Smoky Lake

Welcome

Welcome to our community. We hope the information contained within this profile is useful. If additional information is required, please contact our representative from the "Key Contacts" section.

Community Services

Municipal

Town of Smoky Lake
Box 460
Smoky Lake, Alberta
T0A 3C0
Telephone: 780-656-3674
Fax: 780-656-3675

Town of Smoky Lake Public Library
5010-50 Street
Phone/Fax : (780)656-4212
Email: librarian@smokylakelibrary.ab.ca

Provincial

Alberta Agriculture
Alberta Financial Services Corporation
Fish & Wildlife
Medical Examiner-Coroner
Provincial Court
Transportation and Utilities

Federal

Canada Post
Farm Credit Corporation
Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Community Lifestyle

Recreation Recreational facilities in Smoky Lake include a curling rink, ice arena, two dance halls, a gymnasium, a Participark, two ball diamonds, a campground, two kiddies playgrounds, and a senior citizen's drop-in centre. Also, there is the Smoky Lake Golf Course, a 9-hole course nestled in the White Earth Valley, and the Bellis Natural Area, a 16 square km area characterized by sand dunes, jack pine forests, sloughs and small lakes.

Campgrounds and recreational areas are plentiful, and include the Smoky Lake Campground, Victoria Picnic Grounds, Hanmore Lake Campground, Hanmore Lake Provincial Recreation Area, Warspite Picnic Grounds, Island Lake Recreational Area, Mons Lake Recreational Area, and the Bellis Lake Campground.

Community Organizations

• Smoky Lake Lions Club
• Smoky Lake Kinsmen Club
• Royal Canadian Legion 
• Agricultural Society  
• Smoky Lake & District Heritage and Cultural Society  
• Various Church Organizations

Religious Services

• First Baptist Church
• Jehovah's Witnesses   
• Seventh Day Adventist Church
• United Church of Canada 
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church 
• Manse Ukrainian Catholic Church   

Special Annual Events/Attractions

Cultural attractions in the Smoky Lake Museum, the White Earth Art Gallery, Historic Canadian National Railways [CNR] Station, and the Smoky Lake Tourist Information Booth.

Annual Events:

• Smoky Lake Stampede and Heritage Days -- August
• Great White North Pumpkin Fair and Weigh-off -- October

Hospitality

Accommodation

• Smoky Lake Inn
• Plainsman Motor Inn
• Sportsman Motor Inn

Restaurants

• Smoky Lake Hotel Restaurant
• Family Burger and Pizza
• Old Fashioned Bread Bakery Co. Ltd.
• Country Garden Cafe
• Red Chimney Restaurant & Dining Lounge
• Maple Garden Restaurant
• Country Lane Antiques and Tea Shop

Historical CN Station

Economic Base

The primary natural resources in the area are large deposits of natural gas, extensive areas of peat, some forested areas suitable for logging, a large number of lakes and natural areas, and a 50 mile stretch of the north shore of the North Saskatchewan River. Agriculture composes the major base of the economy of the Smoky Lake area, and the major business sector in town is focused on providing agricultural services to the surrounding area. The forestry industry also has a significant impact on the Smoky Lake area, due to the nearby location of the Alberta Government's Pine Ridge Forest Nursery, a world scale facility providing tree seedlings for reforestation projects throughout the province. Also, tourism is a growth industry for the town and surrounding area, as changing economic factors encourage the Edmonton market to look closer to home for vacation and recreation opportunities.

Economic Facts

 A major industry in the nearby rural area is a peat processing plant which harvest, dries and ships peat to Edmonton for containerization and distribution. Large areas of undeveloped peat lands are located in the regions to the north and east of the Town of Smoky Lake.

 Steel fabrication is a minor industry in the town and surrounding area with a number of highly qualified and innovative welders undertaking custom steel fabrication and manufacturing of recreation equipment such as campground stoves, steel framed picnic tables, etc., and agricultural implements such as manure spreaders, bale loader/carriers, ground rollers and specialty trailers.

Major Businesses Products/Services and Distributor

Financial Institutions 

• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
• Alberta Treasury Branch 
• Agriculture Financial Services Corporation Farm Credit Corporation

Education

Smoky Lake is served by the Aspen View Regional Division, headquartered in the Town of Athabasca [telephone: 780-675-2273].

Daycare/Nursery

There are no daycares in Smoky Lake.

Public

The public school in Smoky Lake is H.A. Kostash School, which provides education from Grades 1 to 12. Smoky Lake also has the Hutterite Colony School, which provides education from Grades 1 to 9. The Hutterite School is located at H.A. Kotash School.

Separate

N/A

Private

N/A

Emergency Services

Fire Protection

Smoky Lake has a 15-member volunteer fire department, with 1 pumper unit and 1 rescue unit [telephone: 780-656-3811].

Police Services

Smoky Lake is served by a local detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] [telephone: 780-656-3691].

Ambulance Services

Smoky Lake is served by Mystique Ambulance, which provides Advanced Life Support services [telephone: 403-656-4111].

Health Care

George McDougall Memorial and Auxiliary Hospital, located in Smoky Lake, has 10 acute care beds, 24-hour emergency services, laboratory and diagnostic imaging, and a full range of community-based services.

The Northeastern Alberta Health Unit has an office in Smoky Lake, and provides home care, speech-language pathology, community health nursing, hereditary disease, environmental health, nutrition, dental, Alberta Aids to Living, family life and health promotion programs.

Smoky Lake is also served by two medical clinics, a nursing home with 56 continuing care beds, and a full range of senior citizen housing [Smoky Lake Foundation Homes for Senior Citizens, Bar-V-Nook Manor, 4-Plex, Cedar Manor West, Cedar Manor East, Sunrise Villa, Golden Valley Villa].

Key Contacts for Business Development

Municipal

Town of Smoky Lake
Box 460
Smoky Lake, Alberta
T0A 3C0
Telephone: 780-656-3674
Fax: 780-656-3675
town@town.smokylake.ab.ca

Carole Carpenter
Mayor

Barbara Spurgeon
Chief Administrative Officer
bspurgeon@town.smokylake.ab.ca

Ernie Brousseau - President
Smoky Lake & District Chamber of Commerce
Box 654
Smoky Lake, AB T0A 3C0
Phone: 780-656-4347

Regional Economic Development Officer
Smoky Lake Regional Economic Development Committee
Box 310
Smoky Lake, Alberta
T0A 3C0
Telephone: 780-656-3730
Fax: 780-656-3768

Provincial (Updated May 2006)

Alberta Economic Development
Box 412
Room 308, Provincial Building
5025 - 49 Avenue
St. Paul, Alberta
T0A 3A4
Tel: 780-645-6358
Fax: 780-645-6241
Garry Krause, Regional Manager
Maryann Robinson, Client Service Representative

REACH Corporation (A Community Futures Corporation)
Paul Pelletier - Manager
4802 - 50 Avenue
St. Paul, Alberta
T0A 3A0
(780) 645-5782

Honourable Mike Cardinal (PC)
MLA for Athabasca-Redwater

Constituency Office
Box 1769
4907 - 51 Street
Athabasca
T9S 2B4
Phone: (780) 675-3232
Fax: (780) 675-2396
donna.ballard@gov.ab.ca

Legislature Office
#324 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 415-4800
Fax: (780) 422-9556

Federal (Updated May 2006)

Brian Storseth
Member of Parliament [MP]
Westlock-St. Paul Constituency
House of Commons

Parliamentary Address
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 996-1783
Fax: (613) 995-1415
E-Mail: Storseth.B@parl.gc.ca

Constituency Office:

*To be established soon.*

Location

The Town of Smoky Lake is located in the County of Smoky Lake #13, approximately 120 km northeast of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 28 and Secondary Highway 855. It is approximately one hour's drive from Edmonton's city limits. The Town of Vegreville is located to the south; the Town of St. Paul to the east and the Town of Lac La Biche to the northeast.

Post Secondary Education

Post-secondary institutions in Edmonton such as The University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan College and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology [NAIT], are approximately 1 hour's drive from Smoky Lake.

Taxation

	Residential/Farmland	Non-Residential
2005
Municipal Tax Rate	12.2500	15.0500
Education - Alberta School Foundation Fund Tax Rate	4.6571	6.9592
Seniors Lodge Accommodation Tax Rate	.9538	.9538

Mill Rates [1994]

Residential - Public 27.555
Residential - Separate N/A
Non-Residential - Public 34.932
Non-Residential - Separate N/A

Transportation

Air Services

A grass air strip is located to the east of Smoky Lake, which is maintained for casual summer use. The nearest commercial and air freight services are at the Edmonton Municipal Airport and Edmonton International Airport.

Multi-use Recreational Trail

The Iron Horse Trail passes through Smoky Lake on the old CN rail line. Walk, Cycle, Snowmobile, ATV, and Horseback Ride. It goes east as far as Cold Lake or Heinsburg and west to Waskatenau

Highways

Smoky Lake is located at the junction of Highway 28 and Secondary Highway 855. It is connected to Highway #16 [Yellowhead Highway] via Highway #45 and Secondary Highway #855. Highways 855, 45, 15 and 21 provide paved access to the Edmonton International Airport, a 1.5 hour drive from Smoky Lake.

Trucking Firms

Several trucking firms serve Smoky Lake and region, providing general and specialized transportation services, including livestock hauling. Bus Services Greyhound Bus Lines provides regularly scheduled inter-community service.

Couriers and Taxis

Loomis and Purolator Couriers, as well as Greyhound Courier Express and Priority Courier, supply regular service to Smoky Lake.

Utilities

Electrical Power

ATCO Electric.
#15 White Earth Street
T0A 3C0
Telephone: 403-656-3770

Natural Gas

Town of Smoky Lake Natural Gas System 
Box 460 
Smoky Lake,  Alberta 
T0A3C0 
Telephone: 780-656-3674

Telephone

Telus 
Telephone: 780-310-2255

Water Supply

The source of water is 4 wells. The reservoir capacity, measured in treated substance, is 1,364 cubic metres.

Waste Management

Sewage treatment is provided by a lagoon system consisting of 4 anaerobic cells, 2 aerobic cells, and 1 storage cell. Sewage rates vary according to the type of building.

Garbage

Garbage  collection is provided every Tuesday.

Population

Total Population 1991-2001

Smoky Lake Population by Age Group (2001)

Education Statistics

Smoky Lake Highest Level of Schooling 2001

Labour Force

Smoky Lake Labour Force By Industry - 2001

Income

Building Permits

Total Housing Starts

Value of Building Permits

Dwellings