Southern Alberta is aregion located in theCanadian province ofAlberta. In 2016, the region's population was approximately 291,112.[1] The primary cities areLethbridge andMedicine Hat. The region is known mostly foragricultural production, but other sectors, such asalternative energy,film production and tourism, are emerging.
The region has a total area of approximately 75,500 km2 (29,151 sq mi).
Southern Alberta is in the northernGreat Plains region, lined to the east from theCanadian Rocky Mountains and their foothills. The rest of the region is dominated by the semi-aridprairies of thePalliser's Triangle, where farms and ranches have been built, often with the help ofirrigation. Rivers generally flow from west to east and include theOldman River,Bow River,Red Deer River,South Saskatchewan River, andMilk River. Milk River is the only river in Canada that eventually flows into theGulf of Mexico.[2]
The environment is protected in such areas asWaterton Lakes National Park andCypress Hills Interprovincial Park, while sites such asHead-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump,Dinosaur Provincial Park andWriting-on-Stone Provincial Park were declaredUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites. The Alberta Badlands are developed in the northeast of the region, prominently along the Red Deer River.Cypress Hills, located in the east, at the border withSaskatchewan, are the highest point between theRocky Mountains andLabrador.
Health care in the region is overseen byAlberta Health Services. It was formerly served byCalgary Health Region,Chinook Health andPalliser Health Region before they were amalgamated with the other six regional health boards in 2008 to form Alberta Health Services.[3]
In 2007, Alberta Human Resources and Employment reported the fields of finance, insurance, real estate, professions, technicians and senior managers will lead the Lethbridge–Medicine Hat region's growth with an average 2.8% realGDP growth each year until 2011. The industries of manufacturing, energy, mining, and forestry would account for 2.6% each. All ten of these fields would account for more than half of the region's domestic product.[4]
| Sector | Labour force | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 18,085 | 13% |
| Mining | 6,450 | 5% |
| Manufacturing | 11,930 | 9% |
| Construction | 10,020 | 7% |
| Transportation and utilities | 7,450 | 5% |
| Retail and wholesale | 19,865 | 15% |
| Finance | 4,700 | 3% |
| Business and community services | 52,110 | 38% |
| Public administration | 6,110 | 4% |
On a provincial level, southern Alberta is represented in theLegislative Assembly of Alberta by MLAs elected in the ridings ofAirdrie-Cochrane,Airdrie-East,Banff-Kananaskis,Brooks-Medicine Hat,Cardston-Siksika,Chestermere-Strathmore,Cypress-Medicine Hat,Highwood,Lethbridge East,Lethbridge West,Livingstone-Macleod, andTaber-Warner.
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Special areas
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Subdivisions ofAlberta | |
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