The Edmonton Capital Region (ECR), also commonly referred to as the Alberta Capital Region, Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centered around Edmonton – Alberta's provincial capital.

The ECR's commonly known boundaries are coincident with those of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as delineated by Statistics Canada. However, there are a couple variants to the ECR's boundary for different administrative purposes (i.e., the Capital Region Board, the Province of Alberta's regional traffic model, etc).

The ECR is considered a major gateway to northern Alberta and the Canadian North, particularly for many companies, including airlines and oil/natural gas exploration. Located at 53°34′N 113°31′W / 53.567°N 113.517°W / 53.567; -113.517 (Edmonton Capital Region), it is the northernmost metropolitan area in Canada and is also located near the geographical centre of Alberta. The ECR is at the northern end of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, one of four major economic regions which comprise 50% of Canada's total population.

Contents 1 Edmonton CMA 2 Capital Region Board 2.1 Member municipalities 3 Major industrial areas 4 Former municipalities 5 Regional population 5.1 Footnotes 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Edmonton CMA

The Edmonton CMA includes the following 35 municipalities:

• five cities (Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, St. Albert, and Spruce Grove);
• one specialized municipality (Strathcona County, which includes the Sherwood Park urban service area);
• three municipal districts (Leduc County, Parkland County, and Sturgeon County);
• 10 towns (Beaumont, Bon Accord, Bruderheim, Calmar, Devon, Gibbons, Legal, Morinville, Redwater, and Stony Plain);
• five villages (New Sarepta, Spring Lake, Thorsby, Wabamun, and Warburg);
• eight summer villages (Betula Beach, Golden Days, Itaska Beach, Kapasiwin, Lakeview, Point Alison, Seba Beach, and Sundance Beach); and
• three First Nations (Alexander First Nation a.k.a Alexander I.R. No. 134, Enoch Cree Nation #440 a.k.a Stony Plain I.R. No. 135, and Paul First Nation a.k.a. Wabamun I.R. No. 133A and 133B).

Contrary to popular local belief, the Edmonton CMA does not include the westernmost portion of Lamont County or Elk Island National Park. It is the province's traffic model for the region that includes the the westernmost portion of Lamont County, while Elk Island National Park is immediately adjacent to the Edmonton CMA's eastern boundary.

The total area of the Edmonton CMA is 9,418 square kilometres (3,636 sq mi), which makes it the largest CMA in Canada in terms of area. The population of the Edmonton CMA is 1,034,945 per the 2006 census by Statistics Canada.^[1] The population of the ECR is expected to reach 1.25 million by 2020 and 1.5 million by 2033.^{[citation needed]}

The Edmonton CMA makes up the majority of the Statistics Canada Division No. 11 in Alberta.

[edit] Capital Region Board

A fragmentation in regional cooperation and partnership has long played a divisive role within the ECR. Particularly, Edmonton was frustrated that its surrounding municipalities were receiving an increased tax base for major industrial development while not contributing to Edmonton's burden to maintain and build new infrastructure within Edmonton used by the residents and businesses of the surrounding municipalities.

After pulling out of the Alberta Capital Region Alliance (ACRA), Edmonton lobbied the provincial government to establish some form of regional government that would be more effective in fostering regional cooperation between it and its surrounding municipalities. As a result, Premier Ed Stelmach announced in December 2007 that a governing board would be established for Edmonton's Capital Region.^[2] Four months later, the Capital Region Board (CRB) was formed with the passing of the Capital Region Board Regulation by Order in Council 127/2008 under the authority of the Municipal Government Act.^[3]

[edit] Member municipalities

The CRB was established with 25 participating or member municipalities – 23 of which are within the Edmonton CMA and two of which are outside the CMA (Lamont County and the Town of Lamont). Of the 35 municipalities within the Edmonton CMA, the Village of Spring Lake, the eight summer villages and the three First Nations are not members of the CRB. Also, despite Bruderheim and Lamont being urban municipalities within Lamont County that are members of the CRB, the remaining urban municipalities within Lamont County - the Town of Mundare and the villages of Andrew and Chipman – are not members of the CRB.

More specifically, the CRB includes:

• five cities (Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, St. Albert, and Spruce Grove);
• one specialized municipality (Strathcona County, which includes the Sherwood Park urban service area);
• four municipal districts (Lamont County, Leduc County, Parkland County, and Sturgeon County);
• 11 towns (Beaumont, Bon Accord, Bruderheim, Calmar, Devon, Gibbons, Lamont, Legal, Morinville, Redwater, and Stony Plain); and
• four villages (New Sarepta, Thorsby, Wabamun, and Warburg).

[edit] Major industrial areas

Major industrial areas within the ECR include the northwest, southeast and Clover Bar industrial areas in Edmonton, Nisku Business Park in Leduc County, Acheson Business Park in Parkland County, Refinery Row in Strathcona County, and the recently established Alberta's Industrial Heartland spanning portions of Sturgeon County, Strathcona County, Lamont County and Fort Saskatchewan.

At the moment, two more major industrial areas are in the final stages of establishment. The establishment of the Horse Hills industrial area in northeast Edmonton is in the final planning stages, while the Edmonton Regional Airport Authority is currently planning its Port Alberta development at the Edmonton International Airport within Leduc County.

[edit] Former municipalities

In the past, Edmonton annexed a three former urban municipalities which are now neighbourhoods of that city, including Beverly (annexed 1961), Jasper Place (annexed 1964), and most famously, Strathcona (annexed 1912), whose downtown is now the Old Strathcona historical district centered on Whyte (82) Avenue.

Edmonton has attempted in the past to annex Sherwood Park and St. Albert, but without success to date.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Regional population

CMA Municipality	Population[4]	Year[4]
Cities
Edmonton	782,439	2009
Fort Saskatchewan	17,469	2009
Leduc	21,597	2009
Spruce Grove	23,326	2009
St. Albert	58,501	2008
total	903,332
Towns
Beaumont	11,794	2009
Bon Accord	1,534	2006
Bruderheim	1,215	2006
Calmar	2,033	2009
Devon	6,534	2009
Gibbons	2,848	2007
Legal	1,192	2006
Morinville	7,636	2009
Redwater	2,192	2006
Stony Plain	12,363	2006
total	49,341
Villages
New Sarepta	530	2009
Spring Lake	592	2007
Thorsby	945	2006
Wabamun	662	2009
Warburg	696	2009
total	3,425
Summer Villages
Betula Beach	15	2006
Golden Days	207	2006
Itaska Beach	35	2006
Kapasiwin	15	2009
Lakeview	36	2006
Point Alison	4	2008
Seba Beach	203	2006
Sundance Beach	102	2006
total	617
Municipal Districts
Leduc County	12,730	2006
Parkland County	30,089	2009
Sturgeon County	19,165	2008
total	61,984
Specialized Municipalities
Strathcona County[5]	87,998	2009
total	87,998
First Nations Reserves
Alexander First Nation	989	2008
Enoch Cree Nation #440	1,525	2008
Paul First Nation	1,277	2008
total	3,791
Total	1,110,488

Factoring in the population of 1,664 in the Town of Lamont (2006) and 3,925 in Lamont County (2006), and deducting the population of Spring Lake, the eight summer villages and the three First Nations, the cumulative population of the 25 CRB municipalities is 1,111,077.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] See also

• Calgary-Edmonton Corridor

[edit] External links

• Edmonton.com - Portal to Greater Edmonton
• EEDC - Edmonton Economic Development Corporation
• Edmonton's International Region
• Life is Better in Beaumont
• ALTAPOP

	Barrhead County, Lac Ste. Anne County	Thorhild County, Westlock County	Lamont County
	Yellowhead County		Beaver County
		Edmonton Capital Region
	Brazeau County	Wetaskiwin County	Camrose County

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