Smoky LakeAlberta

The police who cover Smoky Lake record more serious crime than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 255

Violent incidents in its police area came to 26.3 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Alberta’s towns (14.2) and Canadian towns (12). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 103 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.

In and around Smoky Lake, 2 schools: 2 schools for every grade

Hazards in Smoky Lake: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 9.6% of tested homes

Radon tests for the Aspen Regional Health Authority

Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.005 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. Wildfire is rare near Smoky Lake: 1.3% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.03% a year. No one has filed a flood map for Smoky Lake on the national inventory.

Commuters in Smoky Lake have a short way to work, 18 min on average, less than in both Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns

83% of commuters drove to work at the census.

Expect 78.3 years of life in the region around Smoky Lake, 3.2 under the typical Canadian town

Measured across the North Zone: health survey and life expectancy

The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Smoky Lake is well placed: 0.8 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Alberta. Chronic conditions run at 21% of adults, age-standardised, higher than both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). Across the region, 48% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Alberta as a whole reaches 53%.

More of Smoky Lake’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 12%

Visible minorities make up 5.6% of the population, below Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. 6.2% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, lower than Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and near Canadian towns (6.4%).

In Smoky Lake, a home and getting around cost 37% of the median household’s income; the typical Canadian town spends 29%

Shelter took 30% or more of income for a fifth of households, between Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up nearly three quarters of households, close to both Alberta’s towns (74%) and Canadian towns (74%).

Smoky Lake has colder winters than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −17.8°C

There are 199 days of frost in a typical year, close to Alberta’s towns (193) and above Canadian towns (159). A July afternoon in Smoky Lake typically reaches 23.6°C. A normal January brings 30 cm of snow, the most of any month. Rain and snow peak in July, at 82 mm.

What November brings in Smoky Lake: −10°C at night, 1°C by day

July brings the warmest days, 24°C; January the coldest nights, −18°C. The month after, December, normally sees −5°C afternoons and −15°C nights. November normally sees 29 mm of precipitation. Expect around 27 cm of snow in November.

Shannon Stubbs won Lakeland by 30,730 votes in 2021, a wider lead than in 98% of Canada’s ridings

Locally, Smoky Lake is run as a town.

The nearest public library to Smoky Lake is Newbrook Library, 39 km away

Smoky Lake Library has one location for the 964 people it serves.

An Indigenous protected and conserved area near Smoky Lake: Métis Crossing Ranch

Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.5% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Elk Island National Park, at 46 km. A provincial park, Long Lake Provincial Park, lies 36 km away. Biggest among them: Métis Crossing Ranch, 438 ha, 8.7 km off.