Whitecourt is a town in
central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy.
Geography
Central Alberta is bordered ...
, Canada that is surrounded by
Woodlands County
Woodlands County is a municipal district in north-central Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 13, its municipal office is located outside but adjacent to the Town of Whitecourt. A second municipal office is located in the Hamlet ...
. It is approximately northwest 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 Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and southeast of
Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...
at the junction of
Highway 43 and
Highway 32
The following highways are numbered 32:
International
* Asian Highway 32
* European route E32
Australia
* Great Western Highway
* Barrier Highway
* East Derwent Highway
* Mitchell Highway
Canada
* Alberta Highway 32
* Manitoba Highway 32
...
. It has an elevation of .
Whitecourt is also located at the confluence of four waterways – 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 ...
,
McLeod River
The McLeod River is a river in west-central Alberta, Canada. It forms in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and is a major tributary of the Athabasca River.
__TOC__
Course
The river begins just outside the eastern border of Jasper Nation ...
, Sakwatamau River and Beaver Creek.
A
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 ...
rail line runs through the town.
The Town has branded itself as the ''
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
Capital of Alberta''
[ and its motto is ''Let's Go...''.][ The Whitecourt meteor impact crater is found on nearby Whitecourt Mountain.
]
History
The community was formed in the place known by the Cree as ''Sagitawah'' (the place where the rivers meet). While the first Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
trading post
A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded.
Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...
was established in 1897, the first permanent resident on the present day town site was John Goodwin, who settled here in 1905. In 1910, with the expansion of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Tra ...
, immigrants were encouraged by Premier Arthur Lewis Sifton
Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton (October 26, 1858 – January 21, 1921) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917. He became a minister in the federal cabinet of Canada therea ...
to settle in the vast scarcely inhabited area between 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 Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and 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 ...
.[Olecko, Doreen - Sagitawah Saga](_blank)
- The story of Whitecourt, 2006, University of Calgary, Université Laval The name "Whitecourt" was chosen in 1910 by Walter White, the postmaster of the young community. White was the son-in-law of former Kansas governor John W. Leedy
John Whitnah Leedy (March 8, 1849 – March 24, 1935) was the 14th Governor of Kansas, serving 1896 to 1898. He later was active in politics in Alaska and Alberta, Canada.
Personal life and family
Leedy was born near Bellville, Ohio, in Rich ...
who also settled in the community.
Geography
Whitecourt has three identifiable geographic components:
* the Valley that includes the town centre, the Athabasca Flats residential area, Millar Western's sawmill and pulp mill, and three manufactured home parks;
* the Hilltop that includes the Hilltop and Southlands Estates residential areas, the Hilltop industrial area, a 2.5 km highway commercial strip along Highway 43 and two manufactured home parks; and
* West Whitecourt, between the McLeod and Athabasca Rivers, includes an industrial area, a 1.0 km highway commercial strip along Highway 43, and a manufactured home park.
Climate
Whitecourt has a subarctic climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfc''), falling just short of a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(''Dfb'') due to May and September having mean average temperatures just below . Winters are long and cold (though milder than many areas farther east, even at lower latitudes), and summers are fairly short and relatively warm.
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 Town of Whitecourt had a population of 9,927 living in 3,876 of its 4,341 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 10,209. 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 Whitecourt recorded a population of 10,204 living in 3,743 of its 4,253 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 9,605. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
The population of the Town of Whitecourt according to its 2013 municipal census is 10,574, a 14.9% increase over its 2008 municipal census population of 9,202. At its current population, Whitecourt is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's ''Municipal Government Act'', a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.
Economy
Whitecourt's economy is largely driven by three major industries – 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. ...
, oil and gas industry and tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
. With some farm land to the south and east of Whitecourt, 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 t ...
plays a minor role in the town's economy.
Whitecourt is the site of four forestry-related mills:
* Blue Ridge Lumber Sawmill / Ranger Board MDF (owned by West Fraser)
* Millar Western Pulp Mill (owned by Atlas Holdings LLC)
*Canfor Sawmill
* Alberta Newsprint Company Pulp & Paper Mill.
Due to Whitecourt and area's forestry heritage, the Canadian Forestry Association named Whitecourt and Woodlands County the "Forest Capital of Canada 2013".
Whitecourt is also home to many service companies in the oil and gas industry.
Attractions
Attractions within Whitecourt include the Allan & Jean Millar Centre, Rotary Park, the Forest Interpretive Centre and Heritage Park, and a variety of other facilities and parks.
The Allan & Jean Millar Centre consists of both an aquatic facility, a fieldhouse, a fitness facility, a children's indoor playground area, and boardroom and classroom rental spaces. The aquatic facility comprises a main pool, a children's pool, a leisure pool, a lazy river, a water slide, a hot tub, and a steam room. The fieldhouse includes a configurable multi-sport area, a track, and racquetball and squash courts. The fitness centre provides cardio training equipment, weight training equipment, and a fitness studio. Overall, this recreation venue also provides a variety of programming including lessons, classes, and personal training.
Rotary Park, located in the river valley adjacent to downtown, is a multi-use outdoor park facility consisting of a pond stocked with fish that is cleared for skating in the winter, trails, sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, an off-leash dog park, and a river slide attraction featuring two flowing artificial creeks with drops for tubing.[ A splash park with 19 water features opened within Rotary Park in 2012.]
The town also features several bike trails, as well as a professionally designed bike park.
The Forest Interpretive Centre includes a multi-media museum that presents the forestry industry's role in Whitecourt's history.[ It also features meeting rooms and hosts the local chamber of commerce, a tourist information centre, and town council meetings.] The Forest Interpretive Centre's associated Heritage Park includes antique vehicles and farm equipment, a barn, and an interpretive trail among other features.[
]
Sports
Travis Roche and Rocky Thompson are current and former professional hockey players that were raised in Whitecourt. Roche played 60 games in the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) between the Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
and Phoenix Coyotes and now plays for SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern ('' Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the mos ...
in Switzerland's National League A
The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league h ...
. He has represented Team Canada at the Spengler Cup
The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss tea ...
on numerous occasions, winning gold at the 2012 tournament. Thompson played 25 games in the NHL between the Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
and Florida Panthers and was an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
in the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
.
Normand Lacombe is the strength and conditioning coach for the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The re ...
(AJHL), and was the head coach of the predecessor Wolverines of the North West Junior Hockey League prior to the AJHL's arrival. Lacombe played 319 games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
, Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
and Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
, winning the Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
.
Government
Whitecourt Town Council consists of a mayor and six councillors that were elected in the 2017 municipal election. The current members of town council are Mayor Maryann Chichak and councillors Paul Chauvet, Matt Connell, Ray Hilts, Bill McAree, Tom Pickard, and Derek Schlosser.[ The town's chief administrative officer is Peter Smyl.][
]
The Northern Gateway Public Schools division office is located in Whitecourt. The school division is responsible for public schools within the geography comprising Lac Ste. Anne County and portions of Woodlands County and the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16
The Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 is a municipal district (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& ...
, including the towns of Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe
Mayerthorpe is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton at the intersection of Highway 43 and Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail). The town is surrounded by Lac Ste. Anne County and is in Alberta's Census Division No ...
, Onoway
Onoway is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 37 and Highway 43.
History
Two theories are behind the naming of the community. "Onoway" in Chipewyan translates to "fair field ...
and Valleyview in addition to Whitecourt.
Whitecourt is located within the Whitecourt-Ste. Anne provincial electoral district, which is represented by Oneil Carlier
Oneil John Carlier (born June 22, 1962) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of A ...
of the Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Alberta), commonly shortened to Alberta's NDP, is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. It is the provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Demo ...
. Progressive Conservative George VanderBurg was a four-term MLA for the district until 2015. A resident of Whitecourt, VanderBurg was a businessman and the mayor of the town for nine years prior to his entry into provincial politics.
At the federal level, Whitecourt is located within the Yellowhead electoral district, which is represented by Conservative Jim Eglinski
William James Eglinski (born December 15, 1948) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Yellowhead from 2014 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party.
Background
Eglinski was born in Two Hills, Alberta and raised in Chipm ...
. Conservative Rob Merrifield
Robert Merrifield, , (born December 19, 1953) is a Canadian politician and diplomat. He is the former Member of Parliament for Yellowhead, and was the Minister of State for Transport from October 2008 to May 2011. In September 2014 he resign ...
was a four-term MP for the district until 2014. Merrifield is a resident of Whitecourt and a farmer. In the next federal election, Whitecourt will be part of the newly formed 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 ...
.
Other former politicians who lived in Whitecourt include Raj Pannu, Allen Sulatycky
Allen B. Sulatycky, (born June 13, 1938), is a Canadian judge and former politician.
Biography
He was born at Hafford, Saskatchewan, and educated at Hafford and the University of Saskatchewan (B.A., LL.B 1962). Sulatycky was called to the Alb ...
and Rod Fox
Rodney M. "Rod" Fox (born c. 1981) is a Canadian politician who is a former elected member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Lacombe-Ponoka.
Fox's professional background is in insurance, finance, ma ...
. Pannu, former MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona and former leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party, taught high school in Whitecourt between 1962 and 1964. Sulatycky, judge and former MP for Rocky Mountain
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
, was a lawyer and was elected the first Liberal to represent Whitecourt's constituency in 1968. Fox, former Wildrose Party
The Wildrose Party (legally Wildrose Political Association, formerly the ''Wildrose Alliance Political Association'') was a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The party was formed by the merger in early 2008 of the Albe ...
MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka
Lacombe-Ponoka is a provincial electoral district in central Alberta, Canada created in 2003. The district is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly.
History
The electoral district was created in the 2003 boundary redis ...
, was born and raised in Whitecourt.
Infrastructure
Health care
Acute and non-acute medical care is provided at the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre
Whitecourt Healthcare Centre is a medical facility located in Whitecourt, Alberta. Alberta Health Services is responsible for the operations of the hospital. It contains 24 beds with two special care beds and one palliative care bed.http://www9.al ...
.
Transportation
;Air
The full air-service Whitecourt Airport
Whitecourt Airport is located west of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean ...
is located west of Whitecourt on the north side of Highway 32, approximately from Highway 43. It is Alberta's ninth busiest airport with up to 32,000 aircraft using the airport annually. The airstrip is in length and wide and can accommodate 737 jets. Numerous carriers offer scheduled charter flights out of the airport.
;Bus
Red Arrow and Northern Express offer service to Edmonton and Grande Prairie.
;Rail
The CN Sangudo Subdivision provides rail service through Whitecourt from Edmonton to numerous gas plants south of Fox Creek. The Millar Western Sawmill / Pulp Mill and the Alberta Newsprint Company Pulp & Paper Mill are both served by rail.
;Roads
The Town of Whitecourt is served by two highways. Highway 43, which is 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 ...
, is a twinned highway that provides connection to Edmonton to the southeast and Grande Prairie to the northwest.
Highway 32 provides Whitecourt with a direct link to the Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...
(Highway 16) to the south, which connects the town to Edson and Hinton to the southwest. Another segment of Highway 32 begins approximately northwest of the town, providing a link from Highway 43 to Swan Hills
Swan Hills is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is in the eponymous Swan Hills, approximately north of Whitecourt and northwest of Fort Assiniboine. The town is at the junction of Highway 32 and Grizzly Trail, and is surrounded by Big Lak ...
and Slave Lake
Slave Lake is a town in northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction o ...
.
Numerous local roads provide connections from Whitecourt to surrounding rural areas within Woodlands County. Within the McLeod River valley, Govenlock Road feeds two rural roads – West Mountain Road (Range Road 122) and Tower Road (Range Road 121A) – that provide access to numerous country residential subdivisions and some agricultural operations to the south.
Within the Athabasca River valley, Flats Road (Township Road 600), which exits the town following its northern boundary, serves numerous agricultural operations to the east.
On the Hilltop, 41 Avenue (Township Road 594A), which was the original highway alignment into Whitecourt, exits the town eastbound for the Hamlet of Blue Ridge. This road is commonly referred to as Blue Ridge Road.
Education
;Northern Gateway Regional Division No. 10
* Central Elementary School (3-5)
* Pat Hardy Elementary School (K-2)
* Percy Baxter Middle School (6-8)
* Hilltop Jr/Sr High School (9-12)
;Living Waters Catholic Regional Division No. 42
* St. Mary's School (K-3)
* St. Joseph School (4-12)
Media
;Newspapers
Whitecourt is served by two weekly papers, the Sun Media owned ''Whitecourt Star
The ''Whitecourt Star'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Whitecourt, Alberta area. It is the paper of record for Whitecourt.
See also
*List of newspapers in Canada
This list of newspapers in Canada is a list of newspapers printed and distri ...
'', the independent ''Whitecourt Press'', and the monthly ''Community Advisor''.
;Radio
Two FM radio stations broadcast from Whitecourt. 'Boom 96.7'' (FM 96.7, CFXW-FM) and ''XM 105'' (FM 105.3, CIXM-FM
CIXM-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily deriv ...
) broadcast classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980 ...
and contemporary country formats respectively.
Sister cities
Whitecourt has been twinned with Yūbetsu, Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
, Japan, since 1998.
See also
*List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
* List of towns in Alberta
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1959 establishments in Alberta
Towns in Alberta
Former new towns in Alberta