Falher (, ) is a town in the

Peace Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; french: Région de la Rivière-de-la-paix) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, ...

area of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. It is located in the

Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130 The Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130 is a municipal district (MD) in northwestern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 19, its municipal office is located in the Town of Falher. History On January 1, 1952, its name was ...

, along Highway 49. Falher is one of the earliest agricultural communities in the

Peace River Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; french: Région de la Rivière-de-la-paix) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, ...

and is notable for its sizable

francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

population.

History

The area was known to

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

before it was surveyed in 1909 as an Indian trail that led to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and where the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway later laid its tracks. In 1912, the settlement of Mission St-Jean Baptiste de Falher was opened from the current location of the Town of Falher. When the railway came to the area in 1915, the settlement was named after Father Constant Falher (March 29, 1863 – March 18, 1939), a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Oblate In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally livi ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

who was born in

Josselin Josselin (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. History St Meriadek is said to have founded a chapel there during the 4th century. Much later Josselin became a stronghold of the House of Rohan. An ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, arriving at

Grouard Grouard, also known as Grouard Mission, is a hamlet in northern Alberta within Big Lakes County. It was previously an incorporated municipality between 1909 and 1944. Grouard is located north of Highway 2, approximately northeast of Grande ...

in 1889. The origin of the majority of local colonizers were from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

; some arriving in the area via the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

(French American), such as

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...

's family, who settled in

Girouxville Girouxville (; ) is a village in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located south of the Town of Peace River. History The community has the name of the local Giroux family, being named after Father Henri Giroux, a Roman Catholic missionary appoi ...

. The colony was divided into two: what is now the Village of Donnelly and the Town of Falher. In 1919, the town consolidated a school district and the first

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Ste. Anne was established. The first post office opened in 1923 when the settlement became a hamlet. It incorporated as a village in 1929 and then as a town in 1955. In 1963, a celebration of the 50 year

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...

of the settlement of Falher was organized by the regional ACFA, with attendance reaching 'more than 5000'.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, the Town of Falher had a population of 1,001 living in 408 of its 474 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,047. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Falher recorded a population of 1,047 living in 450 of its 482 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 1,075. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

The principal industries in the area are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

and gas. Established in 1973 as a private business, Falher Alfalfa (an

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

processing facility) was sold to a group of producers and

farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...

in 1978 with the same company. Under normal circumstances, Falher Alfalfa employed a staff of about 35 full-time employees in the spring and 110 at the busiest time of the season. Falher Alfalfa went under the Company Creditor Arrangement Act in June 2007, protecting the company against any legal action taken by

creditors A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...

and gave the company a chance to sell its product to be able to repay creditors. In spring 2008, Falher Alfalfa declared bankruptcy due to production costs.

Government

The Town of Falher is governed by a mayor (Donna Buchinski) and five councillors who meet on the second Monday of each month. It is currently located in the riding of

Peace River—Westlock Peace River—Westlock is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. Peace River—Westlock was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and w ...

federally.

Arts and culture

Beginning in 1970, each June, the Falher Honey Festival is held to pay tribute to the beekeeping industry which has created an impact in the Smoky River region and throughout Canada and the United States. The

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

in the area is derived largely from

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

seed operations. At its peak, more than 48,000 hives in the region produced 10 million pounds (4,500 t) of honey annually. Today the honey of the

Smoky River The Smoky River is a river in western Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Peace River. The descriptive name refers to the presence of "smouldering beds of coal in the riverbank" noted by the Cree Indians. It drains an area of . Fro ...

Region is known worldwide. Falher attracted national attention in 2006 due to its high standing in the "Kraft

Hockeyville ''Kraft Hockeyville'' is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning community ...

" contest, a coast-to-coast competition to elect the municipality that most embodies the spirit of Canada's national pastime.

Attractions

Main Street Falher includes a large

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

statue, as Falher is known as "Honey Capital of Canada". The statue was built by local welder, Richard Ethier and it measures , and its diameter is . The Falher Recreational Complex boasts a hockey arena, a private gym and a curling rink. The arena is home to the

Falher Pirates Falher (, ) is a town in the Peace River Country, Peace Country area of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130, along Alberta Highway 49, Highway 49. Falher is one of the earliest agricultural communities ...

, a team within the East Division of the

North Peace Hockey League The North Peace Hockey League (NPHL) is a Canadian men's Senior ice hockey league based in Northern Alberta and North Eastern British Columbia. History With a history that dates back to the early 1950s, the NPHL has the distinction of being the ...

Education

There are two public schools in Falher: *École Héritage School is a

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

school that is located in a building that once served as a college school built by the Oblates in 1951. École Héritage currently has students in grades K–12. *École Routhier School is another educational institution in Falher. Routhier is an

Anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

and French immersion Elementary School which includes grades K–6. Students in grades 7-12 attend classes at École Georges P. Vanier School in nearby

Donnelly, Alberta Donnelly is a village in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130. It is located near the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 49, located approximately south of Peace River and northwest of Edmonton. Hi ...

Media

Falher is home to a French-language radio station, CKRP-FM, a local newspaper, the Smoky River Express, and was previously served bi-weekly by an alternative newspaper,

The Vault Magazine ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1923 establishments in Alberta 1926 disestablishments in Alberta 1929 establishments in Alberta Franco-Albertan culture Populated places established in 1912 Towns in Alberta