ALTAPOP: Population and Incorporation History of Alberta’s Unincorporated Settlements

SPECIALIZED MUNICIPALITIES		Definition of a Specialized Municipality
*The profiles for Mackenzie County, Strathcona County and R.M. of Wood Buffalo are incomplete at this time (Sep-7/08).*		According to Section 83 of the MGA, an area may be incorporated as a Specialized Municipality under one of the following three circumstances, subject to the satisfaction of the Minister of Municipal Affairs: 1.) the other incorporated statuses do not meet the needs of its residents; 2.) to form a local government that will provide for the orderly development of the area in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses; or 3.) for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate. See Alberta’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs website for a further description of a Specialized Municipality.
		Quick facts on Specialized Municipalities in Alberta
		There are currently five Specialized Municipalities in Alberta. The Municipalities of Crowsnest Pass and Jasper are two of the five Specialized Municipalities that are predominantly urban in nature, while Mackenzie County is predominantly rural in nature. Strathcona County and the Regional Municipality of Woord Buffalo both have signficant urban and rural components and are home to the Urban Service Areas of Sherwood Park and Fort McMurray respectively.
URBAN SERVICE AREAS		Definition of an Urban Service Area
		A formal definition of an Urban Service Area has not been published on the Alberta Municipal Affairs website nor has it been researched by AltaPop to this date. However, the following unofficial definition has been provided by AltaPop in the interim. An Urban Service Area is a large unincorporated community within a Specialized Municipality that is recognized as an equivalent to a City by the Government of Alberta. It has a population, services, and other characteristics comparable to those experienced by Alberta’s incorporated Cities.
		Quick facts on Urban Service Areas
		Of Alberta’s countless Unincorporated Places, only two of them are considered Urban Services Areas. Sherwood Park, which is within Strathcona County east of the City of Edmonton, was Alberta’s largest Hamlet for a number of years until 2003 when it was eclipsed by the unprecedented growth of Fort McMurray, which is within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Fort McMurray was incorporated as a City until April 1, 1995 when it was amalgamated with a portion of its large surrounding rural municipality to create Wood Buffalo. Meanwhile, Sherwood Park has never experienced any incorporated status since it was first settled in December 1955.

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