Caring for the ones who gave us everything

Fact of the day · Alberta

Alberta became a province on September 1, 1905 — the same day as its neighbour, Saskatchewan.

Source: The Alberta Act (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Edmonton

Its North Saskatchewan River valley is the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America — about 22 times the size of New York’s Central Park.

Source: River valley parks system (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · St. Albert

Father Lacombe Chapel, built by Métis craftsmen in 1861 on Mission Hill, is considered the oldest surviving building in Alberta.

Source: Canada’s Historic Places (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Leduc

On February 13, 1947, the Leduc No. 1 well struck oil just outside town — the discovery that launched Alberta’s modern oil industry.

Source: Leduc No. 1 (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Fort Saskatchewan

Every summer, a flock of sheep — with a shepherd and sheepdogs — keeps the grass trimmed in the city’s parks, then leaves in a parade at summer’s end.

Source: City of Fort Saskatchewan (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Devon

Built for oil workers after Leduc No. 1, Devon is named after the Devonian rock layer the oil was found in.

Source: Town of Devon (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Stony Plain

More than 40 outdoor murals tell the town’s story — and in summer you can tour them by horse-drawn wagon.

Source: Town of Stony Plain (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Spruce Grove

Its 1958 grain elevator was headed for demolition until a local heritage society bought it for $1. It’s now a museum you can tour.

Source: Spruce Grove Agricultural Heritage Society (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Calgary

Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics — the first Winter Games ever held in Canada.

Source: 1988 Winter Olympics (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Red Deer

The name is a mix-up: the Cree called it Elk River, and Scottish fur traders mistook the elk for the red deer of their homeland.

Source: Red Deer River (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Lethbridge

The High Level Bridge, finished in 1909, is about 1.6 km long and 96 m high — the longest and highest railway bridge in Canada.

Source: Galt Museum & Archives (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Health care in Alberta

Dial 811 any time, day or night, for free health advice from a nurse through Health Link — with interpreters in more than 240 languages.

Source: Alberta Health Services (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Social services in Alberta

Dial or text 211 for free help finding food, housing, financial, and social services — 24/7, by phone, text, or chat, in more than 170 languages.

Source: 211 Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Mental health support

Since November 30, 2023, anyone in Canada can call or text 988 for free suicide crisis support, 24/7, in English or French.

Source: Mental Health Commission of Canada (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Northern Canada

Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit is Nunavut’s only hospital, serving communities spread across about a million square kilometres.

Source: Qikiqtani General Hospital (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Alberta

More than any other province: the Rocky Mountain parks, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Waterton, Wood Buffalo, and Writing-on-Stone.

Source: Travel Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Edmonton

Edmonton is the northernmost city in North America with more than a million people.

Source: Edmonton (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · St. Albert

Its Saturday farmers’ market is considered the largest outdoor farmers’ market in Western Canada, with more than 250 vendors.

Source: City of St. Albert (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Leduc

Legend says the town got its name when a telegraph officer decided to name it after the next person through the door — Father Hippolyte Leduc.

Source: Leduc, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Fort Saskatchewan

The city began in 1875 as a North-West Mounted Police post. Its leader chose this spot over Fort Edmonton, partly because the river banks were gentler here.

Source: Fort Saskatchewan (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Devon

Devon was the first community in Canada to be approved by a regional planning commission.

Source: Devon, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Stony Plain

Before it was Stony Plain, the settlement was known as Dog Rump Creek. The current name was adopted in 1892.

Source: Stony Plain, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Spruce Grove

The name comes from the groves of spruce in the area — and “Poplar Grove” was already taken nearby.

Source: City of Spruce Grove (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Calgary

The Calgary Stampede, billed as the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” was first held in 1912.

Source: Calgary Stampede (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Red Deer

Red Deer sits almost exactly halfway between Calgary (147 km) and Edmonton (154 km).

Source: Red Deer, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Lethbridge

The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden opened in 1967 for Canada’s centennial — its name means “Japan–Canada friendship.”

Source: Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Health care in Alberta

Albertans haven’t paid health care premiums since January 1, 2009 — before then, a family paid $1,056 a year.

Source: HR Reporter (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Social services in Alberta

Since 1966, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) has funded local prevention programs 80/20 with towns and Métis Settlements — a partnership no other province has.

Source: Government of Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Mental health support

The Alberta Mental Health Help Line, 1-877-303-2642, connects you with a mental health specialist 24 hours a day.

Source: Government of Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Northern Canada

Since 1990, the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line — Inuktitut for “thoughtful people who care” — has answered calls from across the North. It’s free at 1-800-265-3333.

Source: Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Alberta

Wood Buffalo National Park, mostly in northern Alberta, is Canada’s largest national park — larger than the whole country of Switzerland.

Source: Wood Buffalo National Park (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Edmonton

Fort Edmonton Park is Canada’s largest living history museum, with streets from 1846, 1885, 1905, and 1920 — and a steam train to ride.

Source: Fort Edmonton Park (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · St. Albert

St. Albert calls itself the Botanical Arts City for its many parks, gardens, and green spaces.

Source: City of St. Albert (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Leduc

Before 1891 the settlement was called Telford. It was renamed to honour Father Leduc, a missionary who had served the area since 1867.

Source: Leduc, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Fort Saskatchewan

The post was first called Sturgeon Creek Post before it became Fort Saskatchewan.

Source: Fort Saskatchewan (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Devon

Just outside town, the University of Alberta Botanic Garden is home to the Aga Khan Garden — billed as the most northerly Islamic garden in the world.

Source: University of Alberta Botanic Garden (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Stony Plain

The name may come from the Stoney (Nakoda) people who camped in the area — or from boulders a Palliser Expedition geologist noticed scattered across the plain.

Source: Stony Plain, Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Spruce Grove

Settled by French and Scottish families in 1891, Spruce Grove became a city on March 1, 1986.

Source: City of Spruce Grove (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Calgary

Downtown’s +15 skywalks — about 16 km of enclosed bridges between buildings — form the world’s most extensive pedestrian skywalk system.

Source: +15 skywalk network (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Red Deer

Gaetz Lakes, inside the city, became Alberta’s first federal migratory bird sanctuary in 1924.

Source: Government of Canada (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Lethbridge

The city began as a coal-mining settlement called Coal Banks, and was named Lethbridge in 1885 after the mining company’s first president, William Lethbridge.

Source: Lethbridge (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Social services in Alberta

When AISH began in 1979, it was the first program in Canada designed for people with permanent disabilities.

Source: Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Mental health support

Since September 2024, Recovery Alberta has been the province’s own agency for public mental health and addiction care.

Source: Alberta Health Services (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Alberta

Thanks to a provincial program started in 1950, Alberta has no resident rat population — one of very few places in the world.

Source: Government of Alberta (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Social services in Alberta

Jordan’s Principle (2007) makes sure First Nations children get the services they need first — governments sort out who pays later. It honours Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation.

Source: Indigenous Services Canada (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Mental health support

The Hope for Wellness Help Line, 1-855-242-3310, offers 24/7 counselling for Indigenous peoples across Canada — with Cree, Ojibway, or Inuktitut available on request.

Source: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Alberta

Alberta is the only Canadian province without a provincial sales tax — you pay just the 5% federal GST.

Source: Sales taxes in Canada (opens in a new tab)

Fact of the day · Alberta

The wild rose has been Alberta’s provincial flower since 1930 — you’ll see it on Alberta licence plates as “Wild Rose Country.”

Source: Government of Alberta (opens in a new tab)