Cold Lake

Cold Lake is a city in northeastern Alberta, Canada, named after the lake it is situated near. The city is situated within Alberta's "Lakeland" region, 300 km northeast of Edmonton, near the Alberta-Saskatchewan provincial border. The region surrounding the city is sparsely inhabited, and comprises mostly of farmland. The Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, situated towards the north of the city, is the Canadian equivalent to the Air Force's Nellis Air Force Range of the US.

It was 1970 when Cold Lake was initially recorded on a map, under the name Coldwater Lake. More recently, on the 1st of October, the year 1996, the three original communities of the Town of Cold Lake, the Town of Grand Centre, and Medley (Canadian Forces Base 4 Wing) merged into Cold Lake. Grand Centre was renamed Cold Lake South, and the original Cold Lake is known to Cold Lake North. Because of its origins, the area is also known as the Tri-Town.

The economy of the city is inextricably linked to military spending at CFB Cold Lake. The area likewise supports oil and gas exploration and production. The Athabasca Oil Sands project in Fort McMurray is having a growing influence in the region too. The Cold Lake oil sands could become an essential contributor to the local economy.

Cold Lake holds a yearly event for military forces from all-around the globe called Exercise Maple Flag. It is a training exercise where NATO pilots and support staff could make use of the Air Weapons Range and relatively open rural air space. Running from 4 to 6 weeks and starting during May of each year, commercial accommodations within the whole area are left with little to no vacancy. This yearly exercise contributes a substantial amount of capital into these industries and several hospitality-related businesses.

Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, often referred to as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base situated within the City of Cold Lake, Alberta. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is amongst two bases within Canada using the CF-18 Hornet fighter/interceptor. Its main lodger unit is 4 Wing.

On the periphery of the air base, there was a civilian passenger service that was accessible through the Medley passenger terminal. The regular air service from the Medley terminal and Calgary was canceled officially during June 2011. Civilian air traffic which is unscheduled is usually directed to the Cold Lake Regional Airport. Cold Lake/Group Captain R.W McNair Airport is the name of the facility. It is one of only three military aerodromes in Canada to be named after an individual, Valcartier Heliport and Moose Jaw/Air Vice Marshal C.M. McEwen Airport being the others.