The Methye Portage or Portage La Loche in northwestern Saskatchewan was one of the most important portages in the old fur trade route across Canada. The 19 km (12 mi) portage connected the Mackenzie River basin to rivers that ran east to the Atlantic. It was reached by Peter Pond in 1778 and abandoned in 1883 when steamboats began running on the Athabasca River with links to the railroad. It ranks with Grand Portage as one of the two most important and difficult portages used during the fur trade era.
76-438: 'Methye' is Cree and 'La Loche' is French for a fish that is called ' burbot ' in English. Although 'Methye Portage' is often used the official name since 1957 is Portage La Loche. Both names are used in historical documents, books and journals. Alexander Mackenzie in his book "Voyages from Montreal" used both Portage la Loche and Mithy-Ouinigam Portage (in 1789–1793). The Methye Portage had been in use by indigenous peoples as
152-524: A 9.9% change from its 2011 population of 60,555. With a land area of 51.79 km (20.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,285.4/km (3,329.3/sq mi) in 2016. The permanent population of the Fort McMurray urban service area according to the RM of Wood Buffalo's 2021 municipal census is 72,917, a change of 1.2% from its 2018 municipal census permanent population of 72,056. In addition,
228-772: A benthic lifestyle with low swimming endurance, unable to withstand strong currents. Burbot have circumpolar distribution above 40° N. Populations are continuous from France across Europe and chiefly Russian Asia to the Bering Strait . In North America, burbot range from the Seward Peninsula in Alaska to New Brunswick along the Atlantic Coast. Burbot are most common in streams and lakes of North America and Europe. They are fairly common in Lake Erie , but are also found in
304-537: A boomtown . Housing prices and rents are far higher in Fort McMurray than most such remote areas, and in 2006, Fort McMurray had the highest prices in Alberta. The Alberta government has promised to release more Crown land for residential construction, particularly in Timberlea on the north side. There are several airports in the area , with Fort McMurray International Airport being the largest in northern Alberta . It
380-448: A correspondent from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno did a segment on the event. Burbot populations are difficult to study, due to their deep habitats and reproduction under ice. Although burbot global distribution is widespread and abundant, many populations have been threatened or extirpated. Ichthyologists and taxonomists are strongly advising to look into the old taxonomical due to new genetic insights there are two species of burbot:
456-546: A decade, until another slump in oil prices which began in December 2014 and deepened in 2015 resulted in layoffs and postponement of projects. In June 2013, heavy rains caused the Hangingstone River to flood, causing a six-day state of emergency , a bridge collapse, the closure of highways 63 and 881 , and the evacuation of 150 people. On May 3, 2016, a large wildfire burning southwest of Fort McMurray resulted in
532-491: A flattened head and single, tube-like projection for each nostril. The mouth is wide, with both upper and lower jaws having many small teeth. Burbot have two soft dorsal fins , with the first being low and short, and the second being much longer. The anal fin is low and almost as long as the dorsal fin. The caudal fin is rounded, the pectoral fins are fan-shaped, and pelvic fins are narrow with an elongated second fin ray. Having such small fins relative to body size indicates
608-418: A large oil globule, about 1 mm (0.039 in) in diameter and have an optimal incubation range between 1 and 7 °C (34 and 45 °F). Newly hatched burbot larvae are pelagic , passively drifting in the open water. Habitats near 4 °C (39 °F) are optimal for burbot and they prefer water temperatures of 12 °C (54 °F) and lower. By night, juveniles are active, taking shelter during
684-677: A matter of years. The Methye Portage was also used by Sir Alexander Mackenzie on his exploratory expedition to the west coast, an expedition which reached the Pacific Ocean in 1793, fully 12 years before the more famous Lewis and Clark Expedition . From 1826 to the early 1870s the Portage La Loche Brigade from Fort Garry arrived at the Portage in July. This famous brigade of York boats would then return via Norway House and York Factory to
760-682: A place of burial. The cross had been razed by fire. Other crosses had marked the graves of a few more adventurers. These too had disappeared." The Methye Portage was designated a National Historic Site in 1933 and the Clearwater River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1986. Today the Methye Portage and the Saskatchewan portion of the Clearwater River are within the Clearwater River Provincial Park . A bronze plaque
836-464: A relatively short season lasting from two to three weeks, burbot spawn multiple times, but not every year. As broadcast spawners, burbot do not have an explicit nesting site, but rather release eggs and sperm into the water column to drift and settle. When spawning, many male burbot gather around one or two females, forming a spawning ball. Writhing in the open water, males and females simultaneously release sperm and eggs. Depending on water temperatures,
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#1732837853986912-490: A town a year later. Fort McMurray was granted the status of new town so it could get more provincial funding. By 1966, the town's population was over 2,000. In 1967, the Great Canadian Oil Sands (now Suncor ) plant opened and Fort McMurray's growth soon took off. More oil sands plants were opened, especially after the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis , when serious political tensions and conflicts in
988-608: A trade route for generations. They introduced it to Peter Pond in 1778. Although Anthony Henday had come within sight of the Rocky Mountains in 1754 by overland routes to the south, the advance of western exploration was limited until this fur trade transportation route to the Athabasca opened. The portage was in constant use until 1883 when the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Calgary ending more than 100 years as
1064-470: A transportation stopover in the decades afterwards. The Alberta and Great Waterways Railway arrived in 1915 complementing existing steamboat service. The community has played a significant role in the history of the petroleum industry in Canada . Oil exploration is known to have occurred in the early 20th century, but Fort McMurray's population remained small, no more than a few hundred people. By 1921, there
1140-480: A wide diet is also correlated to their tendency to bite lures, making them very easy to catch. Burbot are preyed upon by northern pike, muskellunge, and some lamprey species. A book written in 1590 in England notes that burbot were so common that they were used to feed hogs. The burbot is edible. In Finland , its roe and liver are highly regarded as delicacies, as is the fish itself. An annual spearfishing tournament
1216-540: Is a tenacious predator , which sometimes attacks other fish of almost the same size, and as such, can be a nuisance fish in waters where it is not native. Recent discoveries of burbot in the Green River at Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah have concerned wildlife biologists, who fear the burbot could decimate the sport-fish population in what is recognized as one of the world's top brown trout fisheries, because it often feeds on
1292-865: Is about 40 cm (16 in), with slight sexual dimorphism. Maximum lengths range between 30 and 120 cm (12 and 47 in), and weights range from 1.0 to 12 kg (2.2 to 26.5 lb). At the larval stage, month-old burbot begin exogenous feeding, consuming food through the mouth and digesting in the intestines. Burbot at the larval stage and into the juvenile stage feed on invertebrates based on size. Under 1 cm (0.39 in), burbot eat copepods and cladocerans , and above 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in), zooplankton and amphipods . As adults, they are primarily piscivores , preying on lamprey , whitefish , grayling , young northern pike , suckers , stickleback , trout , and perch . At times, burbot also eat insects and other macroinvertebrates , and have been known to eat frogs, snakes, and birds. Having such
1368-467: Is considered the heart of one of Alberta's (and Canada's) hubs of petroleum production, located near the Athabasca oil sands . Besides the oil sands , the economy also relies on natural gas and pipeline transport , forestry and tourism. Oil sands producers include Syncrude , Suncor Energy , Canadian Natural Resources , and CNOOC Petroleum North America ULC . Fort McMurray's growth is characteristic of
1444-459: Is held near Roblin, Manitoba . One of the highlights of the tournament is the fish fry, where the day's catch is served deep-fried. When cooked, burbot meat tastes very similar to American lobster , leading to the burbot's nickname of "poor man's lobster". In the 1920s, Minnesota druggist Theodore "Ted" H. Rowell and his father, Joseph Rowell, a commercial fisherman on Lake of the Woods , were using
1520-479: Is lower in viscosity, and more rapidly digested and assimilated than most other fish-liver oils. Rowell went on to found the Burbot Liver Products Company, which later became Rowell Laboratories, Inc. The IGFA recognizes the world-record burbot as caught on Lake Diefenbaker , Saskatchewan, Canada, by Sean Konrad on 27 March 2010. The fish weighed 11.4 kg (25 lb 2 oz). The burbot
1596-511: Is on low priority, being nonexistent in some regions. The Kootenai tribe of Idaho and their partners engaged conservation efforts to the burbot populations. Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( / m ə k ˈ m ʌr i / mək- MURR -ee ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta , Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta , in
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#17328378539861672-432: Is serviced by Air Canada , Air Canada Express , McMurray Aviation , Northwestern Air , WestJet and WestJet Encore , with scheduled flights to Calgary , Edmonton , Fort Chipewyan , Fort Smith , Montreal and Toronto . The airport is also serviced by various oil companies with corporate and charter flights heading north to private airstrips at oil sands operations. Flights are frequently booked to capacity because of
1748-526: Is set in a stone cairn at the entrance to the portage. The dedication is written in French and English. The English version is quoted: "In 1778 Peter Pond became the first white man to cross the 12 mile portage between Lac La Loche and the Clearwater River, thus opening the rich Athabasca region to direct trade. For over forty years, until the opening of the Edmonton-Fort Assiniboine trail, this portage
1824-449: Is the only highway between Fort McMurray and Edmonton . Due to the industrial demands of the oilsands, Highway 63 boasts some of the highest tonnage per kilometre in Canada, and the largest and heaviest loads that trucks have ever carried. Highway 63 was fully twinned in May 2016. Highway 881 also provides access to the region from Lac La Biche . Canadian National Railway (CN) discontinued
1900-461: Is walked at an easy pace in about 4 hours. Along the Portage Trail there were marked graves from the fur trade era according to the following Oblate account written in 1933 by Father Louis Moraud. "We started walking the trail hoping to find a few traces of the past. But this place like the vast oceans keep their secrets. Nature and the elements soon erase every trace of man. Our guide showed us
1976-472: The 1979 Mississauga train derailment and the 1950 Red River flood . About one-fifth of homes in the community were reported to be destroyed in the fire. On April 27, 2020, massive ice jams along the Athabasca River resulted in a major flood. It devastated the downtown of Fort McMurray, submerging streets and ruining businesses, cars and houses. Approximately 13,000 people from Fort McMurray and
2052-477: The 2021 census , the Fort McMurray population centre recorded 68,002 residents living in 24,505 of its 28,670 total private dwellings, a change of 1.3% from its 2016 population of 67,123 . With a land area of 52.17 km (20.14 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,303.5/km (3,376.0/sq mi) in 2021. In the 2016 census , the Fort McMurray population centre recorded 66,573 residents living in 23,937 of its 28,567 total private dwellings,
2128-593: The Advanced Placement program at one of their schools, being Westwood Community High School . On Abasand Drive, École Boréal is the only francophone school in the area and goes from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. Keyano College is a publicly funded college and vocational institute based in the area and plays a role in training workers for the oil sands. Known as the cultural hub of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Keyano College contains both
2204-536: The Churchill River , west up the Churchill past the depot on Lac Île-à-la-Crosse , through Peter Pond Lake to Lac La Loche . The portage proper, which is 19 km (12 mi) long, began at Wallis Bay on the north side of Lac La Loche. The path ascends slowly for 8 mi (13 km) to the small Rendezvous Lake. Here, crews coming from the north and south would exchange their loads. Different boats were used on
2280-680: The Cut-off Channel or the Great Ouse Relief Channel , at Denver , Norfolk . In October 1970, it was described in the Guinness Book of Records as the "rarest British fish" which was "almost extinct", so it had been "agreed that no record for this species should be published, at least until 1974, in the interests of conservation". The burbot may still survive in the UK. The counties of Cambridgeshire , Norfolk and Yorkshire (particularly
2356-506: The Muskeg Mixed ( mixed train ) to Fort McMurray in 1989, and there has been no passenger rail service since. CN continues to operate freight service on its Lac La Biche subdivision and stations beyond. Canada Post identified Fort McMurray as "having a particularly high cost to serve" in January 2014, and planned to institute a surcharge of $ 5.00 for all parcels shipped to the area. However,
Methye Portage - Misplaced Pages Continue
2432-479: The Natural Resources Canada (NRC) Plant Hardiness Zone 3a. The community lies at a lower elevation than most other parts of Alberta, so under the right conditions it can be a "hot spot" for Alberta. Temperatures range from an average of −17.2 °C (1.0 °F) in January, to 17.3 °C (63.1 °F) in July. The average annual precipitation is 404.6 mm (15.93 in) and falls mainly in
2508-757: The Red River Settlement ; a 4,000 mi (6,400 km) round trip. For a number of years this brigade was under the leadership of Alexis Bonami . After the first Oblates opened a mission in Île-à-la-Crosse in 1846 a Catholic priest was usually present when the brigades arrived at the portage. They were well received by the French Métis from the Red River Colony and by the Chipewyan . Father Émile Petitot describes his reception in 1862. "We stayed at this mission, Father Émile Grouard and myself until
2584-474: The River Derwent or Yorkshire Ouse ) seem to be the strongest candidates for areas in which the species might yet survive. Plans to reintroduce this freshwater member of the cod family back into British waters are under investigation. Burbot live in large, cold rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, primarily preferring freshwater habitats, but able to thrive in brackish environments for spawning. For some time of
2660-404: The 2021 municipal census counted a shadow population of 3,089 non-permanent residents for a combined population of 76,006, while the 2018 municipal census counted 3,559 non-permanent residents for a combined population of 75,615. Fort McMurray is an increasingly multicultural community. The 2021 census published by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo found roughly 6,700 people moved to
2736-519: The City of Fort McMurray and Improvement District No. 143 were amalgamated to form the Municipality of Wood Buffalo. The new municipality was subsequently renamed the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo on August 14, 1996. As a result, Fort McMurray was no longer officially designated a city. Instead, it was designated an urban service area within a specialized municipality . The amalgamation resulted in
2812-524: The Clearwater about 1,035 ft (315 m). This section is so steep that sledges, horses and oxen were used. The portage road, which is wide enough for a wagon, is still visible. Having used the portage to reach the Mackenzie River basin, the route went west down the Clearwater River to the modern Fort McMurray and then north down Athabasca River to Fort Chipewyan and beyond. For two weeks every July
2888-557: The European burbot (Lota lota) and the North-American burbot (Lota maculosa). As the burbot lacks popularity in commercial fishing , many regions do not even consider management plans. Pollution and habitat change, such as river damming, appear to be the primary causes for riverine burbot population declines, while pollution and the adverse effects of invasive species have the greatest influence on lacustrine populations. Management of burbot
2964-541: The European demand for this commodity at the time was strong. Pond explored the region farther south along the Athabasca River and the Clearwater River , but chose to set up a trading post much farther north by the Athabasca River near Lake Athabasca . However, his post closed in 1788 in favour of Fort Chipewyan , now the oldest continuous settlement in Alberta . In 1790, the explorer Alexander MacKenzie made
3040-470: The Fort McMurray area. The Athabasca oil sands were known to the locals and the surface deposits were used to waterproof their canoes. During the fur trade , the location of Fort McMurray, west of Methye Portage , was an important junction on the fur trade route from eastern Canada to the Athabasca Country . In 1778, the first European explorer, Peter Pond , came to the region in search of furs, as
3116-537: The Latin word barba , meaning beard, referring to its single chin whisker, or barbel . Its generic and specific names, Lota lota , comes from the old French lotte fish, which is also named "barbot" in Old French. With an appearance like a cross between a catfish and an eel, the burbot has a serpent-like body, but is easily distinguished by a single barbel on the chin. The body is elongated and laterally compressed, with
Methye Portage - Misplaced Pages Continue
3192-537: The Middle East triggered oil price spikes. The population of the town reached 6,847 by 1971 and climbed to 31,000 by 1981, a year after its incorporation as a city. The population peaked at almost 37,000 in 1985, then declined to under 34,000 by 1989. Low oil prices since the oil price collapse in 1986 slowed the oil sands production greatly, as oil extraction from the oil sands is a very expensive process and lower world prices made this uneconomical. On April 1, 1995,
3268-456: The Municipality of Wood Buffalo (renamed the RM of Wood Buffalo on August 14, 1996). Despite its current official designation of urban service area, many locals, politicians and the media still refer to Fort McMurray as a city. Fort McMurray was known simply as McMurray between 1947 and 1962. Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century, the Cree were the dominant First Nations people in
3344-405: The burbot as feed for the foxes on Joe's blue fox farm. They discovered the burbot contained something that improved the quality of the foxes' furs; this was confirmed by the fur buyers, who commented that these furs were superior to other blue fox furs they were seeing. Ted Rowell felt it was something in the burbot, so he extracted some oil and sent it away to be assayed. The result of the assay
3420-582: The confluence of the Athabasca River , the Clearwater River , the Hangingstone River, and the Horse River. It sits at 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level. Fort McMurray is the largest community in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. White spruce , trembling aspen , balsam poplar and white birch are the most prominent native trees in and around town. Black spruce and tamarack occur in poorly drained areas and jack pine may be seen on
3496-465: The confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel . There were people from French Canada, Scotland, Orkney, England, Norway. There were Woodland Cree , Swampy Cree , Chippewa , Chipewyan , Beaver and Métis of all kinds. Grouard and I represented the French." (translation). Names were given to different locations on the Portage trail by the fur brigades . On the table starting from the south end are some of
3572-409: The day under rocks and other debris. Growing rapidly in their first year, burbot reach between 11 and 12 cm (4.3 and 4.7 in) in total length by late fall. During their second year of life, burbot on average grow another 10 cm (3.9 in). Burbot transition from pelagic habitats to benthic environments as they reach adulthood, around five years old. Average length of burbot by maturity
3648-635: The departure of the Mackenzie brigade, that is twelve days. I took advantage of the time to raise a conical chapel which I covered with white covers and colored decorations. An altar surrounded in white cloth stood the whole time we were there. It was in this improvised little temple that I had the joy of singing High Mass on the Sunday after our arrival, and to celebrate the holy mysteries each day in front of more than three hundred and fifty people, both Métis and indigenous." In July 1845 Louis Laferte dit Schmidt , who
3724-528: The driest sites. European aspen , blue spruce and sand cherry are among the exotic trees occasionally seen. With severe winters except during periods of warming chinook winds , mild to warm summers and only three months which average temperature is higher than 10.0 °C (50.0 °F), Fort McMurray has a borderline subarctic climate ( Köppen : Dfc ), being just below the threshold of humid continental climate ( Dfb ), with May and September average temperature of 9.9 °C (49.8 °F). It falls into
3800-477: The eggs of other fish in the lake, such as sockeye salmon . The Utah Division of Fish and Game has instituted a "no release" "catch and kill" regulation for the burbot in Utah waterways. However, the regulations have been found to be largely unenforceable. The town of Walker, Minnesota , holds an International Eelpout Festival every winter on Leech Lake . The festival received national attention on 4 March 2011, when
3876-455: The entire RM of Wood Buffalo being under a single government. Its municipal office is located in Fort McMurray, which accounts for the great majority of the RM's population; all but 5,000 of the RM's residents live in the Fort McMurray urban service area. The city continued to grow for a few years even after the oil bust caused by the 2003 collapse in world oil prices. Oil price increases since 2003 made oil extraction profitable again for around
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#17328378539863952-619: The first recorded description of the oil sands . By that time, trading between the explorers and the Cree was already occurring at the confluence of the Clearwater and Athabasca rivers. The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company were in fierce competition in this region. Fort McMurray was established there as a Hudson's Bay Company post by 1870, named for the Chief Factor William McMurray. It continued to operate as
4028-582: The high transient worker population and workers who commute to Fort McMurray from other parts of Canada. Fort McMurray Transit operates in the community, with routes that extend to all subdivisions on the south side and subdivisions on the north side. Although the service concentrates on Fort McMurray it does operate to hamlets in the RM including Anzac , Janvier , Conklin and Fort McKay . Ebus and Red Arrow operate scheduled passenger bus services to Edmonton and other communities along Highway 63 , as well as other destinations farther south. Highway 63
4104-459: The incubation period of the eggs lasts from 30 to 128 days. Fertilized eggs then drift until they settle into cracks and voids in the substrate. Depending on body size, female burbot fecundity ranges from 63,000 to 3,478,000 eggs for each clutch. Rate of growth, longevity, and age of sexual maturity of burbot are strongly correlated with water temperature; large, older individuals produce more eggs than small, younger individuals. Eggs are round with
4180-503: The lawyer , coney-fish , lingcod , or eelpout , is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of the Northern hemisphere . It is the only member of the genus Lota , and is the only freshwater species of the order Gadiformes . The species is closely related to marine fish such as the common ling and cusk , all of which belong to the family Lotidae (rocklings). The name burbot comes from
4256-438: The main access to the north. From the winter of 1822, York boats came into use on this route in addition to canoes. Furs were transported up the Clearwater River by crews who would bring them to the centre of the portage, where they would be picked up by crews from Norway House for that portion of their transport. It also allowed for the spread of smallpox to previously untouched indigenous populations, decimating them in
4332-471: The mandatory evacuation of the community. Record-breaking temperatures, reaching 32.8 °C (91 °F), low relative humidity and strong winds contributed to the fire's rapid growth in forests affected by "an unusually dry and warm winter". Upwards of 88,000 people in the community and surrounding region were evacuated. It was Canada's largest recorded wildfire evacuation in history and third-largest recorded environmental disaster evacuation behind
4408-410: The middle of the Athabasca oil sands , surrounded by boreal forest . It has played a significant role in the development of the national petroleum industry . The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire led to the evacuation of its residents and caused widespread damage. Formerly a city, Fort McMurray became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995, to create
4484-528: The names in French and their translation. These resting places were measured in paces wrote Sir John Richardson in 1848. From the Tail of La Loche to Little Old Man the distance was 2,557 paces. Another 3,171 paces led to Fountain of Sand and so on. The total number of paces from the Tail of La Loche to The Meadow is 24,593 or 1,294 paces per kilometre. Most of these resting places on the Portage have not yet been identified. Under ideal conditions 19 km (12 mi)
4560-554: The oil sands through hot water extraction by the 1930s, but production was very low. Fort McMurray's processing output gradually grew to over 1,100 barrels/day by World War II , and Fort McMurray was set up by the US and Canadian forces as staging ground for the Canol Project . Fort McMurray and Waterways amalgamated as the village of McMurray (the "Fort" was dropped until 1962, when it was restored to reflect its heritage) by 1947, and became
4636-560: The other Great Lakes . An anadromous population also lives in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea . Recent genetic analysis suggests the geographic pattern of burbot may indicate multiple species or subspecies, making this single taxon somewhat misleading. In the United Kingdom , the burbot is possibly extinct. The last recorded capture was a specimen weighing 0.48 kg (1 lb 1 oz), in July 1970, by Stephen Mackinder, from
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#17328378539864712-783: The population of the region's First Nation reserves because they do not fall under municipal jurisdiction. First Nations people represent four percent of the municipality's population. Métis people represent 2.89 percent of the population, followed by Inuk (0.16 percent) and non-Status First Nation (0.13 percent). About 3.2 percent of people identified as African , followed by mixed ethnicities (2.44 percent), Black or African Canadian (2 percent), European (1.73 percent), Arab (1.41 percent), Hispanic or Latin American (1.08 percent), Caribbean (0.67 percent) and Oceanic (0.13 percent). 2.88 percent of respondents did not answer and 0.52 said they did not know their ethnicity. Fort McMurray
4788-461: The population. The 2021 census found 61.5 percent of residents are white, compared to 64 percent in 2016. The second largest pan ethnic group is Indigenous (10 percent), South East Asian (9.2 percent), followed by South Asian (7 percent). People identifying as Chinese , Japanese or Korean represented 1.3 percent of the population. Indigenous peoples represented 7 percent, remaining consistent from 2018. The municipal survey did not count
4864-419: The postal service retracted this decision before the rate change went into effect. The Fort McMurray Public School District (FMPSD) and Catholic School District both serve the primary, elementary, and secondary education needs of students in Fort McMurray. Each school district offers diverse programs like French immersion , performing arts or a dedicated technology and science lab, however only FMPSD offers
4940-666: The region since the 2018 census. The top four provinces that sent people were other communities in Alberta (55 per cent), followed by Newfoundland and Labrador (13 percent), and British Columbia and Ontario (nine percent each). This is a drastic change from the 2012 municipal census, which was taken when Fort McMurray and the oil sands was undergoing a huge period of economic and population growth. That census reported people from Ontario represented 27.5 percent of Canadians coming to Fort McMurray, followed by British Columbia (26.3 percent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (17.5 percent). People from elsewhere in Alberta made up 3.1 per cent of
5016-463: The south end of the portage was the main staging area for transferring freight from each end of the trail. In 1862 there were 400 people at the portage according to Father Émile Petitot. There were the two Portage La Loche brigades with 7 boats each and the Athabasca and Mackenzie brigades with 5 boats each. They had 225 men as crew and over 30 passengers. One canot du nord arrived with a crew of 6-8 Iroquois and two passengers. Dene residents from
5092-461: The substrate for shelter during the day. Burbot are active crepuscular hunters. Burbot populations are adfluvial during the winter, and they migrate to near-shore reefs and shoals to spawn, preferring spawning grounds of sand or gravel. Burbot reach sexual maturity at between four and seven years of age. Spawning season typically occurs between December and March, often under ice at extremely low temperatures ranging between 1 and 4 °C. During
5168-617: The summer months. Average annual snowfall is 110.6 cm (43.5 in), with almost all of it falling between October and April. The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort McMurray was 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) on June 30, 2021. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −53.3 °C (−63.9 °F) on February 1, 1917 and December 31, 1933. Neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray include Abasand Heights, Beacon Hill, Dickinsfield, Eagle Ridge, Grayling Terrace, Gregoire, Lower Townsite, Parsons Creek, Prairie Creek, Saline Creek, Stone Creek, Thickwood Heights, Timberlea, and Waterways . In
5244-411: The surrounding area were camped at the portage in a tipi village of 150 people. The Hudson's Bay Company had 10 employees at the fort who maintained the transportation depots at each end of the portage and brought in horses, oxen and carts for the season. Petitot wrote "While there were no more than 400 people gathered at the time on the south side of the portage they gave us a little understanding of
5320-473: The surrounding area were evacuated. On 14 May 2024, a wildfire led to the evacuation of several neighborhoods in the urban service area. The evacuation displaced upwards of 6,000 people from their homes in these neighborhoods. Fort McMurray is 435 km (270 mi) northeast of Edmonton on Highway 63 , about 60 km (37 mi) west of the Saskatchewan border, nestled in the boreal forest at
5396-400: The two sides of the portage and were rarely carried across it. The path ascends slowly from Rendezvous Lake until there is suddenly a view of the Clearwater River valley and the path descends about 180 m (590 ft) in 3 or 4 mi (4.8 or 6.4 km) to the Clearwater. The altitude of Lac La Loche is about 1,460 ft (450 m), Rendezvous Lake about 1,680 ft (510 m) and
5472-420: The year, the burbot lives under ice, and it requires frigid temperatures to breed. During the summer, they are typically found in the colder water below the thermocline . In Lake Superior, burbot can live at depths below 300 m (980 ft). As benthic fish , they tolerate an array of substrate types, including mud, sand, rubble, boulder, silt, and gravel, for feeding. Adults construct extensive burrows in
5548-605: Was born on December 4, 1844, at Old Fort near Fort Chipewyan, was baptised at Methye Portage by Father Jean-Baptiste Thibault . Another noted baptism at Methye Portage was Francois Beaulieu who was baptised in 1848 by Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché . The trade route began on Lake Winnipeg and ran west up the Saskatchewan River to Cumberland House, Saskatchewan , north up the Sturgeon-Weir River , across Frog Portage to
5624-419: Was serious interest in developing a refining plant to separate the oil from the sands. Alcan Oil Company was the first outfit to begin bulk tests at Fort McMurray. The nearby community of Waterways was established to provide a southern terminus for waterborne transportation when the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway reached there in 1921. Abasands Oil was the first company to successfully extract oil from
5700-409: Was that the liver of the burbot has three to four times the potency in vitamin D, and four to 10 times in vitamin A, than "good grades" of cod-liver oil. Their vitamin content varies from lake to lake, where their diets may have some variation. Additionally, liver makes up about 10% of the fish's total body weight, and its liver is six times the size of those of freshwater fish of comparable size. The oil
5776-736: Was the only practical link with the Athabasca and the Peace and Mackenzie rivers beyond. Many famous traders and explorers followed this route. In the 1820s, the practice of hauling boats over the watershed was discontinued and a York boat terminus was established at each end of the portage." Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Government of Canada Download coordinates as: 56°34′26.74″N 109°41′58.25″W / 56.5740944°N 109.6995139°W / 56.5740944; -109.6995139 Burbot The burbot ( Lota lota ), also known as bubbot , mariah , loche , cusk , freshwater cod , freshwater ling , freshwater cusk ,
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