Cold Lake Continues to Grow

Federal Census shows steady growth in City of Cold Lake

The City of Cold Lake saw its population grow by over 1,100 people in the last five years, according to Federal Census data released today.

 

The City’s population grew by 8.1 per cent, to 14,961 in 2016 from 13,839 in 2011. The previous Federal Census, conducted in in 2011, showed almost twice the growth with a 15.4 per cent increase that brought the population up to 13,839 from 11,991 in 2006.

 

“Of course we know all too well that the Alberta economy was hit hard and that things remain slow, but this encouraging news for the City of Cold Lake,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “Cold Lake remains a community of choice for workers in our area. Our council is continuing to work hard to help our residents weather this downturn as best we can, while also ensuring our infrastructure is ready for the growth we know we’ll see when the economy picks up.”

 

The recorded Federal Census population also means that the City of Cold Lake will not have to budget for an expected increase in policing costs. The RCMP service agreement has an urban population of 15,000 as a threshold. Communities under that number cover 70 per cent of policing costs while communities over that number cover 90 per cent.

 

Expecting the population to have risen over 15,000, the City had budgeted a contingency of about $400,000 to cover the anticipated increase in policing costs. In the coming months, council will consider the impact to the operational budget based on the Federal Census results.

 

While municipal censuses generally come in with a higher population count than federal censuses (likely due to a difference in staffing levels and local knowledge), it is the federal census data that is used to determine the threshold under the RCMP service agreement.

 

The last municipal census, conducted in 2014, recorded a population of 15,736. No municipal census will be conducted in 2017.

 

Federal Census Population Counts – City of Cold Lake 

2016: 14,961 (+8.1%)
2011: 13,839 (+15.4%)
2006: 11,991