Mackenzie
District municipality
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional DistrictFraser-Fort George
MayorJoan Atkinson
Governing bodyDistrict of Mackenzie Municipal Council
MP (Prince George-Peace River)Bob Zimmer
MLA (Prince George-Mackenzie)Kiel Giddens
Incorporated1966
Area total159.09 km²
Population as of2016
Population total3,714
Population density22.6 km²
Time zonePST (UTC−08:00)
Coordinates55°19′28″N 123°05′34″W
Elevation700 m
Postal code spanV0J 2C0
Area code250 / 778 / 236
Websitedistrictofmackenzie.ca

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).

Economy

Mackenzie'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[1] (successor to FFI), and the Paper Excellence[2] 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[3] provides secondary economic activity for the town.

Transportation

Mackenzie 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.[4]

Demographics

In 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 -11.66% 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 in 2021.[5]

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Mackenzie included:[6]

Religious groups in the District of Mackenzie (1991−2021)
Religious group2021[6]2011[7]2001[8]1991[9]
Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Irreligious2,0952,095%1,5801,580%1,8101,810%1,6501,650%
Christian1,2601,260%1,9501,950%3,0453045%3,8553855%
Hindu2020%2525%00%1515%
Sikh00%1515%365365%265265%
Muslim00%00%1010%00%
Buddhist00%00%00%00%
Jewish00%00%00%00%
Indigenous spirituality00%00%N/AN/AN/AN/A
Other religion2525%00%00%00%
Total responses3,4053,405%3,5753,575%5,2355,235%5,7905,790%

Ethnicity

Panethnic groups in the District of Mackenzie (1986−2021)
Panethnic group2021[6]2016[10]2011[7]2006[11]2001[8]1996[12]1991[9][13]1986[14][15][16]: 102
Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
European[a]2,84083.28%3,16584.85%3,01084.08%3,98087.76%4,59087.6%5,50591.98%5,01086.53%4,76586.01%
Indigenous40511.88%44011.8%44012.29%3156.95%2104.01%1652.76%3606.22%3706.68%
Southeast Asian[b]802.35%300.8%150.42%200.44%100.19%00%100.17%00%
South Asian451.32%701.88%501.4%1753.86%4157.92%2654.43%2905.01%3556.41%
East Asian[c]100.29%00%00%400.88%150.29%100.17%400.69%150.27%
African100.29%100.27%100.28%100.22%00%350.58%450.78%150.27%
Middle Eastern[d]00%200.54%00%00%00%00%250.43%100.18%
Latin American00%00%00%00%100.19%100.17%100.17%100.18%
Other/multiracial[e]00%100.27%00%00%00%00%
Total responses3,410103.93%3,730100.43%3,580102.08%4,53599.91%5,240100.65%5,98599.8%5,79099.9%5,54099.96%
Total population3,281100%3,714100%3,507100%4,539100%5,206100%5,997100%5,796100%5,542100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Climate

Mackenzie 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.

Recreation

In 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

Community 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,[17] Mackenzie Baptist and Hope Trinity (converging the Anglican, Lutheran and United faiths) churches and Living Joy Christian Centre.[18]

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

Mackenzie is situated less than 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Williston Lake reservoir, the largest man-made lake in British Columbia.[19] Mackenzie is also the home of the world's largest tree crusher.

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

  1. ^ Conifex Timber web site.
  2. ^ P&P Canada article on Paper Excellence acquisition of Mackenzie Pulp Operations
  3. ^ "Mount Milligan". Centerra Gold
  4. ^ "Northern Rockies & Alaska Highway". Destination BC. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  7. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2015-11-27). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  8. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-07-02). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  9. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-03-29). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  10. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2021-10-27). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  11. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-08-20). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  12. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-07-02). "Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  13. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-03-29). "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 2023-05-12.
  14. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-27). "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 2023-05-12.
  15. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-27). "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 2023-05-12.
  16. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  17. ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George
  18. ^ Living Joy Christian Centre web site
  19. ^ Atlas of Canada. Lakes Archived 26 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine