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Morinville

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Morinville
Town
Town of Morinville
The Provincial Building in downtown Morinville
The Provincial Building in downtown Morinville
Coat of arms of Morinville
Coat of arms
Official logo of Morinville
Motto(s): 
"We Listen, We Serve, We Achieve"
Country Canada
Province Alberta
RegionEdmonton Region
Census division11
CountySturgeon
Established1892
Incorporated1911
Government
[1]
 • MayorLloyd Bertschi
 • Governing body
Morinville Town Council
  • Gordon Boddez
  • Nicole Boutestein
  • Lisa Holmes
  • Paul Krauskopf
  • David Pattison
  • Ben Van De Walle
 • CAOEdie Doepker
 • MPBrian Storseth
 • MLAKen Kowalski
Area
 • Total11.34 km2 (4.38 sq mi)
Elevation
700 m (2,300 ft)
Population
 (2006)[2]
 • Total6,775
 • Density597.4/km2 (1,547/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
Postal code
T8R
Area code1-780
WebsiteTown of Morinville

Morinville is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located 34 km (21 mi) north of Edmonton on Highway 2.

History

The St Jean Baptiste Church in downtown Morinville

Morinville was settled by Father Morin, an Oblate missionary, who brought many French settlers in the late 1800s, followed by several German pioneers—hence its many French and German families such as Hittinger, Riopel, Boissonnault, Tailleur, Houle, Labonte, St. Laurent, Maisonneuve, Bokenfohr, Krauskopf, Rustemier, and Meyers.[citation needed]

The monument located in the St. Jean Baptiste Park lists the many names of pioneers and settlers to Morinville. Once situated on the street at 100 Avenue and 100 Street, the monument was moved to its present location in 2000, as it was a safety hazard and very difficult to enjoy with all the traffic at the intersection.

The Roman Catholic Church of the St. Jean Baptiste Parish was built in 1907. The church, along with its adjacent but now inoperative convent Morinville Convent, was declared a historical site in 1975. In 2005, the grounds of the church were landscaped with a clock tower, new grass, trees and shrubs, in celebration of Alberta's 100th anniversary as a province.

Morinville has a long history of successful business ventures as one of the first locations in Western Canada to open a Royal Bank of Canada in 1910 and a credit union in 1940. A series of successful international business ventures include Champion Pet Foods that exports around the world.[citation needed]

Demographics

The population of the Town of Morinville according to its 2009 municipal census is 7,636.[3]

In 2006, Morinville had a population of 6,775 living in 2,401 dwellings, a 3.6% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 11.34 km2 (4.38 sq mi) and a population density of 597.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.[2]

Seven percent of Morinville residents still speak French, most of whom are elderly. A bilingual mass is conducted at the Catholic Church on Sundays.

Businesses

Morinville’s business community consists mostly of small businesses. Some of the businesses in Morinville include two grocery stores, fast food restaurants, a recreational vehicle dealership, and a car dealership.

One of the town’s larger businesses, Champion Pet Foods, employs approximately 50 people.[4] The business emits an odour that often blankets the community and has generated numerous complaints as a result.[5]

The Town of Morinville is undertaking an economic development strategy to attract new businesses in order to increase its commercial/industrial tax base. As of 2010, 93% of its tax base is residential in nature.[6] In the interim, the town has introduced a stepped tax break program to attract businesses.[citation needed]

Recreation

Recreation amenities in Morinville include walking trails, a splash park, a trout pond, a skateboard park, a hockey arena, a curling rink, numerous parks and playgrounds, and outdoor fitness equipment stations along the trail system and at the splash park among other amenities.[7] Other recreation amenities are available in St. Albert and Edmonton to the south.

Additional recreation amenities are being considered by the town as it grows. One of the amenities currently being considered is the development of a swimming pool.[8]

Education

Education in Morinville is in a state of flux. Until the spring of 2011 the public schools, operated by the (Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division) only offered an education permeated by Catholicism. Commencing in September, 2011, the adjoining Sturgeon School Division will offer a non-sectarian public education to residents of Morinville. The Morinville students receiving education from Sturgeon School Division, and their parents, will be non-residents of Sturgeon School Division. Further change is likely. The surrounding Sturgeon County is a part of the public Sturgeon School Division, which does not provide school programming in Morinville.[9] This led, in 2011, for non-Catholic parents to start an advocacy campaign to introduce a secular option for education in Morinville.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs: Municipal Officials Search
  2. ^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Morinville - Community Profile". Retrieved 2007-06-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2009-09-15). "Alberta 2009 Official Population List" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  4. ^ Better Business Bureau Edmonton (2010-10-06). "BBB Reliability Report for Champion Foods LP". Retrieved 2010-10-06. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Morinville News (2010-08-16). "Ask-A-Candidate – Question No. 1". Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  6. ^ Morinville News (Stephen Dafoe) (2010-08-16). "Ask-A-Candidate Question 7". Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  7. ^ Town of Morinville. "Community Amenities and Recreation". Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  8. ^ Morinville News (Stephen Dafoe) (2010-09-29). "Town needs to sink money into economic development not a pool". Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  9. ^ "Schools". Sturgeon School Division. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  10. ^ Hammer, Kate (2011-03-04). "In an Alberta town, parents fight for a secular education". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  11. ^ Ibrahim, Mariam (2011-03-07). "Parents want secular school". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
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