The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM), formerly the Northern Rockies Regional District (NRRD), and before that the Fort Nelson–Liard Regional District, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in northeastern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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 ...

. Although portrayed as a regional municipality in its official name, and existing on the same administrative level as a

regional district In the province of British Columbia in Canada, a regional district is an administrative subdivision of the province that consists of a geographic region with specific boundaries and governmental authority. there were 28 regional districts in ...

, it is actually classified as a

district municipality A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa. Canada British Columbia Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be desig ...

. The NRRM's offices are located in Fort Nelson, formerly an incorporated town that amalgamated with the NRRD on February 6, 2009 to form the NRRM. With the

Peace River Regional District The Peace River Regional District is a regional district in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The regional district comprises seven municipalities and four electoral areas. Its member municipalities are the cities of Fort St. John and Daws ...

as the southern part, it was the northern part of the Peace River-Liard Regional District, which was split into two on October 31, 1987. The NRRM lies on the east slope of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

, and comprises approximately 10% of the total area of the province of British Columbia, encompassing . Its southern boundary is the 58th

parallel of latitude A circle of latitude or line of latitude on Earth is an abstract east–west small circle connecting all locations around Earth (ignoring elevation) at a given latitude coordinate line. Circles of latitude are often called parallels because ...

and is bisected by the Alaska Highway from its southeast to its northwest. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality is primarily made up of heavily forested areas and mountainous terrain. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality is the first of its kind in British Columbia in which an entire former

is governed and headed by a single municipal government. Its council comprises a mayor and six councillors. Bill Streeper was the NRRM's first mayor.

Communities

Fort Nelson

With a 2016 population of 3,366, Fort Nelson is the largest community in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. All of the NRRM's offices and officials are based out of Fort Nelson.

Fort Nelson First Nation

Fort Nelson First Nation is an aboriginal band situated directly outside of the town of Fort Nelson and a signatory nation of

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899 signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the one of eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a ...

. The reserve is home to about 700 residents, making Fort Nelson First Nation one of the largest reservations in northern

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

and Cree are the most prevalent

Aboriginal Canadian In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

backgrounds found on the Fort Nelson First Nation reserve. The nation works closely with oil and gas producers to ensure safe and sustainable development in the Horn River Basin based on the fact that much of the new development in the Horn River Basin is occurring on traditional Fort Nelson First Nation land. The band operates Echo-Dene and the

Liard Hot Springs Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the second largest natural hot springs in Canada, after Deer River Hot Springs 15 km to the north east. It is a natural river of hot water rath ...

lodge, as well as Chalo School, a kindergarten to grade twelve accredited educational institution. Liz Logan is the Chief Councillor of the Fort Nelson First Nation, reelected in August 2014. The FNFN Band Council consists of seven councillors, an increase from six. The chosen councillors then decided amongst themselves the Chief Councillor.

Prophet River First Nation

The Prophet River First Nation is the southernmost community in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. Prophet River's main industries revolve around commercial services and provisions to the local and nearby oil and gas industry. Lynette Tsakoza is currently the chief of Prophet River First Nation which is a member of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association.

Tetsa River

Tetsa River is a small community based on the Alaska Highway that is known for its eco-tourism and camping.

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

, and other eco-tourism related activities are commonly practiced recreational attractants to the region. Tetsa River offers a popular fishing derby every August, in which residents from all over the region compete.

Toad River

Toad River is the largest regional community north of Fort Nelson in terms of population. The community is home to a highway maintenance camp, a small school accredited by the region's school district (School District 81), a community hall, two campgrounds, and two lodges. Toad River's economy relies primarily on tourism, and is a popular destination for travellers on the Alaska Highway.

Muncho Lake

Muncho Lake is a community that is situated on the Muncho Lake Provincial Park. The park is known for its blue-coloured lake which attracts tourists to the area every year. Muncho Lake is situated on the Alaska Highway.

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, Northern Rockies had a population of 3,947 living in 1,692 of its 2,268 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 4,862. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. As a census division in the 2021 census, Northern Rockies had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality included: *

Irreligion Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ...

(2,300 persons or 59.5%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

(1,460 persons or 37.8%) *

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

(40 persons or 1.0%) *Other (30 persons or 0.8%)

References and notes

External links

* {{authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Fort Nelson Country Liard Country Regional districts of British Columbia