Westlock, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Westlock is a town in central Alberta
Central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...
, Canada
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...
. Founded in 1913, the town is primarily an agricultural, business, and government administration centre serving communities and rural areas within surrounding Westlock County
Westlock County, Alberta
Westlock County is a municipal district in central Alberta north of Edmonton. The county was formerly known as the Municipal District of Westlock No. 92, and was created in 1943 from the merger of five smaller municipal districts....
.
Geography
Westlock is located approximately 85 km (52.8 mi) north of Edmonton, Alberta's provincial capital and Canada's sixth largest census metropolitan area. Westlock sits at the junction of Highway 44 and Highway 18. It is surrounded by Westlock County within Census Division 13Division No. 13, Alberta
Division No. 13 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. The majority of the division is located in the north-central portion of central Alberta, while the northeast portion of the division is located within northern Alberta...
.
Westlock lies on the Alberta plain, one of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. It lies just to the north of the height-of-land between the Athabasca
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
and North Saskatchewan
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
river basins, and to the east of the Pembina River
Pembina River (Alberta)
Pembina is a river in central Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Athabasca River.Pembina is a Canadian French name for the high bush cranberry . The river gives the name to the Pembina oil field,an oil and gas producing region centered around Drayton Valley...
, a tributary of the Athabasca. The town is about 670 metres (2,198.2 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. Westlock sits within the Dfb climate, on the northern edge of the parkland belt, a once heavily treed region that was cleared for agriculture at the turn of the 20th century. It is a relatively fertile region of dark soils. To the north lies the Low Boreal Mixedwood region. A Dfb climate consists of long, cool summers and severe winters, the mean monthly temperature drops below -3°C in the coolest month, and exceeds 10°C in the warmest month.
History
Prior to European settlement, the area around Westlock was inhabited by First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people, notably the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
. Although the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
had been active in Alberta since 1754 when Anthony Henday
Anthony Henday
Anthony Henday was one of the first white men to explore the interior of the Canadian northwest. His explorations were authorized and funded by the Hudson's Bay Company because of their concern with La Vérendrye and the other western commanders who were funnelling fur trade from the northwest to...
explored the area, the Westlock district was not mentioned in writing until David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
came through in April 1799.
White settlement did not begin until 1902 at that time centred around a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
community about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of present-day Westlock. The founder's name was Edgson, but this was considered too hard to pronounce. Edson, Alberta
Edson, Alberta
Edson is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, west of Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway and east of the intersection with Highway 47.- History :left|thumb|200px|Welcome Sign...
already existed, so the site was called Edison by its Irish-Canadian founders, after the American inventor Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
. The community in 1912 consisted of a total of no more than 13 buildings: a harness shop, a blacksmith shop, several homes, two churches, and one family living in a tent. There was also a post office but this was closed in 1911 when Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
came to power and fired many Liberals
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
from the postal service
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
. In 1911 the railway reached nearby Clyde
Clyde, Alberta
Clyde is a village in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton and east of Westlock, near the junction of Highway 18 and Highway 2.It was incorporated in 1914 and named after the River and Firth of Clyde in Scotland.- Demographics :...
to the east, and in 1912 the E.D. & B.C. Railway (later the Northern Alberta Railway, now part of CN) mapped a new townsite where Westlock now stands to the west. Edison was now caught between the two. In 1914, the Methodist church building was picked up and moved down the road to Westlock, an indication of the new settlement's ascendancy over the older one.
The name of the new town came from two a combination of two men, William Westgate and William Lockhart, who owned the property. Westlock was incorporated as a village on 16 March 1916, with a population of 65 residents. The first reeve was George MacTavish, and in that same year, the first grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
was built. The first bank branch, the Merchant's Bank
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
opened its doors in 1918. A permanent brick schoolhouse
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
was built in 1925. The Sisters of Charity
Sisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
of St. Vincent de Paul of Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
operated a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
out of a former house in 1927, and a purpose-built hospital, the Immaculata, was opened in 1928. Westlock became a town on 7 January 1947 with a population of 854. That same year, the Memorial Hall was also built.
In 1992 the Memorial Hall burned down, later to be replaced. In 1995, the hospital was replaced by the Westlock Health Care Centre, a somewhat controversial decision because several other communities in Alberta were facing hospital closures at the time. In 1997, the old hospital was demolished.
Economy
The area around Westlock is primarily agriculturalAgriculture in Canada
Canada is one of the largest producers and exporters in the world. As with other developed nations, the proportion of the population and GDP devoted to agriculture fell dramatically over the 20th century but it remains an important element of the Canadian economy....
, although there is some oil and gas activity. The main employers in town include the hotels and inns that cater to oilpatch workers, the farm implement dealerships, and some small manufacturing such as Wabash Manufacturing - Truck Trailers, and a Lafarge
Lafarge
Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
cement plant. Additionally, Westlock still retains its original purpose as a centre for the grain trade
Grain trade
The grain trade refers the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, maize, and rice.-History:The grain trade is probably nearly as old as grain growing, going back the Neolithic Revolution . Wherever there is a scarcity of land The grain trade refers the local...
, as CN still accepts grains from the remaining grain elevators, now owned by a new generation co-opertive, Westlock Terminals (NGC) LTD. Also, Westlock is a centre of government as seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Westlock County and home of public and Catholic schools, a courthouse, a public library, and a modern hospital. As such, Westlock is the central town of the region for rural families in which to do business, send their children to school, and to obtain government services. Many rural people also retire in the town, and there are several old age homes.
Westlock is generally too far from Edmonton to serve as a bedroom community but some people do commute. Of increasing importance to the community since the Second World War has been highway traffic heading to oilfields in 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...
. Recent retail developments have shifted from the railway era downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
to larger malls and businesses along the highway. One recent proposal was for a residential development adjoining Westlock Airport
Westlock Airport
Westlock Airport, , is located east of Westlock, Alberta, Canada.-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory...
which would allow people to commute to the oilsand projects in Fort McMurray and other northern developments, but this has not been started as yet.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Westlock according to its 2008 municipal census is 4,964.In 2006, Westlock had a population of 5,008 living in 2,142 dwellings
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 3.9% increase from its 2001 population of 4,819. The town occupies 9.64 km² (3.7 sq mi), resulting in a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 519.4 /km2.
NB The following sections present select demographic statistics arising out of the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
. Population and dwelling unit figures presented within are rounded to the nearest mulitple of 5 by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
.
Dwelling characteristics
Westlock had 2,060 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in 2006. 74.8% of the occupied housing in the town was single-detached (the average in Alberta was 63.4%), while 17.7% were apartments in buildings with fewer than five storeys (14.7% in Alberta as a whole).
Of the total private dwellings, there were 1,410 housing units (houses or apartments) which were owned, and 650 which were rented. The majority of the housing stock (1,630) was constructed before 1986, while 430 units were built between 1986 and 2006. The average value of owned dwellings was $148,083 (compared to Albertan average of $293,811).
Families and households
There were 2,060 housholds, of which 1,355 were considered census families in 2006, with an average of 2.8 persons per family, compared to an Alberta average of 3.0. The median incomes in 2005 were $41,487 per household and $47,853 per census family, compared to the Alberta median incomes of $63,988 and $73,823 respectively.
Mother tongue
In 2006, there were 3,945 people who claimed English as their mother tongue, 125 that choose French, and 10 who indicated both. In addition, 600 claimed another language (besides English and French) as a mother tongue. Every person in town claimed at least a working knowledge of English, 4,450 said it was their only language, 220 said they also knew French, not one person was unilingually Francophone.
Immigration, citizenship, and generation
Of the population only 385 were immigrants, the majority of those (300) having arrived in Canada before 1991. All but 55 people were Canadian citizens. Most of the Canadian-born residents were from third generation or more
Immigrant generations
The term first-generation [citizen of a country], e.g., "first-generation Ruritanian" may have either of two different meanings:*A citizen of the country who is a naturalized immigrant.or*A citizen whose parents are naturalized immigrants....
(2,470), or the second generation (955).
Mobility status
The majority of the population (3,980) had lived in the same house a year earlier, and most of those (2,525) had been in the same house five years earlier as well.
Aboriginals and visible minorities
There were 310 people who had Aboriginal identity. There were 145 who reported being visible minorities.
Educational attainment
A large minority (1,385) of those residents aged 15 years and older (3,825) had no certificate, diploma, or degree. 1,100 of residents aged 15 years and older has a high school certificate or equivalent.
Occupation and industry
The total workforce was 2,155 people. The most common occupations were in sales and service (660) and trades, transport and equipment operation (410). The most common industries were other services (360), health care and social services (355), and retail trade (320).
Work location and transportation
Most people claimed to work in Westlock, and only (255) indicated working in another municipality. The majority (1,485) of those that had a regular workplace that was not their own home (1,950) commuted to work by private automobile.
Income
Of all persons in Westlock aged 15 years and older with income in 2005, 11.0% reported being below the low income cutoff before taxes. For those under the age of 18, the rate was 10.4% (compared to Alberta averages of 12.2% and 14.2% respectively).
Politics
Westlock's current MPCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
is Brian Storseth
Brian Storseth
Brian S. Storseth is a businessman and Conservative politician in Alberta, Canada. He is the current MP for Westlock—St. Paul, having defeated his next nearest opponent by a margin of over 53% in the Canadian federal election, 2006....
and the MLA
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
is Ken Kowalski
Ken Kowalski
Kenneth "Ken" Reginald Kowalski, MLA is a provincial level politician and former teacher from Alberta, Canada. He is a current member and also dean of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and has served continuously since November 1979 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus...
.
The town's mayor is Bruce Lennon.
Media
- Newspaper: Westlock News (originally Westlock Witness which began in 1919)
- FM Radio: CKWB 97.9 "The Range" (previously CFOK 1370 "The FOX")
Notable residents
- W.A.C. BennettW.A.C. BennettWilliam Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
, former Premier of British ColumbiaPremier of British ColumbiaThe Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used... - Rollie BoutinRollie BoutinRoland David Boutin is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Washington Capitals. He was selected by the Capitals in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft.-External links:***...
, retired professional hockey player - David ChattersDavid ChattersDavid Cameron Chatters is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 2006 representing the riding of Athabasca until the 2004 election when he switched to the riding of Westlock—St...
former MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... - Kyle ChipchuraKyle ChipchuraKyle Douglas Glen Chipchura is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, an affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes. He was selected in the first round, 18th overall of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.-Early life:Chipchura was...
, professional hockey player - Herbert GreenfieldHerbert GreenfieldHerbert W. Greenfield was a Canadian politician who served as the fourth Premier of Alberta from 1921 until 1925. Born in Winchester, Hampshire, in England, he immigrated to Canada in his late twenties, settling first in Ontario and then in Alberta, where he farmed...
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, country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer - Greg PolisGreg PolisGregory Linn Polis is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Polis played in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals.-Early life:...
, retired professional hockey player - Claudette TardifClaudette TardifClaudette Tardif is a Canadian senator from Alberta. She was appointed to the senate by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the advice of Prime Minister Paul Martin, on March 24, 2005, representing the Liberal Party of Canada....
, current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada - Dale C. ThomsonDale C. ThomsonDale Cairns Thomson Ph.D. DFC was a professor and departmental director at the Université de Montréal, professor and Vice-Principal of McGill University and a professor of international relations and Director of the Center of Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced...
, academic, author, advisor to the Prime MinisterPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...