Mackenzie is a district municipality within the Fraser-Fort George Regional District in central British Columbia, Canada. The community is located at the south end of Williston Lake. The townsite, established by Alexandra Forest Industries (acquired by BC Forest Products in 1967) and Cattermole Timber (partnered with Jujo Paper in 1970 to create Finlay Forest Industries), was named for Sir Alexander MacKenzie (1764–1820).
Mackenzie | |
|---|---|
| District of Mackenzie[1] | |
 Mackenzie seen from Morfee Mountain | |
| Nickname: "Mack-Town" | |
  Mackenzie Location of Mackenzie  Mackenzie Mackenzie (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 55°19′28″N 123°05′34″W / 55.32444°N 123.09278°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District | Fraser-Fort George |
| Incorporated | 1966 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Joan Atkinson |
| • Governing body | District of Mackenzie Municipal Council |
| • MP (Prince George-Peace River) | Bob Zimmer |
| • MLA (Prince George-Mackenzie) | Mike Morris |
| Area | |
• Total | 159.09 km2 (61.42 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 700 m (2,300 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 3,714 |
| • Density | 22.6/km2 (59/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| Postal code span | |
| Area code | 250 / 778 / 236 |
| Highways |  Highway 39 |
| Website | districtofmackenzie.ca |
Economy
editMackenzie's main industries are logging, lumber and tourism. Duz Cho Logging, sawmills, such as the now closed Canfor Corporation Mackenzie sawmill (successor to BCFP's lumber division) and the currently still running Conifex Timber[2] (successor to FFI), and the Paper Excellence[3] kraft pulp mill (successor to BCFP's pulp division), were major employers in town. As of July 2019, the Canfor sawmill ceased production indefinitely as part of a province-wide curtailment of operations and in 2020 the pulp mill was also permanently shut down. The nearby Centerra Gold Mount Milligan copper-gold operation[4] provides secondary economic activity for the town.
Transportation
editMackenzie is located on Highway 39, 28 km (17 mi) from Highway 97. There is a scheduled bus service to Chetwynd and Prince George, although since Greyhound pulled out of Canada the new bus service is not very frequent. It is also served by a small airport. There is no scheduled passenger service but charter services are available.[5]
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mackenzie had a population of 3,281 living in 1,515 of its 1,837 total private dwellings, a change of -11.7% from its 2016 population of 3,714. With a land area of 154.19 km2 (59.53 sq mi), it had a population density of 21.3/km2 (55.1/sq mi) in 2021.[6]
Religion
editAccording to the 2021 census, religious groups in Mackenzie included:[7]
- Irreligion (2,095 persons or 61.5%)
- Christianity (1,260 persons or 37.0%)
- Hinduism (20 persons or 0.6%)
- Other (25 persons or 0.7%)
Ethnicity
edit| Panethnic group | 2021[7] | 2016[8] | 2011[9] | 2006[10] | 2001[11] | 1996[12] | 1991[13][14] | 1986[15][16][17]: 102 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | ||||
| European[a] | 2,840 | 83.28% | 3,165 | 84.85% | 3,010 | 84.08% | 3,980 | 87.76% | 4,590 | 87.6% | 5,505 | 91.98% | 5,010 | 86.53% | 4,765 | 86.01% | |||
| Indigenous | 405 | 11.88% | 440 | 11.8% | 440 | 12.29% | 315 | 6.95% | 210 | 4.01% | 165 | 2.76% | 360 | 6.22% | 370 | 6.68% | |||
| Southeast Asian[b] | 80 | 2.35% | 30 | 0.8% | 15 | 0.42% | 20 | 0.44% | 10 | 0.19% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.17% | 0 | 0% | |||
| South Asian | 45 | 1.32% | 70 | 1.88% | 50 | 1.4% | 175 | 3.86% | 415 | 7.92% | 265 | 4.43% | 290 | 5.01% | 355 | 6.41% | |||
| East Asian[c] | 10 | 0.29% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 40 | 0.88% | 15 | 0.29% | 10 | 0.17% | 40 | 0.69% | 15 | 0.27% | |||
| African | 10 | 0.29% | 10 | 0.27% | 10 | 0.28% | 10 | 0.22% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 0.58% | 45 | 0.78% | 15 | 0.27% | |||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.54% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 25 | 0.43% | 10 | 0.18% | |||
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.19% | 10 | 0.17% | 10 | 0.17% | 10 | 0.18% | |||
| Other/multiracial[e] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.27% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — | |||
| Total responses | 3,410 | 103.93% | 3,730 | 100.43% | 3,580 | 102.08% | 4,535 | 99.91% | 5,240 | 100.65% | 5,985 | 99.8% | 5,790 | 99.9% | 5,540 | 99.96% | |||
| Total population | 3,281 | 100% | 3,714 | 100% | 3,507 | 100% | 4,539 | 100% | 5,206 | 100% | 5,997 | 100% | 5,796 | 100% | 5,542 | 100% | |||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | |||||||||||||||||||
Climate
editMackenzie has a subarctic climate that has influences from the Pacific Ocean resulting in less cold winters than expected for its northerly latitude compared to other Canadian locations. It has warm summer days, but the cool nights ensure that only three months go above 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperatures. Winters are very cold on occasion, although relatively short for a subarctic climate with a January mean of −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) as the coldest month.
| Climate data for Mackenzie Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | 9.2 | 9.9 | 14.9 | 23.8 | 31.4 | 31.9 | 36.0 | 35.5 | 32.3 | 23.7 | 12.4 | 8.4 | 36.0 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.8 (49.6) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.3 (61.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
34.6 (94.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
30.7 (87.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
13.3 (55.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
35.0 (95.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
3.3 (37.9) |
9.7 (49.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
15.2 (59.4) |
7.6 (45.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
8.4 (47.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.2 (15.4) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
3.3 (37.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.9 (8.8) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
8.2 (46.8) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−11.6 (11.1) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −44.5 (−48.1) |
−43.8 (−46.8) |
−40.0 (−40.0) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−21.5 (−6.7) |
−35.6 (−32.1) |
−45.1 (−49.2) |
−45.1 (−49.2) |
| Record low wind chill | −52.8 | −43.1 | −42.8 | −24.4 | −14.7 | −3.2 | 0.0 | −4.8 | −10.8 | −29.5 | −48.0 | −50.4 | −52.8 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 70.5 (2.78) |
45.6 (1.80) |
32.6 (1.28) |
30.6 (1.20) |
48.0 (1.89) |
56.9 (2.24) |
61.8 (2.43) |
49.0 (1.93) |
52.4 (2.06) |
71.8 (2.83) |
71.6 (2.82) |
60.9 (2.40) |
651.7 (25.66) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 2.5 (0.10) |
5.6 (0.22) |
8.0 (0.31) |
16.1 (0.63) |
47.0 (1.85) |
56.9 (2.24) |
61.8 (2.43) |
49.0 (1.93) |
51.9 (2.04) |
57.1 (2.25) |
10.3 (0.41) |
4.0 (0.16) |
370.2 (14.57) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 77.9 (30.7) |
47.3 (18.6) |
27.4 (10.8) |
15.3 (6.0) |
1.0 (0.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (0.2) |
15.2 (6.0) |
63.5 (25.0) |
64.0 (25.2) |
312.3 (123.0) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.7 | 13.0 | 11.5 | 10.1 | 13.1 | 13.5 | 13.4 | 11.8 | 12.2 | 16.3 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 164.8 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 1.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 12.8 | 13.9 | 13.3 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 13.8 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 98.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 17.0 | 12.6 | 9.4 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 15.6 | 16.2 | 82.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 78.3 | 69.7 | 56.6 | 45.6 | 40.7 | 43.7 | 46.0 | 47.3 | 54.6 | 66.7 | 80.3 | 82.0 | 59.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 35.4 | 67.4 | 151.0 | 201.3 | 239.7 | 249.0 | 273.5 | 254.2 | 163.8 | 93.4 | 35.4 | 28.5 | 1,792.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 14.6 | 24.9 | 41.2 | 47.6 | 47.8 | 47.9 | 52.5 | 54.7 | 42.7 | 28.7 | 14.0 | 12.7 | 35.8 |
| Source: [18] | |||||||||||||
Recreation
editIn the winter, Mackenzie hosts dog sled racing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling competitions, and maintains 32 km of groomed cross-country ski trails. Morfee Mountain overlooks Mackenzie and is suitable for hiking and off-road vehicle usage. Mackenzie has a swimming pool, indoor skating rink, a curling rink, and two beaches on Morfee Lake; First Beach is used primarily for recreational swimming, and Second Beach includes a boat launch. Mackenzie is home to Little Mac Ski Hill, a small local ski hill and mountain-bike park located east of town and a 45-minutes drive from Powder King ski resort. The nearby lakes and forests are suitable for fishing and hunting.
Mackenzie Golf and Country Club is a semi-private, nine-hole golf course with a driving range. It is situated within walking distance of most of the town.
Community facilities
editCommunity facilities include a recreation centre that houses the public library, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, and community hall. There is also an art centre, a museum, two shopping malls, and two schools: Mackenzie Secondary School (which also serves McLeod Lake), and Morfee Elementary School. The schools are operated by the Prince George School District (No. 57).
Mackenzie also has several religious establishments, including a Sikh temple, St. Peter's Catholic,[19] Mackenzie Baptist and Hope Trinity (converging the Anglican, Lutheran and United faiths) churches and Living Joy Christian Centre.[20]
Mackenzie has been served by CHMM-FM, a not-for-profit radio station since 2003.
Mackenzie has its own Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment, a provincial courtroom, a volunteer fire department, and a municipal hospital.
Tourist attractions
editMackenzie is situated less than 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Williston Lake reservoir, the largest man-made lake in British Columbia.[21] Mackenzie is also the home of the world's largest tree crusher.
Notable people
edit- Turner Stevenson – Former National Hockey League player
- Leah Callahan – Canadian Olympic wrestler (London 2012)
Image gallery
edit-
Canfor’s A and C Sawmills and Super Planer
-
Conifex Site 2 Sawmill, Drying Kilns and Planer
-
Newsprint Complex Finlay-Donohue-Abitibi 1989–2007
-
St. Peter’s Catholic Church
-
Hope Trinity Church
-
Living Joy Christian Centre
-
Sikh Temple
-
Mackenzie (I) Elementary School
-
Morfee Elementary School
-
Mountain View Elementary School
-
Causeway across Parsnip Reach of Williston Lake opened in 2000 to shorten the Log Haul Distance
-
Parsnip Bridge completed in 1952 linked Hart Highway to Peace River Country
-
Morfee Mountain in Late Afternoon Setting Sun in Winter
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
- ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
- ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
- ^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
- ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.
References
edit- ^ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ Conifex Timber web site.
- ^ P&P Canada article on Paper Excellence acquisition of Mackenzie Pulp Operations
- ^ "Mount Milligan". Centerra Gold.
- ^ "Northern Rockies & Alaska Highway". Destination BC. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ a b Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 October 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 October 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 November 2015). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (20 August 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2 July 2019). "Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (29 March 2019). "Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (27 June 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (3 April 2013). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George
- ^ Living Joy Christian Centre web site
- ^ Atlas of Canada. Lakes Archived 26 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine