Leduc, Alberta

Leduc (/ləˈduːk/ lə-DEWK) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is 33 km (21 mi) south of the provincial capital of Edmonton and is part of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.

Leduc
City
City of Leduc
Leduc Grain Elevator
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Motto(s):  Integritas Unitas Firmitas  (Latin) "Integrity, Unity, Strength"
City boundaries
Leduc Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Leduc Location in Canada Show map of Canada Leduc Location in Leduc County Show map of Leduc County
Coordinates: 53°15′34″N 113°32′57″W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Edmonton Metropolitan Region
Municipal district	Leduc County
Incorporated[1]
• Village	December 15, 1899
• Town	December 15, 1906
• City	September 1, 1983
Government [2]
• Mayor	Bob Young
• Governing body	Leduc City Council Beverly Beckett Glen Finstad William Cedric Hamilton Lars Sean Hansen Ryan Pollard Laura M. Tillack
• Manager	Derek Prohar, MMV, MSM, CD
• MP	Mike Lake
• MLA	Brandon Lunty
Area  (2021)[3]
• Land	42.25 km2 (16.31 sq mi)
Elevation [4]	730 m (2,400 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	34,094
• Density	806.9/km2 (2,090/sq mi)
• Municipal census (2019)	33,032[5]
• Estimate (2020)	34,216[6]
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Forward sortation area	T9E
Area code(s)	780, 587, 825, 368
Highways	Highway 2 Highway 2A Highway 39 Highway 623
Railways	Canadian Pacific Kansas City
Public transit	Leduc Transit
Website	leduc.ca

History

Leduc was established in 1891 by Robert Telford, a settler who had bought land near a lake which would later bear his name. It was on that piece of land where the new settlement would take root. Telford established a stopping place for the stagecoach line that in 1889 connected Calgary to Edmonton. It became known as Telford's Place. Telford previously served as an officer for the North-West Mounted Police, and later became Leduc's first postmaster, first general merchantman, and first justice of the peace. He was also elected to serve as Leduc's first Member of the Alberta Legislature (MLA) in 1905.

The establishment of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, later acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railway, opened the region to settlement. The first train stopped at Leduc in July 1891.

Originally there were two versions to describe how Leduc got its name. In fact both accounts are true. In April 1886 when a settler (McKinley) setting up a telegraph office needed a name for the new station and decided that it would be named after the first person who came through the door of the telegraph office. That person was Father Hippolyte Leduc, a priest who had served the area since 1867. Five years later, in 1891, the Minister of the Interior and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, who had been Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, Edgar Dewdney (1835–1916), was given a list of names, that had been provided to the railroad by Father Lacombe, decided that Telford Place should be renamed at the time the railway terminal was being established. Father Leduc's name was on the list and since the telegraph station was already called Leduc Dewdney saw no reason why not to use Leduc's name for the new railroad station and the hamlet that was growing alongside.

Leduc was incorporated as a village in 1899, and became a town in 1906. It became a city in 1983; by that time its population had reached 12,000.

The town continued to grow quietly over the decades and Alberta's historical oil strike on February 13, 1947, occurred near the town at the Leduc No. 1 oil well.^[7]

Geography

Leduc has a wide variety of parks and sports amenities, and has more than 35 km (21.7 mi) of multiuse pathways.^[8] On the east end of the city lies Telford Lake, and just to the east is Saunders Lake.

• Alexandra Park Ponds
• Coady Lake
• Leduc Reservoir
• Telford Lake
• West Point Lake

Climate

Leduc experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) closely bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc).^[9] Summers are typically warm and rainy with cool nights. Winters are typically long, very cold, and very dry with moderate snowfall. Precipitation usually peaks during July, which is also the sunniest month.

Climate data for Leduc-Edmonton (Edmonton International Airport) WMO ID: 71123; coordinates 53°19′N 113°35′W; elevation: 723.3 m (2,373 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high humidex	9.2	12.8	23.5	30.0	33.6	37.3	44.0	38.7	33.9	28.4	20.8	14.6	44.0
Record high °C (°F)	9.9 (49.8)	13.3 (55.9)	24.2 (75.6)	30.5 (86.9)	32.8 (91.0)	34.4 (93.9)	35.0 (95.0)	35.6 (96.1)	34.9 (94.8)	29.1 (84.4)	18.8 (65.8)	15.9 (60.6)	35.6 (96.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−6.5 (20.3)	−4.1 (24.6)	0.5 (32.9)	10.1 (50.2)	17.6 (63.7)	20.7 (69.3)	23.0 (73.4)	22.4 (72.3)	17.8 (64.0)	10.0 (50.0)	0.2 (32.4)	−5.3 (22.5)	8.9 (48.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−12.3 (9.9)	−10.4 (13.3)	−5.3 (22.5)	3.5 (38.3)	10.1 (50.2)	14.1 (57.4)	16.2 (61.2)	15.1 (59.2)	10.3 (50.5)	3.4 (38.1)	−5.2 (22.6)	−11.0 (12.2)	2.4 (36.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−18.1 (−0.6)	−16.6 (2.1)	−11.2 (11.8)	−3.2 (26.2)	2.7 (36.9)	7.5 (45.5)	9.4 (48.9)	7.8 (46.0)	2.8 (37.0)	−3.3 (26.1)	−10.6 (12.9)	−16.7 (1.9)	−4.1 (24.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−48.3 (−54.9)	−43.9 (−47.0)	−42.7 (−44.9)	−28.3 (−18.9)	−11.6 (11.1)	−6.1 (21.0)	−1.0 (30.2)	−3.8 (25.2)	−9.6 (14.7)	−26.5 (−15.7)	−36.4 (−33.5)	−46.1 (−51.0)	−48.3 (−54.9)
Record low wind chill	−61.1	−53.5	−50.7	−33.7	−16.3	−7.3	−3.9	−5.8	−14.3	−34.9	−51.5	−58.3	−61.1
Average precipitation mm (inches)	21.5 (0.85)	12.4 (0.49)	17.3 (0.68)	29.8 (1.17)	47.0 (1.85)	74.7 (2.94)	87.2 (3.43)	52.6 (2.07)	34.7 (1.37)	22.3 (0.88)	20.0 (0.79)	14.6 (0.57)	434.0 (17.09)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	1.1 (0.04)	0.5 (0.02)	0.8 (0.03)	14.9 (0.59)	41.6 (1.64)	75.2 (2.96)	88.0 (3.46)	53.2 (2.09)	34.5 (1.36)	12.4 (0.49)	1.5 (0.06)	0.5 (0.02)	324.1 (12.76)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	24.2 (9.5)	14.4 (5.7)	19.2 (7.6)	16.3 (6.4)	6.4 (2.5)	0.1 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	0.6 (0.2)	10.1 (4.0)	19.1 (7.5)	16.3 (6.4)	126.7 (49.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	10.9	8.2	9.8	8.9	11.4	14.7	16.2	12.1	10.5	10.2	10.1	9.8	132.8
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	1.0	0.6	1.0	5.9	10.3	14.4	15.5	11.9	9.5	6.1	1.7	0.4	78.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	10.7	8.5	8.5	4.4	1.8	0.04	0.0	0.04	0.29	3.4	7.7	9.3	54.7
Average relative humidity (%) (at 1500 LST)	69.7	66.7	62.8	46.9	40.1	49.9	54.5	51.9	48.4	52.3	67.9	70.2	56.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	101.1	127.0	174.7	233.3	271.0	275.9	302.2	279.4	196.1	160.4	97.2	92.0	2,310.3
Percent possible sunshine	40.1	45.9	47.6	55.7	55.1	54.4	59.3	61.0	51.3	48.7	37.3	39.0	49.6
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[10]

Demographics

Federal census
population history

Year	Pop.	±%
1901	112	—
1906	391	+249.1%
1911	523	+33.8%
1916	584	+11.7%
1921	756	+29.5%
1926	832	+10.1%
1931	900	+8.2%
1936	926	+2.9%
1941	871	−5.9%
1946	920	+5.6%
1951	1,842	+100.2%
1956	2,008	+9.0%
1961	2,356	+17.3%
1966	2,856	+21.2%
1971	4,000	+40.1%
1976	8,576	+114.4%
1981	12,471	+45.4%
1986	13,126	+5.3%
1991	13,970	+6.4%
1996	14,305	+2.4%
2001	15,032	+5.1%
2006	16,967	+12.9%
2011	24,279	+43.1%
2016	29,993	+23.5%
Source: Statistics Canada [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Leduc had a population of 34,094 living in 12,964 of its 13,507 total private dwellings, a change of 13.7% from its 2016 population of 29,993. With a land area of 42.25 km² (16.31 sq mi), it had a population density of 807.0/km² (2,090.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

The population of the City of Leduc according to its 2019 municipal census is 33,032,^[5] a change of 1.8% from its 2018 municipal census population of 32,448.^[34]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Leduc had a population of 29,993 living in 11,319 of its 12,264 total private dwellings, an increase of 23.4% from its 2011 population of 24,304. With a land area of 42.44 km² (16.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 706.7/km² (1,830.4/sq mi) in 2016.^[33] Results from the 2017 Leduc Census revealed a new population count of 31,130, a growth rate of two percent over 2016.^[35]

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the City of Leduc (2001−2021)

Panethnic group	2021[36]		2016[37]		2011[38]		2006[39]		2001[40]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
European[lower-alpha 1]	27,040	80.33%	25,185	84.94%	21,490	89.21%	15,905	94.79%	14,030	94.99%
Indigenous	2,345	6.97%	1,615	5.45%	1,140	4.73%	500	2.98%	460	3.11%
Southeast Asian[lower-alpha 2]	2,065	6.13%	1,275	4.3%	600	2.49%	140	0.83%	40	0.27%
South Asian	680	2.02%	450	1.52%	265	1.1%	65	0.39%	15	0.1%
African	635	1.89%	570	1.92%	280	1.16%	70	0.42%	155	1.05%
Latin American	340	1.01%	70	0.24%	10	0.04%	0	0%	0	0%
East Asian[lower-alpha 3]	250	0.74%	240	0.81%	140	0.58%	60	0.36%	30	0.2%
Middle Eastern[lower-alpha 4]	125	0.37%	210	0.71%	85	0.35%	35	0.21%	40	0.27%
Other/multiracial[lower-alpha 5]	170	0.51%	25	0.08%	50	0.21%	0	0%	10	0.07%
Total responses	33,660	98.73%	29,650	98.86%	24,090	99.12%	16,780	98.9%	14,770	98.26%
Total population	34,094	100%	29,993	100%	24,304	100%	16,967	100%	15,032	100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Economy

Aerial view of Leduc on a foggy morning

The City of Leduc is a founding member of the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association, an economic development partnership that markets Alberta's International Region^[41] in proximity to the Edmonton International Airport.^[42] The city forms part of this international transportation and economic region. It is on the CANAMEX Trade Corridor at the intersection of two Canadian Pacific Kansas City lines and is adjacent to the Edmonton International Airport. These transportation links support the petrochemical activities in Alberta's Industrial Heartland, the Fort McMurray area, and other economic hubs.

The oil and gas industry has long been the base of Leduc's economy. The Leduc Business Park, in the northern portion of the city, contains more than 1,400 businesses.^[43] The Nisku Industrial Park, located to the north within Leduc County, also contains many businesses.

Arts and culture

Leduc is home to the Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts, a preeminent performing arts facility with a 460-seat theatre.

In fall 2009, the Leduc Recreation Centre was opened. The 309,000 sq ft (28,700 m²) facility includes three NHL-sized arenas, an aquatic centre, an 8 sheet curling rink, twin multi use field houses, a 9,000 sq ft (840 m²) fitness center and 4 lane running track, restaurants, child care facilities, several conference rooms, and the outreach learning centre. In 2022, Curling Stadium Leduc opened inside the Leduc Curling Club, offering live broadcasts from all games played.^[44]

Adjacent to the LRC is William F. Lede park. The 200 acre park has a variety of amenities including; 7 baseball diamonds, beach volleyball courts, a soccer pitch, twin rugby fields and clubhouse, 2 U-12 soccer fields, community gardens, a 40 acre off-leash dog park as well as access to 8 km of multi-way trails looping around Telford Lake. Neighbouring the rugby house is the Leduc Boat Club, in 2004 the club developed Telford Lake for rowing sports as it hosted the 2005 World Masters Games.

Media

Local newspaper, the Leduc Representative (the Leduc Rep), and the regional newspaper, the Leduc-Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer, serve Leduc.

Leduc's first FM radio station, CJLD-FM, began in 2013 and is known on-air as "93.1 The One".

An internet-based community radio station, branded "Leduc Radio" since 2008, also serves the city.

Due to its proximity to Edmonton, all major Edmonton media (print, radio and television) also serve Leduc and its surrounding area.

Emergency services

The City of Leduc has its own fire services and emergency management departments.^[45] Led currently by fire chief and director of emergency management Bryan Singleton,^[46] the Fire Services Department comprises full and part-time members providing fire, ambulance and patient transportation services to the city and portions of Leduc County to the west, south and east.^[47]

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) provide police services, supported by the city's Enforcement Services Department, which consists of Peace Officers appointed by the Alberta Solicitor General.^[48]

See also

• Leduc Public Library
• List of communities in Alberta
• List of cities in Alberta

Notes

1. Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
2. Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
3. Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
4. Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
5. Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

1. "Location and History Profile: City of Airdrie" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 17, 2016. p. 71. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
2. "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
3. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
4. "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
5. "Leduc Census 2019". City of Leduc. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
6. "Census Subdivision (Municipal) Population Estimates, July 1, 2016 to 2020, Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs. March 23, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
7. Striking Oil in Alberta at CBC Digital Archives
8. "Multiway, Parks and Waterways". City of Leduc. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
9. "Climatic Regions [Köppen]". Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
10. "Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
11. "Table IX: Population of cities, towns and incorporated villages in 1906 and 1901 as classed in 1906". Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906. Vol. Sessional Paper No. 17a. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1907. p. 100.
12. "Table I: Area and Population of Canada by Provinces, Districts and Subdistricts in 1911 and Population in 1901". Census of Canada, 1911. Vol. I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1912. pp. 2–39.
13. "Table I: Population of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta by Districts, Townships, Cities, Towns, and Incorporated Villages in 1916, 1911, 1906, and 1901". Census of Prairie Provinces, 1916. Vol. Population and Agriculture. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1918. pp. 77–140.
14. "Table 8: Population by districts and sub-districts according to the Redistribution Act of 1914 and the amending act of 1915, compared for the census years 1921, 1911 and 1901". Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1922. pp. 169–215.
15. "Table 7: Population of cities, towns and villages for the province of Alberta in census years 1901-26, as classed in 1926". Census of Prairie Provinces, 1926. Vol. Census of Alberta, 1926. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1927. pp. 565–567.
16. "Table 12: Population of Canada by provinces, counties or census divisions and subdivisions, 1871-1931". Census of Canada, 1931. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1932. pp. 98–102.
17. "Table 4: Population in incorporated cities, towns and villages, 1901-1936". Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1936. Vol. I: Population and Agriculture. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1938. pp. 833–836.
18. "Table 10: Population by census subdivisions, 1871–1941". Eighth Census of Canada, 1941. Vol. II: Population by Local Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1944. pp. 134–141.
19. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1926-1946". Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1946. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1949. pp. 401–414.
20. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1871–1951". Ninth Census of Canada, 1951. Vol. I: Population, General Characteristics. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1953. p. 6.73–6.83.
21. "Table 6: Population by sex, for census subdivisions, 1956 and 1951". Census of Canada, 1956. Vol. Population, Counties and Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1957. p. 6.50–6.53.
22. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1901–1961". 1961 Census of Canada. Series 1.1: Historical, 1901–1961. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1963. p. 6.77-6.83.
23. "Population by specified age groups and sex, for census subdivisions, 1966". Census of Canada, 1966. Vol. Population, Specified Age Groups and Sex for Counties and Census Subdivisions, 1966. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1968. p. 6.50–6.53.
24. "Table 2: Population of Census Subdivisions, 1921–1971". 1971 Census of Canada. Vol. I: Population, Census Subdivisions (Historical). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1973. p. 2.102-2.111.
25. "Table 3: Population for census divisions and subdivisions, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada. Census Divisions and Subdivisions, Western Provinces and the Territories. Vol. I: Population, Geographic Distributions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1977. p. 3.40–3.43.
26. "Table 4: Population and Total Occupied Dwellings, for Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1976 and 1981". 1981 Census of Canada. Vol. II: Provincial series, Population, Geographic distributions (Alberta). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1982. p. 4.1–4.10. ISBN 0-660-51095-2.
27. "Table 2: Census Divisions and Subdivisions – Population and Occupied Private Dwellings, 1981 and 1986". Census Canada 1986. Vol. Population and Dwelling Counts – Provinces and Territories (Alberta). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1987. p. 2.1–2.10. ISBN 0-660-53463-0.
28. "Table 2: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 and 1991 – 100% Data". 91 Census. Vol. Population and Dwelling Counts – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1992. pp. 100–108. ISBN 0-660-57115-3.
29. "Table 10: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions (Municipalities) and Designated Places, 1991 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data". 96 Census. Vol. A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997. pp. 136–146. ISBN 0-660-59283-5.
30. "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
31. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
32. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
33. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
34. 2018 Municipal Affairs Population List (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. December 2018. ISBN 978-1-4601-4254-7. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
35. "City of Leduc population surpasses 31,000 according to 2017 census". www.leduc.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01.
36. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
37. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2021-10-27). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
38. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2015-11-27). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
39. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-08-20). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
40. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-07-02). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
41. "About Us". Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
42. "Explore the Region". Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
43. "Business Licences & Permits | City of Leduc". Leduc.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
44. "Rocque/Epping win debut event inside Curling Stadium Leduc". March 27, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
45. "Departments". City of Leduc. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
46. "Upper Management Organizational Chart" (PDF). City of Leduc. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
47. "Fire Services". City of Leduc. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
48. "Enforcement Services". City of Leduc. Retrieved 2012-10-11.

External links

• Official website