Slave Lake is a town in

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, Canada that is surrounded by the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is approximately northwest of

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 88. Slave Lake serves as a local centre for the area. The administrative office for the Sawridge First Nation is also located in the town.

History

The first European known to visit the area of the present-day Town of Slave Lake was the British explorer David Thompson, who arrived in 1799. Following his brief visit, other British agents established several

fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

posts around Slave Lake, including a

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

post at the mouth of the lake. A settlement developed around the post and became known as Sawridge. It was renamed as Slave Lake in 1923. After a flood in the 1930s destroyed much of the town, it was relocated and rebuilt at its current location on higher ground. It was incorporated as a town in 1965. The Town of Slave Lake was inundated by a flood of Sawridge Creek in July 1988.

2011 wildfire

On May 15, 2011, large parts of the town were affected by wildfires in the area. Winds pushed the flames into town, destroying many houses and businesses. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued, but highways had been closed and residents were urged to seek refuge at beaches, large parking lots, and open spaces. Highway 2 had been closed at the outset of the fire, but eventually re-opened for evacuation. Full evacuation of all residents was ordered for Slave Lake. On May 16, 2011, provincial officials said that 40% of the town had been destroyed or damaged by the fires, including the town hall, the library, a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

, a mall, and a significant number of homes and other buildings. No injuries or deaths were reported. On May 17, 2011, Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee indicated one-third of the town had been destroyed by the wildfire. On May 20, 2011, a firefighting helicopter crashed into the Lesser Slave Lake near Canyon Creek; its pilot died at the scene. It crashed about off shore into water that was deep. On July 6,

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

and

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited the town to offer encouragement to residents and support for rebuilding efforts.

Geography

Climate

Slave Lake experiences a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfc'') that borders on a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfb''). Summers tend to be mild with cool nights, while winters are long and severely cold.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the Town of Slave Lake had a population of 6,836 living in 2,405 of its 2,681 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 6,651. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Slave Lake recorded a population of 6,651 living in 2,329 of its 2,762 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 6,782. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the Town of Slave Lake according to its 2007 municipal census was 7,031.

Sports

In 1994, the town hosted the Arctic Winter Games. This is a celebration of circumpolar sports and culture.

Government

Residents of Slave Lake are in the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of Peace River—Westlock for elections to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

, and Lesser Slave Lake for elections to the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected first past the post f ...

Media

Media outlets serving Slave Lake and surrounding area include BOOM (FM) and the Lakeside Leader, a local community newspaper.

Gallery

File:Mainstreet Alberta Slave Lake 3985.jpg, Main Street in 2006 File:Albert Mainstreet Slave Lake3984.jpg, Main Street in 2006 File:View of Slave Lake Shoreline.png, Slave Lake shoreline

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1961 establishments in Alberta Towns in Alberta