Municipalities
Urban municipalities
Cities
According to Section 82 of the ''Municipal Government Act'' (MGA), an area may incorporate as a city if: * it has a population of 10,000 people or more; and * the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Essentially, cities are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 10,000 people. Alberta currently has a total of 19 cities with a combined population totalling 2,959,559 as of 2019.Towns
According to Section 81 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), an area may incorporate as a town if: * it has a population of 1,000 people or more; and * the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Essentially, towns are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 1,000 people. When a town's population exceeds 10,000 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of aVillages
According to Section 80 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), an area may incorporate as a village if: * it has a population of 300 people or more; and * the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Essentially, villages are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 300 people. When a village's population exceeds 1,000 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of aSummer villages
According to former Section 79 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a summer village is an area that: * has at least 60 parcels of land developed with dwelling buildings; and * has a population of less than 300 persons where the majority of the persons who would be electors do not permanently reside in that area. As a result of Section 79 being repealed, summer villages can no longer be formed in Alberta. Essentially, summer villages were once formed from urban communities with populations of less than 300 people and significant non-permanent populations. When a summer village's population exceeds 300 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of a village, but the change in incorporated status is not mandatory. Alberta currently has a total of 51 summer villages, with a combined population totalling 5,200 as of 2019.Specialized municipalities
According to Section 83 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a municipality may incorporate as a specialized municipality under one of the following three scenarios: * where the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs (AMA) is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the municipality's residents; * to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of AMA, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA; or * for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of AMA. Essentially, specialized municipalities are municipalities that are unconventional in nature compared to other municipalities in Alberta, and they are incorporated under the authority of the existing MGA instead of relying on the creation of their own separate acts (i.e., the Special Areas Act allowed the incorporation of Alberta's three special areas and the Metis Settlements Act allowed the incorporation of Alberta's eight Métis settlements). Alberta's six specialized municipalities have a combined population totalling 242,395 as of 2019.Rural municipalities
Municipal districts
According to Section 78 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), aImprovement districts
According to Section 581 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), Alberta's Lieutenant Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, may form an improvement district. Section 582 of the MGA requires that the order to form an improvement district must describe its boundaries and give it an official name. Alberta currently has seven improvement districts, which have a combined population totaling 2,146. With some exceptions, their boundaries are coterminous with that of a national or provincial park. Five of them are located within national parks, and two are within provincial parks.Special areas
Special areas are rural municipalities created in 1938 under the authority of the Special Areas Act. A special area is not to be confused with a specialized municipality, which is a completely different municipal status. Alberta's three special areas had a combined population totalling 4,184 in 2016.Unincorporated communities
Urban service areas
An urban service area is a type of hamlet that is not officially defined under the Municipal Government Act (MGA). However, the Province of Alberta recognizes it as equivalent to a city for the purposes of program delivery and grant eligibility according to the Orders in Council that established the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo and Strathcona County as specialized municipalities. These Orders in Council (see Schedule 1, Section 7 and Schedule 1, Section 3 respectively) also state that: *the specialized municipalities shall provide to the Province of Alberta any information required to administer programs or to determine the amount of grants which would have been paid if the urban service areas were incorporated cities; and *for the purposes of enactments affecting roads, culverts, ditches, drains, and highways, the urban service areas are deemed to be cities. Essentially, urban services areas meet the eligibility requirements of the MGA to incorporate as a city. As such, they are Alberta's largest hamlets. There are currently two urban services areas in Alberta: * Fort McMurray; and * Sherwood Park. Fort McMurray, within the jurisdiction of the RM of Wood Buffalo, was formerly a city prior its amalgamation with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995. It was designated an urban service area at the time of the amalgamation. Sherwood Park has always been an unincorporated community under the jurisdiction of Strathcona County. It became an urban service area when Strathcona County changed its status from a municipal district to a specialized municipality on January 1, 1996.Hamlets
According to Section 59 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), hamlets are unincorporated communities that: * consist of five or more buildings used as dwellings, a majority of which are on parcels of land smaller than ; * have a generally accepted boundary and name; and * contain parcels of land that are used for non‑residential purposes. Further, Section 59 of the MGA provides the councils ofTownsites
A townsite is a type of unincorporated community that is not officially defined under the Municipal Government Act (MGA), but it is generally regarded as an independent urban area within an Indian reserve that is comparable in population, land area, services, and built form, to that of Alberta's incorporated towns. Essentially, townsites would meet the eligibility requirements of the MGA to incorporate as a town if they were not located on Indian reserve lands under federal jurisdiction. Redwood Meadows is Alberta's only townsite at this time and is located within the Tsuutʼina Nation.Other unincorporated communities
Métis settlements
Métis settlements are rural areas inhabited by the indigenous Métis in Alberta and were established and recognized in 1936 under the Métis Population Betterment Act. The settlements provide an autonomous land base, allow better access to education, health and other social services, and provide economic development opportunities for the only recognized Métis land-base in Canada. Métis settlements now operate under the authority of the Métis Settlements Act. These eight Métis settlements are governed by a unique Métis government known as the Métis Settlements General Council (MSGC). Alberta currently has eight Métis settlements, all of which are located in the northern half of the province. The official names of the eight settlements, and the municipal districts they are within, are as follows: :''*Areas generated from provincial Métis settlement boundary data.'' Very small portions of the Gift Lake Métis Settlement and the Kikino Métis Settlement are also located within Northern Sunrise County and Lac La Biche County respectively. Alberta's eight Métis settlements have a combined population totalling 5,632 as of 2018.Indian reserves
Indian reserves in Alberta cover a total area of and range in size from to . Under the Constitution Act, 1982, legislative authority over Indian reserves is allocated to the Parliament of Canada. The Government of Canada exercises executive authority over Indian reserves through Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Local administration is exercised by Band councils whose members are elected by members of the reserve.See also
* List of census divisions of Alberta * List of designated places in Alberta * List of ghost towns in Alberta * List of municipalities in Alberta *Notes
References
External links