Mackenzie, British Columbia


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 and Cattermole Timber, was named for Sir Alexander MacKenzie. Mackenzie's main industries are logging, lumber, market pulp and tourism. Duz Cho Logging, sawmills, such as the Canfor Corporation Mackenzie sawmill and Conifex Timber, and the Paper Excellence kraft pulp mill, are major employers in town. As of July 2019, Canfor sawmill ceased production indefinitely as part of a province-wide curtailment of operations. The nearby Thompson Creek Metals Mount Milligan copper-gold operation provides secondary economic activity for the town.

Recreation

Mackenzie is a destination for outdoor sports enthusiasts. In the winter, Mackenzie hosts dog sled racing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling competitions, and maintains 32km of groomed cross-country ski trails. Morfee Mountain overlooks Mackenzie and is a popular destination for local hiking and an off-road vehicle destination. Mackenzie has a swimming pool, indoor skating rink, a curling rink, and two developed 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 just east of the main town and is 45 minutes away from Powder King ski resort. The surrounding area has several lakes that are popular for fishing and a healthy wildlife population makes Mackenzie a popular hunting destination.
Mackenzie Golf and Country Club is a challenging, semi-private, nine-hole golf course with a driving range and is within walking distance of most of the town, including the RV park.

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, and Morfee Elementary School. The schools are operated by the Prince George School District.
Mackenzie also has several religious establishments, including a Sikh temple, St. Peter's Catholic, Mackenzie Baptist and Hope Trinity 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.

Transportation

Mackenzie is located on Highway 39, from Highway 97. There is scheduled bus service to Chetwynd and Prince George. It is served by a small airport. There is no scheduled passenger service but charter services are available.

Tourist attractions

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

Famous people from Mackenzie

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 in mean temperatures. Winters are very cold on occasion, although relatively short for a subarctic climate with a January mean of as the coldest month.

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