FORT CHIPEWYAN, ALBERTA

Location of Fort Chipewyan in Alberta
'Fort Chipewyan' is the oldest European settlement in the province of Alberta, Canada. The settlement was established by the North West Company when it setup a trading post there in 1788. The Fort was named after the Chipewyan First Nation living in the area. The Fort is located on the northwestern tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, in the eastern extremity of northern Alberta.
Aerial view of Fort Chipewyan

Tourism plays a key role in the economy, especially in the summer months. The primary method of transportation to Fort Chipewyan is air, serviced by a regional airline named Air Mikisew who fly from Edmonton and Fort McMurray. There are no permanent roads to the Fort, but it can be reached from Fort Smith or Fort McMurray on ice roads and winter roads. In summer, the Fort can also be reached by boat via Fort McMurray, 280 km to the south on the Athabasca River.
In March 2006, Health Canada announced it was studying elevated rates of rare cancers in the area.[1]

Contents
Demographics
Infrastructure
See also
References

Demographics


The unincorporated community is part of the expansive Wood Buffalo regional municipality and had a population of 902 living on a land area of as of the 2001 census.[2] In 2006, the population was 915.Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. (2006). 2006 Municipal Census

Infrastructure


Although the Alberta government long ago did studies on all-weather road access, no action has been taken, and at the beginning of December 2005, one-third of the 1,200 residents signed a petition to request that government for a road to be built 50 km to connect with existing roads north to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. The major expenditure would be a bridge over the Slave River.
The community is served by the Fort Chipewyan Airport

See also



★ Cancer cluster

★ Hamlets of Alberta

References



1. Globe and Mail article regarding the reported elevated cancer rates
2. Statistics Canada. (Census 2001). Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality - Population counts


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