Fort Saskatchewan

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History

In 1875, under the command of Inspector W.D. Jarvis, the North West Mounted Police established Fort Saskatchewan as a fort on the North Saskatchewan River. The fort was later incorporated as a village in 1899, a town in 1904, and a city in 1985.

The Canadian Northern Railway reached Fort Saskatchewan in 1905, placing the town on a transcontinental rail line. The first bridge across the river was also built at this time, with the rail company paying for it in exchange for free land for its station in Fort Saskatchewan. Prior to the bridge, the only method to cross the river at Fort Saskatchewan was via ferry. In the decade after the railway arrived, the town's population nearly doubled to 993. licorice tea

A new $200,000 provincial jail opened in 1915 at the end of what is now 100th Avenue to replace the 34-cell guard house that had been in used to hold prisoners since the NWMP fort was constructed in 1875. The jail would see various additions throughout the next 70 years, including the construction of more cell blocks and a stand-alone power plant. By 1973, the jail employed 220 residents. The jail was replaced in 1988 when a new provincial jail was built south of Highway 15 on 101st Street. The original jail cell blocks was subsequently demolished in 1994. Only one building from the complex as well as the Warden's House still stand today. oolong chinese tea

In 1952, Sherritt Gordon Mines started construction on a $25-million nickel refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, which started production in 1954. Following Sherritt Gordon's locating in Fort Saskatchewan, more industries constructed plants in the town. Between 1951 and 1956, the town's population doubled from 1,076 to 2,582. oolong tea organic

Dow Chemical acquired 700 acres in Fort Saskatchewan in 1959, opening its plant in 1961 and further expanding it in 1967. After Dow started operations, the population again saw a significant increase to 4,152 in 1966, up from 2,972 five years earlier.

Since Fort Saskatchewan was incorporated as a town in 1904, it has had 29 residents serve as its mayor.

Demographics

Fort Saskatchewan City Hall

The population of the City of Fort Saskatchewan according to its 2009 municipal census is 17,469.

In 2006, Fort Saskatchewan had a population of 14,957 living in 5,825 dwellings, a 14.0% increase from 2001. The median income for private households in 2005 was $89,699 but the median earnings for individuals over the age of 15 was $33,947.

The city has a land area of 48.12 km2 (18.6 sq mi) and a population density of 310.8 /km2 (805/sq mi).

Residents work mostly in trades (2,130), retail (1,840) or business/finance (1,575).

According to the 2006 census, the largest visible minorities in the community were Chinese with 95 residents followed by Filipino with 55 residents.

English is the first language of 91.7% of the population. French (2.2%) is the second most common first language.

Government

Fort Saskatchewan is directly governed by a city council consisting of one mayor and six councillors.

Municipal elections occur every three years on the third Monday in October. The next election is scheduled for 18 October 2010. The mayor is elected separately from the councillors, who are elected at-large (as opposed to the ward system).

Currently the city council consists of:

Mayor Jim Sheasgreen (second term as mayor)

Coun. Don Westman (fourth term)

Coun. Tom Hutchison (third term)

Coun. Stew Hennig (first term)

Coun. Howard Johnson (first term)

Coun. Gale Katchur (first term)

Coun. Ed van Delden (first term)

On the provincial level of government, Fort Saskatchewan is part of the riding called Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville. It is represented by Premier Ed Stelmach (Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta).

On the federal level, Fort Saskatchewan is part of the Edmontonherwood Park riding and is represented by Tim Uppal (Conservative Party of Canada).

Economy

Sherritt International Corporation

Fort Saskatchewan's main industries are commercial and heavy industry. Fort Saskatchewan is part of Alberta's Industrial Heartland, the largest Canadian industrial area west of Toronto. Companies with operations in the area include Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Agrium and Shell Canada. These plants are major employers for residents of Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.

With the city's growth in recent years, the commercial service sector has also grown. Multi-national corporations with stores in Fort Saskatchewan include Wal-Mart and Home Depot, with Canadian Tire, Safeway and Sobeys acting as some of the other major employers.

Recreation & Culture

The centrepiece of Fort Saskatchewan's recreation and culture is the Dow Centennial Centre (DCC), a multi-use facility that includes an ice arena, gymnasium, fieldhouse, indoor track and fitness centre. The facility, which opened in September 2004, also features a 550-seat performing arts theatre, a permanent art gallery with monthly shows, a banquet hall and the local Pottery Guild.

The city also has two other indoor ice arenas -- the Jubilee Recreation Centre and the Sportsplex -- that are used during the winter months by hockey, ringette and figure skating associations. In the summer months, the lacrosse association uses them.

Fort Saskatchewan also has Harbour Pool, which is an indoor swimming pool that includes a hot tub, sauna and slide.

Over 30 km of paved trails meander through the city's dozen parks, including Legacy Park, which is the city's main gathering place and hosts festivals in the summer.

There is one nine-hole golf course located within the city's boundaries with three others within a 10-minute drive.

The Fort Saskatchewan Museum (c. 1909) is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The museum, which sits adjacent to Legacy Park along 101 Street, features a red brick courthouse, a historic school, church and house that were relocated to the site from their respective locations around the region.

The city's west end features a boat launch into the North Saskatchewan River, called Red Coat Landing, and a provincially preserved natural area, called the Fort Saskatchewan Prairie.

Elk Island National Park is located immediately southeast of the city.

Education

Fort Saskatchewan currently has no post-secondary schools. Most residents commute or move into Edmonton to attend post-secondary classes at the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan University or another institution.

Fort Saskatchewan's schools are governed by two different school boards -- Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) and Elk Island Catholic Schools (EICS). Both school boards have their head offices located in Sherwood Park.

Fort Saskatchewan's elected trustees on the EIPS board are Pat McLauchlan and Glen Buchan. Gerald Mykytiuk is the lone Fort Saskatchewan trustee on the EICS board.

The following schools are located in Fort Saskatchewan:

Elementary Schools

Fort Saskatchewan Elementary School (Grades K-6)

James Mowat Elementary School (Grades K-6)

Ecole Rudolph Hennig (French Immersion K-6)

Win Ferguson Community School (Grades K-6)

Fort Saskatchewan Christian School (Grades K-8)

Pope John XXIII Catholic School (Grades K-4)

Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School (Grades 5-8)

Junior High Schools

Fort Saskatchewan Junior High (Grades 7-9)

Rudolph Hennig School (Grades 7-9, in either English or French)

Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School (Grades 5-8)

Fort Saskatchewan Christian School (Grades K-8)

High Schools

Fort Saskatchewan High School (Grades 10-12)

John Paul II High School (Grades 9-12)

Next Step Outreach School (Alternative)

Climate

Climate data for Fort Saskatchewan

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Year

Record high C (F)

10

(50)

15

(59)

18.9

(66)

31.1

(88)

33.5

(92)

33.4

(92)

35.6

(96)

36

(97)

33.3

(92)

29.5

(85)

18.9

(66)

12.5

(55)

Average high C (F)

-8.1

(17)

-4.6

(24)

1.5

(35)

10.9

(52)

17.9

(64)

21.1

(70)

22.8

(73)

22.2

(72)

17

(63)

10.7

(51)

-0.8

(31)

-6.4

(20)

8.7

(48)

Average low C (F)

-18.8

(-2)

-15.7

(4)

-9

(16)

-1.4

(29)

4.5

(40)

8.7

(48)

10.6

(51)

9.3

(49)

4.4

(40)

-1.3

(30)

-10.3

(13)

-16.6

(2)

-3

(27)

Record low C (F)

-45

(-49)

-41.5

(-43)

-45.6

(-50)

-28

(-18)

-9.5

(15)

-3.3

(26)

2.2

(36)

-1

(30)

-10

(14)

-24.5

(-12)

-36

(-33)

-43.9

(-47)

Precipitation mm (inches)

23.4

(0.92)

13.5

(0.53)

14.4

(0.57)

24.6

(0.97)

43.8

(1.72)

88.8

(3.5)

83.1

(3.27)

61.7

(2.43)

43

(1.69)

17.2

(0.68)

22.4

(0.88)

23.3

(0.92)

463.5

(18.25)

Source: Environment Canada 2009-07-07

Health care

Fort Saskatchewan has one hospital -- the 32-bed Fort Saskatchewan Health Centre. A new 38-bed hospital is currently under construction.

The city also has a 58-bed, public-operated, supportive-living seniors lodge, called Dr. Turner Lodge. Southfort Bend, a privately operated facility, also has supportive living for seniors. The lone assisted-living facility in Fort Saskatchewan is the Rivercrest Care Centre.

Sports

The Fort Saskatchewan Traders, of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, were long a part of the city. After the 2006-07 season, the team relocated to St. Albert and was renamed the St. Albert Steel.

The Pyramid Corp. Hawks of the Capital Junior Hockey League and the McEwen Chiefs of the Chinook Hockey League are currently the only professional hockey teams in the city. Both use the Jubilee Recreation Centre as their home rink. The Edmonton Chimos female hockey team of the Western Womens Hockey League also played some home games at the JRC during the 2008-09 season.

Fort Saskatchewan is also home to the Fort Saskatchewan Athletics of the Sunburst Baseball League. Former college and professional baseball players make up the core of the baseball club.

Fort Saskatchewan has youth sports associations for hockey, soccer (indoor and outdoor), baseball, ringette, indoor lacrosse, figure skating, cross-country skiing[dead link] and swimming.

Media

Fort Saskatchewan has two local newspapers. Both are free.

The Fort Record, which is a weekly newspaper with home delivery, was first published Wednesday, Apr. 5, 1922. It took over the offices and plant of The Conservator, the previous weekly newspaper.

The Sturgeon Creek Post, which is a weekly newspaper available from local businesses, was established in 1997.

Other newspapers commonly read in Fort Saskatchewan are the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun. Fort Saskatchewan has no television or radio stations of its own due to its close proximity to the Edmonton broadcasting market.

See also Media in Edmonton.

Notable residents

Evangeline Lilly - Actress, notably from the television series Lost, was born in Fort Saskatchewan.

Ray Whitney - Current NHL player, Stanley Cup Champion (2006)

Richard Matvichuk - Current NHL player, Stanley Cup Champion (1999)

Mike Commodore - Current NHL player, Stanley Cup Champion (2006)

Joffrey Lupul - Current NHL player

Allen Pedersen - Retired NHL player

Carl Mokosak - Retired NHL player

See also the category People from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

References

^ City of Fort Saskatchewan. "City Council". Archived from the original on 2007-08-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070828003621/http://www.fortsask.ca/city_council/index.cfm. Retrieved 2007-06-23. 

^ a b c d e f Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Fort Saskatchewan - Community Profile". http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=4811056&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Fort%20Saskatchewan&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=&GeoCode=4811056. Retrieved 2008-12-31. 

^ a b Alberta Municipal Affairs. "Alberta 2009 Official Population List". http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/documents/ms/2009pop.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-11. 

^ City of Fort Saskatchewan. "Our Mascot". http://www.fortsask.ca/ftsk_Visitors/ftsk_Our_Mascot.aspx. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 

^ a b Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. p. 337. 

^ a b Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. p. 339. 

^ a b c Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. pp. 420-425. 

^ Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. p. 459. 

^ Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. p. 471. 

^ a b Ream, Peter (1974). The Fort on the Saskatchewan. Metropolitan Printing. p. 465. 

^ Canadian Register of Historic Places.

^ Environment Canadaanadian Climate Normals 19712000. Retrieved 07 July 2009.

^ The Record. "New hospital rising, opening still unknown". http://www.fortsaskatchewanrecord.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1526785. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 

External links

City of Fort Saskatchewan

Fort Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

Fort Air Partnership

Morinville

Gibbons

Bruderheim

St. Albert

Lamont

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Categories: Fort Saskatchewan | Cities in Alberta | Settlements on the Saskatchewan River | Edmonton Capital RegionHidden categories: All articles with dead external links | Articles with dead external links from January 2010