Fort Providence

Fort Providence (Slavey language: Zhahti Koe or Zhahti Kue "mission house") is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located west of Great Slave Lake, it has all-weather road connections by way of the Yellowknife Highway (Great Slave Highway) branch off the Mackenzie Highway, and the Deh Cho Bridge opened November 30, 2012 near Fort Providence over the Mackenzie. The bridge replaces the ice bridge and ferry, enabling year-round crossing of the river.

Not to be confused with Old Fort Providence.
Fort Providence

Zhahti Koe or Zhahti Kue
Hamlet
Fort Providence from the Mackenzie River
Fort Providence
Fort Providence
Coordinates: 61°21′17″N 117°39′36″W
CountryCanada
TerritoryNorthwest Territories
RegionSouth Slave Region
ConstituencyDeh Cho
Census divisionRegion 4
Hamlet1 January 1987
Government
 • MayorSam Gargan
 • Senior Administrative OfficerSusan Christie
 • MPMichael McLeod
Area
 • Land255.05 km2 (98.48 sq mi)
Elevation
160 m (520 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total695
 • Density2.7/km2 (7/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Canadian Postal code
X0E 0L0
Area code(s)867
Telephone exchange699
- Living cost137.5A
- Food price index134.7B
Sources:
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2]
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3]
Canada Flight Supplement[4]
^A 2013 figure based on Edmonton = 100[5]
^B 2015 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[5]

Fort Providence is well known for hosting the annual Mackenzie Days celebrations in August each year.

History

Fort Providence was founded in the 1860s as a Catholic mission site. By 1868, the Hudson's Bay Company, which previously has a trading post at Big Island at the source of the MacKenzie River, moved the post to the location of the mission site. From that moment, the settlement was known as Fort Providence. In 1867, the Grey Nuns opened a boarding school and an orphanage in the settlement. Instruction languages were English and French, and most of the nuns originated from Quebec.[6]

Demographics

The recorded population was 695 in the 2016 Census, a decrease of 5.3% from 2011. Of these the majority, 620, were Indigenous people, made up of 590 First Nations, Dene people, and 30 Métis.[1] In 2017 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 770 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.3% from 2007.[5]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1996774—    
1997828+7.0%
1998843+1.8%
1999842−0.1%
2000837−0.6%
2001819−2.2%
2002803−2.0%
2003824+2.6%
2004801−2.8%
2005799−0.2%
2006757−5.3%
YearPop.±%
2007744−1.7%
2008742−0.3%
2009752+1.3%
2010748−0.5%
2011771+3.1%
2012778+0.9%
2013789+1.4%
2014788−0.1%
2015798+1.3%
2016788−1.3%
2017770−2.3%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 - 2017)[7]

First Nations

The Dene of the community are represented by the Deh Gáh Got'ı̨ę First Nation[8] and the Métis by Fort Providence Métis Nation.[9] Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations.[10]

Fort Providence from the river
  • Fort Providence Health Centre
  • Our Lady of Providence RC Mission in Fort Providence
  • Providence Mission Indian Residential School showing new Roman Catholic Mission on the left, circa 1930
  • Fort Providence Deh Cho Land Use Planning Committee & Dene Fur Clouds sign
  • The Merv Hardie ferry in use before the bridge was opened.
  • The Deh Cho Bridge

Climate

Fort Providence has a continental subarctic climate (Dfc) typical of the Northwest Territories' populated areas. It is marked by a long cold winter season and short, warm summers, that in many ways are warmer than expected for an area so far north. Transition seasons are extremely short, with temperatures rising and falling quickly in respective seasons.

Climate data for Fort Providence, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1943–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)		 9.9
(49.8)		 16.5
(61.7)		 24.0
(75.2)		 31.3
(88.3)		 34.4
(93.9)		 35.2
(95.4)		 36.1
(97.0)		 30.3
(86.5)		 24.4
(75.9)		 12.8
(55.0)		 11.8
(53.2)		 36.1
(97.0)
Average high °C (°F) −18.9
(−2.0)		 −12.9
(8.8)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 5.8
(42.4)		 12.8
(55.0)		 20.9
(69.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 20.4
(68.7)		 13.4
(56.1)		 3.2
(37.8)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −15.1
(4.8)		 3.3
(37.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −23.4
(−10.1)		 −18.7
(−1.7)		 −13.6
(7.5)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 6.3
(43.3)		 13.5
(56.3)		 16.9
(62.4)		 14.0
(57.2)		 7.9
(46.2)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 −11.5
(11.3)		 −19.2
(−2.6)		 −2.5
(27.5)
Average low °C (°F) −27.8
(−18.0)		 −24.3
(−11.7)		 −20.9
(−5.6)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 6.0
(42.8)		 10.1
(50.2)		 7.6
(45.7)		 2.4
(36.3)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −23.1
(−9.6)		 −8.2
(17.2)
Record low °C (°F) −49.4
(−56.9)		 −50.0
(−58.0)		 −45.0
(−49.0)		 −41.1
(−42.0)		 −22.2
(−8.0)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 −14.4
(6.1)		 −27.3
(−17.1)		 −44.4
(−47.9)		 −49.4
(−56.9)		 −50.0
(−58.0)
Average relative humidity (%) 74.9 67.6 53.1 44.4 41.8 41.7 47.1 51.4 57.6 71.3 84.0 80.2 59.6
Source: Environment Canada[11][12]

See also

References
  1. Census Profile, 2016 Census Fort Providence, Hamlet (Census subdivision), Northwest Territories and Northwest Territories (Territory)
  2. "NWT Communities - Fort Providence". Government of the Northwest Territories: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  3. "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Yellowknife: Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  4. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  5. "Fort Providence - Statistical Profile (2001-2012)" (PDF). NWT Bureau of Statistics. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2018.
  6. Piper, Liza. "Brief History of Fort Providence" (PDF). University of Alberta.
  7. Population Estimates By Community from the GNWT
  8. "Deh Gah Gotie Dene Band". Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  9. "Fort Providence Métis". Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  10. "Dehcho First Nations". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  11. "Fort Providence" (CSV (3069 KB)). Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2201799. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. "Fort Providence". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
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