The Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 is a

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...

(MD) in northwest Alberta, Canada. It covers the full extent of Census Division 18, and with an area of , it is the largest municipal district in Alberta. Its administrative office is located in the Town of Valleyview.

History

Human settlement of the area now forming Greenview occurred millennia ago with archaeological evidence of native peoples in the Grande Cache area dating back over 10,000 years. Modern settlement occurred predominantly in the early twentieth century throughout the municipal district. Settlers and homesteaders followed various trails to found homesteads and early communities including DeBolt, Ridgevalley, and Grovedale. During the initial influx, the Edson to Grande Prairie Trail was a common route for many settlers reaching the north and east sections of Greenview. In 1968 three improvement districts, formerly 110,111 and 126, were conglomerated to establish Improvement District 16. As an Improvement District it was initially administered under Alberta's Department of Municipal Affairs. In 1996 Improvement District 16 became the MD of Greenview No. 16 and was fully self-governed. In January 2019, the former Town of

Grande Cache Grande Cache is a hamlet in West-Central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately northwest of Hinton and west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Sm ...

was dissolved, becoming a hamlet under the jurisdiction of Greenview.

Geography

Greenview covers a landmass with an area of 32,984.24 square kilometres and contains several geographic formations. Its westernmost portion runs along the Alberta –

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

border and is part of the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...

. Its northern portion is located in Peace Country while most of the south and interior is boreal forest. The Wapiti River makes up a portion of the boundary between the

County of Grande Prairie No. 1 The County of Grande Prairie No. 1 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in northwestern Alberta, Canada in Division No. 19, Alberta, Census Division No. 19. It is bounded on the south by the Wapiti River, on the ea ...

and Greenview which also includes the Simmonette, Smoky and Little Smoky River valleys. Numerous lakes are located in Greenview. Some of the most notable are Sturgeon, Musreau, and Swan Lake as well as a portion of Snipe Lake in its northeasternmost corner. The MD encompasses two other municipalities: the towns of Valleyview and Fox Creek as well as three reserves administered by the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. Greenview, in turn, is immediately neighboured by six municipalities, Wilmore Wilderness Park in the southwest and British Columbia.

was formerly a third town within the MD until its dissolution. The town became a hamlet within Greenview on January 1, 2019. Lying on part of the

Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin The Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) underlies of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. This vast sedimentary b ...

which includes some of the largest coal and oil deposits in the world, Greenview is well known for its oil and gas-rich geology. The Hamlet of DeBolt gives its name to the Debolt Formation. Geothermal reservoirs are also abundant in certain parts of the municipal district.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the MD of Greenview No. 16. ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

*none ;

Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

* Fox Creek * Valleyview ;

Villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

are located within the MD of Greenview No. 16. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

* DeBolt * Grovedale * Landry Heights * Little Smoky * Ridgevalley The following localities are located within the MD of Greenview No. 16. ;Localities *Amundson *Aspen Grove *Botten *Braaten *

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

*Clarkson Valley *Cosy Cove * Crooked Creek *Denard *Dorscheid *East Grove * Goodwin *Kamisak (Grande Cache Lake) Enterprise *Grey *Grizzly *Hilltop *Kaybob *Joachim Enterprise *Latornell *Little Smoky River * Muskeg River *The Narrows * New Fish Creek *Owen *Pass Creek * Sturgeon Heights *Sturgeon Lake Settlement * Sunset House *Susa Creek Cooperative *Sweathouse Creek *Thordarson *Tolstad *Two Creeks *Victor Lake Cooperative *Wapiti *Winniandy ;Other places * Wanyandie Flats

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the MD of Greenview No. 16 had a population of 8,584 living in 3,230 of its 3,955 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 9,154. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the MD of Greenview No. 16 had a population of 5,583 living in 2,067 of its 2,473 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 5,299. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The MD of Greenview No. 16's 2013 municipal census counted a population of 5,242, a change from its 2000 municipal census population of 5,516.

Economy

Oil and gas is the main economic driver in the MD, along with forestry and agriculture.

Attractions

* DeBolt and District Pioneer Museum * Kakwa Wildlands Park * Musreau Lake * O'Brien Provincial Park * Pierre Grey's Lakes Provincial Park * Sturgeon Lake * Willmore Wilderness Park

Government

Municipal politics

The MD of Greenview No. 16 is governed in accordance with Alberta's ''Municipal Government Act''. Residents elect 11 ward

councillors A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...

every four years.

Provincial politics

Greenview is served by the provincial electoral divisions of Grande Prairie – Smoky, Grande Prairie – Wapiti and, West Yellowhead. Following the

2015 Alberta general election The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Legislative Assembly on April 7. This election el ...

the major provincial parties had one representative each.

Federal politics

Greenview is served by the federal electoral divisions of Grande Prairie Mackenzie, Peace River- Westlock and Yellowhead. All three are currently represented by members of the Conservative Party.

Infrastructure

As part of the

CANAMEX Corridor The CANAMEX corridor is a series of improvements to freeways and other transportation infrastructure linking Canada to Mexico through the United States. The corridor was established under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Currently the corr ...

, the presence of Highway 43 within the MD makes Greenview an important industry travel route. The Bighorn Highway (Highway 40) as well as Highway 49 also play a large role in making the area a major transportation route for the north of the province. Several small airports and heliports are in the area including the Valleyview Airport, Fox Creek Airport and DeBolt Aerodrome. They predominantly serve industry and medical facilities in the area with light aircraft.

References

External links

* {{Alberta, RM=yes Greenview