Lac La Biche County is a specialized municipality within Division No. 12 in

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cen ...

, Canada. It was established through the amalgamation of the Town of Lac La Biche and

Lakeland County Lakeland County was a municipal district in northern Alberta, Canada. It existed for just over nine years from 1998 to 2007. History Lakeland County was originally formed as a municipal district on July 1, 1998 through the separation of lands ...

in 2007.

History

Lac La Biche County was originally established as a

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

on August 1, 2007 through the amalgamation of Lakeland County with the Town of Lac La Biche. Its predecessor municipal district, Lakeland County, was originally incorporated on July 1, 1998, formed from the northwestern part of the

Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 The Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district (MD) in northeastern Alberta, Canada in Division No. 12, Alberta, Division No. 12. On the east, it is adjacent to the province of Saskatc ...

. Lac La Biche County converted from municipal district status to specialized municipality status on January 1, 2018.

Geography

Lac La Biche County is in northeast Alberta. It borders the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo to the north; the Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville No. 87 to the east (including the

Cold Lake Air Weapons Range Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake , abbreviated as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta. The facility is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is approximately south of the ...

); the County of St. Paul No. 19 and

Smoky Lake County Smoky Lake County is a municipal district in north-eastern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 12, its municipal office is located in the Town of Smoky Lake. Geography Communities and localities The following urban munic ...

to the south; the Kikino Metis Settlement and the

Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement is a Metis settlement in northern Alberta, Canada within Smoky Lake County. It is located along Highway 855, approximately northeast of Edmonton. Demographics As a designated place in the 2021 Census of Populatio ...

to the southwest; and

Athabasca County Athabasca County is a municipal district in north central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Edmonton and is in Census Division No. 13. Prior to an official renaming on December 1, 2009, Athabasca County was officially known as the ...

and the MD of Opportunity No. 17 to the west. The eponymous lake, Lac la Biche, is in the southwest portion of Lac La Biche County while the

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is pro ...

forms the municipal boundary between it and the MD of Opportunity No. 17. Other water bodies include Beaver Lake,

Pinehurst Lake Pinehurst Lake is a lake in Northeastern Alberta. Located northeast of Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton ...

, Seibert Lake, Touchwood Lake, and

Winefred Lake Winefred Lake is a large lake in east-northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in southern Wood Buffalo, in a remote area between Cold Lake and Fort McMurray, and has a total area of . The closest community is the hamlet of Conklin, at . Ecologi ...

(also partially within the RM of Wood Buffalo and the MD of Bonnyville No. 87).

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Lac La Biche County. ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

*none ;

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

*none ;

Villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

are located within Lac La Biche County. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

* Beaver Lake * Hylo * Lac La Biche (dissolved from town status in the 2007 amalgamation, location of municipal office) * Plamondon (dissolved from village status in 2002) *

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

The following localities are located within Lac La Biche County. ;Localities * Avenir *Barnegat *Behan * Bone Town (

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the sta ...

) *Brièreville *Craigend *Deer Ridge Park Subdivision *Elinor Lake Subdivision * Fork Lake *Helina * Imperial Mills *Lac La Biche Mission *Lakeview Estates *Margie *Mile West Trailer Park *Noral *Normandeau *Owl River *Pelican Portage *Philomena *Pine Lane Trailer Court *Pitlochrie * Rich Lake * Rossian or Russian Colony (designated place) *Snug Cove *Sunset Bay *Tweedie

The Lac La Biche

Settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

is also within Lac La Biche County.

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

have the following

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

within Lac La Biche County. ;Indian reserves *

Beaver Lake 131 Beaver Lake 131 is an Indian reserve in Alberta, Canada, of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation The Beaver Lake Cree Nation is a First Nations band government located northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, representing people of the Cree ethno-linguistic gr ...

Heart Lake 167 Heart Lake 167 is an Indian reserve in 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 we ...

White Fish Lake 128 Whitefish Lake 128 is an Indian reserve of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, located between Smoky Lake County and the County of St. Paul No. 19. It is 68 kilometres west of Bonnyville Bonnyville is a town situated in east-central Al ...

(portion, with balance split between Smoky Lake County and the County of St. Paul No. 19)

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 ...

, Lac La Biche County had a population of 7,673 living in 2,949 of its 3,777 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 8,330. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of Lac La Biche County according to its 2019 municipal census is 8,654, a change from its 2016 municipal census population of 8,544. The 2019 and 2016 municipal censuses also counted temporary residents. In 2019, 982 temporary residents were counted in comparison to 987 in 2016. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac La Biche County had a population of 8,330 living in 3,076 of its 3,998 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 8,402. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

Lac La Biche County's economy is based on the

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 Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

industry,

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 ...

, and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. Some

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s are also present.

Attractions

The following provincial protected areas are within Lac La Biche County. *

Crow Lake Provincial Park Crow Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada. It is located on the northern and western shore of Crow Lake, along Highway 63, south of Fort McMurray and north of Lac La Biche. The park is situated at an elevation of , an ...

Lakeland Provincial Park Lakeland Provincial Park and Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area are located east of Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada, in Lac La Biche County. The park contains numerous lakes, such as Kinnaird, Jackson, McGuffin, Dabbs, Shaw, and Blackett, as well ...

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park is a provincial park located in east-central Alberta, Canada, on the shore of Lac la Biche. The park is renowned for its birding and for its old-growth forests. It is composed of a medium-sized former island ...

Other attractions include Lac La Biche Mission, the Lac La Biche Golf and Country Club, and the following campgrounds. *Diesel Own Hoot Cabins & Campgrounds *Elinor Lake Resort *Fish’N Friends Beaver Lake Campground *Fork Lake *Kinsmen Park Beaver Lake Group Camp Area *Plamondon White Sands *Spruce Point Resort *Steepbank Wilderness Resort *Young's Beach Campground Community halls in Lac La Biche County include Craigend, Hylo, Owl River, Plamondon, and Rich Lake.

Infrastructure

Transportation

;Air The full air-service Lac La Biche Airport is located west of the Hamlet of Lac La Biche, north of Highway 55. The airstrip is in length and wide and can accommodate 737 jets. Numerous carriers offer scheduled charter flights out of the airport. Alberta Air Spray Wildfire protection also uses the airstrip as a base accommodating large water tankers. ;Rail A rail line bisects Lac La Biche County, running through the hamlets of Hylo, Venice, and Lac La Biche. The rail line is operated by

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

. ;Roads The following provincial highways service Lac La Biche County. * (Veterans Memorial Highway) * (

Northern Woods and Water Route The Northern Woods and Water Route is a route through northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada. As early as the 1950s, community groups came together to establish a northern travel route; this was propos ...

) * * * * * * *

Education

Northern Lights School Division No. 69 * Vera M Welsh Elementary (K-3) * Aurora Middle School (4-8) * J.A. Williams High School (9-12) * Off Campus High School *

Portage College Portage College is a public board-governed community college in Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada. Portage has seven campus locations throughout northeastern Alberta. History In 1968, Alberta NewStart was established in Lac La Biche as part of the f ...

Lakeland Catholic Schools * Light of Christ Catholic School Conseil Centre-Est *École Sainte-Catherine (K-3)

Media

;Newspapers Lac La Biche County is served by the weekly '' Lac La Biche Post'' and the ''Town and Country''. ;Radio Two FM radio stations broadcast out of Lac La Biche – ''BOOM'' ( CILB FM 103.5) and Aboriginal Radio ( CFWE FM 89.9).

References

External links

* {{Alberta Regions Lower Athabasca 2007 establishments in Alberta Specialized municipalities in Alberta