Fort Liard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Liard Echaot'l Koe or Acho Dene Kue
Hamlet
The Sleeping Giant – the view from the top of the hill heading into the Hamlet
Fort Liard Location in Northwest Territories Show map of Northwest Territories Fort Liard Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Country	Canada
Territory	Northwest Territories
Region	Dehcho Region
Constituency	Nahendeh
Census division	Region 4
Incorporated (hamlet)	1 April 1987
Area
• Land	67.61 km2 (26.10 sq mi)
Elevation	216 m (709 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	468
• Density	6.9/km2 (18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Canadian Postal code	X0G 0A0
Area code(s)	867
Telephone exchange	770
– Living cost (2018)	132.5
– Food price index (2019)	145.4
Website	www.fortliard.com
Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Canada Flight Supplement 2018 figure based on Edmonton = 100 2019 figure based on Yellowknife = 100

Fort Liard /liˈɑːrd/ (Slavey language: Echaot'l Koe "people from the land of the giants" or Acho Dene Kue) is a hamlet in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located 37 km (23 mi) north of the British Columbia border. It became accessible by road in 1984 with the completion of the Liard Highway (Northwest Territories Highway 7 and British Columbia Highway 77).

The Hamlet of Fort Liard is served by two general merchandise stores: The General Store and The North West Company store. The K-12 community school, "Echo Dene School", has a student population of about 150. It also has a community health centre with four nurses, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment with four members, and a recreation centre, including a swimming pool, skating rink, youth centre and multi-court. There is a fuel centre that sells gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, emergency survival kits and convenience items. There is also a traditional craft store which sells locally made craft items.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Liard had a population of 468 living in 170 of its 209 total private dwellings, a change of -6.4% from its 2016 population of 500. With a land area of 67.61 km² (26.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.9/km² (18/sq mi) in 2021.

In the 2016 Census the majority of the population, 445 people out of a total of 500, were Indigenous, either First Nations or Métis.

First Nations

The Dene of the community are represented by the Acho Dene Koe Band and the Métis by Fort Liard Metis Local 67. Both groups belong to the Deh Cho First Nations Tribal Council.

Gallery

Climate

Fort Liard has a borderline humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), just above a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. Temperatures can be warm in the summer, and cold in the winter. Fort Liard has an average frost free period of around 120 days, one of the longest in the territory.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Liard was 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) on 13 July 2014 and 27 June 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −46.7 °C (−52.1 °F) on 15 January 1974.