Halkirk is a

village 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 ...

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 within the

County of Paintearth No. 18 The County of Paintearth No. 18 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in east central Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 7, Alberta, Census Division No. 7, its List of municipal districts in Alberta#Office locati ...

. It is located east of

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

at the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 855. Founded in 1912, Halkirk was named after

Halkirk Halkirk ( gd, Hàcraig) is a village on the River Thurso in Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. From Halkirk the B874 road runs towards Thurso in the north and towards Georgemas in the east. The village is within the parish o ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. With commercial operations beginning on December 1, 2012,

Capital Power Corporation Capital Power is an independent power generation company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Capital Power develops, acquires, owns and operates power generation facilities using a variety of energy sources. Capital Power owns approximately 6,6 ...

operates Alberta's third largest wind farm (largest until December 2021, when the Whitla and Blackspring projects reached full operation), with 83

Vestas Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Un ...

windmills in the area totalling 150MW capacity.

Geography

Halkirk is located in an area surrounded by prairies, farmland, and badlands.

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 Village of Halkirk had a population of 92 living in 50 of its 58 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 112. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Halkirk recorded a population of 112 living in 55 of its 56 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 121. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

Halkirk is within an agricultural region that yields a cross-section of products. In addition, there are several industrial operations located near Halkirk, including a mining operation, a power generating station, and oilfield support services among others.

Attractions and amenities

Landmarks within Halkirk include its water tower and grain elevator. The grain elevator, formerly owned by Alberta Wheat Pool and later Agricore, is now owned by a local family. Recreation facilities within the village include a curling rink, baseball diamonds, camping facilities, and rodeo grounds. The rodeo grounds host the annual Halkirk Bullarama – a rodeo-style

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

competition. Other facilities include the Halkirk Community Hall, the Halkirk Senior Centre, and an interdenominational church. The community hall hosts numerous private and public social events throughout the year.

Infrastructure and services

Transportation

Halkirk is served by several transport companies that travel along Highway 12.

Utilities

The natural gas system is owned by the Village of Halkirk and is supplied by The Paintearth Gas Co-op. Municipal water is supplied by the Shirley McClellan Regional Water Commission. The sanitation system is owned and operated by the village. Power is supplied by ATCO Electric.

Health care

Hospital services are located in nearby Castor. Additional diagnostic services are available in Stettler or

Emergency response

The Village of Halkirk has a volunteer fire department. Emergency medical service is linked to the Stettler network, and East Central Ambulance dispatches ambulances from both Castor and Stettler as needed.

Community organizations

Two service clubs in Halkirk include the ELKS Club and the Halkirk Seniors club, both of which host several events throughout the year.

Education

The Village of Halkirk was home to the Mother Teresa Halkirk Catholic School until 2016. It was decided by the East Central Alberta Catholic Separate School Board in March, 2016 to close the school indefinitely due to a decline in numbers of students.

Notable people

Shane Doan Shane Albert Doan (born October 10, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player currently serving as chief hockey development officer for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Doan spent the entir ...

- former professional

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

player with the

NHL 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 ...

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, villages=yes 1912 establishments in Alberta County of Paintearth No. 18 Villages in Alberta