The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 is a municipal district (MD) occupying a remote area in central northern

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 west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. Located in Census Division 17 north of the Town of Athabasca, its municipal office is located in the Hamlet of Wabasca.

History

The MD of Opportunity No. 17 was established on August 1, 1995 from the former ''Improvement District No. 17 East (North)''.

Geography

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the MD of Opportunity No. 17. ;

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 *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 the MD of Opportunity No. 17. ;

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 ...

* Calling Lake * Red Earth Creek * Sandy Lake or Pelican Mountain (

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 ...

) * Wabasca (also known as Wabasca-Desmarais, location of municipal office) The following localities are located within the MD of Opportunity No. 17. ;Localities *Calling River *Centre Calling Lake *

Chipewyan Lake Chipewyan Lake is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta within the Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17. It is located on the southern shore of Chipewyan Lake approximately north of Wabasca and west of Fort McMurray. The commun ...

*Desmarais *North Calling Lake * Peerless Lake *South Calling Lake * Trout Lake

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 MD of Opportunity No. 17 had a population of 3,382 living in 1,079 of its 1,524 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 3,253. 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 Opportunity No. 17 had a population of 3,181 living in 1,002 of its 1,554 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,074. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the MD is 69.4%

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 ...

and 10.1% Métis, making it the only predominantly Indigenous MD in Alberta. The population of the MD of Opportunity No. 17 according to its 2016 municipal census is 2,639, a change from its 2015 municipal census population of 3,214.

Economy

The economy of the MD of Opportunity No. 17 includes oil and gas production, forestry, as well as

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

exploration. The municipality also offers the lowest residential tax rate in the Province of

as part of its efforts to attract and retain residents. Tourism is also a growing segment of the economy in the M.D.

Calling Lake Provincial Park Calling Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada. It is a boreal forest reserve located north of Athabasca on Highway 813, and north of Edmonton, on the southern shore of Calling Lake. The marshy shores of the lake provide ...

in the south, along with North Wabasca Lake provide numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation year round.

References

External links

* {{Alberta, RM=yes

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...