La Loche () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in northwest

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 ...

. It is located at the end of Highway 155 on the eastern shore of

Lac La Loche Lac La Loche is a lake in north west Saskatchewan near the Alberta border. The lake is part of the Churchill River system that flows into the Hudson Bay. The La Loche River at the southern end flows into Peter Pond Lake which is connected ...

in Canada's

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 ...

. La Loche had a population of 2,827 in 2016 and is within 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 ...

. Bordering La Loche to the north and reached via Highway 955 is the Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN) with a population of 822 people. The La Loche/CRDN population centre with 3,649 people represents about 30 percent of the Denesuline speakers of Canada. The Denesuline language is spoken by 89% of the residents. The northern hamlet of Black Point lies on the southern shore of the lake and is accessible via the Garson Lake Road Highway 956. This road ends in Garson Lake. From there a winter road is built every year to

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significa ...

, Alberta. Located on the northern end of Lac La Loche is the

Methye Portage The Methye Portage or Portage La Loche in northwestern Saskatchewan was one of the most important portages in the old North American fur trade, fur trade route across Canada. The portage connected the Mackenzie River basin to rivers that ran east ...

or Portage La Loche. This portage to the Clearwater River was in use for more than a century during the

North American fur trade The North American fur trade is the (typically) historical Fur trade, commercial trade of furs and other goods in North America, beginning in the eastern provinces of French Canada and the northeastern Thirteen Colonies, American colonies (soon- ...

. Brigades such as the Portage La Loche Brigade from Fort Garry came from the south while the Athabasca and Mackenzie brigades came from the north. At Rendezvous Lake on the

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

the fur brigades would meet every year and exchange trade goods for furs. The furs were then brought to

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. York ...

on the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

for shipment to England. The Methye Portage is now part of the Clearwater River Provincial Park and a National Historic Site. The Clearwater River is also a Canadian Heritage River.

History

Fur trade posts were built on Lac La Loche soon after

Peter Pond Peter Pond (January 18, 1739 – 1807) was an American explorer, cartographer, merchant and soldier who was a founding member of the North West Company and the Beaver Club. Though he was born and died in Milford, Connecticut, most of his li ...

came through the Methye Portage in 1778. The Atlas of Canada shows four posts of the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

beginning in 1780 to 1819 and three posts of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

beginning in 1819. Another map by the archaeologist Don Steer in 1972 shows the locations and the dates of seven of these posts. North West Company posts were located on the large peninsula called 'Big Point' (circa 1789-91) and on the south west side of the lake (1819–21). A Hudson's Bay post was located at the mouth of the portage in 1810. Transportation depots were located at each end of the portage from the 1820s to 1880s. In 1857 a permanent trading post was built on the south end of the Portage. This post moved to nearby West La Loche in the 1870s until it was destroyed by fire in 1936. The HBC relocated their post across the lake at La Loche in the newly purchased Revillon Frères buildings where they remained until they sold their northern stores in 1987. The Revillon Frères post had been in La Loche since 1906. Missionary priests have been coming to La Loche since 1845. In 1860 the separate La Loche Mission of ''Notre Dame de la Visitation'' was established. Father Jean-Marie Pénard O.M.I. (the first resident priest of La Loche from 1895 to 1917) wrote in 1895 that the population of La Loche at the Mission was around 100 people and the population at the fort in West La Loche (s from the Portage) was 60 to 70 people. In 1911 he wrote that La Loche had 200 people with another 80 to 100 people living in two communities across the lake. He added that during the autumn of 1911 most residents left for winter camps to the north to hunt leaving only 60 or 70 people around the lake. In 1922 Father Jean-Baptiste Ducharme O.M.I. wrote that there were 500 people in the La Loche Mission area. The Mission included other communities such as Bull's House (at the end of the La Loche River), Turnor Lake, Descharme Lake and Garson Lake. In the 1940s a convent was built for the Grey Nuns (now a private residence) along with the first hospital and the first school of the community. In 1953 a new

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Mission church which is still in use was constructed. The first road (Highway 155) reached La Loche in 1963. Water/sewer and electricity became available to most homes in 1974. Direct dial telephone came in 1974, television in 1976 and a skating arena in 1978. In 1979 a new high school was opened, Highway 955 to the Cluff Lake uranium mine site was completed and the Clearwater River Dene Nation was officially created.

Early settlement

In 1820

George Back Admiral Sir George Back (6 November 1796 – 23 June 1878) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer of the Canadian Arctic, naturalist and artist. He was born in Stockport. Career As a boy, he went to sea as a volunteer in the frigate ...

while travelling through with Franklin's Coppermine expedition of 1819–1822 stopped at Lac La Loche House (the HBC trading post). He described this post as "logs piled one above the other with mud and moss to fill up the crevices - there is a single partition which divides the Master's room from that of the men. - the former has half a roof to it - some parchment windows make up the whole". The NWC Post, he wrote was "a square and flat roofed hut just seven feet high - neither wind nor weather tight in which are stowed - Master, men, women, children, dogs and sledges". Back provides an early indication of settlement on Lac La Loche when on his return journey in 1822 he wrote in his journal: "We touched at the houses on the borders of the lake and embarked a man in each canoe".

2016 shootings

On January 22, 2016, four people were killed and seven others injured in a shooting spree in La Loche. Two people, said to be the suspect's cousins, were killed at their home, a teacher and an educational assistant were killed at La Loche Community School. A 17-year-old male suspect was apprehended and taken into custody.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, La Loche 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. The La Loche Population Centre has a population of 3,649 in two adjoining communities. These two communities and their 2016 Canada Census population are: La Loche (northern village) with 2,827 residents and the Clearwater River Dene Nation with 822 residents. In 2006 there were 590 registered members of the Clearwater River Dene Nation and other

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 ...

living in La Loche. In 2011 there were 680 registered members.

Recreation

The La Loche Arena Complex houses the Robbie Fontaine Memorial Arena, a meeting hall, the local radio station CHPN-FM, activity rooms and offices. The Dave O'Hara Public Library at Ducharme School offers internet access. The La Loche Friendship Centre and the La Loche Sport, Recreation and Culture Board organize many of the activities and festivals that occur every year and are working together on the development of a community recreation area which now offers a skateboard park, a children's playground and an outdoor skating rink. The week-long "Yanessa Days Festival", the "La Loche Long Sun Run," and the Canada Day celebrations are a few of the popular yearly events.

Churches

Our Lady of the Visitation Roman Catholic Church has regular services (10:30 a.m. on Sundays) and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Keewatin–Le Pas. Clearwater River Ministries has regular services (6:00 PM on Sunday) and bible studies (6:00 PM on Wednesday).

Education

La Loche Community School consists of two buildings (The Ducharme Building and the Dene Building). The Ducharme Building offers the Pre-K to 6 program while the Dene Building delivers the 7 to 12 program. The school has an enrollment of over 900 students. The school is a provincial school and is part of the Northern Lights School Division#113. The first school of La Loche was built in 1941 and was called the Community Day School. In 1942 it had an enrollment of 23. Clearwater River Dene School at Clearwater River is a K-12 school with an enrollment of 200. The

Gabriel Dumont Institute The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), formally the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc., is a non-profit corporation serving the educational and cultural needs of the Saskatchewan Métis and Non-Status Indian commu ...

offers adult basic education and skills training.

Infrastructure

La Loche has a business community that serves the population and the mining companies exploring north of the community. Air services are provided via the La Loche Airport. The La Loche Water Aerodrome is no longer in use. The

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

office receives mail five times a week. The La Loche detachment of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP) and the La Loche Volunteer Fire Department serve La Loche and nearby communities.

Utilities

The northern village of La Loche provides water and sewer service, garbage pick-up, road maintenance, snow removal and through CHPN Communications local radio and cable television services (12 free channels are available).

SaskPower Saskatchewan Power Corporation, trade name, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the Saskatchewan#Government and politics, provincial government, it serves more than 550,000 cu ...

provides electricity.

SaskTel Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation, operating as SaskTel, is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian Crown corporations of Canada, crown-owned telecommunications firm based in the province of Saskatchewan. Owned by the provinci ...

provides telephone, 911 emergency service and internet services (including high speed service). Cellular service is available through multiple service providers. Propane and Heating Oil are the main sources of heat in the winter. Methy Construction and Maintenance Corporation owned by the northern village offers commercial and residential property development and construction and contracting for heavy equipment.

Health care

The La Loche Health Centre serves a regional population of over 4,000 people and is part of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The La Loche Medical Clinic operates from within the main hospital building. Ambulance services are available as is a 911 call service for emergencies, and there are two pharmacies within the community. The Armand Bekkattla Treatment Centre is located at the Clearwater River Dene Nation.

References

{{Authority control Division No. 18, Saskatchewan Dene communities Northern villages in Saskatchewan