ALBERTA
- ORIGIN OF PROVINCE NAME: Named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.
- NICKNAME: Princess Province, Energy Province, or Sunshine Province.
- CAPITAL: Edmonton.
- ENTERED CONFEDERATION: 1 September 1905.
- MOTTO: Fortis et liber (Strong and free).
- COAT OF ARMS: In the center, the provincial shield of arms displays the red Cross of St. George at the top on a white background (representing the province's bond with the United Kingdom), foothills and mountains in the center (symbolizing the Canadian Rockies), and a wheat field at the bottom (representing the province's chief agricultural crop). Above the shield is a crest with a beaver carrying a royal crown on its back. Supporting the shield are a lion to the left and pronghorn antelope to the right. Beneath the shield the provincial motto appears, with a grassy mount and wild roses.
- FLAG: The flag bears the provincial shield of arms centered on a royal ultramarine blue background.
- FLORAL EMBLEM: Wild rose (also known as prickly rose).
- TARTAN: Alberta Tartan (green, gold, blue, pink, and black).
- MAMMAL: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
- PROVINCIAL BIRD: Great horned owl.
- TREE: Lodgepole pine.
- STONE: Petrified wood.
- TIME: 5 AM MST = noon GMT.
Source Database: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Canadian Provinces
Table of Contents
AGRICULTURE | ARTS | CLIMATE | COMMERCE | COMMUNICATIONS | DOMESTICATED ANIMALS | ECONOMY | EDUCATION | ENERGY AND POWER | ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION | ETHNIC GROUPS | FAMOUS ALBERTANS | FISHING | FORESTRY | FURTHER READINGS | HEALTH | HISTORY | HOUSING | INCOME | INDUSTRY | JUDICIAL SYSTEM | LABOR | LANGUAGES | LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS | LOCAL GOVERNMENT | LOCATION AND SIZE | MIGRATION | MINING | PLANTS AND ANIMALS | POLITICAL PARTIES | POPULATION | PRESS | PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT | PUBLIC FINANCE | RELIGIONS | SOURCE CITATION | SPORTS | TAXATION | TOPOGRAPHY | TOURISM, TRAVEL, AND RECREATION | TRANSPORTATION | VIEW MULTIMEDIA FILE(S)
The westernmost of Canada's three prairie provinces, Alberta is bordered on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Saskatchewan, on the south by the US state of Montana, and on the west by British Columbia. Alberta lies between the 49th and 60th parallels, at virtually the same latitude as the United Kingdom. Alberta is 756 miles (1,217 kilometers) from north to south and between 182 to 404 miles (293 and 650 kilometers) in width from west to east. Nearly equal in size to the state of Texas and covering an area of some 255,284 square miles (661,185 square kilometers), the province is Canada's fourth largest.
Roughly half of the southwestern section of the province is dominated by mountains and foothills--striking reminders of the glaciers that, over millions of years, formed, moved, and receded in the area. Peaks of the Rocky Mountains located in Alberta range from 6,989 to 12,294 feet (2,130 to 3,747 meters) in elevation.
The foothills, which form a gentle link between mountain and prairie landscapes, feature heavily forested areas and grasslands used for grazing cattle. Beneath their surface, the foothills contain some of the province's richest deposits of coal and sour gas (natural gas containing hydrogen sulfide which needs refining before being used in household furnaces and for other common uses).
The remainder of the province--approximately 90 percent of the land area--forms part of the interior plain of North America. The plains include the forested areas that dominate the northern part of the province and the vast stretches of northern muskeg (bog) that overlie much of Alberta's oil and gas deposits and oil sands (sand mixed with petroleum).
Alberta has what is known as a continental climate. It is characterized by vivid seasonal contrasts in which long, cold winters are balanced by mild to hot summers. The climate also features an unusually high number of sunny days, no matter what the season. In fact, Alberta has more sunny days than any other province and is therefore sometimes called the "Sunshine Province." Although the whole province is covered in cold air in winter, in the southwest a mild wind, the " Chinook," frequently funnels through the mountains from the Pacific Ocean.
The average daily temperature for Calgary ranges from 10°F (-12°C) in January to 73°F (23°C) in July. Normal daily temperatures for Edmonton are 5°F (-15°C) in January and 63°F (17°C) in July. The warmest recorded temperature in Alberta was 110°F (43.3°C) on 21 July 1931 at Bassano Dam; the coldest ever recorded was -78°F (-61.1°C) on 11 January 1931 at Fort Vermilion.
Alberta has 1,767 known species of vascular plants (ferns and all plants that reproduce through seeds), of which 87 are rare in Canada and 59 rare in North America. Nonvascular species (such as mosses and lichens) number 1,180, of which 30-50 percent are rare in North America. The slender mouse-ear-cress plant is endangered.
Alberta animal species include 90 mammals, 270 breeding birds, 50 fish, 18 reptiles and amphibians, and 20,000 insects. As of 1995, Alberta had 538 fish and wildlife species, with two percent considered at serious risk. Endangered mammals include the swift fox, wood bison, and woodland caribou; endangered birds include the burrowing owl, ferruginous hawk, mountain plover, peregrine falcon, piping plover, trumpeter's swan, and whooping crane. Threatened animals include the black-footed ferret, the yellow-cheeked vole, Baird's sparrow, the greater prairie chicken, the loggerhead shrike, the long-billed curlew, the upland sandpiper, the short-horned lizard, the western hognose snake, the great plains toad, the long-toed salamander, and the northern leopard frog.
Since the 1950s, Alberta's development policy for using forests and other renewable resources has viewed land, water, vegetation, and wildlife management as one ecosystem (an ecological unit consisting of the organisms and the environment within a given area). The use of these resources is based strictly on keeping the ecosystem intact.
Air quality is generally good, and the incidence of smog is much less frequent in Edmonton and Calgary than in other large Canadian cities. The province has the highest rate of carbon dioxide emissions per capita (per person) in Canada, with cars contributing eight percent to Alberta's carbon dioxide emissions. Alberta's solid waste to landfills declined by over 25 percent from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
Water pollution is one of the more notable environmental concerns in Alberta. Water quality tends to be poorer downstream of urban, industrial, or agricultural development. In certain lakes and rivers mercury levels in some types of fish have forced Health and Welfare Canada to issue fish consumption advisories. Most of the mercury found in fish comes from natural sources in soils and sediment in Alberta. Additional problems, however, come from dioxins and furans, toxins that are generated from the burning of organic materials and also originate in waste water discharges from industrial sites. In Alberta, paper mills are the most common source for dioxin and furan contamination of water resources.
In 1992/93, Alberta Environmental Protection was formed from the merger of the former departments of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife, and Environment, and the Parks Division of the former department of Tourism and Recreation. The new agency is responsible for providing and maintaining clean air, water, and soil; protecting wildlife, forests, parks, and other natural resources; and making sure that the development of these resources is truly sustainable. On 1 September 1993 the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (AEPEA) went into effect, aiming to improve the province's environment through a variety of programs.
The Native Peoples, whose ancestors are thought to have crossed the Bering Sea from Asia thousands of years ago, were the first people to live in what is now Alberta. The Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Cree, Gros Ventre, Sarcee, Kootenay, Beaver, and Slavey Indians were the sole inhabitants of what was then a vast wilderness territory. They spoke a variety of Athapaskan and Algonkian languages. The early Albertans, particularly the woodland tribes of the central and northern regions, became valuable partners of the European fur traders who arrived in the 18th century.
EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT
The first European explorer to reach what is now Alberta was Anthony Henday, in 1754. He was an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company, a British fur-trading firm. Peter Pond, from a Scottish firm called the North West Company, established the first fur-trading post in the area in 1778. The Hudson's Bay Company gradually extended its control throughout a huge expanse of northern North America known as Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territories, including the region occupied by present-day Alberta. From that time, the region was fought over by the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, each of which built competing fur-trading posts. The rivalry ended in 1821, when the two companies merged under the Hudson's Bay Company name.
Expeditions led by Henry Youle Hind and John Palliser discovered that parts of the region had exceptionally good land for farming, especially the fertile belt north of the Palliser Triangle (a particularly arid zone). As a result of these findings, the British decided not to renew the license of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1870, the North-Western Territories was acquired by the Dominion of Canada and administered from the newly formed province of Manitoba.
Beginning with the arrival of the railway in 1883, the population started to grow quickly. Other factors that helped the population grow were the discovery of new strains of wheat particularly suited to the climate of the Canadian prairies, the lack of new farmland in the United States, and the end of an economic depression throughout North America. On 1 September 1905, Alberta--named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Britain's Queen Victoria--became a province of Canada with Edmonton as its capital city. The province of Alberta was created by joining the District of Alberta with parts of the districts of Athabasca, Assiniboia, and Saskatchewan.
EARLY YEARS AS A PROVINCE
During World War I (1914-18), Canada lost more than 68,000 soldiers. The women's suffrage movement gained popularity during the war, when many women worked in factories to replace the men who were fighting in the war. Alberta permitted women to vote in 1916. In 1918, the right to vote in federal elections was extended to women. Veterans returning to Alberta faced a bleak future of scarce low-paying jobs, while tariffs on imports kept prices for consumer goods high. Albertan farmers, as in the other prairie provinces, had prospered from high wheat prices during World War I, but with the end of the war global grain markets collapsed and wheat prices fell 50 percent by 1920. Affected farmers organized the United Farmers Movement in Alberta in 1921 to protest the low farm product prices and high transportation rates, and played an important role in provincial politics of the 1920s.
During the 1920s, grain prices recovered and Canada experienced a period of rapid growth in industry. Transportation improvements--railways and roads--enabled businesses to flourish. Automobiles, telephones, electrical appliances, and other consumer goods became widely available.
Alberta, like the other prairie provinces, was one of the poorest areas of Canada during the Great Depression. In addition to the problems with prices during the early 1920s, droughts and frequent crop failures devastated the economy of the province. Social welfare programs rapidly expanded during the 1930s, with much of the burden placed on the provincial and municipal governments.
1940S-1990S
Following World War II (1939-45), consumer spending and immigration to Canada rapidly increased. Urbanization spread quickly by means of the National Housing Act, which made home ownership more easily available. Unemployment insurance and other social welfare programs were also created following the war. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, old age pensions were increased in 1951 and a national hospital insurance plan was introduced in 1957.
In the 1980s, Alberta objected to federal control over oil pricing. The province also objected to the National Energy Program announced in late 1980 which reduced Alberta's share of oil revenues.
The popular defeat of both the Meech Lake Accord of 1987 and the Charlottetown Accord of 1992 failed to solve the issue of Québec's role in Canada. As a result, western Canadian voters, many of whom feel that the federal government treats them as less important than other Canadians, began electing representatives who favor increased power for the provinces and decreased power for the federal government.
Tracing the roots of Alberta's 2.5 million people begins with the province's Native, or Aboriginal, Peoples and leads to virtually every corner of the globe. During the last ice age, portions of Alberta served as an ice-free corridor through which Aboriginal Peoples made the trek from Asia. The province's native people formed the bulk of the area's population until the 1880s, when they were outnumbered by growing populations of Europeans. In 1881, there were barely more than 1,000 non-native people in the area that was to become the province of Alberta. Ten years later, 17,500 non-native people occupied the territory.
Between the 1890s and the 1920s, immigrants from many countries came in response to the Canadian government's aggressive efforts to promote immigration and encourage agricultural development. After World War I, most of the immigrants came from Europe or the United States. By the end of the immigration push in 1921, there were 584,454 ">Albertans. After World War II, the pattern changed. Beginning in the 1960s, immigrants came from all over the world, including the Pacific Rim, Asia, and the Caribbean.
In 1996, 15.1 percent of all immigrants living in Alberta had come from the United Kingdom, 6.9 percent from the United States, 5.8 percent from China, and 5.8 percent from Germany. Recent immigrants who came to the province during 1991-96 were mostly from the Philippines, Hong Kong, and China.
In 1996, 2.8 percent of Alberta's residents age 5 and older had lived abroad in 1991. Some 11.8 percent had lived elsewhere in Alberta, while 6.6 percent had lived in another province five years earlier. Most interprovincial migration was with British Columbia.
The structure of the provincial government reflects that of the federal government. For example, the provincial premier, as the majority party leader of the legislature, functions much like the Canadian prime minister. Provincial legislators, like their federal counterparts in Parliament, are elected to represent a constitutional jurisdiction and pass legislation. They do so as members of the 83-seat Legislative Assembly. A provincial lieutenant-governor approves laws passed by the legislature, much like the Governor General at the federal level. There is no provincial equivalent, however, to the federal Senate.
Albertan municipal government consists of rural and urban municipal governments. Rural municipal governments (counties and municipal districts whose elected councils are responsible for all services) are large land areas with relatively few people. In these areas, the provincial government provides all services and collects the taxes. Urban municipalities are autonomous (self-governing) political units. These include summer villages (resort areas), villages, towns, new towns (with special borrowing privileges), and cities. In order for an area to be incorporated, a summer village must contain 50 separate buildings that are occupied annually for six months, a village must have 75 such residences occupied annually for six months, a town needs 1,000 inhabitants, and a city must have a population of at least 10,000. Alberta has 16 cities, 109 towns, 29 counties, 21 municipal districts, and numerous villages and summer villages.
The Canadian Constitution grants provincial jurisdiction over the administration of justice, and allows each province to organize its own court system and police forces. The federal government has exclusive domain over cases involving trade and commerce, banking, bankruptcy, and criminal law. The Federal Court of Canada has both trial and appellate (having the power to review the judgment of another court) divisions for federal cases. The nine-judge Supreme Court of Canada is an appellate court that determines the constitutionality of both federal and provincial statutes. The Tax Court of Canada hears appeals of taxpayers against assessments by Revenue Canada.
The provincial court system in ">Alberta has a total of six primary divisions (Magistrate, Surrogate, Family, Juvenile, Division, and Queen's Bench) and one intermediate appellate court. The Magistrate court deals with less serious cases, has no jury, and rarely deals with private laws. The Division court is a small-claims court hearing cases involving less than C$2,000. The Court of Queen's Bench has unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters.
In 1996, there were 53 homicides in Alberta, for a rate of 1.9 per 100,000 persons. Violent crime offenses in 1996 numbered 1,002 per 100,000 people; property crimes, 5,059 per 100,000 people.
Alberta's history is the focus of many museums and historical sites, including the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Frank's Slide, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, and the Remington Alberta Carriage Centre.
Political affiliation was not important in Alberta until the 1910s, when differences between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party became more prominent. A growing nonpartisan (not connected with a party) movement in the late 1910s saw the rise of the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA); the UFA held the majority from 1921 to 1935. The Social Credit Party (Socred), based on the belief that the government should control credit, held the vast majority of legislative seats from the mid-1930s to the early 1970s. During their period in power, the welfare state was expanded.
On 11 March 1997, a general election was held. The parties held the following number of seats in Alberta's Legislative Assembly in 1994: Conservatives, 65; Liberals, 15; and 2 New Democrats.
The province offers a multitude of attractions to visitors, and prides itself on the magnificent Rocky Mountains, especially the celebrated Jasper and Banff national parks. As of 1998, Alberta had 26,199 square miles (67,855 square kilometers) designated as parks and natural reserves. Over 8.9 million people visited provincial parks and recreation areas in 1996/97.
In 1997, receipts from tourism amounted to C$3.75 billion; 55 percent came from fellow Albertans, 19 percent from out-of-province visitors, and 26 percent from foreign visitors. Many of Alberta's foreign tourists come from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Australia.
The West Edmonton Mall is the world's largest combined shopping/entertainment center.
Roughly 44 percent of Albertans are of British descent. Other ethnic backgrounds with the largest number of people are German, French, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, and Norwegian. In 1996, Alberta had some 69,100 Native People (of Aboriginal descent) and 49,500 Métis (people of mixed European and Aboriginal descent). The largest Aboriginal bands are at Blood and Saddle Lake. Smaller ethnic groups, tracing their heritage to virtually every country in the world, make up the remaining 24 percent of the population. About ten percent of the population is neither Caucasian nor Aboriginal in origin.
English is the mother tongue of the majority of Albertans (80.1 percent in 1996) and is the primary language used in the province. French, German, and Ukrainian, however, are the dominant languages spoken in some communities.
Most Christian faiths are represented in Alberta. About 50 percent of the population, or about 1,232,000 people, is Protestant, including 425,100 United Church of Canada members, 175,600 Anglicans, 137,500 Lutherans, 63,600 Baptists, 53,500 Pentecostals, and 48,400 Presbyterians. Alberta also has about 674,600 Catholics (646,600 Roman Catholics and 28,000 Ukrainian Catholics), 43,300 people of Eastern Orthodox faith, 30,500 Moslems, 20,400 Buddhists, 12,700 Sikhs, 10,200 Hindus, and 10,200 Jews. Some 509,100 Albertans report no religious affiliation.
After the Canadian confederation was formed in 1867, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built, linking Alberta with the rest of Canada. Today, VIA Rail Canada provides transcontinental rail service with stops in Edmonton and Jasper.
The Trans-Canada Highway links Saskatchewan with Medicine Hat and Calgary before continuing on to Banff National Park and British Columbia. The Yellowhead Route of the Trans-Canada Highway connects Edmonton with Lloydminster and Saskatchewan in the east and with Jasper National Park and British Columbia in the west. Few highways exist in the northern half of the province. As of 1995, there were 2,469 miles (3,973 kilometers) of federal highways, 11,367 miles (18,292 kilometers) of provincial roads, and 98,909 miles (159,172 kilometers) of municipal roads. Alberta has almost 2 million registered motor vehicles and over 2 million licensed drivers.
Urban transit consists of 1,436 buses, 3 trolley coaches, 122 light-rail vehicles, and 3 other vehicles. These vehicles together provide more than 97.2 million passenger trips of more than 45.9 million miles (73.9 million kilometers). Greyhound and Red Arrow provide bus service to most of the urban areas.
Edmonton and Calgary each have international airports served by such carriers as Air Canada, American Airlines, Canadian Airlines International, Delta, Horizon Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest, and United. Calgary International serves about 6.7 million passengers annually, while Edmonton International handles 2.9 million passengers.
Progressive Conservative Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark (b.1939), originally from High River, served as Canada's prime minister from June 1979 to March 1980.
Famous Albertans in entertainment include actors Fay Wray (b.1907), Conrad Bain (b.1923), and Michael J. Fox (b.1961). Joni Mitchell (b.1943) and k. d. lang (b.1961) are prominent Albertan singers.
Notable literary persons include poet and novelist Earle Birney (1904-95), communications theorist Marshall McLuhan (1911-80), novelist Robert Kroetsch (b.1927), novelist and short story writer W. P. Kinsella (b.1935), and novelist Katherine Govier (b.1948).
Hockey star Lanny McDonald (b.1953) is a native of Hanna, while three-time World Figure Skating champion Kurt Browning (b.1966) was born in Caroline.
The first schools in Alberta were founded by Catholic and Protestant missionaries in the mid-1800s. When Alberta entered the Canadian confederation in 1905, there was one provincial education system which allowed separate schools for the dissenting religious minority. The 1930s saw the introduction of social studies, junior high schools, rural school administration, adult education, and increased benefits for teachers.
Public education in Alberta is a shared responsibility of the provincial government and local school boards. In areas such as curriculum and teacher certification, Alberta Education (the provincial education department) has overall authority. Local school boards employ teachers and operate schools at the elementary (grades 1-6), junior high (grades 7-9), and high school (grades 10-12) levels.
In 1997/98, Alberta had 574,666 students enrolled in grades 1-12, with about one percent registered in home education. An additional 42,448 children attended Early Childhood Services (ECS), an optional pre-grade 1 program offered jointly by the provincial government and local school boards or community operators. There are also approximately 200 private schools (primarily religious or language-based) that enroll about 17,000 students; these schools receive about 70 percent of the provincial funding provided to public schools.
In 1995, Alberta became the first province to approve charter schools, allowing parents and local communities to set up specialty schools or programs independent of the support of local school boards. The first four charter schools opened in Edmonton and Calgary.
In 1997/98, there were 123,154 full-time equivalent university students. Universities enrolled 64,500; public colleges, 29,148; technical institutes, 17,470; private colleges, 2,398; and vocational colleges, 9,580. The University of Alberta in Edmonton is Canada's second-largest English-language university. In 1996 it enrolled about 30,000 full-time students.
In 1998 there were 38,390 live births in Alberta, for a rate of about 13 per 1,000 residents. The death rate in 1998 was 5.8 per 1,000 residents, with 16,930 deaths occurring that year. Reported cases of selected diseases in 1996 included chicken pox, 7,341; giardiasis, 545; gonococcal infections, 472; campylobacteriosis, 908; and salmonellosis, 592. In 1994, the incidence of cancer was 377.7 cases per 100,000 residents. There were 68 new AIDS cases reported in 1996. Between 1985 and 1998, 2,976 residents became infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
As of 1994, Alberta had 177 hospitals and health centers. There were 4.7 hospital beds per 1,000 population.
Alberta had 984,275 occupied private dwellings in 1996, up 7.6 percent from 1991. In 1996, there were 979,175 private households, with an average size of 2.7. That year, 630,035 households lived in single detached houses, 304,410 lived in attached homes, row houses, or small apartment buildings, and 44,730 households lived in highrise apartments.
As of 1998, Alberta had an estimated 2.9 million inhabitants, or 9.6 percent of the national population. Approximately 80 percent of Albertans lived in urban areas. More than half lived in the two main cities--Edmonton, the province's capital (with a population of 605,538); and Calgary, (with a population 692,885). The greater Edmonton and Calgary metropolitan areas had populations of 862,597 (fifth highest in Canada) and 821,628 (sixth highest), respectively, in 1996. Other urban areas, and their 1996 populations include: Lethbridge, 63,053; Red Deer, 60,075; Medicine Hat, 56,570; Grand Centre, 35,161; and Grand Prairie, 31,140. With two-thirds of the population under the age of 40, the province has one of the youngest populations in the industrialized world. This is, in part, due to the high level of migration to Alberta since the late 1960s.
Cultural activities in Edmonton include the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Alberta Ballet, the Edmonton Opera Company, and more professional live theater companies per person than any other city in Canada. Every year, Edmonton hosts an international jazz festival and a large alternative theater celebration. Calgary's Centre for the Performing Arts is the permanent home of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and has three theaters.
In 1997, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts funded 337 arts organizations. The Alberta Arts Festivals Association reported that some 3,000 festival events were held in 1997, with a total attendance of 1.2 million.
As of 1998, Alberta had 40 AM and 25 FM radio stations, and 35 television stations. Calgary has 7 AM and 8 FM radio stations and 3 television stations, while Edmonton has 9 AM and 8 FM radio stations and 4 television stations.
Daily newspapers in the two largest metropolitan areas are the Calgary Herald and The Calgary Sun, and the Edmonton Journal and The Edmonton Sun. Other daily newspapers are published in Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer.
Rodeos, many of which are part of the North American Rodeo Circuit, are popular sporting events during the summer months throughout Alberta. The Calgary Stampede, held annually during the first ten days of July, is the largest rodeo in the world.
Alberta has two National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers, both in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989, while the Oilers took the championship in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. The Oilers' success in the 1980s was partially due to Wayne Gretzky, who received the NHL's most valuable player award every year between 1980 and 1987 while at Edmonton. The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos play in the Canadian Football League (CFL); the Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 1971 and 1992, and the Eskimos took the CFL championship in 1954-56, 1975, 1978-82, 1987, and 1993. Other professional teams include the Triple A level teams for Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins (the Edmonton Trappers) and Seattle Mariners (the Calgary Canons). The Edmonton Drillers play indoor soccer in the National Professional Soccer League. Calgary gained international attention as the host of the Olympic Winter Games in 1988.
Alberta has one of the world's most productive agricultural economies, producing about 20 percent of the value of Canada's annual output. Some 9.6 million hectares (23.6 million acres) of land are under cultivation. While wheat remains the primary crop, the production of new crops continues to expand. Of Canada's total crop production, Alberta typically produces about 25 percent of the wheat, 40 percent of the canola, 45 percent of the oats, and 50 percent of the barley. Production figures in 1996 were: wheat, 6.45 million tons; barley, 5.78 million tons; canola, 3.15 million tons; and oats, 1.39 million.
According to the 1996 federal census, Alberta had 59,007 farms (second after Ontario) on 21 million hectares (52 million acres), about half of which is used for crops. The average farm covered 357 hectares (881 acres) Living on a ranch or farm is a valued way of life. Many farmers must supplement their earnings with off-farm income. Average gross receipts for a farm operator were C$134,071 in 1996, but average expenses of operating were C$113,029 that year, leaving C$21,042 before interest payments and taxes. Total farm cash receipts were C$6.34 billion in 1997, representing 21.5 percent of Canada's total agricultural production.
Cattle and their keepers arrived in Alberta in the 1870s, about 20 years before the farmers. Eventually the ranchers and farmers learned to live together in peace; farmers cultivated land in southeastern and central Alberta, while livestock production predominated in the western foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Approximately 22 million hectares (54 million acres) of cultivated and uncultivated land are used as pasture and forage for livestock. Alberta maintains the largest livestock population in Canada, accounting for 42 percent of the country's beef cattle, 15 percent of the hogs, and 24 percent of the sheep and lambs. The livestock population in 1996 included 5.9 million head of cattle, 1.72 million pigs, and 259,800 sheep.
Alberta also has more horses than anywhere else in Canada. Commercial apiculture (beekeeping) is also popular.
In 1947, an enormous oil field was discovered at Leduc, near Edmonton. Oil transformed the province's modest agricultural economy into one of the most prosperous in Canada. By 1956, Alberta's oil production met 75 percent of Canada's demand. Alberta has more than 60 percent of the country's reserves of conventional crude oil, over 85 percent of its natural gas, and 63 percent of its coal reserves. The first natural gas well was drilled in 1901 at a field near Medicine Hat. The oil and natural gas sector responded to the challenges of unstable energy prices in the 1980s by significantly reducing production and operating costs. In 1997, Alberta's mineral fuel production was C$25.9 billion, or 79.2 percent of the national total. In 1997, crude oil and equivalent production totaled 3.19 billion cubic feet (90.4 million cubic meters), or 76 percent of the nation's total, valued at C$14.2 billion. Much of the oil is exported to the United States.
Alberta's refineries, which serve most of western Canada, constitute about 20 percent of Canada's total refining capacity. Five refineries have a combined capacity of just under 375,000 barrels per day. Transportation fuels (including gasoline, diesel fuel, and aviation fuel) make up 80 percent of all production. Other products include heating oil, asphalt, petrochemical feedstock, kerosene, ethylene derivative products, and lubricants. The Interprovincial Pipe Line (IPL), which originates in Edmonton and passes through Saskatchewan, transports crude oil from both Alberta and Saskatchewan to markets in eastern Canada and the United States.
In 1995, electricity generated totaled 52.5 billion kilowatt hours.
Sport fishing in Alberta's numerous lakes and streams is an important part of the tourism industry. Prominent species sought include brown trout, eastern brook trout, northern pike, rainbow trout, walleye, and yellow perch.
As of 1998, Alberta had 232,967 licensed resident sport fishers. Alberta is divided into eight fish management districts; each is responsible for the maintenance of local stocks. The Fish Culture Branch of the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Service annually stocks lakes and streams with trout, walleye fry, and walleye fingerlings.
About 58 percent of the total land area of Alberta, or approximately 94.4 million acres (38.2 million hectares), is covered by forests. About 61 percent of the total forest area is classified as commercially productive forest land and contains both hardwood and softwood species. In 1997, the timber harvest totaled 17.7 million cubic meters, well under the annual allowable cut of 23 million cubic meters. Wood pulp, softwood lumber, and waferboard are the most important forestry products in terms of value of shipments. In 1997, wood pulp production averaged 6,231 tons per day. Becoming more important, however, are higher value-added products such as newsprint, panelboard products, particleboard, laminated veneer and beams, cabinetry, and home and office furniture. The total value of forestry product shipments was C$3.9 billion in 1997, with exports of C$2.3 billion.
Besides oil, natural gas, and coal, Alberta mines small quantities of sulfur, sand, gravel, limestone, salt, and gold. In 1997, production of salt amounted to 1.1 million tons, and of sand and gravel, 31.7 million tons.
The value of production in 1997 for industrial minerals was C$440.1 million; and for metals, C$304,000. That year, Alberta accounted for five percent of the value of Canada's nonfuel mineral production.
In 1996, total trade amounted to more than C$102.8 billion, or C$36,850 per capita (per person). That year, 47 percent of trade was with other provinces and 53 percent was international. Alberta's trade balance in 1996 had a surplus of C$10.3 billion. Alberta's foreign exports totaled C$36 billion in 1997.
The service sector accounts for more than 60 percent of Alberta's economic output. More than two-thirds of Alberta's employment is found in such industries as business and financial services, transportation, retail trade, health and education services, and tourism. Calgary has Canada's third-largest concentration of corporate offices.
Alberta's economy is based on agriculture, energy, and other resource-based industries. Since the 1970s, Alberta has experienced rapid economic growth in such industries as petrochemicals, forest products, electronics, and communications. Other growth areas are tourism and business services, including computer software, engineering, and scientific and technical services.
Alberta avoided the worst of the North American recession of 1990-92. Energy exports (especially natural gas) are increasing because of the lower value of the Canadian dollar and increased demand in the United States.
In 1996, Alberta's gross domestic product totaled C$82.9 billion, with business and commercial services contributing 21.1 percent; energy, 19.8 percent; finance, 13.2 percent; transportation and utilities, 11.8 percent; manufacturing, 10.6 percent; wholesale and retail trade, 9.9 percent; construction, 6.2 percent; public administration, 4.5 percent; and agriculture, 3 percent.
The fiscal year runs from 1 April to 31 March. For fiscal year 1997/98, total revenues were C$17.62 billion; expenditures were C$15.19 billion. Major expenditure areas were health, education, social services, agriculture and economic development, interest on debt, regional planning and development, and protection of persons and property. In the 1997/98 fiscal year, provincial debt amounted to 10.4 percent of the gross domestic product, the lowest rate in Canada.
Personal disposable income was C$18,137 in 1996. Average family income in the province was C$56,916. As of 1997, average weekly earnings in Alberta amounted to C$600.47. The minimum wage was C$5 per hour in 1997.
Food and beverage processing remains the largest manufacturing industry in Alberta in terms of both sales and employment. In 1995, the value of processed food and beverage shipments amounted to C$6.6 billion, while the beverage industry accounted for C$650 million. Petrochemicals and plastics, forest products, metals and machinery, and refineries have all become increasingly important parts of Alberta's economy. Chemical companies in Alberta such as Union Carbide, Nova Chemicals, Dow Chemical Canada, and Shell Chemicals Canada produce specialty chemicals. A wider variety of industrial products--including aerospace and transportation equipment, and industrial and specialty chemicals--is also being manufactured in Alberta.
Alberta's manufacturing shipments were valued at C$34.3 billion in 1997. The largest contributors were: food and beverages, C$7.25 billion; chemical products, C$6.11 billion; refined petroleum, C$5.37 billion; forest products, C$3.89 billion; machinery, C$2.19 billion; fabricated metals, C$943 million; electrical and electronic products, C$1.91 billion; primary metals, C$1.21 billion; construction materials, C$995 million; printing and publishing, C$973 million; plastics, C$531 million; and others, C$1.88 billion.
In 1996, Alberta had a labor force of almost 1.5 million. In 1998, 72 percent of all Albertans 15 years and older were in the labor force, the highest rate among the provinces.
As of 1996, about 1.38 million persons were employed, with 107,270 unemployed, for an overall unemployment rate of 7.2 percent. The average annual unemployment rate in 1997 was 6 percent. The sectors with the largest number of employed persons were: retail trade, 178,130; health and social services, 132,610; manufacturing, 121,365; other services, 116,040; education, 97,535; accommodation, food, and beverages, 107,975; agriculture, 88,815; construction, 100,675; business services, 101,795; public administration, 75,410; transportation and storage, 72,145; wholesale trade, 76,110; communications and utilities, 43,320; finance and insurance, 40,070; and real estate and insurance agents, 28,015.
Alberta has the lowest proportion of unionized workers and the second-highest percentage of self-employed workers in Canada. As of mid-1997, some 265,300 workers were members of unions, or about 24 percent of all employed labor. Unionization rates were highest in public administration (67 percent), education (58 percent), and health care (55 percent). They were lowest in services (2 percent).
Albertans have the lowest overall tax burden in Canada. Alberta is the only province that has no provincial retail sales tax, and it has the lowest gasoline tax (C$.09/liter) in Canada. Alberta's basic personal income tax rate is 45 percent. In 1997, a typical two-income Albertan household earning C$55,000 paid C$5,497 in provincial and $7,723 in federal income taxes, or 24 percent of total income. The cigarette tax is C$14 per carton.
The provincial corporate income tax rate is 15.5 percent for large corporations, 14.5 percent for large manufacturers and processors, and 6 percent for small businesses, all among the lowest in Canada.
| Canada Tourism Commission. Canada. [Online] http://206.191.33.50/tourism/ |
| Discover Alberta. [Online] http://www.discoveralberta.com |
| The Official homepage of the government of Alberta. [Online] http://www.gov.ab.ca/ |
| Sawka.com. Alberta Government. [Online] http://sawka.com/aaa/government/ |
| World Travel Guide. Canada. [Online] http://www.wtgonline.com/country/ca/index.html |
Source Citation: "ALBERTA." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Canadian Provinces, 2nd ed. U*X*L, 1999. Reproduced in Discovering Collection. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group. October, 2001. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/DC/