / 49.73222°N 114.88694°W / 49.73222; -114.88694
CountryCanada
Province British Columbia
Government
[2]
 • Mayor David Wilks [3]
 • Governing bodySparwood council
 •  MP Rob Morrison
 •  MLA Tom Shypitka
Area
 • Total
191.60 km2 (73.98 sq mi)
Elevation
1,140 m (3,740 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
3,990
 • Density463.5/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain Standard (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Area code 250 / 778 / 236
Highways BC-3 (Crowsnest).svg Highway 3
BC-43.svg Highway 43
Website sparwood.ca OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Sparwood is a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the second-largest community on the Elk River.

Contents

Located approximately 30 kilometres from Fernie, the District Municipality of Sparwood has approximately 4,200 residents. Sparwood is quite large for its population, taking up an area of 191.01 square kilometres and incorporating the local coal mines.

In the late 1800s, there was a railroad stop known as Sparwood, which was so named because of the trees from this area being shipped to the coast for manufacturing spars for ocean vessels. [4]

Sparwood's welcome sign Sparwood's welcome sign.jpg
Sparwood's welcome sign

Economy

The local economy is heavily dependent on steel-making coal mining, one of British Columbia's primary industries. A large part of the population either works in the mines or as tradespeople and labourers in related support industries, such as trucking or as mechanics. Logging is another important industry.

Sparwood/Elk Valley Airport is the local airport for general aviation. The closest airport with commercial service is Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport. Road access is provided by the Crowsnest Highway.

Sparwood was formed on 12 May 1966 accepting people from the nearby towns of Michel, Natal, and Middletown (an urban renewal). Since the beginning of Sparwood, it has experienced many ups and downs in coal mining, the town's primary industry.

Attractions

Terex Titan in Sparwood SparTitan.JPG
Terex Titan in Sparwood

Sparwood promotes itself extensively as the home of the Terex Titan, at one time the largest truck in the world. The green Titan, in service at Sparwood between 1978 and 1991, stands a few yards from the Crowsnest Highway where it can attract the attention of tourists and travellers. The adjacent tourist information centre serves visitors to the district municipality and the wider area.

Sparwood is distinguished by mural art which depicts something of the history of the former Michel-Natal mining communities.

Sports

ClubLeagueSportVenueEstablishedChampionships
Fernie Ghostriders Ice hockey Elk Valley Leisure Centre
1991
3

Sparwood is home to the 2011 B.C. provincial champion boys snowboarding team. [5] Sparwood is also home to the 2011 Junior Boys and 2012 Junior Girls Provincial Bowling champions.[ citation needed ]

Laurie Hockridge of Sparwood[ citation needed ] and Lethbridge College, is a CCAA-ACSC Hall of Fame inductee (WBB, '87–90). [6] Her legacy includes back-to-back national championships and two national championship MVP trophies.[ citation needed ]

Fernie Memorial Arena disaster

On 17 October 2017 an ammonia leak at the Fernie Memorial Arena killed three workers (two City of Fernie employees and one CIMCO refrigeration employee from Calgary) during the Fernie Ghostriders' regular season. Because of this tragedy, the City of Fernie declared a state of emergency and people had to evacuate the area for days. The 'Riders were relocated because of this to the Elk Valley Leisure Centre in Sparwood during the 2017–18 KIJHL season until the City of Fernie installed a new chiller unit. The Ghostriders now play at their home rink again. [7] [8]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sparwood had a population of 3,990 living in 1,815 of its 2,101 total private dwellings, a change of

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the District of Sparwood (1986−2021)
Panethnic
group		2021 [10] 2016 [11] 2011 [12] 2006 [13] 2001 [14] 1996 [15] 1991 [16] [17] 1986 [18] [19] [20] : 108 
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
European [a] 3,5653,2553,3103,3703,5703,7453,7804,205
Indigenous 420275260115125155195140
African 558500351005
South Asian 358050406040140155
Southeast Asian [b] 2045150101005
Latin American 20150010005
East Asian [c] 1525152510152025
Middle Eastern [d] 0100600000
Other/Multiracial [e] 01000100————
Total responses4,1503,7853,6653,6203,8103,9804,1354,540
Total population4,1483,7843,6673,6183,8123,9824,2114,540
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Sparwood included: [10]

Religious groups in Sparwood (1991–2021)
Religious group 2021 [10] 2011 [12] 2001 [14] 1991 [16]
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Christian 1,6952,0002,5253,080
Muslim 152000
Hindu 030250
Sikh 0030140
Buddhist 0000
Jewish 00100
Indigenous spirituality 00N/AN/AN/AN/A
Other religion00100
Irreligious 2,4051,5801,220905
Total responses4,1503,6603,8104,135

Education

There are two public schools in Sparwood; Frank J Mitchell which is an Elementary School and the new Sparwood Secondary School. These schools are operated by School District 5 Southeast Kootenay which is based in Cranbrook.

Climate

Sparwood has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with relatively cold and very snowy winters combined with moderately warm summers with relatively high diurnal temperature variation. As a result of the low overnight lows in summer, September's mean of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F) places Sparwood just above subarctic climates (Dfc) in classification.

Climate data for Sparwood
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)11.9
(53.4)		13.8
(56.8)		20.6
(69.1)		25.6
(78.1)		31.3
(88.3)		32.5
(90.5)		34.9
(94.8)		36.5
(97.7)		34.2
(93.6)		27.2
(81.0)		16.9
(62.4)		10.5
(50.9)		36.5
(97.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)−2.2
(28.0)		0.5
(32.9)		5.4
(41.7)		10.9
(51.6)		15.9
(60.6)		19.6
(67.3)		23.8
(74.8)		24.2
(75.6)		18.2
(64.8)		10.7
(51.3)		1.7
(35.1)		−3.4
(25.9)		10.4
(50.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)−6.5
(20.3)		−4.5
(23.9)		0.2
(32.4)		4.8
(40.6)		9.1
(48.4)		12.7
(54.9)		15.8
(60.4)		15.5
(59.9)		10.5
(50.9)		4.8
(40.6)		−2
(28)		−7.3
(18.9)		4.4
(39.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−10.7
(12.7)		−9.6
(14.7)		−5.1
(22.8)		−1.3
(29.7)		2.3
(36.1)		5.8
(42.4)		7.7
(45.9)		6.7
(44.1)		2.9
(37.2)		−1.1
(30.0)		−5.6
(21.9)		−11.3
(11.7)		−1.6
(29.1)
Record low °C (°F)−40.3
(−40.5)		−34.6
(−30.3)		−29.9
(−21.8)		−15
(5)		−6.7
(19.9)		−3.3
(26.1)		0
(32)		−3.5
(25.7)		−8.5
(16.7)		−22.2
(−8.0)		−34
(−29)		−39.8
(−39.6)		−39.8
(−39.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)53.9
(2.12)		40.9
(1.61)		44.2
(1.74)		41.4
(1.63)		60.4
(2.38)		69.3
(2.73)		46.8
(1.84)		34.9
(1.37)		47.4
(1.87)		48.8
(1.92)		72.1
(2.84)		53.4
(2.10)		613.3
(24.15)
Average rainfall mm (inches)17.3
(0.68)		12.4
(0.49)		17
(0.7)		27.9
(1.10)		52
(2.0)		67.7
(2.67)		46.8
(1.84)		34.8
(1.37)		43.4
(1.71)		39.6
(1.56)		39.1
(1.54)		13.2
(0.52)		411
(16.2)
Average snowfall cm (inches)50.4
(19.8)		37
(15)		31.7
(12.5)		17.4
(6.9)		8.6
(3.4)		1.8
(0.7)		0
(0)		0.1
(0.0)		4.2
(1.7)		11.3
(4.4)		47.3
(18.6)		54.2
(21.3)		264
(104)
Source: [21]

Local media

Newspapers

Radio stations

Cable television stations

Notable people

The following people were born in Sparwood:

Sister cities

Since 1980, Sparwood has been the sister city of Kamisunagawa in Hokkaido, Japan. [25]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

  1. ↑ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Sparwood. Mayor and council
  3. ↑ Office of the Mayor
  4. ↑ "BC Geographical Names".
  5. ↑ Sparwood snowboarders are finally champs – The Free Press
  6. ↑ "Kodiaks' Hockridge earns CCAA Hall of Fame induction". 30 April 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  7. ↑ The Canadian Press (21 October 2017). "B.C. ice rink where 3 people died remains closed due to safety concerns". CBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  8. ↑ "Fernie rink still closed as RCMP investigation continues into deaths of three men".
  9. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 October 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 October 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  12. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 November 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  13. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (20 August 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  14. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (4 June 2019). "Electronic Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  16. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  17. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  20. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (3 April 2013). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  22. ↑ DeRosa, Katie (9 December 2022). "Niki Sharma will draw on lessons learned as a young girl in Sparwood in new role as B.C.'s Attorney General". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "MLA: Hon. Niki Sharma". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "Sparwood's Niki Sharma named B.C.'s Attorney General". Vancouver Sun. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  25. ↑ "Sister City". District of Sparwood. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2018.

49°43′59″N114°53′07″W / 49.73306°N 114.88528°W / 49.73306; -114.88528 (Sparwood)

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