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 ce ...

, 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 may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...

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. 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); the

County of St. Paul No. 19 The County of St. Paul No. 19 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in eastern Central Alberta, central Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 12, Alberta, Census Division No. 12, its List of municipal districts in A ...

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 munici ...

to the south; the Kikino Metis Settlement and the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement 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'') in Alberta, Canada, 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 protected in nationa ...

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the ...

, Seibert Lake, Touchwood Lake, and Winefred Lake (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 a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

*none ;

Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

*none ;

Villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

are located within Lac La Biche County. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

* 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 ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

The following

localities Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

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 s ...

) *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), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

is also within Lac La Biche County.

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

have the following

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined 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." R ...

within Lac La Biche County. ;Indian reserves * Beaver Lake 131 *

Heart Lake 167 Heart Lake 167 is an Indian reserve of the Heart Lake First Nation in Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. ...

* White Fish Lake 128 (portion, with balance split between Smoky Lake County and the County of St. Paul No. 19)

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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Lac La Biche County had a population of 8,117 living in 3,120 of its 3,996 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) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

industry,

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. Some

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...

s are also present.

Attractions

The following provincial protected areas are within Lac La Biche County. * Crow Lake Provincial Park *

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 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 () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

. ;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 proposed ...

) * * * * * * *

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