Hay River Reserve

Community Name: Hay River Reserve
Traditional Name: K'atlodeechee First Nation
Electoral District: Deh Cho
Member: Michael M. Nadli
Member of Parliament: Dennis Bevington
Senator: Nick G. Sibbeston
Community Leader: Chief Roy Fabien
                              P.O. Box 3060 
                              Hay River, NT X0E 1G4
                              Phone:  867-874-6701
                              Fax: 867-874-3229 
                              E-mail: hrdb@katlodeeche.comcom  

Location:  The Hay River Reserve is on the south shore of Great Slave Lake on the mouth of the Hay River at 60'51'N latitude and 115'44'W longitude and is 200 air km southwest of Yellowknife and 134 km from the Alberta border via the Mackenzie Highway.

Population:  325 (NWT Bureau of Statistics, 2010)

Languages:  South Slavey, Chipewyan, English

Access:  The community is both accessible by road and air year round with scheduled air service operating daily via the town of Hay River.

History:  The area now known as the Hay River Reserve was traditionally used by the Dene as a summer fish camp and abandoned in the winter months for more plentiful hunting lands. Chief Chiatlo established the first permanent settlement on the Hay in the 1890's. Soon after, the Anglican Mission built a church and mission school in the area, while the Roman Catholic Church, trading posts and RCMP added many people to the community over the next years. In the early 1970's, Chief Daniel Sonfrere began negotiations with Canada for the establishment of a reserve, creating the first reserve in the Northwest Territories. In 1963, flooding caused much damage to the Old Village area on the east bank, and energies were directed into developing a new area less prone to flooding. The 'New Village' now boasts a supermarket, gas bar, band office building, school and gym, senior's complex, alcohol/drug treatment center and improved housing.