Welcome

The community of Fort McKay is situated in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, approximately 65 kilometers north of Fort McMurray, off of Highway 63. There are 619 Fort McKay Band Members and 401 people that are currently residing in Fort McKay. Fort McKay was named in1912 after Dr. Williams Morrison McKay, who was the first resident doctor in Alberta and became the first President of the Northern Alberta Medical Association.

The Fort McKay First Nation is a signatory to Treaty 8 and belongs to the Athabasca Tribal Council. The First Nation is composed of Cree and Dene people who have for generations practiced hunting, trapping, fishing and gathering along the Athabasca River. They were nomadic people, but with the introduction of the fur trade, were persuaded to settle near trading posts.

Fort McKay dates back to 1820 when the Hudson Bay Company built a trading post near the present site. The Fort McKay Band also has Reserves at Namur Lake #174B and Gardiner Lakes #174A; approximately 50 kms northwest of Fort McKay. These Reserves are largely unoccupied as most Band members still live in Fort McKay.

Because of its geographic location, Fort McKay has had many opportunities to work with several oil sands industries by developing its own companies. Fort McKay has seized opportunities for participation in the economy to create sustainable, long-term growth and development within Aboriginal communities.