Fort Providence

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Fort Providence

| native_name = Zhahti Koe, Zhahti Kue

| native_name_lang = den

| settlement_type = Hamlet

|image_skyline = Fort Providence.jpg

|image_caption = Fort Providence from the Mackenzie River

| pushpin_map = Canada Northwest Territories#Canada

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Canada

| subdivision_type1 = Territory

| subdivision_name1 = Northwest Territories

| subdivision_type2 = Region

| subdivision_name2 = South Slave Region

| subdivision_type3 = Constituency

| subdivision_name3 = Deh Cho

| subdivision_type4 = Census division

| subdivision_name4 = Region 4

| leader_title = Mayor

| leader_name = Danny Beaulieu{{Cite web|url=https://cklbradio.com/2021/12/14/danny-beaulieu-elected-mayor-of-fort-providence/|title=Danny Beaulieu re-elected mayor of Fort Providence|date=December 14, 2021|website=cklbradio.com|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240811094700/https://cklbradio.com/2021/12/14/danny-beaulieu-elected-mayor-of-fort-providence/|archive-date=August 11, 2024|access-date=August 11, 2024|url-status=live}}

| leader_title1 =

| leader_name1 =

| leader_title2 = MP

| leader_name2 = Michael McLeod

| established_title = Hamlet

| established_date = 1 January 1987

| area_footnotes =

| area_land_km2 = 255.05

| elevation_m = 160

| coordinates = {{coord|61|21|17|N|117|39|36|W|type:city_scale:30000_region:CA-NT|display=inline,title}}

| population_as_of = 2011

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 695

| population_density_km2 = 2.7

| timezone = MST

| utc_offset = −07:00

| timezone_DST = MDT

| utc_offset_DST = −06:00

| postal_code_type = Canadian Postal code

| postal_code = X0E 0L0

| area_code = 867

| blank_name = Telephone exchange

| blank_info = 699

| blank2_name = Prices

| blank3_name = - Living cost

| blank3_info = 137.5{{ref|A|A}}

| blank4_name = - Food price index

| blank4_info = 134.7{{ref|B|B}}

| footnotes = Sources:
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,{{MACANT|fort-providence|Fort Providence|13 January 2014}}
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,{{cite web |url= http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/#4/65.98/-119.97 |title= Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide |website= Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |publisher= Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories |location= Yellowknife |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160113110003/http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/ |archive-date= 2016-01-13 |url-status= live |access-date= 2016-01-13}}
Canada Flight Supplement{{CFS}}
{{note|A|A}}2013 figure based on Edmonton = 100{{cite web |url= https://www.statsnwt.ca/community-data/Profile-PDF/Fort%20Providence.pdf |title= Fort Providence - Statistical Profile (2001-2012) |publisher = NWT Bureau of Statistics |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175426/https://www.statsnwt.ca/community-data/Profile-PDF/Fort%20Providence.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date= 2018-08-29}}
{{note|B|B}}2015 figure based on Yellowknife = 100

}}

Fort Providence ({{langx|den|Zhahti Koe, Zhahti Kue|lit=mission house}}{{Pronunciation-needed}}) 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 replaced the ice bridge and ferry, enabling year-round crossing of the river.

Fort Providence hosts 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.{{cite web |last1=Piper |first1=Liza |title=Brief History of Fort Providence |url=https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/physed/international/paw/briefhistoryoffortprovidence.pdf |publisher=University of Alberta |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328215536/https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/physed/international/paw/briefhistoryoffortprovidence.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Demographics

{{stack|{{Historical populations

| title = Federal census population history of Fort Providence

| type = Canada

| align = right

| width =

| state =

| shading =

| percentages =

|1976|602

|1981|605

|1986|588

|1991|645

|1996|748

|2001|753

|2006|727

|2011|734

|2016|695

|2021|618

| footnote =

| source = Statistics Canada
{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS94-905-1981.pdf | title=1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=May 1992 | accessdate=February 1, 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-101-1987.pdf | title=1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=September 1987 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-304-1992.pdf | title=91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1992 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-357-1997.pdf | title=96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1997 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?T=1&SR=1&S=1&O=A&PR=61 | title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=August 15, 2012 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=1&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=August 20, 2021 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=July 25, 2021 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 8, 2017 | accessdate=February 1, 2022}}

}}}}

{{stack|{{Historical populations

|align=none

|cols=2

|title=Annual population estimates

|1996|774

|1997|828

|1998|843

|1999|842

|2000|837

|2001|819

|2002|803

|2003|824

|2004|801

|2005|799

|2006|757

|2007|744

|2008|742

|2009|752

|2010|748

|2011|771

|2012|778

|2013|789

|2014|788

|2015|798

|2016|788

|2017|770

|footnote= Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 - 2017)[https://www.statsnwt.ca/population/population-estimates/commtotals_2001-2017.xlsx Population Estimates By Community] from the GNWT

}}}}

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Providence had a population of {{val|618|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|256|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|292|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:618-695}}|695|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|695|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|255.49|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|618|255.49|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000261 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Northwest Territories | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 18, 2022}}

In 2016, the majority of its population, 620, were Indigenous people, made up of 590 First Nations, Dene people, and 30 Métis.

First Nations

The Dene of the community are represented by the Deh Gáh Got'ı̨ę First Nation{{Cite web |url=http://www.dehcho.org/members/fort_providence.htm |title=Deh Gah Gotie Dene Band |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809212432/http://www.dehcho.org/members/fort_providence.htm |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |url-status=dead }} and the Métis by Fort Providence Métis Nation.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dehcho.org/members/fort_providence_metis.htm |title=Fort Providence Métis |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809212506/http://www.dehcho.org/members/fort_providence_metis.htm |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dehcho.org/home.htm |title=Dehcho First Nations |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725223832/http://www.dehcho.org/home.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Gallery

File:Fort Providence - panoramio.jpg

{{gallery

|File:Fort Providence Health Centre.jpg

|alt1=

|Fort Providence Health Centre

|File:Fort Providence Church.jpg

|alt2=

|Our Lady of Providence RC Mission in Fort Providence

|File:View of Providence Mission Indian Residential School showing new Roman Catholic Mission on the left, Fort Providence, NWT (13929395680).jpg

|alt3=

|Providence Mission Indian Residential School showing new Roman Catholic Mission on the left, circa 1930

|File:Fort Providence Deh Cho Land Use Planning Committee & Dene Fur Clouds.jpg

|alt4=

|Fort Providence Deh Cho Land Use Planning Committee & Dene Fur Clouds sign

|File:Merv Hardie ferry from Fort Providence side 05.jpg

|alt5=

|The Merv Hardie ferry in use before the bridge was opened.

|File:Deh Cho Bridge 05.jpg

|alt6=

|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.