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108-594: The Peace River Country includes the incorporated communities of Fort St. John , Dawson Creek , Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd in British Columbia. Major communities in the Alberta portion of the Peace Country include Grande Prairie , Peace River , High Level and Fairview . It has no fixed boundaries but covers some 260,000 to 390,000 km (100,000 to 150,000 square miles). In British Columbia,

216-576: A 10-member rural detachment from the city. In 2005, the municipal detachment reported 4,048 Criminal Code offences, which translates into a crime rate of 228 Criminal Code offences per 1,000 people, much higher than the provincial average of 125 offences. During that year, compared to the provincial average, the RCMP reported much higher crime rates in Fort St. John for cocaine, cannabis, non-sexual assaults, property damage, and arson related offences. However,

324-435: A bypass is proposed that would carry Highway 2 to the east of town on a new free-flowing alignment. A similar bypass to the east of Nanton is also proposed. A bypass of Fort Macleod has also been planned, tentatively designated as Highway 2X. It would be constructed in conjunction with a Highway 3 bypass of the town, making both routes free-flowing through the area. Plans have also been drafted for significant reconstruction of

432-549: A bypass. Deerfoot Trail then merges with the major routes of Anderson Road and Bow Bottom Trail. Crossing Glenmore Trail ( Highway 8 ), Memorial Drive (access to downtown Calgary) and 16 Avenue NE ( Highway 1 ), Deerfoot Trail continues into north Calgary past the Calgary International Airport en route to a second interchange with Stoney Trail at the Calgary city limit. The Deerfoot Trail designation

540-521: A full-sized oil rig and simulated well site. The 2001 Census estimated that 10% of people in Fort St. John between 20 and 64 years old graduated from a university, less than half of the 24% provincial average and 27% did not graduate from secondary school, 7% higher than the provincial average. The Alaska Highway News and The Northerner are published in Fort St. John. A local free magazine known as Northern Groove focuses on local music, arts, and live entertainment events in Fort St. John and area and

648-473: A government building to house the land, telegraph and post offices. The present site for the town was firmly established after he donated 2.0 ha (5 acres) for a Roman Catholic church and additional land for a hospital. The first census that recognized Fort St. John as a census subdivision took place in 1951 and recorded 884 people. The population rapidly increased, doubling almost every 5 years for 15 years so that by 1966 there were 6,749 residents living in

756-464: A large role in the Peace Country economy. Pulp mills were built in Chetwynd, Peace River and Grande Prairie beginning in the 1970s. The economy received another boost when oil and gas were found in the region. In 1952, gas was struck in the Fort St. John No. 1 well, and the first refinery was built in 1957 at Taylor . The massive Elmworth natural gas field in northwestern Alberta was discovered in

864-461: A long journey north to Fort Vermilion . In Slave Lake, Highway 2 bisects the town at a limit of 60 km/h, before returning to 100 km/h west of Caribou Trail, following the scenic southern shore of Lesser Slave Lake to Highway 33 near Kinuso , which leads south to Swan Hills . At Driftpile the highway crosses a river of the same name en route to High Prairie at the west end of Lesser Slave Lake. 14 km (8.7 mi) west of High Prairie,

972-788: A low-lying valley near the eastern foothills of the Muskwa Ranges and Hart Ranges of the Northern Rockies . Prairies lie to the east and north, while to the west the Rocky Mountains form a rain shadow. The city is built on relatively flat, rolling hills. Fort St. John, along with neighboring cities of Chetwynd , Tumbler Ridge , and Dawson Creek , are within Peace River Country , a large geographic area of British Columbia and Alberta. The Peace River valley provides opportunities for farming, in contrast to

1080-562: A more conventional configuration. The existing bridges on this section of the highway had been constructed in 1962. The project was completed in 2018. Highway 2 from Fort Macleod to south Edmonton is part of the CANAMEX Corridor, a divided highway with a combination of interchanges and several at-grade intersections except for a 50 km (31 mi) fully controlled-access freeway section in Calgary. The only set of traffic lights on this CANAMEX section are in central Claresholm;

1188-482: A planned extension of Ray Gibbon Drive will bypass St. Albert from Anthony Henday Drive to Highway 2. Upon completion of this road, Ray Gibbon Drive would be designated as Highway 2. On June 1, 2020, work began on the first phase to twin Ray Gibbon Drive from 137 Avenue NW to just north of LeClair Way. An interchange at Cardiff Road is also planned, just south of Morinville. North of Morinville, Highway 2

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1296-487: A safer route that would bypass most of the communities along the way. The plan to bypass Red Deer and Lacombe was presented by minister Gordon Taylor on September 15, 1960 at a meeting in Red Deer. The new $ 7 million divided highway would alleviate congestion on the existing route through Red Deer, splitting from the existing route south of the city and veering west to cross the Red Deer and Blindman Rivers before rejoining

1404-543: A second interchange at Highway 19/625 which serves the airport. The highway curves slightly to the northeast to an interchange at 41 Avenue SW, marking the Edmonton city limit and the end of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway designation. Five separately named routes are designated as Highway 2 in the cities of Edmonton and St. Albert, denoted by varying levels of signage. At the south end of Edmonton,

1512-417: A two lane highway immediately after Morinville, extending north past Manawan and Haley Lakes into Westlock County and a three-way intersection with Highway 18 near Clyde and Westlock . The highway turns due east, briefly concurrent with Highway 18 for 1 km, before turning northeast through increasingly wooded areas and a short concurrency with Highway 663 to Athabasca . The highway descends through

1620-573: A two-lane road that traverses the foothills of southern Alberta to Fort Macleod where it intersects Highway 3 and becomes divided . In Calgary, the route is a busy freeway named Deerfoot Trail that continues into central Alberta as the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, bypassing Red Deer . In Edmonton, it is briefly concurrent with freeway sections of Highways 216 and 16 before bisecting St. Albert and reverting to two lanes en route to Athabasca . It bends northwest along

1728-478: Is a core route in the National Highway System of Canada: between Fort Macleod and Edmonton and between Donnelly and Grimshaw. The speed limit along most parts of the highway between Fort Macleod and Morinville is 110 km/h (68 mph), and in urban areas, such as through Claresholm, Nanton, Calgary and Edmonton, it ranges from 50 km/h (31 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph). During

1836-688: Is again briefly concurrent with Highway 2A before reaching Highway 53 near Ponoka just after crossing the Battle River . The four lane highway continues approximately 30 km (19 mi) through gentle rolling hills of aspen parkland in Ponoka County to an interchange at Highway 611 where it enters Wetaskiwin County . Near Bearhills Lake, the highway meets Highway 13 , providing access east to Wetaskiwin and Camrose , and west to Pigeon Lake . North of an interchange with Highway 616

1944-707: Is dropped, and the highway carries on north into Rocky View County . Highway 2 exits north Calgary as a six-lane, 261 km (162 mi) freeway called the Queen Elizabeth II Highway , a name it retains until the southern city limit of Edmonton. It passes the major shopping centre of CrossIron Mills , bisecting the city of Airdrie several kilometres later. North of Airdrie, the route extends to Highway 72 before bypassing Crossfield and entering Mountain View County , continuing north past interchanges at Highways 581 and 582 leading to

2052-530: Is east of the Rocky Mountains, and thus has a climate much more similar to the prairies than the British Columbia interior west of the mountains. The frost-free period is much longer east of the mountains than west, and thus the Peace River area including Fort St. John can grow crops that cannot be grown in most of the province such as wheat and canola. Fort St. John is one of the sunniest places in

2160-556: Is largely a freeway between Okotoks and Edmonton, with improvements underway to eliminate the at-grade crossings that remain. Highway 2 begins at the United States border, as the two lane U.S. Route 89 crosses into Canada at Carway. The road proceeds north through the Rocky Mountain Foothills to a brief concurrency with Highway 501 , before bisecting the town of Cardston . At the north end of town,

2268-497: Is processed in one of two lagoons. The lagoon south of the city releases the processed effluent into the Peace River and the lagoon north of the city releases into the Beatton River. Storm sewers run with the sanitary sewers but storm discharge is directed into the rivers without going through the lagoons. The city's fire department consists of volunteer and professional members, covering the city plus five miles (8 km) into

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2376-631: Is proposed, and new interchanges have been planned at Township Roads 264 and 265 to support future development in the area. Widening of the highway from four to six lanes between Airdrie and Crossfield is planned, and between Highway 42 and Highway 597. Between Edmonton and Leduc, Alberta Transportation has drafted plans to construct a dual freeway system in conjunction with a second ring road approximately 8 km (5 mi) beyond Anthony Henday Drive. The existing interchange at Highway 2A south of Leduc would be closed and reconstructed to modern standards further south. Between Edmonton and 41 Avenue SW,

2484-530: Is provided through British Columbia's Northern Health and through Alberta Health Services , on behalf of Alberta's Ministry of Health . Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia , Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District , the city encompasses a total area of about 22 km (8.5 sq mi) with 21,465 residents recorded in

2592-420: Is published monthly. The EnergeticCity.ca website is a digital news outlet focused on local news in and around Fort St. John; it is owned by 0914126 B.C. Ltd., which is controlled 100% by Adam Reaburn, owner of local radio station CKFU-FM . Radio stations broadcasting from Fort St. John include Move! 98.5 FM ( CHRX-FM ) (Variety), Bounce 101.5 FM ( CKNL-FM ) (Oldies), 92.5 Sunrise FM ( CIAM-FM ) (Religious) and

2700-623: Is the Fort St. John Enerplex , also known as the Pomeroy Sport Centre, that opened in 2010. It is a three-storey public facility with two National Hockey League -sized ice rinks, a concession, 12 dressing rooms, public meeting rooms, a retail juice outlet, an indoor near-Olympic-sized long track speed skating oval, and a 340 meter long walking track (the "Northern Vac Track"). All ice surfaces can be removed to provide event space in excess of 140,000 square feet. The facility also houses

2808-542: Is the longest and busiest highway in the province carrying more than 180,000 vehicles per day near Downtown Calgary . The Fort Macleod —Edmonton section forms a portion of the CANAMEX Corridor that links Alaska to Mexico. More than half of Alberta's 4 million residents live in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor created by Highway 2. U.S. Route 89 enters Alberta from Montana and becomes Highway 2,

2916-554: Is the main artery of the city with a speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph), and crosses the Sturgeon River before exiting the city to the north into Sturgeon County as a divided highway approximately 5 km (3 mi) beyond the Sturgeon River. North of the city, the highway intersects Highway 37 before an interchange at Highway 642 west of Morinville , the main access for the town. Highway 2 reduces to

3024-432: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Fort St. John had a population of 21,465 living in 8,777 of its 10,004 total private dwellings, a change of 5.9% from its 2016 population of 20,260. With a land area of 32.67 km (12.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 657.0/km (1,701.7/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Fort St. John included: As

3132-766: The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame before descending into the valley of the Red Deer River . It crosses the river alongside a railroad bridge, then curves north to interchanges with Highways 11 and 11A , leading west to Rocky Mountain House and Sylvan Lake , respectively. North of 11A, the highway crosses the Blindman River into Lacombe County to an interchange with Highway 597 at Blackfalds , curving slightly northeast to an interchange at Highway 12 at Lacombe . North of Lacombe, Highway 2

3240-686: The BC Liberal Party in 2001 and 2005 with 73% and 59% of Fort St. John polls, respectively. He has served as the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources since 2001. Federally, Fort St. John is located in the Prince George—Peace River riding, which is represented in the House of Commons by Conservative Party Member of Parliament Bob Zimmer , a former high school teacher who lives in Fort St. John. Prior to Zimmer,

3348-737: The Bow River valley and southeast Calgary. From its split with Macleod Trail, Highway 2 becomes a major 46 km (29 mi) freeway named Deerfoot Trail that descends to cross the Bow River before entering Calgary city limits. In the city it crosses the river twice more, jogging back and forth between its east and west bank. The freeway intersects the Stoney Trail ring road at the south end of Calgary, with signage recommending that traffic en route to Calgary International Airport , Edmonton, and Medicine Hat use eastbound Stoney Trail as

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3456-508: The Fort St. John Airport (CYXJ) located a few miles east of the city. The two runway airport has Air Canada Jazz , WestJet and other smaller airlines such as Central Mountain Air and Swanberg Air with regularly scheduled flights and North Cariboo Air providing chartered flights. Greyhound Bus lines , which had a bus stop in the city, operated a route along the highway, north to Whitehorse (via Fort Nelson) and south to Dawson Creek, until

3564-570: The Mackenzie Highway . Highway 2 turns south to Grimshaw , while Highway 35 turns north, following the Peace River to High Level . Highway 2 bisects Grimshaw as 51 Street, then exits the town before turning west shortly thereafter, winding through the aspen parkland of the Peace Country to the town of Fairview , in which a campus of Grande Prairie Regional College is immediately south of the highway. The road continues west out of Fairview as Highway 64A, while Highway 2 turns south to exit

3672-614: The Municipal District of Willow Creek . Less than 1 km before meeting Highway 3 southeast of Fort Macleod, Highway 2 becomes a divided highway. Highway 3 splits east to Lethbridge, and the combined Highways 2 and 3 turn due west through town as a divided highway at a speed limit of 50 km/h. West of town, the highways diverge at an interchange; Highway 3 continues west as the Crowsnest Highway to Pincher Creek and British Columbia , and Highway 2 turns north across

3780-536: The Oldman River as a divided highway. It continues approximately 25 km (16 mi) north to Granum from which Highway 519 splits to the east. In tandem with Highway 23 , Highway 519 is often used by CANAMEX traffic to bypass Fort Macleod. Further north on Highway 2, the towns of Claresholm and Nanton are each bisected at a reduced speed limit of 50 km/h. The highway is concurrent with Highway 533 for its brief distance through Nanton. North of Nanton,

3888-474: The Pacific Ocean . Subsequently, the region saw a surge in the fur trade , with forts built along the river from Fort Vermilion to Hudson's Hope. At the beginning of the 20th century, the farming potential of the area was advertised by the federal government, but a settlement was scarce because of difficult travel conditions through the muskeg . With the arrival of the railway in 1916, and following

3996-529: The Peace River constructed to service the fur trade, it was located southwest of the present site of Fort St. John. The Dane-zaa and Sikanni First Nations used it as a trading post. It was also used as a supply depot for further expeditions into the territory. The fort closed in 1805. Fort d'Epinette was built in 1806 by the North West Company . It was renamed Fort St. John in 1821 following

4104-413: The 19th and 20th centuries, the community has been moved a number of times for varying economic reasons. The present location is thought to be its sixth. The original trading post built in the area was named Rocky Mountain House (not to be confused with the modern Alberta town by that name ). It was established one year after Sir Alexander Mackenzie explored the area in 1793. One of a series of forts along

4212-480: The 2021 Census. Located at Mile 47 of the Alaska Highway, it is one of the largest cities between Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Delta Junction , Alaska . Established in 1794 as a trading post , Fort St. John is the oldest European-established settlement in present-day British Columbia. The city is served by the Fort St. John Airport . The municipal slogan is Fort St. John: The Energetic City. Over

4320-472: The Blindman River between Blackfalds and Red Deer. In northern Alberta, 1966 saw work begin on initial grading for Highway 2 in the vicinity of Peace River. The section from Hondo to Slave Lake was completed and opened to traffic on October 18, 1966. The 8-span, 125-metre (410 ft) bridge over the Peace River was completed in 1968. An interchange at the highway's DeWinton turnoff south of Calgary

4428-542: The Blue Trail. Major changes include the construction of a divided expressway between Calgary and Edmonton in the 1960s, realignment along Deerfoot Trail in the 1980s, and twinning south of Nanton in the 1990s. A Highway 43 realignment in 1998 shortened Highway 2 by nearly 90 km (56 mi) to its current northern terminus in Grande Prairie; it previously extended west to British Columbia Highway 2 at

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4536-713: The Energetic Learning Campus, a satellite campus of the nearby North Peace Secondary School . Fort St. John hosted the BC Winter Games in 1984 and the Northern BC Winter Games in 1975, 1976, 1994, 2000, and 2007. Every August, the Great Canadian Welding Competition is held in Fort St. John, which sees welding artists fill Centennial Park creating statues on the year's given theme. In January

4644-543: The Peace River, directly south of the present community. It was moved in 1872 by Francis Work Beatton directly across the river. This community lasted until 1925 when the river ceased to be the main avenue of transportation and the fort was moved closer to where settlers were establishing homesteads. The new town was constructed at Fish Creek, northwest of the present community, on the new trail to Fort Nelson . It did not shut down until 1975. In 1928, C. M. Finch moved his general store to two quarters of land where he also built

4752-554: The Queen Elizabeth II Highway where the 110 km/h speed limit is enforced by aircraft. The program is conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , and was relaunched in 2013 after being on hiatus due to budget concerns. Several aircraft are used including the Eurocopter AS350 helicopter. The number of tickets written during the operation is generally not enough to negate the cost of operating

4860-631: The Quesnell Bridge. It then turns back west to meet Anthony Henday Drive again, now in the vicinity of West Edmonton Mall . Henday assumes the designation of Highway 2 for a 6.7 km (4 mi) stretch to Yellowhead Trail (Highway 16), though the concurrency is unsigned. Yellowhead Trail continues east into Edmonton as a six lane freeway, again unsigned as Highway 2, until St. Albert Trail which proceeds northwest through light industrial and commercial areas before crossing Anthony Henday Drive to exit Edmonton into St. Albert . The six lane road

4968-579: The Sunshine Trail. It was a gravelled highway that ran from the US border at Carway directly through Macleod, Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton to Clyde where it became a dirt road. North of Clyde, it was the only highway that extended north into the Peace Country, bending east to Athabasca then northwest to Peace River. A secondary dirt road proceeded southwest to Dunvegan and the current terminus at Grande Prairie. When Alberta highways first received numbers,

5076-445: The United States. Fort St. John is a transportation hub and industrial centre serving BC Hydro's nearby hydro-electric facilities, the W.A.C. Bennett Dam , Peace Canyon Dam and Site C dam . The 2001 Canadian census recorded 9,985 income-earners over the age of 15 residing in Fort St. John; of these, 4,500 worked full-time throughout the year. The high participation rate stems from the relatively young population, much of which

5184-624: The Whip of the Canadian Alliance Party. Before Hill the riding was represented, from 1972 to 1993, by Frank Oberle of the Progressive Conservative Party who served as Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1985 to 1989 and Minister of Forestry from 1990 to 1993. Police protection is contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police which operates a 26 officer municipal detachment and

5292-717: The aforementioned country music station 100.1 Moose FM (CKFU-FM). The following People and Military Units have received the Freedom of the City of Fort St. John. Alberta Highway 2 Highway 2 (also known as the Queen Elizabeth II Highway ) is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Prairie . Running primarily north to south for approximately 1,273 kilometres (791 mi), it

5400-468: The aircraft, but police have stated that they are catching drivers committing infractions over a longer stretch of the road. In 2016, Leduc proposed photo radar speed enforcement on Highway 2 between the south end of the city and Edmonton's southern limit to catch excessive speeders, pending provincial approval. It is already in use within Edmonton and Leduc limits, but it would be the first implementation on Highway 2. Some residents complained that revenue

5508-410: The alignment of Highway 2 at the south end of Red Deer. The project included demolition of an existing bridge and construction of four new bridges for Highway 2. A substandard curve was removed and straightened, and a left entrance to Highway 2 for southbound traffic from Gaetz Avenue was reconstructed to crossover to the west side of the highway before joining the southbound lanes from the right side in

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5616-476: The annual High on Ice Winter Carnival has a frozen Centennial Park filled with ice sculptors competing and other special winter-related activities occurring around town. The City of Fort St. John has a council-manager form of municipal government . A six-member council, along with one mayor, is elected at-large every three years. In the November 19, 2011 civic election Lori Ackerman was elected mayor, replacing

5724-735: The area extends from Monkman Provincial Park and Tumbler Ridge in the south, to Hudson's Hope and the Williston Lake in the west, to Fort St. John and Charlie Lake in the north. The term is used also in a broader sense to mean the whole of the Northeastern Interior past the Rockies, including Fort Nelson and other parts of the Liard drainage , and before W.A.C. Bennett Dam included the upper Peace River through its canyon between Finlay Forks and Hudson's Hope. In Alberta,

5832-443: The border. Several projects including median widening and interchange upgrades have been undertaken in the 2010s to increase the safety of the highway's busier sections, with further improvements either under construction or awaiting funding. Bypasses of Fort Macleod, Claresholm , and Nanton are planned as part of Alberta's effort to make its portion of the CANAMEX Corridor free-flowing from border to border. Much of Highway 2

5940-401: The border. Several projects including median widening and interchange upgrades were completed in the 2010s that increased the safety of the highway's busier sections. In the early morning hours of December 15, 2011, a Lethbridge man killed three people on Highway 2 immediately north of Claresholm. The man turned the gun on himself in a murder–suicide . Work began in 2016 to straighten

6048-539: The city had lower crime rates for robbery, theft from motor vehicles, and business break-and-enters. Fort St. John is the transportation hub of the region. The main highway, Highway 97 ( Alaska Highway ), built in 1942 by the United States Army , runs through the city, north to Fort Nelson, the Yukon, and Alaska. As the highway goes over the Peace River to Dawson Creek, it reduced the community's dependence on

6156-560: The city, Centennial Park groups much of these facilities in a central location close to residences and businesses. This large park includes the Fort St. John North Peace Museum, the North Peace Leisure Pool, the North Peace Arena (home of the Fort St. John Huskies ), a separate arena for children, an 8-sheet curling rink, as well as an outdoor water park and speed skating oval. Other parks in the area include

6264-666: The city-maintained Fish Creek Community Forest, and about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of town the Beatton Provincial Park and Charlie Lake Provincial Park . In the centre of town is the North Peace Cultural Centre which houses the Fort St. John Public Library , a theatre , and the Peace Gallery North art gallery. Visitors also come to see 'Ms. Bubbles', the world's largest tea-cup pig . The city's main recreation centre

6372-765: The city. Fort St. John is situated in the Peace River North provincial electoral district and is represented by Pat Pimm in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia . Pimm replaced long-time MLA Richard Neufeld who was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 1991 provincial election with the BC Social Credit Party taking 56% of votes cast at the Fort St. John polls and re-elected with Reform BC in 1996 with 44% support, and with

6480-435: The communities of Carstairs and Didsbury , respectively. The highway meets Highway 27 at a cloverleaf interchange near Olds , approximately halfway between Calgary and Red Deer. Highway 2 enters Red Deer County and proceeds to interchanges with Highway 587 at Bowden , Highways 54 and 590 at Innisfail , and Highway 42 near Penhold prior to the city of Red Deer. South of the city, from McKenzie Road to 19 Street,

6588-466: The community. Fort St. John is geographically on the western edge of the Canadian prairies that cover much of Alberta , Saskatchewan , and Manitoba , but is not politically included in the three Canadian Prairie provinces. The city sits between the Peace River and Beatton River , with Charlie Lake nearby. Sitting at an elevation of 690 m (2,260 ft), Fort St. John is situated within

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6696-573: The company stopped operations in Western Canada in 2018. BC Bus North provides bus service to Dawson Creek, Prince George, and Fort Nelson. The city's water and sewer infrastructure pumps water from 4 deep wells located near the Peace River with a backup source being Charlie Lake ; it is filtered, chlorinated and fluoridated before being distributed. The water has been rated by the BC Ministry of Environment as being "Very hard." Sewage

6804-515: The drop in traffic is brisk, increasingly so after Morinville where the highway is no longer divided. Volume remains very light through most of the Peace Country before briefly exceeding 20,000 vehicles per day near the northern terminus in Grande Prairie. Alberta Transportation publishes yearly traffic volume data for provincial highways. The table compares the annual average daily traffic (AADT) at several locations along Highway 2 using data from 2019, expressed as an average daily vehicle count over

6912-529: The first to stretch north into the Peace Country as it long predates Highways 43 and 63 . The intermittent sections of two-lane road between Calgary and Edmonton now designated as Highway 2A previously comprised the primary route between Calgary and Edmonton, Passing through Carstairs, the heart of Red Deer, Blackfalds, Ponoka, and Wetaskiwin. Plans were developed in the late 1950s for a new four-lane superhighway to connect Calgary and Edmonton, creating

7020-496: The former newspaper publisher Bruce Lantz who served as mayor between 2008 and 2011. In the 2008 election Lantz had defeated one term mayor and former RCMP officer Jim Eglinski who had defeated the incumbent mayor of 15 years, Steve Thorlakson in 2005. The mayor and one city councillor represent Fort St. John on the board of directors of the Peace River Regional District . Seven board of education trustees, for representation on School District 60 Peace River North , are also elected by

7128-642: The highway continues into the Foothills County to a major junction with Highways 23 and 2A at High River , after which it veers northwest to cross the Highwood River . On the other side of the river, a second interchange provides access to Okotoks via Highways 7 and 2A, and Highway 2 continues north across the Sheep River to De Winton where Highway 2A splits into southwest Calgary as Macleod Trail , and Highway 2 veers northeast toward

7236-605: The highway enters Blood Indian Reserve No. 148 and Highway 5 splits west to Waterton Lakes National Park ; it is briefly concurrent with Highway 2 before splitting east to cross the St. Mary River en route to Magrath and Lethbridge . Highway 2 continues north to another short concurrency with Highway 505 during which it crosses the Waterton River to Stand Off , continuing across the Belly River to Fort Macleod in

7344-449: The highway enters Leduc County , bending northeast toward the city of Leduc . After entering Leduc city limits, Highway 2 meets Highway 2A, which proceeds southeast through Leduc's southern suburbs as a four lane arterial road. Highway 2 immediately travels over Highway 39 at a diamond interchange, serving as the main access to central Leduc and ultimately leading west to Drayton Valley . Now six lanes wide, Highway 2 curves slightly to

7452-415: The highway significantly widens to five lanes each way. The northbound lanes become Gateway Boulevard and the southbound lanes Calgary Trail , and the two carriageways diverge to pass Gateway Park, located in the median of the highway and accessible from both directions. North of the park, the two directions of travel come back together, now at a reduced speed limit of 90 km/h (56 mph), to meet at

7560-431: The highway turns north past Winagami Lake to the town of McLennan on the south shore of Kimiwan Lake. It carries on west to a junction with Highway 49 , locally known as ' Donnelly Corner'. The two lane highway proceeds north through aspen parkland past Lac Magloire to the town of Nampa , after which it crosses the Heart River , a tributary of Peace River . The highway then curves to the northwest and descends along

7668-463: The highway widens to six lanes through an area known as Gasoline Alley . It is a popular stop for travellers and truckers including fuel stations and food establishments on either side of the highway, accessible via the interchange at McKenzie Road. Continuing north the highway again reduces to four lanes, veering left to bypass Red Deer to the west while Gaetz Avenue splits north into the city. West of Red Deer, Highway 2 passes Red Deer College and

7776-500: The highway would be realigned several hundred metres to the west to facilitate construction of a large interchange with the outer ring road. The existing bridges at Airport Road, Highway 19, 41 Avenue SW, and Ellerslie Road have all been constructed with sufficient width to allow for construction of two additional sets of lanes. In 2015, a planning study was completed outlining a new interchange at 65 Avenue in Leduc. In northwest Edmonton,

7884-404: The interchange of Highway 2 and Highway 23 near High River. The existing cloverleaf interchange was built in 1967 and does not meet the current standards in Alberta's Highway Design Guide. In Calgary, where Highway 2 (Deerfoot Trail) experiences heavy congestion at peak hours, a major planning study is underway to determine the best course of action for upgrades to the freeway. In 2007, a study

7992-400: The interchange, up from two. Planning is underway to convert the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Edmonton to a freeway. Near Red Deer, traffic levels are close to 50,000 vehicles per day, and Alberta Transportation begins consideration of widening to six lanes when levels exceed 30,000 vehicles per day. South of Airdrie, reconstruction of an existing interchange at Highway 566

8100-452: The major east–west arterial of Ellerslie Road , providing access to Edmonton's southern residential areas of Heritage Valley , Ellerslie , and Summerside . This diamond interchange is intertwined with the major cloverstack interchange at Anthony Henday Drive (Highway 216) which immediately follows. Henday is a ring road that surrounds Edmonton, connecting Highway 2 to Highway 16 . Signage directs traffic destined for Lloydminster to use

8208-615: The mid-70s along with other major gas fields in British Columbia and Alberta. Both Fort St. John and Grande Prairie experienced rapid economic and population growth as a result. Peace Country contains Canada's northernmost lands suitable for agriculture . Crops raised include canola , oats, peas, and barley. Some cattle ranching and beekeeping is also done in the area. In 2006, the region accounted for 14.4% of Canada's total bison-producing herd. Other industries include oil and gas extraction and forestry . Lumber, oriented strand board , and pulp are produced in many forestry mills throughout

8316-488: The north/northwest, although they can certainly still penetrate the area. A predominantly southwesterly wind blows through town, with wind speeds averaging around 14.0 km/h (8.7 mph). Fort St. John uses Mountain Standard Time all year (same as Pacific Daylight Time in summer), and because of its northerly latitude experiences short daylight hours in winter and long daylight hours in summer. Fort St. John

8424-402: The northeast to pass on the east side of Edmonton International Airport , still 13 km (8.1 mi) south of Edmonton city limits. The grass median significantly widens to over 100 m (330 ft), and access to the airport and Nisku is provided by an interchange at Airport Road. Traffic levels increase as commuters travel to and from the Leduc area to Edmonton, and the highway meets

8532-453: The old highway north of Lacombe. The routing was somewhat of a surprise to residents, who had expected the new bypass to pass east of the city. The previous route had been carrying 5,000 vehicles per day. The bypass opened on November 21, 1962. The previous segment of two-lane highway to the east, which had been carrying 5,000 vehicles per day prior to the opening of the expressway, was renamed Highway 2A and now carries commuter traffic over

8640-492: The opening of land for homesteaders in 1910, farming and ranching took off in the fertile Peace Country. The settlement of the British Columbia portion of the agricultural area, known as the Peace River Block, originated as a railway grant which wound up for a time under Dominion jurisdiction and managed by offices in Alberta until returned to British Columbia following ongoing jurisdictional conflicts. Forestry plays

8748-486: The present-day Highway 2 was originally designated as Highway 1. When the major east—west route through Calgary that had been previously designated as Highway 2 was assigned to the Trans-Canada Highway, the province's major north—south route became Highway 2. A review of historical Alberta official road maps shows this to be the case prior to 1941. Highway 2 is one of the oldest major highways in Alberta, and

8856-482: The province, especially in the winter and spring. The city holds British Columbia's record for most sunshine ever recorded in March (247.4 hours in 1965), May (373.5 hours in 1972), and November (141.3 hours in 1976). The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort St. John was 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) on 16 July 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −53.9 °C (−65.0 °F) on 11 January 1911. In

8964-657: The purchase of the North West Company by the Hudson's Bay Company . This fort was located about 500 m (1,600 ft) downstream from the mouth of the Beatton River , which at that time was known as the Pine River. It was shut down in 1823. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1958. After a lapse of nearly forty years, Fort St. John was reopened in 1860 on the south side of

9072-585: The region stretches from Grande Prairie and Valleyview in the south, to High Prairie and Lesser Slave Lake in the east, to Fort Vermilion , High Level and Rainbow Lake in the north. The first European to explore the area was Sir Alexander MacKenzie , who travelled down the Peace in 1789 and eventually reached the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Ocean . In 1793 he used the same route to reach

9180-603: The region. Peace Country is crossed by the southern leg of the Alaska Highway , the western extremity of Alberta Highway 43 and the southern portion of the Mackenzie Highway . Other important transportation routes include the northern part of Alberta Highway 2 , Alberta Highway 35 , British Columbia Highway 29 , British Columbia Highway 97 , and Alberta Highway 49 . Regional air transport hubs are Grande Prairie Airport and Peace River Airport in Alberta and Fort St. John Airport in British Columbia. Health care

9288-577: The riding had been represented by long-time MP Jay Hill , who was born and raised in Fort St. John, and first elected in 1993 and subsequently re-elected in 1997, 2000, and 2004 with 74%, 77%, and 70% support from Fort St. John polls, respectively. Hill was also re-elected in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections. Hill had served as the Government House Leader and was formerly the Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip, as well as

9396-483: The river for transportation. Within the city the streets are laid out in a grid pattern. The main streets are the north–south 100 Street and the east–west 100 Avenue. The rail line that runs by the eastern and northern borders was extended from Chetwynd by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway with the first train arriving in 1958. The only commercial airport between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson is

9504-488: The route between Calgary and Edmonton was traveled by David Thompson in 1800. The more modern trail was blazed by John McDougall in 1873 as far as Morley and extended to Calgary two years later. Development of the trail allowed mail service between Calgary and Edmonton in July 1883. By 1930, the entire present-day alignment of Highway 2 through to the British Columbia west of Grande Prairie had already been established as

9612-446: The rugged mountains to the west. Fort St. John experiences a cold humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) closely bordering on a subarctic climate ( Dfc ), with cold winters and warm summers. Although winters can be frigid, the area has milder winters than much of the rest of Canada (especially considering its northerly latitude) due to the influence of the nearby Rocky Mountains. They tend to block arctic air masses coming in from

9720-513: The rural areas. There are 9 public schools within the city limits, with one being a secondary school, and another 10 outside of Fort St. John that are all administered by School District 60 Peace River North . There is one private Christian school in Fort St. John, also administered by School District 60 Peace River North . Northern Lights College has a campus in Fort St. John housing the B.C. Centre of Training Excellence in Oil and Gas, which includes

9828-566: The south shore of Lesser Slave Lake as the Northern Woods and Water Route into High Prairie , before turning north to Peace River , west to Fairview and finally south to Grande Prairie where it ends at Highway 43 . Originally numbered as Highway 1, Highway 2 is the oldest major highway in Alberta and the first to stretch north into the Peace Country . It was historically known as the Calgary and Edmonton Trail , Sunshine Trail, and

9936-500: The southbound lanes of Highway 2 approximately 225 m (738 ft) to the west of Gateway Boulevard. The designation of Highway 2 turns west onto Whitemud Drive and it becomes a freeway once again, though now only at 80 km/h (50 mph), unlike the 100 km/h limit of the highway through Calgary. Whitemud Drive descends to cross Whitemud Creek before curving north to span the North Saskatchewan River on

10044-453: The southeast portion of Henday to reach Highway 16 north of Sherwood Park . Traffic destined for Jasper , Cold Lake , and Fort McMurray are directed onto the southwest portion of Henday to reach Highway 16 at Edmonton's west end. The freeway ends as three lanes of Gateway Boulevard eventually widen to four, travelling north past South Edmonton Common through south Edmonton as a busy urban street to Whitemud Drive . Calgary Trail carries

10152-580: The southern suburbs of the city reaching more than 170,000 vehicles per day at Memorial Drive near downtown, making that stretch of Highway 2 the busiest roadway in western Canada. Volume swiftly drops north of Beddington Trail in Calgary, but remains moderate on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway until Edmonton where it again increases to nearly 100,000 vehicles per day south of the city. Whitemud Drive, Anthony Henday Drive, Yellowhead Trail, and St. Albert Trail are all busy expressways carrying large volumes of local traffic, especially at peak hours. North of St. Albert

10260-486: The span of a year (AADT). The Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Edmonton is prone to collisions in the winter, sometimes resulting in hours of delay, closures, and redirection of traffic onto sections of the adjacent Highway 2A. Deerfoot Trail in Calgary is also prone to a higher than average number of collisions due to its high volume and concentration of interchanges within a relatively short distance. Alberta Transportation has established several zones on

10368-598: The steep east bank of the Heart River into the town of Peace River . A passing lane aids eastbound traffic climbing from the valley. The two lane highway continues west through the town of Peace River before crossing the river of the same name. Climbing on the west bank of the river, it widens to four lanes and meets Alberta Highway 684 (Shaftesbury Trail) before exiting Peace River, reducing to two lanes, and passing north of Peace River Airport . 5 km (3.1 mi) east Cardinal Lake , Highway 2 meets Highway 35 ,

10476-570: The town at 50 km/h as 50 Street toward the Athabasca River valley, before turning west to parallel the river as 50 Avenue. From this point until its split with Highway 49 over 200 km (120 mi) to the west, Highway 2 is designated as the Northern Woods and Water Route. The speed limit returns to 100 km/h as the highway climbs from the valley toward Baptiste Lake . At the lake, the two lane Highway 2 turns north to follow

10584-506: The town of Rycroft , where Highway 49 splits west carrying the remainder of the Northern Woods and Water Route to the British Columbia border. Highway 2 continues south to Highway 59 where it becomes a divided highway before bisecting Sexsmith and continuing to Highway 43 north of Grande Prairie, its northern terminus from 1998 to 2019. Prior to 1998, Highway 2 followed Highway 43 into British Columbia , where it became British Columbia Highway 2 to Dawson Creek . In 2019, when Highway 43

10692-466: The town, curving west then south again toward the Peace River valley. It again curves west to descend along the river's steep north bank. The highway crosses the Peace River on the Dunvegan Bridge , a suspension bridge over 700 m (2,300 ft) long. Passing lanes assist traffic climbing from the valley on both sides of the river. The highway continues 20 km (12 mi) south to

10800-407: The urban centre for a rural and farming population of about 8,306 people and home to 18,609 people, Fort St. John is a retail, service and industrial centre. The province's oil and gas industry , including the provincial Oil and Gas Commission is centred in the city. Forestry has become more important to the city since the opening of an oriented strand board plant in 2005. Much wood is exported to

10908-522: The west bank of the Athabasca River for approximately 35 km (22 mi) before turning west at Lawrence Lake toward the unincorporated community of Hondo . There, it meets the northern terminus of Highway 44 before crossing the river and continuing northwest for 50 km to the southern terminus of Highway 88 in Slave Lake . Highway 88 follows the east bank of Lesser Slave Lake before

11016-421: The winter, accidents are common on the stretch of the highway between Calgary and Edmonton as the weather can change rapidly and drivers underestimate the conditions, overwhelming emergency services attempting to respond. As the main north–south access in Alberta, Highway 2 is the preferred path of the CANAMEX Corridor. Between Fort Macleod and Morinville, Highway 2 maintains no fewer than four lanes of traffic and

11124-476: Was a factor in almost 50% of injury collisions. Trails in the vicinity of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor long predate the province of Alberta itself, which was not split from the Northwest Territories until 1905. The Calgary and Edmonton Trail was established as several trails ran south from a fur trade post that had been established at Fort Edmonton prior to 1800. The northern portion of

11232-409: Was attracted by the area's high-paying oil and gas industry. Its male-female income gap is large. Fort St. John has a hospital , which as of 2022, had 44 in patient beds, 4 intensive care unit beds, and 7 delivery beds. It has a CT scanner and ultrasound . As the urban centre for approximately 20,000 people, much of the region's recreational and cultural facilities are located in town. Within

11340-483: Was completed by Alberta outlining plans for upgrades to the partial cloverleaf interchange of Glenmore Trail and Deerfoot Trail, one of the busiest road junctions in the province. Stage 1 of the proposed improvements would correct a pinch point on Deerfoot Trail by constructing a new three lane bridge to carry the northbound lanes over Glenmore. The southbound lanes would then be realigned on the existing bridges, such that Deerfoot Trail would be three lanes each way through

11448-597: Was moved to Highway 43X and bypassed Grande Prairie, Highway 2 was extended 2.4 km (1.5 mi) south to Grande Prairie city limits along its former, pre-1998 alignment; in Grande Prairie it becomes 100 Street. Highway 2 has a wide range of traffic levels along its length. At the south end, the highway is a lightly travelled two-lane road from the United States border to Fort Macleod. It then doubles to four lanes and volume progressively increases until De Winton north of Okotoks, but remains relatively light. Within Calgary, volume climbs exponentially on Deerfoot Trail through

11556-696: Was planned for 1974. On May 23, 2005, the section between Calgary and Edmonton was renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Highway in honour of the Queen's visit to Alberta as part of the province's centennial celebrations; the first road sign was personally unveiled by the Queen. It was the first highway in Canada to be named for her. Twinning south of Calgary continued in the 1990s. A Highway 43 realignment in 1998 shortened Highway 2 by nearly 90 km (56 mi) to its current northern terminus in Grande Prairie; it previously extended west to British Columbia Highway 2 at

11664-538: Was the main objective of the project. Leduc mayor Greg Krischke said that the project is not a "cash cow" and the primary objective is to reduce excessive speed and increase safety for first responders. An Alberta Transportation study shows that 100,000 vehicles exceeded 140 km/h (87 mph) on the stretch in 2015, and Krischke said that drivers who do not want tickets should abide by the speed limit. However, in 2014, less than 10% of injury collisions in Alberta involved drivers travelling at unsafe speeds. Tailgating

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