BONNYVILLE – The Town of Bonnyville is growing.
According to the municipal census that was conducted to determine an accurate population of Bonnyville, there are over 300 more residents than what the 2021 Statistics Canada population count shows.
During the Aug. 27 council meeting, administration announced that the municipal census had been completed and a population of 6,675 was recorded. This number is 316 people over the 2021 Statistics Canada population for the Town of Bonnyville, which was 6,359.
This updated population will be sent into the Government of Alberta by the Sept. 1 deadline.
The Town of Bonnyville will also utilize the updated statistics for planning community services and programming. An increase in population numbers also allows for an increase in provincial grants.
“I think we owe a big thank you to the Town staff, and to all of the people who worked on this census - the contractors, the census takers, and everybody else,” said Coun. Brian McEvoy.
“This is very important for us,” he added. “To have a true count of the population in Bonnyville. As we have seen in the past, the Stats Canada numbers can be quite skewed.”
Coun. David Sharun expressed his agreement saying, “Coun. McEvoy hit the nail on the head.”
The town's updated population will be recognized provincially until the next federal census, which is scheduled for 2026.
As the recent municipal census proved fruitful with the increase in population officially recorded, administration recommended another municipal census be done in 2027, following the federal census.
