Mackenzie is a district municipality within the Fraser-Fort George Regional District in central British Columbia, Canada. The community is located at the south end of Williston Lake. The townsite, established by Alexandra Forest Industries (acquired by BC Forest Products in 1967) and Cattermole Timber (partnered with Jujo Paper in 1970 to create Finlay Forest Industries), was named for Sir Alexander MacKenzie (1764–1820).

Economy

Mackenzie's main industries are logging, lumber and tourism. Duz Cho Logging, sawmills, such as the now closed Canfor Corporation Mackenzie sawmill (successor to BCFP's lumber division) and the currently still running Conifex Timber (successor to FFI), and the Paper Excellence kraft pulp mill (successor to BCFP's pulp division), were major employers in town. As of July 2019, the Canfor sawmill ceased production indefinitely as part of a province-wide curtailment of operations and in 2020 the pulp mill was also permanently shut down. The nearby Centerra Gold Mount Milligan copper-gold operation provides secondary economic activity for the town.

Transportation

Mackenzie is located on Highway 39, 28 km from Highway 97. There is a scheduled bus service to Chetwynd and Prince George, although since Greyhound pulled out of Canada the new bus service is not very frequent. It is also served by a small airport. There is no scheduled passenger service but charter services are available.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mackenzie had a population of 3,281 living in 1,515 of its 1,837 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 3,714. With a land area of 154.19 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Mackenzie included:

Ethnicity

Climate

Mackenzie has a subarctic climate that has influences from the Pacific Ocean resulting in less cold winters than expected for its northerly latitude compared to other Canadian locations. It has warm summer days, but the cool nights ensure that only three months go above 10 C in mean temperatures. Winters are very cold on occasion, although relatively short for a subarctic climate with a January mean of -9.2 C as the coldest month.

Recreation

In the winter, Mackenzie hosts dog sled racing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling competitions, and maintains 32 km of groomed cross-country ski trails. Morfee Mountain overlooks Mackenzie and is suitable for hiking and off-road vehicle usage. Mackenzie has a swimming pool, indoor skating rink, a curling rink, and two beaches on Morfee Lake; First Beach is used primarily for recreational swimming, and Second Beach includes a boat launch. Mackenzie is home to Little Mac Ski Hill, a small local ski hill and mountain-bike park located east of town and a 45-minutes drive from Powder King ski resort. The nearby lakes and forests are suitable for fishing and hunting. Mackenzie Golf and Country Club is a semi-private, nine-hole golf course with a driving range. It is situated within walking distance of most of the town.

Community facilities

Community facilities include a recreation centre that houses the public library, gym, swimming pool, ice rink, and community hall. There is also an art centre, a museum, two shopping malls, and two schools: Mackenzie Secondary School (which also serves McLeod Lake), and Morfee Elementary School. The schools are operated by the Prince George School District (No. 57). Mackenzie also has several religious establishments, including a Sikh temple, St. Peter's Catholic, Mackenzie Baptist and Hope Trinity (converging the Anglican, Lutheran and United faiths) churches and Living Joy Christian Centre. Mackenzie has been served by CHMM-FM, a not-for-profit radio station since 2003. Mackenzie has its own Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment, a provincial courtroom, a volunteer fire department, and a municipal hospital.

Tourist attractions

Mackenzie is situated less than 10 km east of Williston Lake reservoir, the largest man-made lake in British Columbia. Mackenzie is also the home of the world's largest tree crusher.

Notable people

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