In British Columbia, a community can be incorporated as a city if its population exceeds 5,000. Once so incorporated, a city does not lose this status even if its population later declines; the once-thriving city of Greenwood, for example, now has a population of just 695 people.

To qualify as a city in Alberta, a sufficient population size (over 10,000 people) must be present and a majority of the buildings must be on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square metres.