Patricia, Alberta
Patricia is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the County of Newell.[1] It is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Highway 1 and 21 kilometres (13 mi) northeast of Brooks.
Patricia is next to Dinosaur Provincial Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was named after Princess Patricia.
The Hamlet of Patricia was briefly famous in the 1970s when a local rancher Albert Ketchmark gifted then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau a lot in the community as part of their mother's estate, as a joke. The Prime Minister's ownership of the 50 by 130 foot lot became national news when the County of Newell noted Trudeau owed $3 in property tax and possibly another $3 in back taxes on the property.[2] The Prime Minister's Office when asked about the situation stated they were unaware of the transfer and had not been supplied with a deed transfer or tax bill.[2] The taxes were paid by Jim Nesbitt, the publisher of the local Brooks Bulletin and Liberal Party member, and Trudeau refused to accept ownership of the lot, even just to transfer it to the County. The matter was settled in Supreme Court of Alberta when Trudeau's lawyers argued the transfer amounted to an imperfect gift, and the Justice ruled the property title cancelled.[3]
Demographics
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Patricia recorded a population of 101 living in 46 of its 50 total private dwellings, a change of -6.5% from its 2011 population of 108. With a land area of 0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 171.2/km2 (443.4/sq mi) in 2016.[4]
As a designated place in the 2011 Census, Patricia had a population of 108 living in 41 of its 50 total dwellings, a -5.3% change from its 2006 population of 114. With a land area of 0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 183.1/km2 (474/sq mi) in 2011.[5]
See also
References
- Alberta Municipal Affairs (2010-04-01). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- Canadian Press (May 4, 1974). "Alberta hamlet says PM owes $3 but Trudeau's office is mystified". The Globe and Mail. Patricia. p. 8.
- Wilson, Heather (December 5, 1979). "A Western 'White House': Patricia farmers still recall the land Pierre turned down". Calgary Herald. Patricia. p. A14.
- "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
