Little Buffalo, Alberta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Little Buffalo
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 Little Buffalo
Location in Alberta
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 19 |
| Municipal district | Northern Sunrise County |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| Area | |
| • Land | 13.26 km2 (5.12 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Settlement (2016) | 452 |
| • Hamlet (2010) | 225 |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
Little Buffalo is a small community in northern Alberta, Canada. It's known as both an Indian settlement and a hamlet. A hamlet is a small village. It sits near Highway 986, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of Peace River. The beautiful Little Buffalo Lake is just south of the community.
Contents
History of Little Buffalo
Little Buffalo has an interesting history, especially concerning land and the environment.
Land Claims and Agreements
The Lubicon Lake Indian Band has been working on a land claim for a long time. This claim goes back over 100 years. In 1889, government agents did not include the Band in the original Treaty 8 signing.
In 1988, an important agreement was made. Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak and Alberta Premier Don Getty worked together. This agreement was called the "Grimshaw Accord." Through it, the Province of Alberta gave 79 square miles of land to the Canadian government. This land was set aside to create a reserve for the Lubicon First Nation.
Environmental Incidents
Little Buffalo has experienced a few environmental events related to pipelines.
2011 Oil Spill Incident
On April 29, 2011, a large oil spill happened near Little Buffalo. About 28,000 barrels of oil leaked into a remote part of the boreal forest. This area is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the community.
The spill was caused by a break in the Rainbow Pipeline system. This pipeline is owned by Plains Midstream Canada. It was the biggest oil spill in Alberta in 36 years. The local school in Little Buffalo had to close because of concerns about the oil fumes. Later, in 2013, the Energy Resource Conservation Board (ERCB) told Plains Mainstream they had problems with how they operated.
2013 Pipeline Leak
Another pipeline incident happened on June 22, 2013. Pennwest, a company, reported a leak from their pipeline. Between 400,000 and 600,000 liters of salty wastewater leaked. Also, 5,000 liters of oil escaped.
This leak happened about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Little Buffalo. The affected area was about 2.5 square kilometers (1 square mile). It included surface waters and muskeg lands. The Lubicon Lake Cree use this land for hunting and trapping. Chief Bernard Ominayak of the Lubicon Lake Nation was worried about the safety of his people and their environment. This included concerns for groundwater and wildlife.
Alberta Environment and Water investigated the leak. It happened during a time of heavy rain.
Population of Little Buffalo
The number of people living in Little Buffalo changes over time. This information is collected through a census. A census counts how many people live in an area.
Settlement Population
In the 2021 Census, Little Buffalo had 441 people living there. They lived in 115 homes. This was a small decrease from its 2016 population of 452 people. The land area of the settlement is about 12.86 square kilometers.
In the 2016 Census, 452 people lived in Little Buffalo. This was an increase from 387 people in 2011. The land area was about 13.26 square kilometers.
Hamlet Population
The population of the hamlet part of Little Buffalo was counted in a 2010 local census. At that time, 225 people lived in the hamlet.
