Fort Liard

Fort Liard /liˈɑːrd/ (Slavey language: Echaot'l Koe^{[pronunciation?]} "people from the land of the giants" or Acho Dene Kue) is a hamlet in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located 37 km (23 mi) north of the British Columbia border. It became accessible by road in 1984 with the completion of the Liard Highway (Northwest Territories Highway 7 and British Columbia Highway 77).

Fort Liard Echaot'l Koe or Acho Dene Kue
Hamlet
The Sleeping Giant – the view from the top of the hill heading into the Hamlet
Fort Liard Show map of Northwest Territories Fort Liard Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 60°14′21″N 123°28′31″W[1]
Country	Canada
Territory	Northwest Territories
Region	Dehcho Region
Constituency	Nahendeh
Census division	Region 4
Incorporated (hamlet)	1 April 1987
Government
• Mayor	Genevieve McLeod
• Senior Administrative Officer	John McKee
• MLA	Shane Thompson
Area [3]
• Land	67.61 km2 (26.10 sq mi)
Elevation	216 m (709 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	468
• Density	6.9/km2 (18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Canadian Postal code	X0G 0A0
Area code	867
Telephone exchange	770
– Living cost (2018)	132.5A
– Food price index (2019)	145.4B
Website	www.fortliard.com
Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[4] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[5] Canada Flight Supplement[6] ^A 2018 figure based on Edmonton = 100[7] ^B 2019 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[7]

The Hamlet of Fort Liard is served by two general merchandise stores: The General Store and The North West Company store. The K-12 community school, "Echo Dene School", has a student population of about 150. It also has a community health centre with four nurses, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment with four members, and a recreation centre, including a swimming pool, skating rink, youth centre and multi-court.^[8] There is a fuel centre that sells gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, emergency survival kits and convenience items. There is also a traditional craft store which sells locally made craft items.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Liard had a population of 468 living in 170 of its 209 total private dwellings, a change of -6.4% from its 2016 population of 500. With a land area of 67.61 km² (26.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.9/km² (17.9/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

In the 2016 Census the majority of the population, 445 people out of a total of 500, were Indigenous, either First Nations or Métis.^[9]

Federal census population history of Fort Liard

Year	Pop.	±%
1976	299	—
1981	405	+35.5%
1986	395	−2.5%
1991	485	+22.8%
1996	512	+5.6%
2001	530	+3.5%
2006	583	+10.0%
2011	536	−8.1%
2016	500	−6.7%
2021	468	−6.4%
Source: Statistics Canada [3][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Annual population estimates

Year Pop. ±% 1996 538 —     1997 528 −1.9% 1998 525 −0.6% 1999 537 +2.3% 2000 571 +6.3% 2001 582 +1.9% 2002 599 +2.9% 2003 575 −4.0% 2004 601 +4.5% 2005 596 −0.8% 2006 606 +1.7% 2007 586 −3.3%	Year Pop. ±% 2008 569 −2.9% 2009 564 −0.9% 2010 564 +0.0% 2011 554 −1.8% 2012 566 +2.2% 2013 571 +0.9% 2014 587 +2.8% 2015 623 +6.1% 2016 629 +1.0% 2017 658 +4.6% 2018 548 −16.7% 2019 542 −1.1%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2008–2019),[7] NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 – 2017)[17]

First Nations

The Dene of the community are represented by the Acho Dene Koe Band and the Métis by Fort Liard Metis Local 67. Both groups belong to the Deh Cho First Nations Tribal Council.^[18][19]

Gallery

• 
  Beautiful Autumn Colors
• 
  Petitot River just before it meets the Liard River
• 
  Roman Catholic Church
• 
  Petiot River looking toward the Liard River
• 
  The Sleeping Giant in Fall

Climate

Fort Liard has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), just above a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. Temperatures can be warm in the summer, and cold in the winter. Fort Liard has an average frost free period of around 120 days,^[20] one of the longest in the territory.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Liard was 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) on 13 July 2014 and 27 June 2021.^[20][21] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −46.7 °C (−52.1 °F) on 15 January 1974.^[20]

Climate data for Fort Liard (Fort Liard Airport) Climate ID: 2201575; coordinates 60°14′06″N 123°28′01″W; elevation: 215.8 m (708 ft); 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1973–present[a]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high humidex	14.7	14.1	19.8	22.9	31.7	35.5	42.6	38.7	32.1	26.6	13.3	14.3	42.6
Record high °C (°F)	14.8 (58.6)	15.0 (59.0)	19.9 (67.8)	25.0 (77.0)	32.6 (90.7)	35.2 (95.4)	35.2 (95.4)	34.9 (94.8)	30.5 (86.9)	26.5 (79.7)	13.5 (56.3)	15.3 (59.5)	35.2 (95.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−16.7 (1.9)	−10.1 (13.8)	−2.4 (27.7)	8.8 (47.8)	17.4 (63.3)	22.0 (71.6)	23.7 (74.7)	21.6 (70.9)	15.3 (59.5)	4.8 (40.6)	−8.8 (16.2)	−15.4 (4.3)	5.0 (41.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−20.8 (−5.4)	−15.7 (3.7)	−9.4 (15.1)	2.0 (35.6)	10.3 (50.5)	15.4 (59.7)	17.6 (63.7)	15.5 (59.9)	9.6 (49.3)	0.7 (33.3)	−12.5 (9.5)	−19.3 (−2.7)	−0.6 (30.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−24.9 (−12.8)	−21.3 (−6.3)	−16.3 (2.7)	−4.7 (23.5)	3.2 (37.8)	8.8 (47.8)	11.4 (52.5)	9.4 (48.9)	3.9 (39.0)	−3.4 (25.9)	−16.3 (2.7)	−23.1 (−9.6)	−6.1 (21.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−46.7 (−52.1)	−44.0 (−47.2)	−38.3 (−36.9)	−30.5 (−22.9)	−14.5 (5.9)	−1.6 (29.1)	−0.1 (31.8)	−1.7 (28.9)	−11.7 (10.9)	−30.0 (−22.0)	−43.0 (−45.4)	−45.0 (−49.0)	−46.7 (−52.1)
Record low wind chill	−61.6	−51.9	−46.6	−34.3	−22.3	−3.9	0.0	0.0	−10.7	−32.4	−50.9	−53.2	−61.6
Average precipitation mm (inches)	27.0 (1.06)	19.3 (0.76)	15.2 (0.60)	15.9 (0.63)	39.5 (1.56)	71.3 (2.81)	82.2 (3.24)	54.0 (2.13)	43.4 (1.71)	27.4 (1.08)	31.0 (1.22)	22.9 (0.90)	449.2 (17.69)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.00)	3.3 (0.13)	37.2 (1.46)	61.1 (2.41)	88.0 (3.46)	50.5 (1.99)	45.4 (1.79)	10.8 (0.43)	0.1 (0.00)	0.0 (0.0)	296.4 (11.67)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	30.5 (12.0)	22.8 (9.0)	17.0 (6.7)	12.2 (4.8)	1.9 (0.7)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.0 (0.8)	16.8 (6.6)	35.4 (13.9)	26.7 (10.5)	165.3 (65.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	9.2	7.7	7.0	4.9	9.8	10.7	12.3	12.2	10.9	8.6	10.1	8.1	111.3
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.8	8.9	9.7	11.5	10.8	10.8	3.9	0.1	0.0	57.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	9.0	7.4	7.5	3.2	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	5.4	10.1	7.4	51.8
Average relative humidity (%) (at 1500 LST)	70.9	62.9	49.6	40.7	37.4	46.7	49.8	51.3	53.0	66.4	74.9	74.8	56.6
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[20] (June maximum)[21] (August maximum)[22]

See also

• List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories
• Fort Liard Airport

Notes

1. Composite data from Fort Liard A: Climate ID: 2201581; coordinates 60°14′08″N 123°28′12″W; elevation: 215.8 m (708 ft) and Fort Liard; WMO ID: 71497; coordinates 60°14′N 123°28′W; elevation: 213.4 m (700 ft)