Loading
  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Rural Municipality Of Willowdale No. 153

The Rural Municipality of Willowdale No. 153 (2016 population: 299) is a rural municipality (RM) in the southeast portion of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 5 and SARM Division No. 1.

History

RM of Willowdale No. 153 Municipal Office
(Whitewood Post Office)
General information
Location711 Lalonde Street
Town or cityWhitewood, Saskatchewan
CountryCanada
Construction started1935
Completed1936
Design and construction
Architect(s)Thomas Fuller

The RM of Willowdale No. 153 incorporated as a rural municipality on January 1, 1913.

Heritage properties

New Finland is a Finnish speaking block settlement locates within the RM. The St. John's New Finland Lutheran Church, with an active congregation, was officially declared a municipal heritage property on May 4, 2007. The church building was built in 1907, and then the community moved it in 1934 by steam engine to the present location five miles south of the original construction site. This arduous undertaking necessitated sawing the church in half.

The RM's municipal office building, located at 711 Lalonde Street in Whitewood, was originally built in 1935 to house Whitewood's post office. The building is a designated heritage property. The building was constructed by the federal government as a make-work project during the depression era.

Geography

The burrowing owl (athene cunicularia), an endangered animal, makes its home in this area, and the monarch butterfly (danaus plexippus) is also monitored in this area by conservationists.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the RM.

Towns

Demographics

Population history
(1981–2016)
YearPop.±%
1981676—    
1986567−16.1%
1991499−12.0%
1996408−18.2%
2001301−26.2%
2006333+10.6%
2011297−10.8%
2016299+0.7%
Source: Statistics Canada via Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the RM of Willowdale No. 153 had a population of 248 living in 91 of its 99 total private dwellings, a change of -15.6% from its 2016 population of 294. With a land area of 594.03 km (229.36 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.4/km (1.1/sq mi) in 2021.

In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Willowdale No. 153 recorded a population of 299 living in 116 of its 133 total private dwellings, a 0.7% change from its 2011 population of 297. With a land area of 604.13 km (233.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.5/km (1.3/sq mi) in 2016.

Government

The RM of Willowdale No. 153 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the second Wednesday of every month. The reeve of the RM is Larry Sippola while its administrator is Andrea Smyth. The RM's office is located in Whitewood.

See also