Special Areas, Alberta
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The Special Areas Board is the governing body of
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
's special areas. Special areas are designated rural municipalities similar to municipal districts; however, the elected advisory councils are overseen by four representatives appointed by the province, under the direct authority of Alberta Municipal Affairs. The three special areas were created in 1938 under the authority of the Special Areas Act as a result of hardship brought upon a particular area in southeastern Alberta during the drought of the 1930s. A special area is not to be confused with a specialized municipality, which is a completely different municipal status. The special areas are administered under the provisions of the ''Special Areas Act''. The three special areas are located in southeast Alberta within Census Division 4.


History

The Special Areas Act of 1938 created the six special areas of Tilley East, Berry Creek, Sullivan Lake, Sounding Creek, Neutral Hills, and Bow West, which had previously been special municipal areas. In 1939, these six special areas were consolidated into the four special areas listed below. The original six special areas included 3.2 million hectares, while the current three only include 2.1 million hectares. *Tilley East Special Area, No. 1: The northern part of this special area was withdrawn and added to Berry Creek-Sullivan Lake Special Area in 1941, and now forms the portion of Special Area No. 2 that is south of the Red Deer River. Tilley East was still a special area in 1955, but was not by 1959. This area is now part of
Cypress County Cypress County is a municipal district in southeastern Alberta, Canada that surrounds the City of Medicine Hat and the Town of Redcliff. The municipality is part of Census Division 1, Alberta.http://www.albertafirst.com/profiles/statspack/20 ...
, formerly the Municipal District of Cypress No. 1. *Berry Creek-Sullivan Lake Special Area, No. 2: The eastern portion of this special area was withdrawn and added to the Sounding Creek-Neutral Hills Special Area in 1939. The northern part of Tilley East Special Area was added to this special area in 1941. It was renamed Special Area No. 2 in 1959. *Sounding Creek-Neutral Hills Special Area, No. 3: The eastern portion of the Berry Creek-Sullivan Lake Special Area was added to this special area in 1939. It was renamed Special Area No. 3 in 1959. In 1969, the northern portion of Special Area No. 3 became Special Area No. 4. *Bow West Special Area, No. 4: This area was still a special area in 1955, but was not by 1959. It is now part of
Vulcan County Vulcan County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 5, its municipal office is located in the Town of Vulcan. History Vulcan County was originally established in 1951. Geography Communities and lo ...
and the
Municipal District of Taber The Municipal District of Taber is a municipal district (MD) in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 2. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the MD of Taber. ; ...
.


List

Alberta's three special areas had a combined population of 4,184 in 2016.


See also

*
List of census divisions of Alberta Statistics Canada divides the province of Alberta into nineteen census divisions. Unlike in some other provinces, census divisions do not reflect the organization of local government in Alberta. These areas exist solely for the purposes of sta ...
*
List of communities in Alberta The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
* List of municipal districts in Alberta *
List of municipalities in Alberta Alberta is the fourth-most populous province in Canada with 4,262,635 residents as of 2021 Census of Population and is the fourth-largest in land area at . Alberta's 344 municipalities cover of the province's land mass and are home to of i ...
*
Special Areas Act 1934 The Special Areas (Development and Improvement) Act was an Act of Parliament which gave aid to the areas of Britain which had the highest unemployment rates in the 1930s. Areas which benefited included South Wales, Tyneside, Cumberland and southe ...
, a British act also imposed due to hardships *
List of specialized municipalities in Alberta A specialized municipality is a unique type of municipal status in the Canadian province of Alberta. These unique local governments are formed without the creation of special legislation, and typically allow for the coexistence of urban and rur ...


References


External links

* {{Types of administrative country subdivision Local government in Alberta