Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation ( chp, Tthęł Tué Dene) is a

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

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

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

Wollaston Lake Wollaston Lake is a lake in north-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is northeast of Prince Albert. With a surface area of (excluding islands; if islands are included), it is the largest bifurcation lake in the world – that is, a lake tha ...

in the

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

of north-eastern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. 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 nort ...

of Wollaston Lake, an unincorporated community in the

Northern Saskatchewan Administration District The Northern Saskatchewan Administration District (NSAD) is the unorganized area of the Canada province of Saskatchewan. Overwhelmingly larger than the province's other communities, it encompasses approximately half of Saskatchewan's landmass, an ...

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

Dene The Dene people () are an Aboriginal peoples in Canada, indigenous group of First Nations in Canada, First Nations who inhabit the northern Boreal forest of Canada, boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languag ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

. Access is provided by

Wollaston Lake Airport Wollaston Lake Airport is located adjacent to Wollaston Lake, 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 hanga ...

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 Inte ...

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 Highwa ...

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

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), 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 cultur ...

, 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 or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

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 197 ...

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 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 an ocean, ge ...

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

References

{{Coord, 58, 06, 40, N, 103, 9, 25, W, display=title, region:CA_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Division No. 18, Unorganized, Saskatchewan First Nations governments in Saskatchewan Northern settlements in Saskatchewan Dene communities

Demographics

Band government

Territory

Climate

See also

References