Cold Lake, Alberta

Cold Lake was first recorded on a 1790 map, by the name of Coldwater Lake. Around 1877, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) established a fur trade post at Cold Lake, to trade with the Chipewyans from the Cold Lake First Nation. First serving as an outpost of the Onion Lake post, it became a full post in 1915 and got its own outpost at Le Goff (in Cold Lake 149 reserve) in November 1930. The post closed in 1937. Originally three communities, Cold Lake was formed by merging the Town of Grand Centre, the Town of Cold Lake, and Medley (CFB Cold Lake) on October 1, 1996. Grand Centre was renamed Cold Lake South, and the original Cold Lake is known as Cold Lake North. Because of its origins, the area is also known as the Tri-Town. == Fossil record ==

Cold Lake preserves an extensive fossil and subfossil record from the Pleistocene after the Last Glacial Maximum to the Late Holocene. By the Middle Holocene, the mammalian biota in the region was essentially modern. == Geography ==

The city is situated in Alberta's "Lakeland" district, northeast of Edmonton, near the Alberta-Saskatchewan provincial border. The area surrounding the city is sparsely populated, and consists mostly of farmland. It is almost entirely surrounded by but not part of Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87. Nearby are the First Nation reserves of Cold Lake 149, Cold Lake 149A, and Cold Lake 149B. Climate Cold Lake's climate is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Summers are generally warm with cool nights, and winters are very cold with moderate snowfall. The record high temperature was recorded June 27, 2002. The record high daily minimum was recorded July 2, 2021. The record highest dew point was recorded July 18, 1955. The most humid month was July 2024 with an average dew point of . The warmest month was July 2007 with an average mean tempeature of and the highest average monthly daily minimum of . August 1991 recorded the highest average monthly daily maximum of . July 2014 set a record of no maximum temperature below for the entire month; July 2006 with no temperature below , and July 1994 with no dew point below . The lowest yearly maximum dew point is recorded in 1980. The lowest yearly maximum daily minimum temperature is recorded in 1992. The lowest yearly maximum temperature is recorded in 2010. The average yearly maximum dew point is and the average yearly maximum daily minimum temperature is . == Demographics ==

The population of the City of Cold Lake according to its 2022 municipal census is 16,302, a change of from its 2014 municipal census population of 15.736. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Cold Lake had a population of 15,661 living in 6,114 of its 6,767 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 14,976. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the Canada 2016 census conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Cold Lake had a population of 14,961 living in 5,597 of its 6,657 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 13,839. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. Ethnicity About 8.7% of residents identified themselves as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census. Language Almost 89% of residents identified English and more than 7% identified French as their first language. Almost 1% identified German, 0.5% identified Chinese, 0.4% each identified Dutch and Ukrainian, and 0.3% each identified Cree and Arabic as their first language learned. Religion About 82 percent of residents identified as Christian at the time of the 2001 census, while more than 17 percent indicated they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found that 40% of residents identified as Roman Catholic, 14% identified with the United Church of Canada, 5.5% identified as Anglican, 3% as Baptist, 2.5% as Lutheran, and 2% as Pentecostal. == Economy ==

The city's economy is inextricably linked to military spending at CFB Cold Lake. The region also supports oil and gas exploration and production. The Athabasca Oil Sands project in Fort McMurray is having a growing influence in the region as well. The Cold Lake oil sands may become a significant contributor to the local economy. A job market analysis from December 2024 to January 2025 showed that the Oil & Gas sector accounted for 33% of job postings in the region, with administrative roles and skilled trades also in high demand. Every year Cold Lake hosts military forces from around the world for Exercise Maple Flag, a training exercise where pilots and support staff of NATO allies can take advantage of the Air Weapons Range and relatively open rural air space. Running from 4 to 6 weeks and starting in May of each year, commercial accommodations in the entire region are left with little to no vacancy. This annual exercise contributes a substantial amount of capital into these industries and other hospitality-related businesses. == In popular culture ==

Cold Lake is the home of Marvel comic book character Wolverine. == Sports ==

Cold Lake has a variety of sports, including: • Hockey (Home to the Cold Lake Ice, Junior B Team) & (Home to the Cold Lake Freeze, Minor Hockey Teams) • Lacrosse (Home to the Cold Lake Heat, Minor Lacrosse Teams) • Volleyball (Assumption and CLHS Royals) • Football (CLHS Royals) • Basketball (Assumption and CLHS Royals) • Soccer (Indoor and outdoor-Cold Lake Minor Soccer) • Baseball • Rugby (Assumption Crusader's and CLHS Royals combined team and Cold Lake Penguins Men's RFC) • Hapkido • Tae Kwon Do (Hetlinger taekwondo, and occasionally International Taekwon-Do Federation or World Taekwondo Federation) • Figure Skating (Cold Lake Figure Skating Club) • Figure Skating (Norlight Skating Club) • Downhill Skiing (Kinosoo Ridge Snow Resort) • Mixed Martial Arts (Team Sparta) • Roller Derby (Lakeland Ladykillers Roller Derby League) • Swimming (Cold Lake Marlins Swim Club) • Powerlifting (Cold Lake Bar Benders) • Gymnastics (Lakeland Gymnastics Club) • Disc Golf • Pickleball • Bowling (Marina Bowling Centre) == Government ==

Mayors: • Craig Copeland, 2007–present • Allan Buck, 2004–2007 • Hansa Thaleshvar, 1998–2004 • Raymond Coates, 1996–1998 The last local election was held in October 2021. As of 2021, the councillors of Cold Lake are Bob Mattice, Chris Vining, Vicky Lefebvre, Adele Richardson, Ryan Bailey, and Bill Parker. At the provincial level, the city is in the district of Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul. Its current representative is Scott Cyr, from the United Conservative Party. At the federal level, the city is in the district of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. Its current representative is Laila Goodridge, from the Conservative Party of Canada. == Recreation ==

Cold Lake is situated near many campgrounds due to its proximity to the lake. The M.D. campground has powered sites, shower facilities with flush toilets, and a covered camp picnic area. The Cold Lake Provincial Park has many sites, and is more secluded than the M.D. site (which is surrounded by development). The Provincial campground boasts a wilderness trail system, a beach, boat launch and a powered section. Nearby Meadow Lake Provincial Park to the east, across the border in Saskatchewan, has facilities similar to Cold Lake Provincial Park. Kinosoo Beach is a favorite destination during the hot summer months between June and August. The Iron Horse Trail, a recreational trail situated on a former railway line (see rail trail) has its easternmost terminus in Cold Lake. Recreational pastimes include, among others: • Hockey • Box Lacrosse • Geocaching • Martial Arts • Rugby • Soccer • Swimming • Bowling • Curling • Gymnastics • Golf • Horseback Riding • 4H (in Cherry Grove) • Rodeo (Cold Lake Ag Society) • Dance • Sailing • Boating • scuba diving • Fishing • Downhill Skiing • Roller Derby == Museums ==

Air Force Museum The Air Force Museum preserves and exhibits the history of CFB Cold Lake and of 42 Radar Squadron. 42 Radar was on this site from 1954 to 1992, so Cold War era technology is mostly on display in their exhibit. An example of this is the General Electric Height Finder Radar on display. The Museum has much 4 Wing history on display. The current 4 Wing standing squadrons such as 409 Squadron, 410 Squadron, 419 Squadron, 1 Air Maintenance Squadron, Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment and others are displayed in the Museum. There are a few exhibits of purely historic nature, such as displays on 441 and 416, Squadrons which stood down in 2006 to be amalgamated into 409 Squadron. The Museum also has four aircraft on display outside, including the CF-5 Freedom Fighter, CT-133 Silver Star, the CT-114 Tutor and the CT-134 Musketeer. The newest addition to the air park is a CF-188 Decoy. Oil and Gas Museum This exhibit was designed, researched and constructed by Grand Centre High School students. This museum explains the history of Oil and gas in the Cold Lake area from Paleolithic times to the present. Heritage Museum The Heritage Museum exhibits a time line of life in Cold Lake, both domestic and commercial. The museum also boasts some impressive murals. Aboriginal Museum The Aboriginal Museum displays the history of the Dene, Cree and Metis peoples in time lines, maps, crafts and cultural displays. There are also bears on display. == Education ==

Portage College operates a campus at Cold Lake. Program offerings include academic upgrading, accounting, community social works, nursing, power engineering and university studies among others. Lakeland Catholic School District No. 150 and Northern Lights School Division No. 69 operate public schools within Cold Lake. Cold Lake also hosts a Francophone school named École Voyageur that offers French programming for kindergarten through grade 12, as well as the Cold Lake Cadet Summer Training Centre. ;Lakeland Catholic School District No. 150 • Holy Cross Elementary School (offering kindergarten through grade 6 programming) • École St. Dominic School (offering pre-kindergarten through grade 6 English and French programming) • Assumption Junior/Senior High School (offering grade 7 through grade 12 English and French programming) ;Northern Lights School Division No. 69 • Cold Lake Elementary School (offering pre-kindergarten through grade 3 programming) • Ecole North Star Elementary School (offering kindergarten through grade 3 English and French programming) • Nelson Heights School (offering grade 4 through grade 6 programming) • Cold Lake Junior High (offering grade 7 through grade 9) • Cold Lake High School (offering grade 10 through grade 12 programming) • Bridges Outreach School (offering grade 8 and grade 9 programming) • Cold Lake Outreach School (offering grade 10 through grade 12 programming) == Notable people ==

• Alex Auld, NHL goaltender • Garry Howatt, NHL forward • Alex Janvier, artist • Bonnie McFarlane, comedian • René Richard, artist • Curtis Hargrove, charity runner ==See also==