Lloydminster, pop 20,988 (7,840 in Saskatchewan), is known as the “Border City” as it is located on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, 251 km east of Edmonton, Alberta and 275 km west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Lloydminster area was first settled in April 1903 with the arrival of about 2,600 Barr Colonists (see Barr Colony) from England. The “Britannia Settlement,” as it was known then, changed its name to Lloydminster to honour colony leader Reverend Lloyd for his efforts in leading the colonists, “minster” meaning “mother church.” The newly founded hamlet of Lloydminster was located astride the 4th Meridian in the North-West Territories. When the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905, the 4th Meridian was selected as the interprovincial boundary, and Lloydminster was split in two: the Alberta portion of the divided community was incorporated as a village in Alberta on July 6, 1906, while the Saskatchewan portion was incorporated as a town in Saskatchewan in April 1907.
This unique situation resulted in the duplication of all municipal functions: two separate municipal councils, two municipal offices, two fire departments, etc. The two communities were amalgamated into a single municipality, the town of Lloydminster, by an Order-in-Council of both provinces on May 20, 1930. On January 1, 1958, Lloydminster received its charter as the city of Lloydminster, thus becoming the tenth city in both provinces. Lloydminster’s rich agricultural soil allows for a variety of crops to be grown in addition to ranching. With the discovery of oil a rapid growth started, and the industry continues to dominate Lloydminster’s economic landscape. In 1992 the Bi-Provincial Upgrader petrochemical facility was opened. Industry related to petroleum and manufactured homes, and established bases in the technology and services fields, as well as the growing commercial and industrial sectors, are also important to Lloydminster’s economy.
Daria Coneghan