The station was launched in 1949 by a local non-profit consortium to bring French radio service to Edmonton, and was directly acquired by the network in 1974.

The station serves the entire province of Alberta from its studios in Edmonton, although it also maintains a smaller bureau in Calgary.

[3] On December 12, 2017, the CBC received CRTC approval to change the authorized contours of the rebroadcasting transmitter CHFA-5-FM Grande Prairie, Alberta, by relocating the transmitter site, changing the frequency from 90.5 MHz (channel 213) to 103.3 MHz (channel 277) and the class from B to C1, and increasing the average effective radiated power from 5,000 to 25,300 watts and the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 206.5 to 247.5 metres.

The new transmitter will operate on 98.7 MHz to rebroadcast the programming of its national French-language network service ICI Radio-Canada Première.

The callsign for the new transmitter will be CHFA-FM-14 and will replace CHFB-FM which is a privately owned community rebroadcasting facility l'Association Canadienne Française de l'Alberta.