:Improvement District No. 349

{{Infobox settlement

| official_name = Improvement District No. 349

| other_name =

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| nickname =

| settlement_type = Former improvement district

| motto =

| image_skyline =

| image_caption =

| image_map = AB locator ID NO 349.svg

| mapsize = 200

| map_caption = Location within Alberta

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Canada

| subdivision_type1 = Province

| subdivision_name1 = Alberta

| subdivision_type2 = Region

| subdivision_name2 = Northern Alberta

| subdivision_type3 = Census division

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| established_title = Established

| established_date = January 1, 2012

| established_title2 = Dissolved

| established_date2 = May 1, 2021

| area_footnotes = (2021)

| area_land_km2 = 5626.57

| population_as_of = 2021

| population_footnotes =

| population_note =

| population_total = 15

| population_density_km2 = 0

| timezone = MST

| utc_offset = -7

| timezone_DST = MDT

| utc_offset_DST = -6

|coordinates = {{coord|55|5|N|110|40|W|region:CA-AB|display=inline,title}}

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| blank_name = Highway

| blank_info = 881

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}}

Improvement District No. 349 was an improvement district in northeast Alberta, Canada that existed between January 1, 2012 and May 1, 2021. The improvement district was largely coextensive with the Alberta portion of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. On May 1, 2021, the improvement district was annexed by the adjacent Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville No. 87.

History

Improvement District (ID) No. 349 was established through the approval of Order in Council 419/2011 passed by Alberta's Lieutenant Governor in Council on September 9, 2011.{{cite web | url=http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/orders_in_council/2011/911/2011_419.html | title=O.C. 419/2011 | publisher=Province of Alberta | date=September 9, 2011 | access-date=September 12, 2011}} It was created from lands that were separated from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and Lac La Biche County (the Alberta portion of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range).{{cite web | url=http://www.laclabichecounty.com/news/air-weapons-range-negotiations-nearing-completion-1 | title=Air Weapons Range negotiations nearing completion – Council proposes an agreement with the Province | publisher=Lac La Biche County | date=September 12, 2011 | access-date=September 12, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331115539/http://www.laclabichecounty.com/news/air-weapons-range-negotiations-nearing-completion-1 | archive-date=March 31, 2012 | url-status=dead }} The effective date of the improvement district's formation was January 1, 2012.

ID No. 349 was formed as a result of negotiations between the Province of Alberta, the City of Cold Lake, the MD of Bonnyville No. 87, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, and Lac La Biche County.{{cite news | url=http://www.coldlakesun.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3295277 | title=Air Weapons Range taxes could come to city by 2012 | author=William Stodalka | author2=Andrew Serba | newspaper=Cold Lake Sun | publisher=Sun Media Corporation | date=September 12, 2011 | access-date=September 13, 2011}} Under a tax revenue sharing agreement, the City of Cold Lake received a portion of the tax revenue generated by oil and gas activity on the air weapons range in 2012. The revenue made the city more sustainable, offsetting its costs to provide infrastructure and services to support the military base located within the city.

As partial compensation for losing {{convert|11600|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} of land, Lac La Biche County received {{convert|1500|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} of land from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo south of the Conklin area and north of the air weapons range.{{cite news | url=http://www.laclabichepost.com/article/20110915/LLB08/110919996/-1/LLB/the-new-deal-in-lac-la-biche-county | title=The new deal in Lac La Biche County | newspaper=Lac La Biche Post | publisher=Great West Newspapers Limited Partnership | date=September 15, 2011 | access-date=September 16, 2011}}{{cite web | url=http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/orders_in_council/2011/911/2011_418.html | title=O.C. 418/2011 | publisher=Province of Alberta | date=September 9, 2011 | access-date=September 16, 2011}} It also received a portion of the tax revenue generated by oil and gas activity on the air weapons range from the City of Cold Lake and received funding assistance from the provincial government.

As compensation to Wood Buffalo for the loss of jurisdiction over lands to Lac La Biche County and the new improvement district, the municipality received control over Crown land within its jurisdiction to accommodate future residential, commercial, and industrial growth. The transfer of control provided enough land for approximately 200,000 additional residents.

After over nine years as a municipality, ID No. 349 dissolved by way of being annexed by the MD of Bonnyville No. 87 on May 1, 2021.{{cite web | url= https://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Orders/Orders_in_Council/2021/2021_121.html | title={{abbr|O.C.|Order in Council}} 121/2021 | publisher=Government of Alberta | date=April 28, 2021 | accessdate=April 28, 2021}}

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Improvement District No. 349 had a population of 15 living in 7 of its 7 total private dwellings, an increase from its 2016 population of 0. With a land area of {{cvt|5626.57|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|15|5626.57|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000248 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 9, 2022}}

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Improvement District No. 349 had a population of 0 living in 0 of its 0 total private dwellings, which represents no change from its 2011 population of 0. With a land area of {{convert|5639.63|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|0|5639.63|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2016.{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 8, 2017 | access-date=February 8, 2017}}