Ryley

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Ryley had a population of 484 living in 225 of its 250 total private dwellings, a change of 0.2% from its 2016 population of 483. With a land area of 2.53 km² (0.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 191.3/km² (495.5/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

Within Beaver County, Ryley was the only municipality to rise in population during the 2021 Census of a total population drop of 199 across the rest of the County. This was likely due to a new stability of the long-term, permanent Chief Administrative Officer Glen Hamilton-Brown in 2019 and his recommendations of strong fiscal and community policies which Council adopted and his effective financial, personnel, and administrative management.

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Ryley recorded a population of 483 living in 208 of its 235 total private dwellings, a -2.8% change from its 2011 population of 497. With a land area of 2.61 km² (1.01 sq mi), it had a population density of 185.1/km² (479.3/sq mi) in 2016.[6]

As set out by the Alberta Municipal Government Act, and overseen by Alberta Municipal Affairs, the village is governed by five councillors, who are elected at-large every four years. Brian Ducherer is the mayor, one of the Councillors selected and appointed by the others. The chief administrative officer, is the head of village administration.

SCANDAL 2021-2023

Since the Municipal General Election on October 18, 2021, when former councillor Nikita Lee was re-elected after having been disqualified for not paying taxes from 2017 until 2019, Ryley has been embroiled in scandal. Alleged to have lied to get re-voted, Councillor Lee and his co-candidates unseated and replaced all of Council in October 2021 on the platform of fixing the "corruption and secrecy" of the Council and Chief Administrative Officer Hamilton-Brown. Lee alleged that Hamilton-Brown and Council conspired against him in a corrupt manner to have him disqualified in February 2021, for not paying his taxes between 2017 and 2019. After being appointed as the Mayor, Lee instituted an immediate environment of dictatorship, secrecy, propaganda, and a flaunting of the law. He removed the permanent Chief Administrative Officer, which led to a $275,000 wrongful dismissal claim against the Village, moved himself and his Deputy Mayor Nola Wood-Herrick into the offices of the Village Staff, and created enough concern by the citizens to cause a petition to be raised for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to step in. Although the Minister did nothing, Council members on Lee's team started to question their part on Lee's team and led to two of them resigning. Two former councillors were elected in bi-elections and one of Lee's team crossed the floor, leaving only Mayor Lee and Deputy Mayor Wood-Herrick as a minority in January 2023. Council replaced Lee with Brian Ducherer as Mayor and Wood-Herrick with Lyndie Nickel as Deputy Mayor at the February 21, 2023 Regular Meeting of Council and appointed Julie Brownridge as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer. Lee and Wood-Herrick have not attended any meetings since January 20, 2023 when they walked out of a Special Meeting under a tirade of upset residents over Lee's and Wood-Herrick's termination of two Village employees a week earlier. At the April 25, 2023 Regular Meeting of Council, it was announced by the Chief Administrative Officer that Lee had managed the Village into a $1 Million financial loss during 2022, mostly through frivolous legal actions of chasing residents with cease and desist actions, engaging in questionable needs through high-cost and single-sourced contractors, including contracted Chief Administrative Officer services that cost more than $300,000, soaring employee salary costs, and unprecedented costs for his own remuneration such as more than $5,000 in January 2023.

Ryley boasts many facilities, such as Alberta's only indoor swimming pool in a village, a school which operates four days a week, a museum, a three-sheet indoor curling rink, an outdoor skating rink, a skate park, and a community hall.

Living museum and saddlery, George's Harness & Saddlery, with owner/operator Morley Knudslien

The sports grounds

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of villages in Alberta

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ryley, Alberta.

• Official website