Major municipalities

The largest municipality in the Wood Buffalo Region, according to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census, was the Municipal District of Wood Buffalo with a population of 51,924 1.  The municipality in the Wood Buffalo Region with the highest population growth between 2001 and 2006 was also the Municipal District of Wood Buffalo, which experienced an increase of 25.3% or 10,479 residents between 2001 and 2006.  The municipal census of 2007 showed 91,612 residents in the Municipal District of Wood Buffalo, a 16.3% increase from the 2006 municipal census number2.  The large discrepancy between federal and municipal census estimates can be explained by the large shadow population in the region.  According to the 2007 municipal census, 23,202 of the 91,612 residents were considered to be part of the official shadow population, nearly double the 2006 shadow population of 12,743.

1 Note: the Census under-estimates the overall population totals for any region or municipality as some people are not counted. The reasons for this under-coverage can range from some households not receiving a census questionnaire to individuals not being included in the questionnaire completed for a household.
2 Numerical differences between the federal and municipal censuses may be ascribed to slight variations in the definition of “usual residence,” as well as how “shadow populations” are treated. While municipalities define the “shadow population” as “temporary residents of a municipality who are employed by an industrial or commercial establishment in the municipality for a minimum of 30 days” and include them in their official population numbers if they consist at least 10% of the municipality’s population or a minimum of 1,000 individuals, the shadow population of transient workers is not accounted for in population counts conducted by Statistics Canada.

Date Updated:
RDP-2374