The Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496 ( 2016 population: ) is a

rural municipality A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries. These include: * Rural municipalities in Canada, a type of municipal status in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, ...

(RM) in the Canadian province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

within Census Division No. 16 and Division No. 6. Located in the north-central portion of the province, it is west of the City of Prince Albert.

History

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 incorporated as a rural municipality on December 9, 1929. It absorbed the RM of Shell Lake No. 495. The RM of Shell Lake No. 495 was originally named the RM of Shell River No. 495 prior to November 30, 1935.

Geography

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 is adjacent to the RMs of Big River No. 555 to the north, Medstead No. 497 to the west, Meeting Lake No. 466 to the south, and Canwood No. 494 (formerly Thompson No. 494) to the south.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the RM. ;

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 ...

* Spiritwood ;

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 ...

* Shell Lake ; Resort villages * Echo Bay * Big Shell The following unincorporated communities are within the RM. ;

Organized hamlet In most cases in Saskatchewan, a hamlet is an unincorporated community with at least five occupied dwellings situated on separate lots and at least 10 separate lots, the majority of which are an average size of less than one acre. Saskatchewan has ...

s * Spruce Bay ;Localities *

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a far ...

* Capasin * Leoville * Mildred *

Norbury Norbury is an area of south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. Norbury is south of Charing Cross. Etymology The name Norbury derives from ''North Burh'', (North Borough). Some local histories note that ...

* Penn *

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

The RM also surrounds the Witchekan Lake First Nation Reserves and

Pelican Lake First Nation Pelican Lake First Nation ( cr, ᒐᐦᒐᐦᑭᐤ ᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ''cahcahkiw-sâkahikanihk'', meaning: ''at the Pelican Lake'') is a member of the Federation of Saskatchewan First Nations, the body that represents 74 First Nations in Sask ...

Reserves (

191 Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 '' Ab urbe cond ...

, 191A, 191B, 191C).

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, the RM of Spiritwood No. 496 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Spiritwood No. 496 recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Government

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the second Tuesday of every month. The reeve of the RM is Shirley Dauvin while its administrator is Colette Bussiere. The RM's office is located in Spiritwood.

Transportation

;RailCanadian Maps: January 1925 Waghorn's Guide. Post Offices in Man. Sask. Alta. and West Ontario.
/ref> *Big River Branch C.N.R—serves Prince Albert, Shellbrook, Clonfert, Canwood, Polwarth, Mattes, Debden, Eldred, Dumble, Bodmin, Big River. ;Roads * Highway 24—serves Spiritwood and Leoville *

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

—intersects Highway 24 and serves Belbutte, Spiritwood and Shell Lake * Highway 793—intersects Highway 24 and serves Big River * Highway 696—intersects Highway 24 and serves Pelican Lake First Nation Indian Reserve 191B *

—runs east west here and intersects Highway 24 and serves Spiritwood and Mildred * Highway 378—runs North south here and intersects

south of Spiritwood

References

{{SKDivision16 Spiritwood Division No. 16, Saskatchewan