Functional responsibility:
The Ministry of Community Development is responsible for administration of programs aimed at improving the quality of life of Albertans by supporting the development of communities and assisting in the development of the social and cultural life of the province.

The ministry’s responsibilities fall into five main areas: community services, protection and administration of cultural facilities and historic sites and resources, administration of provincial parks and protected areas (since April 1, 2001), and human rights protection. Between 1996 and 2001, the ministry was responsible for providing a number of programs for seniors, and between 1997 and 1999, for administering the Community Lottery Grant Program. Until 2004, the ministry was responsible for programs to assist persons with disabilities living in the community. These responsibilities were transferred to the Ministry of Seniors and Community Supports on November 30, 2004 (O.C. 553/2004). The ministry is responsible for administering the Centennial Legacies Grant and Centennial Celebrations Programs, created to mark the province’s centenary.

The Minister of Community Development has been responsible for the administration of the following acts:

• Alberta Advisory Council on Women’s Issues Act
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts Act
• Alberta Housing Act (1999-2001)
• Alberta Official Song Act
• Alberta Order of Excellence Act (to 2001)
• Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation Act
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Act (1993-94, 1996-99)
• Amusements Act
• Blind Persons’ Rights Act
• Emblems of Alberta Act
• Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (responsibility shared with the Ministers of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development)
• First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Act
• Foreign Cultural Property Immunity Act
• Glenbow-Alberta Institute Act
• Government House Act
• Government Organization Act, Schedule 11 section 1 (1996-2001)
• Historical Resources Act
• Holocaust Memorial Day and Genocide Remembrance Act
• Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act (since 1993)
• Libraries Act
• Persons with Developmental Disabilities Community Governance Act
• Persons with Developmental Disabilities Foundation Act
• Protection of Persons in Care Act
• Provincial Parks Act
• Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Recognition Act
• Recreation Development Act
• Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta Act (1993-2001)
• Seniors Benefit Act (1993-2001)
• Wild Rose Foundation Act (since 1996)
• Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act
• Willmore Wilderness Park Act
• Women’s Secretariat Act

Predecessor and successor bodies:
The predecessors to the Ministry of Community Development were the Department of Culture and Multiculturalism and the Department of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation.

Administrative relationships:
The Ministry of Community Development reports to the Legislative Assembly through the Minister of Community Development. A number of semi-independent agencies have also reported to the Minister of Community Development: the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Foundation (1994–1994 and 1996–1999), Alberta Advisory Council on Women’s Issues (1992–1996), Glenbow-Alberta Institute Board of Governors (1992–1996), Seniors Advisory Council of Alberta (1993–2001), Alberta Social Housing Corporation (1999–2001), Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (2001–2004), Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) Provincial Board, six community and regional PDD Boards, Michener Centre Facility Board, and Persons with Developmental Disabilities Foundation (2001–2004).

Administrative Structure:
The Ministry of Community Development is composed of the Department of Community Development and the semi-independent agencies for which the minister is responsible.

The Department of Community Development consists of the following units responsible for its principal program areas:

• Community and Citizenship Services Division – supporting community recreation and cultural activities, including arts development, film classification, and support for public libraries; providing support for community sports and recreation programs, the volunteer sector, and secretariat services to the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission;
• Cultural Facilities and Historical Resources Division – operating Alberta’s provincial historic sites, museums, and interpretive centres, the Provincial Archives of Alberta, and the Northern and Southern Jubilee Auditoria; maintaining heritage resources, providing support for community-based heritage preservation, and designating significant historical resources;
• Parks and Protected Areas Division (since 2001) – operating Alberta’s provincial parks, and protecting wilderness areas, ecological preserves, wildland provincial parks, heritage rangeland, natural areas, recreation areas, and Willmore Wilderness Park; maintaining the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, which is the province’s biodiversity database, and coordinating Alberta’s involvement in the Canadian Heritage Rivers program;
• Ministry Support Services – administrative, financial, legislative, information management, public relations, and human resources support for the department and the offices of the minister and deputy minister; including the Strategic Corporate Services Division encompassing Strategic Financial Services, Business Planning and Performance Measurement, Human Resources, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy and Records Management, and Information Systems; the area of business continuity was added to the division’s scope of responsibility in 2003–2004;
• Francophone Secretariat – acting as a liaison between the government of Alberta and the province’s francophone community;
• Alberta 2005 Centennial Initiative (since 2003–2004) – planning Alberta’s 100th anniversary celebrations through the encouragement and support of communities as they plan special events, build commemorative public facilities, and create other unique tributes to celebrate our province’s past, present, and future. The initiative is also responsible for planning provincial celebrations and festivities to mark the province’s September 1, 2005 birthday.
• Services to Seniors Division – providing programs for seniors (between 1996 and 2001); transferred to the Ministry of Seniors in April 2001; and
• Community Support Systems Division – coordinating programs and establishing standards for community-based agencies delivering services to persons with developmental disabilities; liaison and support for regional and community PDD boards and the provincial board; liaison and support to the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities; program and policy development arising from the Building Better Bridges report; and providing service in support of the Protection for Persons in Care Act (transferred to the Ministry of Seniors and Community Supports in November 2004).

Names of the corporate body:
Ministry of Community Development
Also referred to as Alberta Community Development

Names of chief officers:
Ministers of Community Development
Dianne F. Mirosh 1992-1993
Gary G. Mar 1993-1996
Shirley A.M. McClellan 1996-1999
Stan Woloshyn 1999-2001
Gene Zwozdesky 2001-2004
Gary G. Mar 2005-2006
Denis Ducharme 2006-Present