Alberta

Alberta

1 Location and Size
2 Topography
3 Climate
4 Plants and Animals
5 Environmental Protection
6 Population
7 Ethnic Groups
8 Languages
9 Religions
10 Transportation
11 History
12 Provincial Government
13 Political Parties
14 Local Government
15 Judicial System
16 Migration
17 Economy
18 Income
19 Industry
20 Labor
21 Agriculture
22 Domesticated Animals
23 Fishing
24 Forestry
25 Mining
26 Energy and Power
27 Commerce
28 Public Finance
29 Taxation
30 Health
31 Housing
32 Education
33 Arts
34 Libraries and Museums
35 Communications
36 Press
37 Tourism, Travel, and Recreation
38 Sports
39 Famous Albertans
40 Bibliography

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.

BIRD: Great horned owl.

TREE: Lodgepole pine.

STONE: Petrified wood.

TIME: 5 AM MST = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

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 and 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.

2 Topography

Roughly half of the southwestern section of the province is dominated by mountains and foot-hills—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% 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).

3 Climate

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.

Alberta: Population Profile

Estimated 2006 population	3,290,350
Population change, 2001–2006	10.6%
Percent Urban/Rural populations, 2001
Urban	80.9%
Rural	19.1%
Foreign born population	14.9%
Population by ethnicity
Canadian	813,485
English	753,190
German	576,350
Scottish	556,575
Irish	461,065
French	332,675
Ukrainian	285,725
Dutch (Netherlands)	149,225
North American Indian	144,040
Polish	137,625
Norwegian	120,045
Métis	63,620

Population by Age Group

Major Cities by Population

City	Population, 2006
Calgary	988,193
Edmonton	730,372
Red Deer	82,772
Lethbridge	74,637
St. Albert	57,719
Medicine Hat	56,997
Wood Buffalo	51,496
Grande Prairie	47,076
Airdrie	28,927
Spruce Grove	19,496

The average daily temperature for Calgary ranges from 15°f (−9°c) in January to 62°f (17°c) in July. Normal daily temperatures for Edmonton are 10°f (−12°c) in January and 64°f (18°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 1911 at Fort Vermilion.

4 Plants and Animals

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 about 30-50% are rare in North America. In 2006, there were 10 threatened or endangered plant species, including the slender mouse-ear-cress and the western blue flag.

Alberta animal species include 90 mammals, 270 breeding birds, 50 fish, 18 reptiles and amphibians, and 20,000 insects. In 2006, there were 28 endangered or threatened animal species. Endangered mammals include the swift fox and Ord's kangaroo rat; endangered birds include the burrowing owl, Eskimo curlew, mountain plover, piping plover, and whooping crane. Threatened animals include the wood bison, the loggerhead shrike, peregrine falcon, and woodland caribou. The Banff Longnose Dace has become extinct.

5 Environmental Protection

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. Alberta's solid waste to landfills declined by over 25% 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 wastewater discharges from industrial sites. In Alberta, paper mills are the most common source for dioxin and furan contamination of water resources.

In 2002, a total of 2,890,294 metric tons of nonhazardous waste was disposed of in Alberta. Of that total, residential sources accounted for 866,398 metric tons, while industrial, commercial and institutional sources accounted for 1,380,306 metric tons, and construction and demolition sources accounted for 643,590 metric tons.

Alberta Environmental Protection was formed in 1992. The 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.

In 2001/02, stringent new emissions standards were established for all new coal-fired electricity generating plants and for expansions to existing plants. Regulations for beverage container recycling were expanded to include Alberta-based brewers. Consumers in Alberta now receive refunds on their beer bottles and cans, and those bottles and cans do not have to wind up in landfills. Offenders of environmental regulations paid nearly c$755,000 in fines and penalties in 2001/02.

6 Population

As of 1 April 2006, Alberta had an estimated population of 3.29 million inhabitants, or slightly more than 10% of the national population. Approximately 80% of Albertans live in urban areas. More than half live in the two main cities—Edmonton, the province's capital (with a 2006 estimated population of 730,372) and Calgary (with a population of 988,193). Calgary is Canada's fourth-largest city. Other urban areas, and their 2006 populations include: Red Deer, 82,772; Lethbridge, 74,637; St. Albert, 57,719; Medicine Hat, 56,997; Wood Buffalo, 51,496; and Grande Prairie, 47,076. Nineteen percent of the population is under the age of 14. Seniors over the age of 65 account for only 10% of the population. The median age in Alberta in 2001 was 35. The national average was 37.6.

7 Ethnic Groups

Roughly 47% of Albertans are of British descent. Other ethnic backgrounds with the largest number of people are German, Irish, French, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, and Norwegian. In 2001, Alberta had some 144,040 Native People (of Aboriginal descent) and 63,620 Métis (people of mixed European and Aboriginal descent). Smaller ethnic groups, tracing their heritage to virtually every country in the world, make up the remaining 19% of the population. About 8% of the population is neither Caucasian nor Aboriginal in origin.

8 Languages

English is the mother tongue of the majority of Albertans and is the primary language used in the province. French, Chinese, and German, however, are the dominant languages spoken in some communities.

9 Religions

Most Christian faiths are represented in Alberta. About 1,145,460 people, or 39% of the population, are Protestant. The majority are United Church of Canada members, with Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Presbyterians also represented. Alberta also has about 786,360 Catholics (the vast majority of whom are Roman Catholics, with a smaller number of Ukrainian Catholics); 44,475 people of Eastern Orthodox faith; 49,040 Muslims; 33,410 Buddhists; 23,470 Sikhs; 15,965 Hindus; and 11,085 Jews. Some 694,840 Albertans report no religious affiliation.

10 Transportation

After the Canadian confederation was formed in 1867, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built, linking Alberta with the rest of Canada. Canadian National, a freight service, also operates in the provinces. VIA Rail Canada provides transcontinental rail service with stops in Edmonton and Jasper. In 2004, there were about 6,222 miles (10,013 kilometers) of freight and passenger track in the province.

There are more than 12,427 miles (20,000 kilometers) of paved roads and highways in the province. 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. The Queen Elizabeth II highway provides a north-south route through Edmonton and Calgary. In 2005, Alberta had a total of 2,478,371 registered motor vehicles, with 13,271 buses, 63,496 motorcycles and mopeds, and 97,501 offroad, construction, and farm vehicles. There were 834,161 trailers registered. In 2001–06, Alberta devoted over c$92.4 million for highway improvement projects.

Urban transit consists of buses, trolley coaches, and light-rail vehicles. 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, Peace Air, United, and WestJet Airlines. There are also five regional and local airports in the province.

11 History

The province of Alberta, often called a Prairie Province because of its extensive grassland, is located in western Canada, just north of the US state of Montana. Early Albertans were probably ancestors of the ancient peoples who crossed the Bering Sea from Asia to the Americas thousands of years ago. The Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Cree, Gros Ventre, Sarcee, Kootenay, Beaver, and Slavey Indians, all speaking a variety of Athapaskan and Algonkian languages, were the sole inhabitants of what was then a vast wilderness territory. The woodland tribes of the central and northern regions in particular became valuable partners of the European fur traders who arrived on the scene in the 18th century.

The British Gain a Foothold in Alberta

Back in 1754, the first European explorer reached the territory that is now Alberta. His name was Anthony Henday. Nearly 25 years later, in 1778, Peter Pond of Britain's North West Company established the first fur-trading post in the area. Around the same time, a competing British fur-trading post known as the Hudson's Bay Company began extending its control throughout a huge expanse of northern North America. This land, known as Rupert's Land and the Northwest Territories, included the region occupied by present-day Alberta. The rivalry didn't end until 1821, when the two companies merged.

Expeditions led by Henry Youle Hind and John Palliser found that parts of the Alberta region—especially the fertile belt north of the Palliser Triangle—had exceptionally good land for farming. The Government of Canada purchased the Northwest Territories in 1870. After the passage of the Dominion Lands Act of 1872, farming families known as homesteaders began to acquire and cultivate land in the area. Eventually, the district of Alberta was established with Calgary as its capital.

The Population Grows

Beginning with the arrival of the railway in 1883, the population of the Alberta area started to grow quickly. Several other factors helped increase the population, among them the lack of new farmland in the United States and the discovery of new strains of wheat particularly suited to the climate of the Canadian Prairie Provinces. In 1897, when Canada's Minister of the Interior Clifford Sifton launched a huge advertising campaign offering good land for low prices, European settlers began to flow into the Western provinces from Germany, Romania, and the Ukraine. By 1901, Alberta's population had grown to 73,000. 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 was created by joining the district of Alberta with parts of the districts of Athabasca, Assiniboia, and Saskatchewan.

Like the farmers in the other Prairie Provinces, Albertan farmers benefited from high prices for wheat during World War I (1914–1918). By the end of the war, though, global grain markets had collapsed, and wheat prices had fallen by 50%. Consequently, outraged farmers organized the United Farmers Movement in Alberta in 1921 to protest low farm product prices and high transportation rates.

Economic Ups and Downs

Over the course of the 1920s, grain prices recovered, and Canada as a whole experienced a period of rapid industrialization. Improvements to railways and roads boosted trade. Automobiles, telephones, electrical appliances, and other consumer goods became widely available. As in the United States, consumer confidence led to the rapid expansion of credit and greater business opportunities.

But the good times in Alberta ended with the onset of the Great Depression, a period of severe economic slowdown that began in 1929. In addition to the earlier problems with grain prices, droughts and frequent crop failures combined to devastate the economy of the province. Alberta became one of the most impoverished areas of Canada during the 1930s, and social welfare programs were rapidly expanded at this time to help the poor and the unemployed of the province.

Following World War II (1939–45), consumer spending and immigration to Canada increased rapidly. Urbanization, or the formation of cities, spread quickly with the passage of the National Housing Act, which made it easier for people to buy their own homes. Unemployment insurance and other social welfare programs were also created after the war.

The Discovery of Oil

Back in 1914, Ontario miner W. S. Heron had discovered oil in the Turner Valley, bringing the first wave of exploration companies to the province of Alberta. More than 30 years later, in 1947, a major oil discovery was made at Leduc. This had a huge impact on Alberta's economy. Up until this point, the economy had been tied mainly to agriculture, with support from coal and forest products. But as more and more oil and gas discoveries were made in the province, Alberta's prosperity became closely linked to these industries.

Oil exploration also uncovered another resource—natural gas. In the 1950s and 1960s, pipelines were built to carry natural gas to other provinces. People flowed into the province to take advantage of the numerous jobs available in the oil and gas industries, making cities and towns like Lethbridge, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat grow and prosper. As these industries boomed, however, farm population was cut in half.

Calgary, in particular, emerged as a major business and financial center in the 1960s and 1970s, with young professionals and laborers arriving from other parts of Canada and the United States in great numbers. When world oil prices rose in 1973, the average income in Alberta soared; between 1975 and 1983, total employment rose 41%. Because of its heavy reliance on the oil industry, however, Alberta's economy suffered a huge blow when oil prices fell in the 1980s. In response, the province made attempts to diversify, or expand, its economic horizons by encouraging growth in the forestry, technology, and tourism industries.

Branching Out

The international recognition granted to Alberta on the sports front in the 1980s did indeed boost tourism. The Edmonton Eskimos made history as the only Canadian Football League team to win the Grey Cup five seasons in a row, while the Edmonton Oilers brought home the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup five times in the same time period. The city of Edmonton also welcomed visitors from around the globe to such world class events as the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and the World Universiade Games in 1983. Five years later, in 1988, Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics. The Olympics were a welcome celebration that stood in stark contrast to the dark period experienced by the people of Alberta just one year earlier. In July of 1987 a tornado had ripped through Edmonton, killing 27, injuring hundreds more, and destroying more than 300 homes. In the end, the tornado caused more than $330 million in property damages. It remains one of the worst natural disasters in Canada's history.

On 17 December 1992, Canada joined the United States and Mexico in signing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was built upon the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA, which was implemented in 1994, seeks to create a single market of 370 million people. At the same time, the number of telecommunication companies and businesses devoted to electronic design and manufacturing increased in Alberta. A whopping 90% of the province's information technology products are exported from the country.

In 1992, Ralph Klein of the Progressive Conservative party became premier of Alberta. Under his leadership, Alberta has become one of the most prosperous provinces in Canada, with a strong economy, a low unemployment rate, and the lowest personal income tax rate in the country.

Alberta's politics are traditionally more socially conservative than other Canadian provinces. Alberta was the center of the Canadian Alliance, once the second-largest political party in Parliament and the most conservative. In October 2003, the Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the new Conservative Party of Canada.

In 2005 same-sex marriage became a political issue in Alberta. On 20 July 2005 the Canadian government passed a law (C-38) making same-sex marriage legal throughout the country. At that time, Alberta and Prince Edward Island were the only two provinces where same-sex marriage was not legal, but the federal law made same-sex marriage legal in those two provinces.

In 2005, Alberta celebrated the 100th anniversary of its entry into the Canadian Confederation.

Many festivals and events are held in the province. The Grand Prix of Edmonton, a Champ Car race, scheduled for three days in July 2007, was expected to draw thousands of international participants and spectators to the province.

12 Provincial Government

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.

13 Political Parties

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.

Premiers of Alberta

TERM	PREMIER	PARTY
1905–10	Alexander Cameron Rutherford	Liberal
1910–17	Arthur Lewis Sifton	Liberal
1917–21	Charles Stewart	Liberal
1921–25	Herbert Greenfield	United Farmers
1925–34	John Edward Brownlee	United Farmers
1934–35	Richard Gavin Reid	United Farmers
1935–43	William Aberhart	Social Credit
1943–68	Ernest Charles Manning	Social Credit
1968–71	Harry Edwin Strom	Social Credit
1971–86	Peter Lougheed	Conservative
1986–92	Donald Ross Getty	Conservative
1992–2006	Ralph Klein	Conservative
2006–	Ed Stelmach	Progressive Conservative

On 22 November 2004, a general election was held. The parties held the following number of seats in Alberta's Legislative Assembly in 2004: Progressive Conservatives, 62; Liberals, 16; New Democrats, 4; and Alberta Alliance, 1. The right-wing Alberta Alliance Party was registered in 2002 and founded in 2003. There is also a Green Party of Alberta, a Separation Party, a Communist Party, an Equity Party, and a Reform Party.

14 Local Government

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, and cities. In order for an area to be incorporated, a village must have at least 300 people, a town needs 1,000 inhabitants, and a city must have a population of at least 10,000. As of 2006, there were 16 municipalities in Alberta that had been granted city status; there were 111 towns, 100 villages, and 51 summer villages. (Summer villages can no longer be created in Alberta.)

15 Judicial System

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 in Alberta has a total of five primary divisions (civil, criminal, traffic, family, and youth courts). The Queen's Bench is the superior trial court for the province, hearing trials in civil and criminal matters and appeals from decisions of the Provincial Court. There is one intermediate Court of Appeal.

In 2005, there were 1,096 violent crime offenses per 100,000 persons, and 4,874 property crimes per 100,000 persons.

16 Migration

Tracing the roots of Alberta's nearly 3 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 2001, of all immigrants living in Alberta, 13.7% had come from the United Kingdom, 6.3% from the United States, 13.3% from Southeast Asia, 12.8% from East Asia (including China), and 12.5% from Northern and Western European countries other than the United Kingdom.

Most interprovincial migration was with British Columbia. In the period 1996–2001, Alberta had a net gain from internal migration of 119,420 people or 4.7%.

17 Economy

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.

In 2005, Alberta's gross domestic product (GDP) totaled c$215.858 billion, up from c$187.152 billion the year before.

18 Income

In 2004, average family income in the province was c$66,400 for all census families (includes couples, single-parent families, and those with or without children). As of 2005, average weekly earnings in Alberta amounted to c$769.13.

19 Industry

Chemical products are the largest manufacturing industry in Alberta by shipment value, followed by petroleum and coal products, food products, machinery, and fabricated metal products. Wood products, paper, and non-metallic minerals products are also leading industries in Alberta.

In 2005, the shipment value of all goods manufactured in Alberta totaled c$60.308 billion, of which chemicals accounted for the largest portion at c$13.046 billion; followed by petroleum and coal products at c$12.899 billion, food products at c$8.746 billion, machinery at c$4.718 billion, and fabricated metal products c$3.981 billion.

A total of 130,900 people were employed in the province's manufacturing sector in 2005, or 7% of all those actively employed.

20 Labor

In 2006, 78,000 new jobs were created in Alberta, representing 40% of the total employment gain in Canada that year. That year, Alberta had a labor force of 1.9 million. About 1.87 million persons were employed, with about 81,300 unemployed. The overall unemployment rate was 4.2%, the lowest rate among the provinces. The hourly minimum wage in Alberta as of January 2004 was c$5.90, which was the lowest hourly minimum wage rate among the provinces. In 2005, the average hourly wage among all industries was c$19.18 and the average weekly earnings among all employees was at c$759.23.

In 2005, the sectors with the largest numbers of employed persons were: trade, 278,400; health and social services, 172,500; construction, 159,700; professional, scientific, and technical services, 131,100; manufacturing, 130,900; forestry, fishing, mining, and oil and gas, 127,000; educational services, 120,400; accommodation and food services, 108,700; transportation and warehousing, 106,900; finance, insurance, real estate and leasing, 95,200; other services, 82,600; information, culture, and recreation, 71,100; public administration, 67,800; business and other support, 62,600; agriculture, 56,200; and utilities, 13,200.

21 Agriculture

Alberta is the second-largest agricultural producer and exporter in Canada (after Ontario). In 2005, agricultural exports were valued at c$5 billion. About 50% of all exports are sent to the United States. Japan and Mexico are the next largest agricultural export markets. Alberta produces about 28% of the nation's wheat crop, 34% of the canola crop, 44% of barley production, and 23% of the total oats crop.

While wheat remains the primary crop, the production of new crops continues to expand. In 2005, provincial farms produced over 6.59 million tons (6.7 million metric tons) of wheat. Grains and oilseeds accounted for 25.9% of the total crop market. Barley production in 2005 was at about 5.4 million tons (5.5 million metric tons), oat production was at 772,306 tons (784,700 metric tons), and canola production was at 2 million tons (2.1 million metric tons). The top two fruit crops produced in Alberta are saskatoons (a berry) and strawberries. The top two field vegetable crops are green peas and sugar beets.

According to the 2001 federal census, Alberta had 53,652 farms (second after Ontario) on 21 million hectares (52 million acres), about half of which is used for crops. The average farm covered 393 hectares (971 acres). Living on a ranch or farm is a valued way of life. Many farmers must supplement their earnings with off-farm income. In 2005, agriculture farm cash receipts totaled c$7.8 billion.

22 Domesticated Animals

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. Alberta has become the largest cattle-producing province in the nation.

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. Livestock receipts for 2003 were c$5.09 billion. Beef cattle production is Alberta's largest agricultural sector, providing over 50% of farm production income. Beef cattle production in Alberta contributes c$3.8 billion in farm income each year. In 2005, milk and cream production was over 170 million gallons (634 million liters). The livestock population as of 2006 included 6.3 million head of cattle, 1.9 million pigs, and 113,900 sheep. In 2005, the province had about 53 million chickens valued at c$141 million and 1.7 million turkeys valued at c$24 million.

On 20 May 2003, it was disclosed that a cow in Alberta had bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease." The United States and other Canadian beef importers placed an immediate ban on exports of Canadian beef, which lasted until September 2003. Canada is the world's third largest beef exporter, and Alberta accounts for 60% of Canada's beef production. Herd sizes in all Canadian provinces rose after the ban ended. By January 2004, herd sizes in Alberta had risen by 6.9%.

Alberta also has more horses than anywhere else in Canada. Commercial apiculture (bee-keeping) is also popular.

23 Fishing

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 2000, Alberta had 182,044 residents actively engaged in sport fishing. 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.

24 Forestry

About 58% of the total land area of Alberta, or approximately 94.4 million acres (38.2 million hectares), is covered by forests. About 61% of the total forest area is classified as commercially productive forest land, and contains both hardwood and softwood species.

In 2004, lumber production totaled 276.4 million cubic feet (7.82 million cubic meters), well under the annual allowable cut of 967.6 million cubic feet (27.4 million cubic meters). Wood pulp, softwood lumber, and waferboard are the most important forestry products in terms of value of shipments. 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 exports was c$3.015 billion in 2005. There were some 19,000 persons employed in the forest industry in 2005.

25 Mining

Besides oil, natural gas, and coal, Alberta mines small quantities of sulfur, sand, cement, gravel, limestone, salt, and gold.

In 2005, Alberta produced 121.25 pounds (55 kilograms) of gold valued at c$944,000. This was the only metallic mineral product of the province that year. The value of non-metallic minerals was estimated at over c$550 million.

26 Energy and Power

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% of Canada's demand. Alberta produces 68% of Canada's crude oil and 78% of its natural gas. In 2005, the production of crude oil and its equivalents from other sources averaged 1.709 million barrels per day, while natural gas output that same year averaged 13.3 billion cubic feet per day. The overwhelming bulk of Alberta's crude oil and natural gas production is exported, mainly to the United States. As of 2004, Alberta's proven reserves of conventional crude oil totaled 1.741 billion barrels, while another 7.376 billion barrels were in the province's oil sands. That same year, proven reserves of natural gas totaled 41.7 trillion cubic feet.

The province had four refineries, three located at Edmonton and one at Lloydminster, giving the province a refining capacity of 469,400 barrels per day. In 2005, a total of 275,000 people were employed by Alberta's oil and natural gas industries.

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.

Alberta is by far, Canada's largest producer of coal, and holds 70% of Canada's coal reserves. As of 31 December 2004, Alberta's coal producers mined 27.160 million metric tons of marketable coal. Of that amount, 25.328 million metric tons was sub-bituminous, of which 24.975 million metric tons went for electrical energy generation.

The majority of Alberta's electric power comes from thermal (steam, internal combustion, and combustion turbine) sources. In 2004, the province's installed power generating capacity stood at 11.396 million kilowatts, of which thermal power generation accounted for 10.242 million kilowatts, followed by hydroelectric at 878,708 kilowatts of generating capacity. Of all thermal generating capacity, steam capacity accounted for 7.808 million kilowatts. Electric power output in 2004 totaled 61.415 million megawatt hours, of which thermal sources accounted for 58.917 million megawatt hours. Of that total, steam generating facilities produced 48.201 million megawatt hours. Wind/tidal sources produced 622,205 megawatt hours of power in 2004. As of that same year, the province had no nuclear generating capacity.

27 Commerce

In 2005, international exports by Alberta amounted to c$81.22 billion, while imports that same year totaled c$16.46 billion. The united States was the largest consumer of Alberta's exports at nearly c$72.5 billion, followed by China, Japan, and South Korea. The United States was also the leading source of imports to the province that same year at c$11.54 billion, followed by China, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

In 2005, general merchandise store sales amounted to about c$5.3 billion. Total retail trade that year amounted to c$48.6 billion.

28 Public Finance

The fiscal year runs from 1 April to 31 March. For fiscal year 2006, total revenues came to c$35.997 billion, while expenditures totaled c$28.586 billion, leaving a surplus of c$7.411 billion. Major expenditures were for health, education, social services, resource conservation and industrial development, and for transportation and communications. As of 31 March 2004, the province's total net direct debt amounted to c$5.147 billion.

29 Taxation

Alberta is the only province that has a single, flat rate system for income tax, with a rate of 10% of taxable income as of 2005. Alberta does not levy a general sales tax. As of 2005, there was a gasoline tax of c$.09 per liter and a cigarette tax of c$32 per carton (in addition to the federal tax of c$15.85 per carton). The provincial corporate tax stood at 11.5% for large businesses and 3% for small businesses (with annual income of c$400,000 or under). Property taxes are levied by municipalities.

For the fiscal year 2005/06, it was estimated that the province collected c$5.1 million in personal income tax and c$2.2 billion in corporate income tax. For 2004/05, the province collected about c$3.1 billion in excise taxes.

30 Health

In 2005, there were an estimated 41,015 live births in Alberta, an increase of 495 from 2004. There were 19,817 deaths occurring that year, an increase of 607over 2004. Alberta was one of 11 provinces or territories to have an increase in the number of deaths in 2005. Average life expectancy for men was 77 years, and 82.4 years for women. Reported cases of selected diseases in 2002 included chicken pox, 2,156; giardiasis, 440; gonococcal infections, 980; campylobacteriosis, 1,396; and salmonellosis, 842. There were an estimated 10,800 new cases of cancer in 2001. Between November 1985 and June 2003, some 3,868 residents had become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

31 Housing

Alberta had 1.1 million households in 2001. The average number of persons living in a household was 2.6. In 2001, 64.9% of Alberta's households lived in single detached houses, 13.7% lived in apartments in buildings with fewer than 5 stories, 7.1% lived in row houses, 4.5% lived in apartments in buildings with 5 or more stories, 4.3% lived in semi-detached dwellings, and 3.3% lived in mobile homes.

Alberta is the third most affordable housing market in Canada. The average price of a house in Edmonton in 2002 was c$150,165, and in Calgary, it was c$198,350. The average price of a house in these cities was 30-50% less than a home in Toronto or Vancouver.

In the period 2001–05, there were 181,216 new housing starts in the province.

32 Education

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 2003/04, Alberta had 549,533 students enrolled in grades 1-12, down slightly from 551,375 the year before. The provincial elementary and secondary public schools employed 31,349 educators in 2003/04. For that same period, spending by Alberta on its elementary and public schools totaled c$4.564 billion. From 1996 to 2001, school enrollment grew faster in Alberta (5.4%) than anywhere else in Canada.

There are also over 190 private schools (primarily religious or language-based); these schools receive about 70% 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.

As of 2004, there were 6 public, 17 private, and 16 community college or university campuses in Alberta. A total of 86,300 students were enrolled in the province's colleges and universities in 2003/04, of which 65,035 were full-time and 21,270 were part-time students.

The University of Alberta in Edmonton, with 34,000 students as of 2004, is Canada's second-largest English-language university. The average undergraduate tuition at the University of Alberta or University of Calgary for the 2003/04 year was c$2,400.

33 Arts

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.

Local arts and culture organizations held almost 8,600 events in 2002. Some 10.6 million people attended more than 21,000 shows at those events. Also, 36 major festivals entertained 2.3 million people.

34 Libraries and Museums

Alberta's public libraries are managed by the Libraries, Community and Voluntary Services Sector of Alberta Community Development. As of 2005, there were 310 library sites. In 2003, the total book stock was at about 8,184,674 while the total circulation was about 30,672,272. It was estimated that 37% of Albertans had library cards. The largest public libraries in the province are the Calgary Public Library and the Edmonton Public Library, each with nearly 20 branches. In 2004, about 91.2% of all elementary and secondary schools had libraries. The Rutherford Library of the University of Alberta in Edmonton serves as a depository library for the United Nations.

In 2006, there were about 247 museums in the province. Alberta's history is the focus of many museums and historical sites, including the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Frank's Slide in Crowsnest Pass, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Grande Prairie, the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, and the Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre in Cardston. The Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton chronicles the natural and human history of the province. The Calgary Science Centre and an Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum are popular attractions in Calgary. The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is the largest museum in western Canada, containing over 250,000 artifacts and works of art.

35 Communications

In 2004, Calgary had 6 AM, 17 FM, and one Internet radio stations, and 6 television stations. Edmonton had 10 AM and 13 FM radio stations and 6 television stations. As of 2005, about 63.9% of the population had home access to the Internet.

36 Press

The top daily newspapers in the province include Calgary Herald, The Calgary Sun, Edmonton Journal and The Edmonton Sun. In 2005, the Edmonton Journal was the 11th largest paper in the nation with an average weekly circulation of about 913,026. Calgary Herald ranked 13th and The Edmonton Sun 19th in circulation in the nation. Other daily newspapers are published in Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer. Windspeaker is a monthly national Aboriginal newspaper. In 2005, there were 96 weekly newspapers in the province. Alberta Views is a monthly magazine that features articles on political, social, and cultural issues.

37 Tourism, Travel, and Recreation

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 4.6 million people visited Banff National Park in 2003, and over 1.8 million people visited Jasper National Park. Other parks include Elk Island, Waterton Lakes, and Wood Buffalo national parks.

In 2002, receipts from tourism amounted to c$5.45 billion; 53% came from fellow Albertans, 22% from out-of-province visitors, and 25% 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.

38 Sports

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 Northwest 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 (Canadian Football League championship) five times (1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, 2001). The Eskimos took the CFL championship in 1954–56, 1975, 1978–82, 1987, 1993, 2003, and 2005.

The Calgary Vipers and the Edmonton Cracker-Cats play baseball for the Northern League. The Triple A level team for Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins is the Edmonton Trappers. The Calgary Roughnecks and the Edmonton Rush play in the National Lacrosse League. The Roughnecks were league champions in 2004.

Two women's hockey teams, the Calgary Oval X-Treme and Edmonton Chimos, play in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Calgary Oval X-Treme won the league championships in 2003 and 2004. Calgary gained international attention as the host of the Olympic Winter Games in 1988. An Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Calgary to commemorate this event. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Red Deer.

39 Famous Albertans

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 (1907–2004), 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 (1904–1995), communications theorist Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980), 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.

40 Bibliography

BOOKS

Laws, Gordon D. Alberta. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2003.

LeVert, Suzanne. Dominion of Canada. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.

Walsh, Kieran. Canada. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Publishing Co., 2005.

Yates, Sarah. Alberta. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1996.

WEB SITES

Alberta Economic Development. www.edt.gov.ab.ca (accessed on March 29, 2007).

Alberta Travel and Tourism. Discover Alberta. www.discoveralberta.com (accessed on March 29, 2007).

Canada Tourism. www.canadatourism.com/ctx/app (accessed on March 29, 2007).

Government of Alberta. www.gov.ab.ca/home/index.cfm (accessed on March 29, 2007).

Statistics Canada. www.statcan.ca/english (accessed on March 29, 2007).