Fort McKay Fort MacKay | |
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 Aerial view of Fort McKay | |
  Fort McKay Location of Fort McKay in Alberta | |
| Coordinates:57°10′52″N111°35′59″W / 57.18111°N 111.59972°W /57.18111; -111.59972 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 16 |
| Specialized municipality | RM of Wood Buffalo |
| Established | 1820[1] |
| Named | 1912[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sandy Bowman |
| • Governing body | Wood Buffalo Municipal Council
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| Area | |
• Total | 9.53 km2 (3.68 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 742 |
| • Density | 77.9/km2 (202/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code(s) | 780,587, 825 |
| Highways | Highway 63 |
| Waterways | Athabasca River |
| Website | RM of Wood Buffalo |
Fort McKay (/məˈkaɪ/mə-KY)[3] orFort MacKay is a community innortheast Alberta, Canada, located at the confluence of theAthabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately 54 km (34 mi) north ofFort McMurray viaHighway 63 and Fort McKay Road. The community has an elevation of 260 m (850 ft).
The majority of the community is anIndian settlement of theFort McKay First Nation (FMFN). The smaller portion of the community, known as Fort MacKay before 2018, is located adjacent to the FMFN lands to the south within theRegional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. The portion of the community within the RM of Wood Buffalo is designated as ahamlet.[4][5][6]
The community was named in 1912, after Dr. Williams Morrison MacKay, the first president of the Northern Alberta Medical Association.[5][6] The community's name is spelledFort McKay by theFort McKay First Nation.[6] In August 2012, the Fort McKay Métis Community requested the RM of Wood Buffalo to change the name of the hamlet toFort McKay.[7][8][9] The change was recognized by the RM on January 22, 2018.[3]
Fort McKay hosted 5000 evacuees from the2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire but the hamlet itself was put under an evacuation notice due to the northward advance of the flames toward the community.[10][11]
Fort McKay has asubarctic climate (Köppen climate classificationDfc).[12] and falls into theNRCPlant Hardiness Zone 3a.[13] Summers are mild and short, and winters can be long and cold.
In the2016 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, the Fort McKay settlement recorded a population of 742 living in 250 of its 303 total private dwellings, a32% change from its 2011 population of 562. With a land area of 9.53 km2 (3.68 sq mi), it had a population density of77.9/km2 (201.7/sq mi) in 2016.[2]
In the2011 Census, the Fort McKay settlement had a population of 562 living in 201 of its 235 total dwellings, a 7.9% change from its 2006 population of 521. With a land area of 8.17 km2 (3.15 sq mi), it had a population density of68.79/km2 (178.16/sq mi) in 2011.[14]
The population of the hamlet portion of Fort McKay according to the2018 municipal census conducted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is 59,[18] an increase from its2015 municipal census population count of 51.[19]
The economy is centred on the development of theAthabasca oil sands to the immediate south and north. Motorists travelling north on Highway 63 pass through oil sands developments en route to the community.
The community is located in the federal riding ofFort McMurray—Cold Lake.
The community is located 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Highway 63 via Fort McKay Road, and is served by air at theFort MacKay/Horizon Airport.
Places adjacent to Fort McKay | |
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