Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496

History

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 incorporated as a rural municipality on December 9, 1929. It absorbed the RM of Shell Lake No. 495. The RM of Shell Lake No. 495 was originally named the RM of Shell River No. 495 prior to November 30, 1935.

Geography

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 is adjacent to the RMs of Big River No. 555 to the north, Medstead No. 497 to the west, Meeting Lake No. 466 to the south, and Canwood No. 494 (formerly Thompson No. 494) to the south.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the RM.

;Towns

• Spiritwood

;Villages

• Shell Lake

;Resort villages

• Echo Bay
• Big Shell

The following unincorporated communities are within the RM.

;Organized hamlets

• Spruce Bay

;Localities

• Bapaume
• Capasin
• Leoville
• Mildred
• Norbury
• Penn
• Ranger

The RM also surrounds the Witchekan Lake First Nation Reserves and Pelican Lake First Nation Reserves (191, 191A, 191B, 191C).

Demographics

(1981–2016) |1981|1949 |1986|1799 |1991|1694 |1996|1504 |2001|1429 |2006|1277 |2011|1382 |2016|1347 In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the RM of Spiritwood No. 496 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 2371.04 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Spiritwood No. 496 recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of 2392.86 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

Government

The RM of Spiritwood No. 496 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the second Tuesday of every month. The reeve of the RM is Shirley Dauvin while its administrator is Colette Bussiere. The RM's office is located in Spiritwood.

Transportation

;Rail

• Big River Branch C.N.R—serves Prince Albert, Shellbrook, Clonfert, Canwood, Polwarth, Mattes, Debden, Eldred, Dumble, Bodmin, Big River.

;Roads

• Highway 24—serves Spiritwood and Leoville
• Highway 3—intersects Highway 24 and serves Belbutte, Spiritwood and Shell Lake
• Highway 793—intersects Highway 24 and serves Big River
• Highway 696—intersects Highway 24 and serves Pelican Lake First Nation Indian Reserve 191B
• Highway 3—runs east west and intersects Highway 24 and serves Spiritwood and Mildred
• Highway 378—runs north south and intersects Highway 3 south of Spiritwood

References

References

1. "Municipality Details: RM of Spiritwood No. 496". Government of Saskatchewan.
2. (July 24, 2019). "Pre-packaged CSV files - CGN, Canada/Province/Territory (cgn_sk_csv_eng.zip)". Government of Canada.
3. "Rural Municipality Incorporations (Alphabetical)". Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
4. "Disorganized Rural Municipalities". Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
5. "Renamed Rural Municipalities". Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
6. (December 2023). "2019-2020 Rural Revenue Sharing Organized Hamlet Grant". Government of Saskatchewan.
7. "Saskatchewan Census Population". Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics.
8. "Saskatchewan Census Population". Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics.
9. (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". [[Statistics Canada]].
10. (February 8, 2017). "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Saskatchewan)". [[Statistics Canada]].
11. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmaps/1925Waghorn/ Canadian Maps: January 1925 Waghorn's Guide. Post Offices in Man. Sask. Alta. and West Ontario.]