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Lac La Biche, Alberta

Coordinates: 54°46′13″N 111°58′45″W / 54.77028°N 111.97917°W / 54.77028; -111.97917
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For other uses, see Lac La Biche, Alberta (disambiguation).

Lac La Biche
Urban service area (hamlet)
Main street
Main street
Motto: 
Welcoming by Nature
Location within Lac La Biche County
Location within Lac La Biche County
Lac La Biche is located in Alberta
Lac La Biche
Lac La Biche
Location of Lac La Biche in Alberta
Lac La Biche is located in Canada
Lac La Biche
Lac La Biche
Lac La Biche (Canada)
Coordinates: 54°46′13″N 111°58′45″W / 54.77028°N 111.97917°W / 54.77028; -111.97917
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionNorthern Alberta
Planning regionLower Athabasca
Specialized municipalityLac la Biche
FoundedOctober 4, 1798
DissolvedAugust 1, 2007[1]
Government
 • MayorOmer Moghrabi
 • Governing body
  • Darlene Beniuk
  • Colette Borgun
  • Sterling Johnson
  • George L'Heureux
  • Omer Moghrabi
  • Charlyn Moore
  • Jason Stedman
  • Lorin Tkachuk
Colin Cote
Area
 (2021)[2]
 • Land68.39 km2 (26.41 sq mi)
Elevation
[3]
560 m (1,840 ft)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total
3,215
Time zoneUTC−7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code span
T0A 2C0-T0A 2C2 & T0A 3Z0
Area code-1+780
HighwaysHighway 55
Highway 36
Highway 881
WaterwayLac la Biche
Websitelaclabichecounty.com
Official nameNotre Dame des Victoires / Lac La Biche Mission National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1989

Lac La Biche (/ˌlæk lə ˈbɪʃ/ LAK lə BISH) is a hamlet in Lac La Biche County within northeast Alberta, Canada.[5] It is located approximately 220 km (140 mi) northeast of the provincial capital of Edmonton. Previously incorporated as a town, Lac La Biche amalgamated with Lakeland County to form Lac La Biche County on August 1, 2007.[1]

Etymology

[edit]

The indigenous peoples of the area refer to the lake as Elk Lake (Plains Cree: wâwâskesiwisâkahikan,[6] Chipewyan: tzalith tway).[7] The earliest Europeans translated this name into English as "Red Deer Lake" and in French as "lac la Biche" ("lake of the doe"). Over time, the French name came to be used in English as well.

History

[edit]
Statue of David Thompson

Historic voyageur highway

[edit]

Lac La Biche was on the historical voyageur route that linked the Athabaskan region to Hudson Bay. David Thompson and George Simpson used the fur trade route via the Beaver River from the main Methye Portage route that reached the Athabasca River.[8] Thompson was the first known European to record his sojourn on Lac La Biche. Thompson, who referred to the lake as Red Deers Lake, arrived October 4, 1798 and overwintered there. He entered copious notes in his diary on the Nahathaway (the Cree), their customs, traditions, and the Western Forest Land, including the large supply of whitefish and beaver.[9]

Fur trade posts

[edit]

Although the Montreal-based North West Company was already active in the area,[10] Thompson established the first permanent settlement in Lac La Biche on his 1798 trip, a Hudson's Bay Company trading post [11] which he named Red Deers Lake House.[12] In 1799, Peter Fidler arrived in the area after Thompson's departure, and as the post. This new structure was known as Greenwich House. It was also abandoned by 1801, but Lac La Biche was established as a permanent place of residence for some French-Canadian and Métis freetraders and their families.[13] Fur trade activity continued unbroken, due to the importance of the portage, and Lac La Biche was visited by fur traders such as Gabriel Franchère and Ross Cox. David Thompson returned in 1812.[13]

Another temporary Hudson's Bay Company post was erected in 1817, but the portage was abandoned by the company in 1825. Almost no written records exist for the following two decades.[13]

On 26 April 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, the Hudson's Bay Company post in Lac La Biche was raided by Cree forces.[14][15]

Oblate mission

[edit]
Lac La Biche Mission

A Roman Catholic mission was established in 1853 by Oblate missionaries. Historian Paul Robert Magocsi notes how the settlement grew over the next few decades:

"The French-speaking element, mostly from Red River, coalesced around the Mission. It formed a community that was tightly knit, even though the influence of the church lessened and the trend was towards marrying out and establishing nuclear families. Living was largely off the land; logging and road work provided intermittent wage labour. Many of the adults were trilingual, speaking French and Cree as well as English."[16]

The Lac La Biche Mission is now a National Historic Site and Provincial Historic Resource. It was the site of one of the first residential schools in Alberta.[17][18]

Treaties and insurrection

[edit]

The Government of Canada sought to extinguish the First Nations' title to the land across the prairies, in order to open the land up to settlement. Treaty 6 was negotiated in 1876 and covered the lands to the south of Lac La Biche.[19]

The new Hudson's Bay Company post at Lac La Biche was looted on April 26, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion by members of Big Bear's band. Their plan to loot the nearby Roman Catholic mission was stopped by the local Cree and Métis population.[20] Métis scrip records show many residents of the area were awarded scrip by the Government of Canada from 1885 until the 1920s.[12]

Treaty 8, covering the lands north of Lac La Biche, was negotiated in 1899. This set the stage for railway construction and settlement.

Demographics

[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac La Biche had a population of 3,215 living in 1,236 of its 1,505 total private dwellings, a change of -3.2% from its 2016 population of 3,320. With a land area of 68.39 km2 (26.41 sq mi), it had a population density of 47.0/km2 (121.8/sq mi) in 2021.[4][2]

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac La Biche had a population of 2,314 living in 895 of its 1,048 total private dwellings, a change of -8.2% from its 2011 population of 2,520. With a land area of 6.05 km2 (2.34 sq mi), it had a population density of 382.5/km2 (990.6/sq mi) in 2016.[21]

Lac La Biche County's 2016 municipal census counted a population of 2,682 in Lac La Biche,[22] a -7.4% change from its 2013 municipal census population of 2,895.[23]

Panethnic groups in the Dissolved Municipality (former Town) of Lac La Biche (1971−2021)
Panethnic group 2021[24] 2016[25] 2006[26] 2001[27] 1996[28] 1991[29][30] 1986[31][32][33]: 85  1981[34][35] 1971[36][37][38]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[a] 1,445 49.4% 1,055 49.88% 1,545 57.87% 1,450 53.9% 1,540 60.99% 1,370 55.24% 1,480 58.04% 1,270 60.05% 1,200 69.97%
Indigenous 775 26.5% 695 32.86% 925 34.64% 925 34.39% 590 23.37% 815 32.86% 725 28.43% 610 28.84% 345 20.12%
Southeast Asian[b] 300 10.26% 135 6.38% 0 0% 0 0% 10 0.4% 20 0.81% 0 0% — — — —
Middle Eastern[c] 225 7.69% 135 6.38% 180 6.74% 290 10.78% 265 10.5% 220 8.67% 305 11.96% 225 10.64% 160 9.33%
South Asian 85 2.91% 50 2.36% 10 0.37% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
East Asian[d] 20 0.68% 25 1.18% 10 0.37% 0 0% 10 0.4% 10 0.4% 10 0.39% 0 0% 0 0%
African 20 0.68% 35 1.65% 0 0% 0 0% 85 3.37% 35 1.41% 30 1.18% 10 0.47% 0 0%
Latin American 20 0.68% 0 0% 0 0% 15 0.56% 0 0% 10 0.4% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Other/multiracial[e] 15 0.51% 0 0% 10 0.37% 10 0.37% 25 0.99% — — — — — — 5 0.29%
Total responses 2,925 93.75% 2,115 63.7% 2,670 96.81% 2,690 96.9% 2,525 96.71% 2,480 97.29% 2,550 99.88% 2,115 105.38% 1,715 95.76%
Total population 3,120 100% 3,320 100% 2,758 100% 2,776 100% 2,611 100% 2,549 100% 2,553 100% 2,007 100% 1,791 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Economy

[edit]

The community is supported by the oil patch, logging, forestry, agriculture, and commercial fishing.

Jamie Davis Towing (featured on the Highway Thru Hell reality show) has an operation in Lac La Biche.[39][40]

Attractions

[edit]

Lac La Biche is home to the Lac La Biche Golf Course,[41] while numerous lakes and campgrounds provide outdoor recreation opportunities in the area, including Lakeland Provincial Park to the east. Lac La Biche County has a small museum [42] dedicated to sharing the history of the area, it is located in the Jubilee Hall building, beside the recreation grounds where the baseball diamonds, splash park, and green space are also located.

Government

[edit]
MLAs representing Lac La Biche
Assembly Years Member Party
Part of Victoria (N.W.T.)
3rd 1894–1898 Frank Tims Independent
4th 1898–1902 Jack Shera
5th 1902–1905
Part of Victoria
1st 1905–1909 Francis Walker Liberal
Part of Pakan
2nd 1909–1913 Prosper-Edmond Lessard Liberal
Part of Beaver River
3rd 1913–1917 Wilfrid Gariépy Liberal
4th 1917–1921
5th 1921–1926 Joseph Dechêne
6th 1926–1930 John Delisle United Farmers
7th 1930–1935 Henry Dakin Liberal
8th 1935–1940 Lucien Maynard Social Credit
9th 1940–1944
10th 1944–1948
11th 1948–1952 Harry Lobay
Part of Lac La Biche
12th 1952–1955 Harry Lobay Social Credit
13th 1955–1959 Michael Maccagno Liberal
14th 1959–1963
15th 1963–1967
16th 1967–1968
1968 Vacant
1968–1971 Damase Bouvier Social Credit
Part of Lac La Biche-McMurray
17th 1971–1972 Damase Bouvier Social Credit
1972–1975 Independent
18th 1975–1979 Ron Tesolin Progressive
Conservative
19th 1979–1982 Norm Weiss
20th 1982–1986
Part of Athabasca-Lac La Biche
21st 1986–1989 Léo Piquette New Democrat
22nd 1989–1993 Mike Cardinal Progressive
Conservative
Part of Lac La Biche-St. Paul
23rd 1993–1994 Paul Langevin Liberal
1994–1995 Independent
1995–1997 Progressive
Conservative
24th 1997–2001
25th 2001–2004 Ray Danyluk
26th 2004–2008
27th 2008–2012
Part of Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills
28th 2012–2015 Shayne Saskiw Wildrose
29th 2015–2017 Dave Hanson
2017–2019 United Conservative
Part of Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche
30th 2019–2021 Laila Goodridge United Conservative
2022–2023 Brian Jean
31st 2023–

The Hamlet of Lac La Biche comprises Lac La Biche County's Ward 7.[1] Omer Moghrabi was elected as mayor in 2017, Councillors Lorin Tkachuk and Colin Cote represent Ward 7 on Lac La Biche County Council.[43] Provincially, the community has been represented by every major political party in Alberta history (expand table for details).

Infrastructure

[edit]
Aerial view of Lac La Biche (2010)

Lac La Biche Airport (YLB) is located 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) west of Lac La Biche. It features a fully serviced 5,700 by 100 ft (1,737 by 30 m) paved airstrip.

Education

[edit]
Lac la Biche from the west end of the community

The main campus of Portage College is located in Lac La Biche. The college has an ACAC hockey team named the Portage Voyageurs. The team's first season began in the fall of 2008.[44]

Northern Lights School Division No. 69
  • Vera M. Welsh Elementary School (K-3)
  • Aurora Middle School (4–8)
  • J.A. Williams High School (9–12)
  • Lac La Biche Off-Campus (8–12)
Other
  • Light of Christ Catholic School (Preschool-Grade 11)
  • École Sainte-Catherine (K-4)

Media

[edit]

Media outlets serving Lac La Biche and area include the Lac La Biche Post weekly newspaper[45] and the Boom 103.5 radio station.[46]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Province of Alberta (April 1, 2007). "Order in Council (O.C.) 332-2007". Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Population and dwelling count amendments, 2021 Census". Statistics Canada. December 1, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (April 1, 2010). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  6. ^ "Online Cree Dictionary: ᐋᐧᐋᐧᐢᑫᓯᐃᐧᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ". Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Fromhold, Joachim (2001). 2001 Indian Place Names of the West - Part 1. Calgary: Lulu. pp. CCC. ISBN 9780557438365.
  8. ^ "Disclaimer – Electronic Collection". Epe.lac-bac.gc.ca. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  9. ^ Thompson 1916, pp. 304–305.
  10. ^ Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 74. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
  11. ^ Thompson 1916, p. 304.
  12. ^ a b Barkwell 2013.
  13. ^ a b c Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 100. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
  14. ^ https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/laclabiche/en/abo_big.html
  15. ^ http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol14/no4/page54-eng.asp
  16. ^ Dickason 1999, p. 77.
  17. ^ Canada's Historic Places. "Notre Dame des Victoires / Lac La Biche Mission National Historic Site". Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  18. ^ Lac La Biche Mission. "Lac La Biche Mission national historic site". Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  19. ^ Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 151. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
  20. ^ Heather Devine (2004). The People who Own Themselves: Aboriginal Ethnogenesis in a Canadian Family, 1660–1900. University of Calgary Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-55238-115-1.
  21. ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  22. ^ "Lac La Biche County 2016 Municipal Census Report". Lac La Biche County. p. 13. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  23. ^ "2013 Census Summary". Lac La Biche County. p. 6. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  24. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  25. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  27. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  29. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (March 29, 2019). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  30. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (March 29, 2019). "Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  31. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (June 27, 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  32. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (June 27, 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  33. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  34. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (May 26, 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  35. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (May 26, 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  36. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada : population : vol. I - part 3 = Recensement du Canada 1971 : population : vol. I - partie 3. Ethnic groups". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  37. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada. Population . Specified ethnic groups, census divisions and subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  38. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada : population : vol. I - part 1 = Recensement du Canada 1971 : population : vol. I - partie 1". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  39. ^ "Season 5 of Highway Thru Hell has Jamie Davis and his crew dealing with a different type of crash: Alberta's economy".
  40. ^ "Controlling traffic turns Hellish on 'Highway Thru Hell'". January 26, 2016.
  41. ^ "Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club". Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  42. ^ "Lac La Biche Museum". Lac La Biche Museum. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  43. ^ "Council". Lac La Biche County. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  44. ^ Voyageur Athletics Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
  45. ^ "Lac La Biche Post". Great West Newspapers LP. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  46. ^ "Boom 103.5 - 80's & 90's". Boom 103.5. Boom 103.5 FM. Retrieved July 21, 2017.

Sources

[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lac La Biche.
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