St. Albert, Alberta

For the provincial electoral district, see St. Albert (provincial electoral district). For the federal electoral district, see St. Albert (federal electoral district).

St. Albert
City
City of St. Albert
Flag Official logo of St. Albert Logo
St. Albert Location of St. Albert near Edmonton
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Edmonton Region
Census division	11
Founded	1861
Incorporated   - Village	December 7, 1899
- Town  - City	September 1, 1904 January 1, 1977
Government
• Mayor	Nolan Crouse
• Governing body	St. Albert City Council
• Manager	Patrick Draper
• MP	Michael Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton-CON)
• MLA	Marie Renaud (St. Albert-NDP) Trevor Horne (Spruce Grove-St. Albert-NDP)
Area (2011)
• Total	48.27 km2 (18.64 sq mi)
Elevation	689 m (2,260 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	61,466
• Rank	85
• Density	1,273.4/km2 (3,298/sq mi)
• Municipal census (2014)	63,255
Time zone	MST (UTC−7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span	T8N
Area code(s)	+1-780, +1-587
Website	Official website

St. Albert is a city in Alberta, Canada, on the Sturgeon River northwest of the City of Edmonton. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second-largest city in the Edmonton Capital Region. St. Albert first received its town status in 1904 and was reached by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1906.

Originally separated from Edmonton by several miles of farmland, the 1980s expansion of Edmonton's city limits placed St. Albert immediately adjacent to the larger city on St. Albert's south and east sides.

History

St. Albert Parish atop what is now St. Albert's Mission Hill

St. Albert was founded in 1861 by Father Albert Lacombe, OMI, who built a small chapel: the Father Lacombe Chapel in the Sturgeon River valley. This chapel still stands to this day on Mission Hill in St. Albert. The original settlement was named Saint Albert by Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché O.M.I. after Lacombe's name saint; Saint Albert of Louvain. Although Lacombe had originally intended to found the mission at Lac Ste. Anne, the soil proved infertile and he moved the settlement to what would become St. Albert. The location offered several advantages, notably its easy access to supplies of wood and water, its excellent soil, it being a regular stopping point for First Nations peoples on their travels, and its proximity to Fort Edmonton, where the priests could purchase necessary supplies and minister to Catholic workers. A few years later, a group of Grey Nuns would follow Lacombe from Lac Ste. Anne.

During the late 20th and early 21st century it was mistakenly assumed that the community had been named after St. Albert the Great. This was due to incorrect information in the 1985 history of St. Albert; The Black Robe's Vision, published by the amateur historians of the St. Albert Historical Society. This led to the City of St. Albert erroneously promoting St. Albert the Great as the community's patron saint and even erecting a statue of the wrong saint in the downtown area. This misconception was not corrected until 2008. The original chapel has since become an historic site staffed with historical interpreters and is open to the public in the summer season.

Also in St. Albert is the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park. There are two historic grain elevators there; one constructed in 1906 by the Brackman-Ker Milling Company, the other was built later in 1929 by The Alberta Wheat Pool company. There is also a reproduction of the original 1909 railway station housed at the Grain Elevators Park, the reproduction was constructed in 2005. On Madonna Drive stands the Little White School House which is open to the public. Arts and Heritage - St. Albert maintain this site as well as the Grain Elevators and other heritage buildings and sites under restoration in the city. In June 2009, the City Council approved a multi-staged plan for the heritage sites. The plan features the restoration of the grain elevators and the opening of both a Métis and French Canadian farm on adjacent lots by the River.

Demographics

Population history
Year	Pop.	±%
1901	472	—
1906	543	+15.0%
1911	614	+13.1%
1916	655	+6.7%
1921	800	+22.1%
1926	684	−14.5%
1931	825	+20.6%
1936	811	−1.7%
1941	697	−14.1%
1946	804	+15.4%
1951	1,129	+40.4%
1956	1,320	+16.9%
1961	4,059	+207.5%
1966	9,736	+139.9%
1971	11,800	+21.2%
1976	24,129	+104.5%
1981	31,996	+32.6%
1986	36,710	+14.7%
1991	42,146	+14.8%
1996	46,888	+11.3%
2001	53,081	+13.2%
2006	57,719	+8.7%
2011	61,466	+6.5%
Source: Statistics Canada

The population of the City of St. Albert according to its 2014 municipal census is 63,255, a 3.7% change from its 2012 municipal census population of 60,994.

In the 2011 Census, the City of St. Albert had a population of 61,466 living in 22,513 of its 22,990 total dwellings, a 6.4% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 57,764. With a land area of 48.27 km² (18.64 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,273.4/km² (3,298.0/sq mi) in 2011.

In 2006, St. Albert had a population of 57,719 living in 20,938 dwellings, an 8.7% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of 35.04 km² (13.53 sq mi) and a population density of 1,647.4/km² (4,267/sq mi). St. Albert has placed in the top 5 of "Most Wealthy Cities in Canada" based on average net income per citizen, since 2000.

According to Statistics Canada 2001 Census, St. Albert had a population of 53,081 (subsequently it grew to 54,588 in 2003 and 56,310 in 2005). The growth rate from 1998 to 2003 was 10.8%. A total of 19,037 private dwellings were enumerated in the city, which has a land area of 34.61 km² (13.36 sq mi), resulting in a population density of 1,335 people per km² (3,457.6/sq mi).

Arts and culture

Youth mural in downtown St. Albert

Located in the heart of downtown, St. Albert Place is the focal point of many community events and activities. Designed by world-renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, its sculptural symmetry mimics the curves of the Sturgeon River that runs behind it. There are no corners; only curves. Built in 1984, St. Albert Place was designed as a "people place", housing a unique combination of civic government and cultural activity. Currently it houses the St. Albert Public Library, Musée Héritage Museum, Visual Arts Studio and Arden Theatre, as well as City Hall and associated city government services. The Musée Héritage Museum celebrates and explores the story of St. Albert through a variety of programs which seek to preserve the community's history for the future. The museum houses both permanent and temporary exhibits and also contains a Children’s Discovery Room and gift shop. The archives at the museum consist of over 6,500 artifacts, 1,100 programming objects, 70 linear metres of textual record, around 3,000 pre-1948 photographs and thousands of post-1948 photographs. The museum is operated by Arts and Heritage St. Albert.

St. Albert has a rich arts scene. St. Albert is home to a writers' guild and painters' guild and renowned bands like Social Code and Tupelo Honey hail from St. Albert. The Arden Theatre is a popular venue for many plays and musical performances.

The St. Albert public art gallery, Art Gallery of St. Albert is a focal point of St. Albert’s downtown. The gallery is housed in the historical Banque d'Hochelaga building in the heart of downtown St. Albert. The gallery features monthly exhibitions, a variety of public programs and also runs an annual art auction in St Albert. The Art Gallery of St. Albert is one of the stops on the St. Albert ArtWalk. The gallery is operated by Arts and Heritage St. Albert.

St. Albert is also notable for its Aboriginal heritage. The city is home to the Michif Institute founded by former Senator Thelma Chalifoux, dedicated to preserving and spreading knowledge of the city's Métis background. The Musée Héritage Museum contains many Métis artifacts. Many of the street signs in the city's downtown core are also trilingual, written in French and Cree in addition to English, as a tribute to the city's multiracial and multilinguistic origins. A current city project is to replace English-only signs with trilingual versions as the English-only versions wear out.

In 2008, NBC decided to film portions of its new horror/suspense anthology series Fear Itself in St. Albert's downtown and river valley.

St. Albert also has a St. Albert Children's Theatre group putting on two large musicals a year with many summer camps to participate in.

St. Albert is home to the St. Albert Community Band, whose motto is "Music is for Life!"

Festivals and events

The St. Albert Place complex

The Northern Alberta International Children's Festival in St. Albert is one of the longest-running children's festivals in North America, attracting over 40,000 participants over 5 days, at the end of May. During the five days of the Festival, children experience sights and sounds of many different cultures while learning through the medium nearest and dearest to their hearts - by playing! The mainstage events feature a host of international artists from Scotland, Netherlands, USA, Mexico, Cuba, New Zealand, and (of course) Canada offering performances of puppetry, music, dance, acrobatics, clowning and theatre that will amaze and delight.

The Kinsmen Rainmaker Rodeo starts with a parade that winds its way through the heart of St. Albert. After the parade, the rodeo begins, with exciting rodeo events, midway, and musical performances.

The Outdoor Farmers' Market, held in downtown St. Albert, is Western Canada’s largest outdoor farmers' market, attracting 10,000 to 15,000 people every Saturday from June to October. You can find locally grown fresh produce, handmade products and crafts and listen to the music of the buskers.

As many as 6,000 participants come to St. Albert to enjoy Rock'n August, a week-long festival held to celebrate the rumbles of chrome pipes and the rim shots of classic Rock and Roll music. Hotrodders come from kilometres around with their masterpieces to show them off and look at the creations of others as well.

Other annual events include the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival, and Mambos & Mocktails, a 3 hour jazz concert played every December at Bellerose Composite High School by the jazz band and choir.

St. Albert also host an annual Harvest Festival at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park.

The Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Festival, held at the Arden Theatre is one of the largest dance festivals of its kind in North America. It is hosted annually by the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company and generally takes place during the second weekend in May.

Library services

The St. Albert Public Library (SAPL) is located in St. Albert Place in the heart of downtown. The Library provides a wide range of services for St. Albert residents and visitors, including lending materials such as books, CDs and DVDs, providing digital resources such as downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks, databases and streaming products, providing services such as public computing and WiFi access and presenting learning opportunities such as children's storytimes, adult programs and educational sessions including technology training.

Sports and recreation

RCAF jet mounted by Millenium Park

Historic Alberta Wheat Pool and an Alberta Grain Co. Elevator by the rail line in St. Albert, Alberta. Both saved from demolition and are now Provincial Historic Sites of Alberta. Now known as the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park

Parks

The Red Willow park trail system winds its way all through St. Albert and connects many parks, schools, and residential areas, including Lacombe Lake Park.

Facilities

In September 2006, a $42.77-million multi-purpose leisure centre, Servus Credit Union Place, was built. It features a recreational aquatic centre, a kid's play area, the Troy Murray, Mark Messier and Go Auto Arenas, two soccer fields, three basketball courts, a large exercise room, and a running track among other amenities. Construction of the facility, touted as an eventual break-even operation, was approved via plebiscite during the 2004 municipal election.

There was some controversy in 2006 when the city announced that they were renaming the Mark Messier and Troy Murray hockey rinks, and were going to offer these rights for sale. The two rinks, which together were known as Campbell Arena, were originally named after these local hockey stars shortly after the arena opened in 1992. There was such a controversy, which included an article in Sports Illustrated that mayor Paul Chalifoux decided to repeal the decision. The Campbell twin arena has since been added onto as part of the creation of the St. Albert Multi-Purpose Leisure Centre (now Servus Credit Union Place).

There is also Fountain Park pool and Grosvenor pool, offering a variety of pools, tennis courts, racketball courts and a child play area.

Hockey

St. Albert was twice formerly home to an Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) franchise. Between 1977 and 2004, it was home to the St. Albert Saints, which produced players such as Mark Messier and Mike Comrie. The team moved to Spruce Grove in 2004, becoming the Spruce Grove Saints. In 2007, the AJHL returned to St. Albert when the Fort Saskatchewan Traders relocated to the city, becoming the St. Albert Steel. Playing out of Servus Credit Union Place, the team lasted five seasons before moving to Whitecourt in 2012, becoming the Whitecourt Wolverines.

NHL ice hockey player Jarome Iginla is from St. Albert. He played his entire minor hockey career in the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association, which included stints with the Bantam AAA Sabres and the Midget AAA Raiders. It was during the 1992-93 season with the Raiders that Iginla, then an under-age midget player, scored 87 points to lead the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey league in scoring. Following this season Iginla joined the Kamloops Blazers as a 16-year-old.

Other hockey players that have played in St. Albert are Mark Messier, Rob Brown, Geoff Sanderson, Fernando Pisani, Paul Comrie, Mike Comrie, Troy Murray, Stu Barnes, Brian Benning, Steven Goertzen, René Bourque, Jamie Lundmark, Erik Christensen, Steve Reinprecht, Todd Ewen, Dion Phaneuf, Ryan Kinasewich, and Drew Stafford.

Football

St. Albert recently added an artificial turf field in Riel Park as the home of every minor team in the city. Former University of Calgary and current Montreal Alouettes Slot Back, Chris Dobko was born and raised in St. Albert

Government

St. Albert has traditionally elected members of the Conservative Party of Canada to the federal legislature. After the rise of the Reform Party of Canada and its subsequent change to the Canadian Alliance, John G. Williams was elected and served five terms as the city's Member of Parliament, becoming a Conservative MP after the Alliance's 2003 merger with the Progressive Conservative Party, before stepping down in 2008. Brent Rathgeber, formerly of the Conservative Party of Canada, is the current Member of Parliament. He left the Conservative Caucus in 2013 and sits as an independent MP.

Provincially, St. Albert is currently represented by the Alberta New Democratic Party in the legislature. In previous elections, however, it has alternated between Liberal and Conservative representatives.

St. Albert's governing body is composed of a mayor (currently Nolan Crouse) and six city councillors. Municipal elections are held every four years, the last was October 21, 2013.

Education

The Little White school

K-12 education

School districts

• Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division No. 29: This separate school division operates 17 schools and serves approximately 7600 students. In St. Albert, GSACRD's high school students attend ESSMY or St. Albert Catholic High School.
• St. Albert Public Schools #5565: Serving over 6000 students taught in a non-denominational setting. In St. Albert, St. Albert Public Schools' high school students attend Bellerose Composite High School or Paul Kane High School. Constitution Act, 1867; Alberta Act, 1905.

St. Albert is also home to two schools from the North Central Francophone School Board. Their schools are "École La Mission" (K-6) located in the Heritage Lakes subdivision and "École Alexandre-Taché" (7-12), located in the Mission subdivision. This school jurisdiction has minority language rights assured by the Constitution Act, 1982 (section 23).

Post-secondary education

• Athabasca University has its Centre for Innovative Management in St. Albert.

Continuing education

St. Albert Further Education, known as "Further Ed", provides learning opportunities to the residents of St. Albert.

The STAR Literacy Program matches volunteer tutors with adults who wish to improve their reading and writing skills.

Media

There are two distributed newspapers published in St. Albert, the St. Albert Gazette and the "St. Albert Leader". In 2011 a previous newspaper in St. Albert, the Saint City News, closed after 13 years of activity.

Due to the city's adjacency to Edmonton, all major Edmonton media—newspapers, television, and radio—also serve St. Albert. See Media in Edmonton.

Transport

Air

The nearest airport providing passenger service is the Edmonton International Airport. Local air services are provided by the St. Albert Heliport to the northwest of the city and Villeneuve Airport to the west, while Sturgeon Community Hospital has a helipad to receive and transfer patients.

Public transit

The city runs St. Albert Transit (StAT) a public transport agency. It runs 21 local routes and 7 commuter routes to Edmonton. Village Transit Station is located at Gate Avenue and Grange Drive. St. Albert Exchange is located at Rivercrest Crescent and St. Vital Avenue. The Metro Line in Edmonton could be extended to St. Albert with four stations within city limits.

External links

• Official website