Specialized municipalities of Alberta

A specialized municipality is a type of municipal status used in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Province of Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

. Alberta specialized municipalities are unique local governments that can be formed without resorting to special acts of Alberta's legislature. Often, they allow for the coexistence of urban and rural communities under a single municipal government.

Specialized municipalities may be formed under the authority of Section 83 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA) under one of three of the following scenarios:

where the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs
Alberta Municipal Affairs
Alberta Municipal Affairs is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. Its major responsibilities include assisting municipalities in the provision of local government, administering a safety system for the construction and maintenance of buildings and equipment, and managing Alberta's...

(AMA) is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the proposed municipality's residents;
to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of AMA, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA, including other previously incorporated specialized municipalities;
for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of AMA.

Applications for specialized municipality status are approved via orders in council made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under recommendation from the Minister of AMA.

Alberta has five specialized municipalities with a cumulative population of 200,106 and an average population of 40,021. Alberta's largest and smallest specialized municipalities are the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Wood Buffalo, Alberta

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is a specialized municipality located in northeastern Alberta. Formed as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Fort McMurray and Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995, it is the second largest municipality in Alberta by area...

and the Municipality of Jasper

Jasper, Alberta

Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....

with populations of 91,612 and 4,745 respectively.

44 elected officials (four mayors, one reeve and 39 councillors) ensure specialized municipality governance throughout the province.

Branding

An order in council to incorporate any municipality must give the municipality an official name. Of Alberta's five specialized municipalities, two of them have branded themselves simply as municipalities in their official names, while two others have branded themselves as counties. The remaining specialized municipality has branded itself as a regional municipality.

The use of the regional municipality term in the official name of the one specialized municipality has led to a common belief that a regional municipality is its own separate municipal status type in Alberta, which is not the case. Meanwhile, the use of the county term in the official names of two specialized municipalities and 46 municipal districts has partially led to a common belief that a county also is its own separate municipal status type, which also is not the case. The other major contributor to this common belief is that a county was a former municipal status type in Alberta prior to the County Act being repealed in 1995.

List of specialized municipalities

Specialized Municipality	Council Size	Region	Area (km², 2008)	Population	Census Year	Reason for incorporation as a specialized municipality
Crowsnest Pass, Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass is a specialized municipality located in the Crowsnest Pass of the Rocky Mountains in southwest Alberta, Canada. The municipality formed as a result of the amalgamation of five municipalities – the Village of Bellevue, the Town of Blairmore, Town of Coleman, the...	7	Southern Alberta Southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...	194	5,749	2006	No specific reason provided in order in council that changed its status.
Jasper, Municipality of Jasper, Alberta Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....	7	Alberta's Rockies Alberta's Rockies Alberta's Rockies comprises the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is a region on the southwestern part of the province, along the British Columbia border. It covers all but the south of Census Division 15....	736	4,745	2008	To provide for the unique needs of residents living within the municipality.
Mackenzie County	10	Northern Alberta Northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...	77,616	10,002	2006	To address concerns about municipal government and management in a municipality that serves a number of unique communities within a very large territory.
Strathcona County Strathcona County, Alberta Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in central Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park.It is located in Division No. 11 and is also part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. More than half of the population lives in Sherwood Park, a large community east of...	9	Edmonton Capital Region Edmonton Capital Region The Edmonton Capital Region , also commonly referred to as the Alberta Capital Region, Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred around Edmonton – Alberta's provincial capital....	1,213	87,998	2009	To provide for the unique needs of a municipality that includes both a large urban centre and a significant rural territory and population.
Wood Buffalo, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is a specialized municipality located in northeastern Alberta. Formed as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Fort McMurray and Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995, it is the second largest municipality in Alberta by area...	11	Northern Alberta Northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...	68,454	91,612	2007	To provide for the unique needs of a municipality including a large urban centre and a large rural territory with a small population.

External links

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Branding

List of specialized municipalities

See also

External links