Big Lakes County, formerly the Municipal District of Big Lakes, is a municipal district in north-central Alberta, Canada.
Big Lakes County | |
|---|---|
 Location within Alberta | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Northern Alberta |
| Census division | 17 |
| Incorporated | 1995 |
| Government | |
| • Reeve | Robert Nygaard |
| • Governing body | Big Lakes County Council |
| • Administrative office | High Prairie |
| Area (2021)[2] | |
| • Land | 13,827.58 km2 (5,338.86 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
| • Total | 4,986 |
| • Density | 0.4/km2 (1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Website | biglakescounty.ca |
It is located in Census Division 17, around the Lesser Slave Lake. Utikuma Lake and Winagami Lake are also located in the municipality.
History
Big Lakes County was previously known as the Municipal District of Big Lakes prior to March 6, 2015.[3]
Geography
Communities and localities
The following Métis settlements and Indian reserves are located within Big Lakes County.
The following localities are located within Big Lakes County.[5]
- Localities
Demographics
As a census subdivision in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Big Lakes County had a population of 4,986 living in 2,007 of its 2,632 total private dwellings, a change of -11.4% from its 2016 population of 5,625. With a land area of 13,827.58 km2 (5,338.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.4/km2 (0.9/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
As a census subdivision in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Big Lakes County had a population of 5,672 living in 2,099 of its 2,728 total private dwellings, a -4.1% change from its 2011 population of 5,912.[7] This includes the populations of three Métis settlements, East Prairie (304), Gift Lake (658) and Peavine (607),[8] located within the census subdivision that are municipalities independent of Big Lakes County.[4] With a land area of 13,942.43 km2 (5,383.20 sq mi), the census subdivision had a population density of 0.4/km2 (1.1/sq mi) in 2016.[7] Excluding the three Metis settlements, Big Lakes County had a population of 4,103 in 2016,[7] a change of -16.5% from its 2011 population of 4,914.[9]
Big Lakes County's 2013 municipal census counted a population of 3,861,[10] a -7.7% change from its 2002 municipal census population of 4,181.[11]
Visible minorities and Aboriginals
Big Lakes had the most Métis people per capita of any Canadian census subdivision in 2006 with a population of 5,000 or more due to the census' inclusion of the population of the three Métis settlement municipalities within Big Lakes' totals.
| Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2006 Census) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population group | Population | % of total population | |
| White | 2,815 | 48.5% | |
| Visible minority group Source:[12] | South Asian | 20 | 0.3% |
| Chinese | 10 | 0.2% | |
| Black | 0 | 0% | |
| Filipino | 0 | 0% | |
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | |
| Arab | 0 | 0% | |
| Southeast Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| West Asian | 0 | 0% | |
| Korean | 10 | 0.2% | |
| Japanese | 0 | 0% | |
| Visible minority, n.i.e. | 0 | 0% | |
| Multiple visible minority | 10 | 0.2% | |
| Total visible minority population | 60 | 1% | |
| Aboriginal group Source:[13] | First Nations | 845 | 14.6% |
| Métis | 2,030 | 35% | |
| Inuit | 0 | 0% | |
| Aboriginal, n.i.e. | 25 | 0.4% | |
| Multiple Aboriginal identity | 30 | 0.5% | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 2,930 | 50.5% | |
| Total population | 5,805 | 100% | |
Education
Southeastern parts of the district are within Pembina Hills Public Schools, which formed in 1995 as a merger of three school districts.[14]