Dawson Creek is a small city in northeastern
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The municipality of had a population of 15,000 in 2009. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after
George Mercer DawsonGeorge Mercer Dawson was a Canadian scientist and surveyor. He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, the son of Sir John William Dawson. By age 11, he was afflicted with tuberculosis of the spine that resulted in a deformed back and stunted his growth...
by a member of his land survey team when they passed through the area in August 1879. Once a small farming community, Dawson Creek became a regional centre when the western terminus of the
Northern Alberta RailwaysNorthern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981....
was extended there in 1932. The community grew rapidly in 1942 as the US Army used the rail terminus as a
transshipmentTransshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or container to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
point during construction of the
Alaska HighwayThe Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II and connects the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It runs from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. Completed in 1943, it was long, but is becoming shorter due to rerouting...
. In the 1950s, the city was connected to the interior of British Columbia via a highway and railway through the
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
. Since the 1960s, growth has slowed.
Dawson Creek is located in the dry and windy prairie land of the
Peace River CountryThe Peace River Country is prairie land around the Peace River in Canada. It spans from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where the region is also referred to as the Peace River Block....
. As the seat of the
Peace River Regional DistrictThe Peace River Regional District is a regional district in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The regional district comprises seven municipalities and four electoral areas. Its member municipalities are the cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the district municipalities of Tumbler Ridge,...
and a service centre for the rural areas south of the
Peace RiverThe Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows through northern Alberta.-History:...
, the city has been called the "Capital of the Peace". It is also known as the "Mile 0 City", referring to its location at the southern end of the Alaska Highway. The community is home to a
heritage interpretation villageHeritage interpretation is the communication of information about, or the explanation of, the nature, importance, and purpose of historical, natural, or cultural resources, objects, sites and phenomena using personal or non-personal methods....
, an art gallery, and a museum. Annual events include a fall fair and a spring rodeo.
History
Dawson Creek is named after the watercourse of the same name, itself named after
George Mercer DawsonGeorge Mercer Dawson was a Canadian scientist and surveyor. He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, the son of Sir John William Dawson. By age 11, he was afflicted with tuberculosis of the spine that resulted in a deformed back and stunted his growth...
who led a surveying team through the area in August 1879; a member of the team labelled the creek with Dawson's name. The community that formed by the creek was one of many farming communities established by European-Canadian settlers moving west through the
Peace River CountryThe Peace River Country is prairie land around the Peace River in Canada. It spans from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where the region is also referred to as the Peace River Block....
. When the Canadian government began issuing
homesteadBroadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple, agrarian self-sufficiency.-Current practice:Currently the term 'homesteading' applies to anyone who is a limb of the back-to-the-land movement and who chooses to live a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely...
grants to settlers in 1912, the pace of migration increased. With the opening of a few stores and hotels in 1919 and the incorporation of the Dawson Creek Co-operative Union on 28 May 1921, Dawson Creek became a dominant business centre in the area. After much speculation by land owners and investors, the
Northern Alberta RailwaysNorthern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981....
built its western terminus 3 km (2 mi) from Dawson Creek. The golden spike was driven on 29 December 1930, and the first passenger train arrived on 15 January 1931. The arrival of the railway and the construction of grain elevators attracted more settlers and business to the settlement. The need to provide services for the rapidly growing community led Dawson Creek to incorporate as a village in May 1936. A small wave of refugees from the
SudetenlandSudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia associated with Bohemia.The name is derived from the...
settled in the area in 1939 as World War II was beginning. The community exceeded 500 people in 1941. Upon entering the war, the United States decided to build a transportation corridor to connect the US mainland to Alaska. In 1942, thousands of US Army personnel, engineers, and contractors poured into the city – the terminal of rail transport – to construct the
Alaska HighwayThe Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II and connects the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It runs from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. Completed in 1943, it was long, but is becoming shorter due to rerouting...
.
The highway was completed in less than a year; even after the workers involved in its construction departed, population and economic growth continued. By 1951, Dawson Creek had more than 3,500 residents. In 1952, the John Hart Highway linked the town to the rest of the
British Columbia InteriorThe British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as The Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
and
Lower MainlandThe Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there....
through the Rocky Mountains; a new southbound route, known locally as Tupper Highway, made the town a crossroads with neighbouring
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
. The next year, western Canada's largest propane gas plant was built and federal government offices were established in town. In 1958, the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway to the Peace from
Prince GeorgePrince George, with a population of 70,981 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
was completed, and the village was re-incorporated as a city. Between 1951 and 1961, the population of Dawson Creek more than tripled.
Growth slowed in the 1960s, with the population reaching its all-time high in 1966. In the 1970s, the provincial government moved its regional offices from
Pouce CoupeThe Village of Pouce Coupe is a small town in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. It was originally named 'Pouskapie's Prairie, after the name of the local native band chief...
to the city,
Northern Lights CollegeNorthern Lights College is an institution that provides post-secondary education to residents of Northern British Columbia. It currently has offices in eight communities, and a working agreement with the University of Northern British Columbia. The college president is D. Jean Valgardson.- List of...
opened a Dawson Creek campus, and the Dawson Creek Mall was constructed. Several modern
grain elevatorGrain elevators are buildings or complexes of buildings for storage and shipment of grain. They were invented in 1842-43 in Buffalo, New York, by a local merchant named Joseph Dart, Jr. and an engineer named Robert Dunbar...
s were built, and the town's five wooden grain elevators, nicknamed "Elevator Row", were taken out of service. Only one of the historic elevators remains, converted to an art gallery. Since the 1970s, with the nearby town of
Fort St. JohnThe City of Fort St. John is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 17,402 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is the second largest city along the Alaska Highway, after...
attracting much of the area's industrial development and
Grande PrairieGrande Prairie is the main city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country...
becoming a commercial hub, the town's population and economy have not significantly increased.
Since 1991, the city has undergone several boundary expansions. One expansion incorporated undeveloped land in the southeast for an industrial park and a Louisiana-Pacific Canada veneer factory. The city extended sewer and water lines to the location; however, the area was not developed and with the factory only half-built, L-P Canada abandoned its plans. A business making manufactured homes bought the factory and completed its development in 2005. Another expansion incorporated the existing
oriented strand boardOriented strand board, or OSB, or waferboard, or Sterling board or SmartPly is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands of wood in specific orientations. In appearance it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips Oriented strand board, or OSB, or waferboard,...
factory in the northwest corner of the city, while further incorporations have included undeveloped land to the south and north.
Demographics
The 1941 census, the first to include Dawson Creek as a defined subdivision, counted 518 residents. Its growth spurred by the construction of the Alaska Highway, the town recorded a sevenfold increase to 3,589 residents in the 1951 census. Within five years, the population doubled to 7,531. New transport links with southern British Columbia and Alberta spurred continued growth into the next decade. The population peaked in 1966 at 12,392, then declined throughout the 1970s, rising again briefly during the construction of the nearby town of
Tumbler RidgeThe District Municipality of Tumbler Ridge is a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. The municipality of , with its population of 2,454 people, incorporates a townsite and a...
in the early 1980s. Dawson Creek's population has remained relatively stable since then. In the ten-year span from 1998 to 2007, the population was lowest in 2003 (11,144) and highest in 2007 (11,811), per provincial estimates.
| Canada 2006 Census The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
|
| |
Dawson Creek |
British Columbia |
| Median age |
35.6 years |
40.8 years |
| Under 15 years old |
21% |
17% |
| Over 65 years old |
12% |
14% |
| Visible minority |
3% |
25% |
According to the
2006 Canadian censusThe Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, there were 10,994 people living in 4,650 households within the city (the official provincial figure was 11,563 people, including an estimate of net census undercount). Of the federally surveyed households, 33% were one-person households, slightly above the 28% average provincewide; households consisting of couples with children, at 26%, were very close to the provincial average; and households of couples without children, at 24%, were below the provincial average of 30%. Among its 3,000 census families, Dawson Creek had a smaller proportion of married couples than the province, 62% compared to 73%, but the same average number of persons per family, 2.9. With 92% of Dawson Creek residents being Canadian-born, and 93% speaking only English, the city has few visible minorities. Only 17% of residents aged 35–64 had a university certificate or diploma, compared to the provincewide rate of 29%. Among those aged 25–64, 20% did not have a high school certificate or equivalent, much higher than the 12% provincewide rate.
In 2005, the 22-officer Dawson Creek
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body...
municipal detachment reported 2,561
Criminal Code of CanadaThe Criminal Code of Canada is the codification of most of the criminal offences and procedure in Canada...
offenses. This translated into a crime rate of 225 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, down from the previous year's rate of 231, but still much higher than the provincial average of 125. In 2004, per 1,000 people, the city had higher crime rates compared to the provincial averages on all Criminal Code offenses except theft from motor vehicles (19.8 city, 20.2 province), heroin-related offenses (0 city, 0.13 province), and murder (0 city, 0.03 province). The city had slightly higher but comparable levels of offensive weapons charges, cannabis-related offenses, robbery, and motor vehicle thefts. Per 1,000 people, the city had much higher levels of shoplifting (13.8 city, 4.2 province), cocaine-related offenses (7.8 city, 1.4 province), commercial break-and-enters (11.2 city, 4.2 province), residential break-and-enters (13.9 city, 6.0 province), and non-sexual assaults (26.2 city, 9.9 province).
Geography and climate
At the foot of Bear Mountain ridge, the city developed around the Dawson Creek watercourse which flows eastward into the
Pouce Coupe RiverPouce Coupe is a river in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Peace River.Originating in Alberta's Saddle Hills County, it flows into British Columbia's Peace River Regional District, then returns in Alberta in Clear Hills County, where it empties into the Peace...
. The city is located on the Pouce Coupe Prairie in the southwestern part of the
Peace River CountryThe Peace River Country is prairie land around the Peace River in Canada. It spans from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where the region is also referred to as the Peace River Block....
, southeast of Fort St. John, and northwest of Grande Prairie. According to the
Canada Land InventoryThe Canada Land Inventory is a multi-disciplinary land inventory of rural Canada.Conceptualized in the early 1960s by the Department of Forestry and Rural Development , the CLI was a federal-provincial project that lasted from 1963 to 1995 and produced maps which indicated the capability of land...
, the city is on soil that has moderate limitations, due to an adverse climate, that restrict the range of crops or require moderate conservation practices. The land is flat, but slopes upwards in the northeastern corner elevating a residential area over the rest of the city.
The city is in the British Columbia Peace Lowland ecosection of the
Canadian Boreal PlainsThe Boreal Plains Ecozone is an ecozone in the western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It also has minor extensions into northwestern British Columbia and south-central Northwest Territories....
ecozoneAn ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the Earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals...
on the continental
Interior PlatformThe Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of North America. This area was originally formed when cratons collided and welded together 1.9–1.8 billion years ago in the Trans-Hudson orogeny during the Paleoproterozoic.Precambrian metamorphic...
. Located in the Cordillera Climatic Region, it has a subhumid low boreal ecoclimate. In the summer, the city is often dusty and arid. Heavy rain showers are sporadic, lasting only a few minutes. In the winter, the city can get bitterly cold and dry. It is subject to very strong winds year round. Unlike the rest of the province, the city and its region use Mountain Standard Time throughout the year, since the area already has long daylight hours in the summer and short daylight hours in the winter.
Economy
The economy of Dawson Creek is based around four major industries: agriculture, retail, tourism, and oil and gas. Agriculture has historically been the most important industry to Dawson Creek, as the city is the regional transshipment point for agricultural commodities. The city is surrounded by the
Agricultural Land ReserveThe Agricultural Land Reserve is a collection of land in the Canadian province of British Columbia in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. Farming is encouraged and non-agricultural uses are controlled. In total, the ALR covers approximately and includes private and public lands...
, where the soil can support livestock and produces consistently good yields of quality grain and grass crops, such as canola, hay, oats, alfalfa, wheat, and sweet clover. The service and retail sector caters to the city's inhabitants, smaller nearby towns, and rural communities. However, there is significant retail leakage to
Grande PrairieGrande Prairie is the main city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country...
, the closest major Alberta city, where there is no
provincial taxIn Canada there are three types of sales taxes: provincial sales taxes or PST, the federal Goods and Services Tax or GST, and the Harmonized Sales Tax or HST....
on retail purchases, while British Columbia charges 7%. In 2006, the BC government rejected a proposal to lower the sales tax in the province's border communities to 4%. The problem of leakage has been exacerbated in recent years by the introduction of large-format retail stores into the small city. Residents still cross the border for high-priced items but now also purchase medium- and low-priced items from foreign-owned large-format chain stores.
| Economy (2001) |
| Rate |
City |
Province |
| Unemployment rate |
10.3% |
8.5% |
| Participation rate |
69.5% |
65.2% |
| Poverty rate |
16.5% |
17.8% |
| Average male income |
$49,551 |
$50,191 |
| Average female income |
$30,846 |
$35,895 |
Dawson Creek has a large tourism industry as Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway. Thousands of people drive on the highway every year, starting in Dawson Creek and ending in
Fairbanks, AlaskaFairbanks is a Home Rule City in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
. The trek is often made with recreational vehicles, sometimes in convoys which gather in the city. In the winter, the hospitality industry caters to workers from the oil patches. Discoveries south of Dawson Creek and higher energy prices have spurred oil and gas activities, which have in turn driven the nearby
Fort St. JohnThe City of Fort St. John is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 17,402 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is the second largest city along the Alaska Highway, after...
economy to spill over to the Dawson Creek economy. British Columbia's first wind farm is expected to be constructed several miles southwest of the city in 2008.
Transportation and infrastructure
Dawson Creek's road network was laid out in the mid-20th century as the town rapidly expanded. The city maintains 88 km (55 mi) of paved and 11 km (7 mi) of unpaved roads. The primary roads generally follow a grid pattern around large blocks of land. Because the grid contains many internal intersections with stops signs, traffic is forced onto two
arterial roadAn arterial road is a moderate or high-capacity road which is immediately below a highway level of service. Much like a biological artery, an arterial road carries large volumes of traffic between areas in urban centres...
s: 8 Street going north–south and Alaska Avenue going southeast–northwest. These two roads meet at a traffic circle where a metal statue marks the beginning of the Alaska Highway. Officially designated British Columbia Highway 97, it runs north from Dawson Creek to Fort St. John and the
YukonYukon , or The Yukon, is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich’in....
– where it becomes Highway 1 – before reaching Alaska. The other highways emanating from Dawson Creek are the John Hart Highway, also 97 (southwest to
ChetwyndThe District of Chetwynd is a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Situated on an ancient floodplain, it is the first town encountered after emerging from the Rockies along Highway 97 and acts as the gateway to the Peace River Country...
and
Prince GeorgePrince George, with a population of 70,981 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
), Highway 2 (south to Grande Prairie and southern Alberta), and Highway 49 (east to
Peace RiverPeace River is a town in west northern Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River and Heart River...
and northern Alberta). A road with few intersections along the southern and western borders of the city, incorporating a stretch of Highway 2, is designated as a "dangerous goods route" for heavy trucks so that they can avoid traveling through the city. However, Highway 49 has no direct access to such a ring road, so many trucks bound to or from the east use the city arterials, slowing traffic and damaging roads.
Dawson Creek is a regional node for air, rail, and bus services. The
Dawson Creek AirportDawson Creek Airport, , is located southeast of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.Ian Darling is the Airport Manager.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory...
, which services commercial flights by
Central Mountain AirCentral Mountain Air is an airline based in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada. It operates scheduled and charter services and transborder services...
, was built in 1963; its 1,524 m (5,000 ft) runway was paved in 1966. There are larger airports in Fort St. John and Grande Prairie that maintain more comprehensive flight schedules. Passenger rail service was available in Dawson Creek between 1931 and 1974. Service began when the
Northern Alberta RailwaysNorthern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981....
(NAR) built its northwest terminus in the town and was extended in 1958 to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
with a rail line through the Rocky Mountains. Passenger rail service ended as commodity shipments of grains, oil and gas by-products, and forestry products became more important in the resource-based economy.
Greyhound LinesGreyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, USA, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States and Canada, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and incorporated...
maintains a bus station in Dawson Creek which connects the city to Vancouver, Edmonton (via Grande Prairie), and
WhitehorseWhitehorse is the capital of the Yukon, Canada. Whitehorse accounts for almost 3/4 of the territory's population and is the largest city in the three Canadian territories...
(via
Fort NelsonFort Nelson is a town of approximately 5000 residents in British Columbia's northeastern corner. It is the administrative centre of the newly-formed Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, a first for BC. The majority of Fort Nelson's economic activities have historically been concentrated in the...
).
The city draws its water supply from the
Kiskatinaw RiverKiskatinaw is a small river in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada.It is a tributary of the Peace River.The Kiskatinaw Provincial Park is established on the banks of the river, east of the Alaska Highway, along the old alignment of the highway, at the site of a curved wooden bridge...
, 18 km (11 mi) west of town. Before reaching the city, the water is pumped through a settling pond, two storage ponds, and a treatment plant where it is flocculated, filtered, and
chlorinatedChlorination is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water...
. The city also provides drinking water for Pouce Coupe and rural residents. Sewage is processed by a lagoon system east of town and released into the Pouce Coupe River. Dawson Creek is located in
School District 59 Peace River SouthSchool District 59 Peace River South is a school district in northeastern British Columbia near the Alberta border. Centered in Dawson Creek, it includes the communities of Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, and Pouce Coupe.-Schools:
...
which maintains five elementary schools (Tremblay, Parkhill, Frank Ross, Crescent Park, and Canalta elementary schools), one middle school (Central Middle School), and one high school (
South Peace Secondary SchoolSouth Peace Secondary is a public high school in Dawson Creek, British Columbia part of School District 59 Peace River South. The building is two floors without counting the basement, but a large majority of the classes are held on the ground floor. Generally shaped like a square with two "wings"....
). Established in 1975,
Northern Lights CollegeNorthern Lights College is an institution that provides post-secondary education to residents of Northern British Columbia. It currently has offices in eight communities, and a working agreement with the University of Northern British Columbia. The college president is D. Jean Valgardson.- List of...
's main campus is located in Dawson Creek and offers diplomas for two-year programs and degrees from the
University of Northern British ColumbiaThe University of Northern British Columbia is a small, research-intensive university whose main campus is in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John. Nearly 4200 students were...
.
Culture, recreation, and media
The culture of Dawson Creek is centred around its designation as Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway. The Mile "0" post, depicted in the city flag, is located in the historic downtown area, one block south of the Northern Alberta Railways Park. This four-
acreThe acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre....
(1.6
haA hectare is a unit of area equal to , or one square hectometre , and commonly used for measuring land area....
), mostly paved park is the gathering point for travellers. The park includes the Dawson Creek Art Gallery, which exhibits work by local artists and craftsmen. The Station Museum, connected to the art gallery, displays artifacts and exhibits associated with the construction of the NAR railway and the Alaska Highway. Other parks in Dawson Creek include the Mile Zero Rotary Park and the Walter Wright Pioneer Village. Annual events in the city include the Dawson Creek Symphonette and Choir performance, the Dawson Creek Art Gallery auction, the Dawson Creek Spring Rodeo, and the Peace Country Blue Grass Festival. The largest event, held annually since 1953, is the Dawson Creek Fall Fair & Exhibition — a five-day professional rodeo, with a parade, fairgrounds, and exhibitions.
City recreation facilities include two ice hockey arenas, a curling rink, an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor ice rink, and a speed skating oval. The South Peace Community Multiplex, a new facility under construction on the outskirts of the city, will replace the swimming pool. Voters approved building the Multiplex in a 2004 referendum which projected its cost at
C$The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents...
21.6 million. The project became controversial when construction began and the cost projection was raised to $35 million. The facility is located close to the city's exhibition grounds, away from residential uses. It features an indoor rodeo arena and a 4,000-seat convention centre/ice arena with skyboxes. Nearby Bear Mountain, located south of the city, provides over 20 km (12 mi) of snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails, as well as areas for downhill skiing and about 500 km (300 mi) of trails for snowmobiles, mountain bikes, and all-terrain vehicles.
Dawson Creek is served by several regional newspapers. The
Dawson Creek Daily News (formerly
Peace River Block Daily News) and Fort St. John's
Alaska Highway News, both part of the Glacier Ventures chain of local papers, are dailies available in the city. The
Northeast News, a free weekly published in Fort St. John, has sub-offices in Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson. The only radio station broadcasting from Dawson Creek is
890 CJDC AMCJDC is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 890 AM in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The station, owned by Astral Media, airs a country music format....
, which first went on air in 1947. Originating in Chetwynd,
94.5 Peace FM (CHET)CHET-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a community/campus radio format at 94.5 FM in Chetwynd, British Columbia. The station is owned by the Chetwynd Communications Society.CHET began broadcasting went on December 5, 1996 at 5:00 a.m...
is rebroadcast in Dawson Creek. The Fort St. John stations
95.1 Energy FM (CHRX)CHRX-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format at 98.5 FM in Fort St. John, British Columbia, with a rebroadcaster at 95.1 FM in Dawson Creek with the callsign CHRX-FM-1. The station is branded as Energy 98.5 and owned by Astral Media.The station began...
,
101.5 The Bear FM (CKNL)CKNL-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a mainstream rock format at 101.5 FM in Fort St. John, British Columbia. The station is branded as 101.5 The Bear and is owned by Astral Media...
. A local community group, the Cable 10 Society, operates a community television station. The only other television station is the
CBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Overview:CBC Television provides a complete 24-hour network schedule of news, sports, entertainment and children's programming, in most cases feeding the same programming at the same local times...
affiliate
CJDC-TVCJDC-TV is a television station in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. It is owned by Astral Media and is the CBC Television affiliate in that city...
, which has been broadcasting from the city since 1959.
Government and politics
The City of Dawson Creek has a council-manager form of municipal government. A six-member council, along with one mayor, is elected at-large every three years. On October 19, 2008, Mayor Calvin Kruk died. Kruk had served on the city council for three years before being elected mayor in November 2005, defeating one-term incumbent Wayne Dahlen. In the 2008 municipal elections, Kruk was running for re-election as mayor but after being diagnosed with lung cancer, he ran for a seat on council instead.
In 2007, the city authorized $54 million in expenditures, which paid for services such as sewerage, parks, recreation, road maintenance, snow removal, water treatment, and fire and police protection. For creating its Community Energy Plan, which involved the installation of low-voltage street lights and solar-powered hot water heaters, the city was awarded the
Federation of Canadian MunicipalitiesThe Federation of Canadian Municipalities is a civic advocacy group representing many Canadian municipalities. It is an organization with no formal power but significant ability to influence debate and policy, as it is main national lobby group of mayors, councillors and other elected municipal...
' 2007 Sustainable Community Award. The city is represented in
School District 59School District 59 Peace River South is a school district in northeastern British Columbia near the Alberta border. Centered in Dawson Creek, it includes the communities of Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, and Pouce Coupe.-Schools:
...
by two
school boardA board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
trustees, and the Peace River Regional District by one director.
Dawson Creek is situated in the
Peace River SouthPeace River South is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created under the name South Peace River by the Constitution Amendment Act, 1955, which split the old riding of Peace River into northern and southern portions for the 1956 B.C....
provincial electoral district and is represented by
Blair LekstromBlair Lekstrom is a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. He has represented the riding of Peace River South since the 2001 election....
of the
British Columbia Liberal PartyThe British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
in the
provincial assemblyThe Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
. Lekstrom served as mayor of Dawson Creek between 1996 and 2001. He became a
Member of the Legislative AssemblyA Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction.-Australia:...
in the
2001 provincial electionThe British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
with 67% support from Dawson Creek polls and was
re-elected in 2005The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
with 57% support from the city. Before Lekstrom, Peace River South was represented by Dawson Creek resident
Jack WeisgerberJack Weisgerber is a Canadian politician and businessman. He is a former member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. During his political career he was briefly the leader of both the British Columbia Social Credit Party and the Reform Party of British Columbia...
. Weisgerber was first
elected in 1986The British Columbia general election of 1986 was the 34th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 24, 1986...
as a member of the Social Credit Party and served as the province's Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and Minister of Native Affairs. While the Social Credit Party
lost power in 1991The British Columbia general election of 1991 was the 35th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991...
, Weisgerber was re-elected and served as interim party leader. He joined the
Reform Party of British ColumbiaThe Reform Party of British Columbia is a populist right wing political party in British Columbia, Canada. Although its name is similar to the defunct Reform Party of Canada, the provincial party was founded before the federal party was and it did not have any formal association with...
in 1994 and won
re-election in 1996The British Columbia general election of 1996 was the thirty sixth provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 30, 1996, and held on May 28, 1996...
as party leader, even though Dawson Creek polls put him in third place behind the BC Liberal Party and
New Democratic PartyThe New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada that has democratic socialist roots. The policies it advances today resemble those of social democrats....
candidates.
Federally, Dawson Creek is located in the
Prince George—Peace RiverPrince George—Peace River is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.- Geography :Communities include the oil-and-gas exploration centre of Fort St...
riding. The riding is represented in the
Canadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament .
Members are elected by simple...
by
ConservativeThe Conservative Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Tories, is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. The party is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Jay HillJay D. Hill, PC, MP is a Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada...
. Before Hill, who was first
elected in 1993The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, the riding was represented by
Progressive ConservativeThe Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and a centrist stance on social issues....
Frank OberleFrank Oberle, Sr., PC is a businessman and former Canadian politician.Born in Forchheim, Germany, Oberle moved with his family German-occupied Poland in 1941. There he was placed in a Hitler Youth indoctrination program. Later, he fled the Red Army advance, surviving on grass and stolen eggs while...
. Oberle served as its
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for 20 years.
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| style="width: 160px" |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Tories, is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. The party is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
| style="width: 85px" |Jay Hill
|align="right"|2,532
|align="right"|64%
|align="right"|60%
|
New DemocratThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a social democratic political party in Canada. In the Canadian House of Commons, it holds a centre-left position in the Canadian political spectrum. The leader of the federal NDP is Jack Layton...
|Malcolm Crockett
|align="right"|653
|align="right"|16%
|align="right"|17%
|
LiberalThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party sits between the centre-left and centre of the Canadian political spectrum. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada since the 2006 federal election...
|Nathan Bauder
|align="right"|489
|align="right"|12%
|align="right"|16%
|
GreenThe Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens, as their name indicates, advocate green politics and are the largest party in Canada to focus primarily on green politics, though other parties...
|Hilary Crowley
|align="right"|265
|align="right"|6.7%
|align="right"|6.4%
|Independent
|Donna Young
|align="right"|45
|align="right"|1.1%
|align="right"|0.9%
|}
| style="width: 120px" |
BC LiberalThe British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
| style="width: 120px"|Blair Lekstrom
|align="right"|2,167
|align="right"|57%
|align="right"|58%
|
New DemocratThe New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada that has democratic socialist roots. The policies it advances today resemble those of social democrats....
|Pat Shaw
|align="right"|1,314
|align="right"|34%
|align="right"|33%
|
GreenThe Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada.- Founding and early years :The first Green Party in North America, was formed in British Columbia, Canada on February 4, 1983 registering as both a provincial society and a political party shortly before the 1983...
|Ariel Lade
|align="right"|338
|align="right"|8.9%
|align="right"|9.5%
External links