While Chestermere has consistently been one of the fastest growing communities in the country, this year marks a particular milestone as the municipal census indicates that the community grew by 3.1% to 20,331 residents.

With the new total, Chestermere moved up one place to become the 14th largest urban community in Alberta (replacing Lloydminster, AB).

”We are pleased to welcome new people to our community! We have always known that Chestermere is an oasis and it’s good to see other people discovering it too,” says Mayor Patricia Matthews.

The increase in population ensures more grant funding will be available for Chestermere residents and will contribute to increasing the community’s profile among potential investors.

In the past ten years, the City has welcomed dozens of new businesses and the non-residential tax base has grown by $110 Million. The City is determined to increase the non-residential component to 20% and the population growth is a substantial factor in reaching that long term goal.

“20,000 residents is a significant threshold for many companies,” said Jean-Marc Lacasse, the City’s Economic Development Manager. “In addition to improving our ability to attract industry with better access to labour and clientele, having more residents also contributes to improving the viability of existing businesses.”

Unlike reaching 10,000 in population (which allows municipalities to apply for city status), reaching 20,000 is only a ceremonial milestone. Chestermere applied for city status in 2015 with the primary intention of improving its name recognition for non-residential investment. The change was made following extensive public consultation and confirmation that there would be no net cost associated with the name change.

For more information, visit www.chestermere.ca/demographics.