Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation () is a

Denesuline The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene group of Indigenous Canadian people belonging to the Athabaskan language family, whose ancest ...

First Nation in northern Saskatchewan. The main settlement, Wollaston Lake, is an unincorporated community on

Wollaston Lake Wollaston Lake () is a lake in the north-eastern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is about north-east of Prince Albert. With a surface area of (excluding islands; if islands are included), it is the largest bifurcation lake ...

in the

boreal forest Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...

of north-eastern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The population centre comprises the

northern settlement Communities in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, include incorporated municipalities, unincorporated communities and First Nations communities. Types of incorporated municipalities include urban municipalities, rural municipalities and n ...

of Wollaston Lake, an unincorporated community in the

Northern Saskatchewan Administration District The Northern Saskatchewan Administration District (NSAD) is the unincorporated area of Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It encompasses approximately half of Saskatchewan's land mass. Despite its extent, the majority of Saskatchewanians live in the ...

, and the adjoining First Nations community of Wollaston Post, the administrative headquarters of the Hatchet Lake

Dene The Dene people () are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term ...

First Nation

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

. Access is provided by

Wollaston Lake Airport Wollaston Lake Airport is located adjacent to Wollaston Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada on the Hatchet Lake Dene Nation. The airport consists of one runway (17/35) and a single apron. Transwest Air maintained a terminal, a fuel tank and a ha ...

and Highway 905. With the highway on the west side of the lake and the community on the east, access from the highway is provided by an

ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Int ...

in the winter and by the

Wollaston Barge Ferry The Wollaston Lake Barge Ferry is a barge ferry that operates in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District of the province. The ferry crosses Wollaston Lake, providing a link between Highways ...

in the summer. Highway 995 services the community and runs from the airport to the barge.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the Northern Settlement of Wollaston Lake had a population of 96 living in 30 of its 39 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 104. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of Wollaston Post (Lac La Hache 220, IR, Saskatchewan) was 1,251 in 2011.

Band government

Wollaston Post is the administrative centre of the Hatchet Lake Dene Nation. The

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

had a total registered membership of 1,760 in January 2015 with 1,369 members residing on-reserve and 391 members residing at locations off-reserve. Under a Custom Electoral System members choose one Chief and six councillors. Hatchet Lake is affiliated with the

Prince Albert Grand Council The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is a Tribal Council representing the band governments of twelve First Nations in the province of Saskatchewan. Its head offices are located in the city of Prince Albert. The Tribal Council was created in 1 ...

Territory

Hatchet Lake Dene Nation has one territory (Lac La Hache 220). Lac La Hache 220 is . It includes many islands the largest being Strong Island, Paul Island, Labby Island and Jackpine Island and peninsulas north of the settlement in the area surrounding Fidler Bay and Kempton Bay.

Climate

Wollaston Lake has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

( Dfc) with mild, wet summers and long, severely cold winters.

References

{{Authority control Division No. 18, Unorganized, Saskatchewan First Nations governments in Saskatchewan Northern settlements in Saskatchewan Dene communities

Demographics

Band government

Territory

Climate

See also

References