A village is an urban municipality status type used in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta villages are created when communities with populations of at least 300 people, where a majority of their buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1,850 m2, apply to Alberta Municipal Affairs for village status under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. Applications for village status are approved via orders in council made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under recommendation from the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
As of 2026, Alberta had 78 villages that had a cumulative population of 32,191 in the 2021 Census of Population. Alberta's largest and smallest villages are Stirling and Edberg with population counts of 1,164 and 126.
When a village's population reaches or exceeds 1,000 people, the council may request a change to town status, but the change in incorporated status is not mandatory. Villages with populations less than 300, whether their populations have declined below 300 or they were incorporated as villages prior to the minimum 300 population requirement, are permitted to retain village status.
Village governance is delivered by 318 elected village officials (78 mayors and 240 councillors) throughout the province.
Administration Pursuant to Part 5, Division 1 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), each municipality created under the authority of the MGA is governed by a council. As a requirement of the MGA, a village council consists of three councillors by default, one of which is the village's chief elected official (CEO) or mayor. A village council may consist of a higher number if council passes a bylaw altering its size. For the 2017–2021 term, 36 villages had a council of three, 1 had a council of four, and 44 had a council of five.
Village councils are governed by a mayor and typically an even number of councillors that are elected by popular vote, resulting in a total odd number of councillors to avoid tie votes on council matters. All council members are elected under the provisions of the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA). Mayoral or councillor candidates are required to be residents of their municipality for a minimum of six consecutive months prior to nomination day. The last municipal election was October 18, 2021.
Alberta Municipal Affairs, a ministry of the Cabinet of Alberta, is charged with coordination of all levels of local government.
Administrative duties of villages include public safety, roads, water service, drainage and waste collection, as well as coordination of infrastructure with provincial and regional authorities (including road construction, education, and health).
List
+ List of villages in Alberta Name Ruralmunicipality Incorporationdate (village) 2021 Census of Population Population(2021) Population(2016) Change Landarea(km²) Populationdensity(/km²) Acme Kneehill County Alberta Beach Lac Ste. Anne County Alix Lacombe County Alliance Flagstaff County Amisk Provost No. 52, of Andrew Lamont County Arrowwood Vulcan County Barnwell Taber, of Barons Lethbridge County Bawlf Camrose County Beiseker Rocky View County Berwyn Peace No. 135, of Big Valley Stettler No. 6, County of Bittern Lake Camrose County Boyle Athabasca County Breton Brazeau County Carbon Kneehill County Carmangay Vulcan County Champion Vulcan County Chauvin Wainwright No. 61, of Chipman Lamont County Clive Lacombe County Clyde Westlock County Consort Special Area No. 4 Coutts Warner No. 5, County of Cowley Pincher Creek No. 9, of Cremona Mountain View County Czar Provost No. 52, of Delburne Red Deer County Delia Starland County Donalda Stettler No. 6, County of Donnelly Smoky River No. 130, of Duchess Newell, County of Edberg Camrose County Edgerton Wainwright No. 61, of Elnora Red Deer County Empress Special Area No. 2 Foremost Forty Mile No. 8, County of Forestburg Flagstaff County Girouxville Smoky River No. 130, of Glendon Bonnyville No. 87, of Glenwood Cardston County Hay Lakes Camrose County Heisler Flagstaff County Hill Spring Cardston County Hines Creek Clear Hills County Holden Beaver County Hughenden Provost No. 52, of Hussar Wheatland County Innisfree Minburn No. 27, County of Irma Wainwright No. 61, of Kitscoty Vermilion River, County of Linden Kneehill County Lomond Vulcan County Longview Foothills County Lougheed Flagstaff County Mannville Minburn No. 27, County of Marwayne Vermilion River, County of Milo Vulcan County Morrin Starland County Munson Starland County Myrnam Two Hills No. 21, County of Nampa Northern Sunrise County Paradise Valley Vermilion River, County of Rockyford Wheatland County Rosalind Camrose County Rosemary Newell, County of Rycroft Spirit River No. 133, of Ryley Beaver County Spring Lake Parkland County Standard Wheatland County Stirling Warner No. 5, County of Veteran Special Area No. 4 Vilna Smoky Lake County Warburg Leduc County Warner Warner No. 5, County of Waskatenau Smoky Lake County Youngstown Special Area No. 3 Total villages — — Notes:
Village status eligibility
Numerous Alberta hamlets meet the minimum population requirement for village status eligibility.
Town status eligibility The villages of Stirling and Duchess are currently eligible for town status having populations of 1,164 and 1,053.
Former villages Of Alberta's 106 former urban municipalities, 85 of them were former villages prior to being dissolved, annexed, or amalgamated.
Former villageOriginalnameDissolutiondate Albert Park Alderson Carlstadt Bellevue Bellis Blackie Bow City Burdett Cadogan Caroline January 1, 2025 Cayley Cereal Chinook Clairmont Cluny Commerce Coalgate Compeer Craigmyle Crescent Heights Derwent Dewberry Drinnan Dunmore Eaglesham Birch Hills County Province of Alberta East Calgary Enchant http://ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3071037 Entwistle Erskine Evansburg Evansburg, Alberta Province of Alberta Evarts Ferintosh Fort Assiniboine Frank Gadsby Galahad Grassy Lake Grass Lake Province of Alberta Grouard Hairy Hill Village of Hairy Hill Province of AlbertaHalkirk January 1, 2025 Hythe Islay http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3063407 Jenner http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3062470 Kinuso Langdon Lavoy Lille Lundbreck http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3264338 Minburn Mirror Monarch http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3070674 Monitor Mountain View http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3261707 New Norway New Sarepta Newcastle http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3092130 North Edmonton http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3258230 North Red Deer http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3075116 Ohaton Pincher City http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3093543 Plamondon Port Cornwall Our Future Our Past Radway Radway Province of Alberta Ranfurly Retlaw Richdale Our Future Our Past Riverside Rosebud Rouleauville Rumsey Sangudo Stafford http://ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=2900313 Strome Suffield http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3091077 Swalwell Thorhild Tilley Tollerton Torrington Wabamun Walsh http://ourfutureourpast.ca/law/page.aspx?id=3280438 Wanham Warspite West Edmonton Calder Wildwood Yelllowhead County Hamlet of Wildwood Province of Alberta Willingdon
See also List of census divisions of Alberta List of cities in Alberta List of communities in Alberta List of hamlets in Alberta List of municipal districts in Alberta List of municipalities in Alberta List of summer villages in Alberta List of towns in Alberta
References
External links Alberta First - Alberta communities (information and statistics) Alberta Municipal Affairs Alberta Urban Municipalities Association The Development of Local Government in Alberta