Wabasca, also known as Wabasca-Desmarais, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within the Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17. It is located between and along the South and North Wabasca Lakes, at the intersection of highways 813 and 754. It is approximately northeast of Slave Lake. Wabasca, which is the location of the M.D of Opportunity No. 17's municipal office, consists of two communities – Wabasca and Desmarais. The hamlet has a population of 1,569, which is largely indigenous. Another 2,207 additional residents live on five Indian reserves in the immediate surrounding area. These First Nations reserves include Wabasca 166, 166A, 166B, 166C and 166D of the Bigstone Cree Nation, a Woodland Cree people. The name Wabasca originates from the Cree word wâpaskâw, meaning "white grass" the name for the Wabasca River. Desmarais was named after Father Alphonse Desmarais, the first missionary in this area. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Wabasca on May 29, 2019, due to multiple wildfires in the region.
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, by combining the Wabasca and Desmarais designated places and the Desmarais Indian settlement, the Hamlet of Wabasca recorded a population of 1,585 living in 527 of its 677 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 1,569. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016. In the 2011 Census, by combining the Wabasca and Desmarais designated places and the Desmarais Indian settlement, the Hamlet of Wabasca had a population of 1,569 living in 527 of its 600 total dwellings, a 19.2% change from its 2006 population of 1,316. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2011. By including the five nearby First Nation reserves, the Wabasca community had a population of 3,776 living in 1,077 of its 1,239 total dwellings, a 14.6% change from its 2006 population of 3,294. The population of the Hamlet of Wabasca was 1,410 according to a municipal census conducted in 2007 by the M.D. of Opportunity No. 17.
The community is home to the Wabasca General Hospital.
Amenities
The community is home to the Wabasca Public Library and a recreation centre that includes a pool. Wabasca also has two exercise centres, an ice arena, outdoor rodeo grounds, baseball diamonds, a skateboard park, and winter outdoor ice rinks. Wabasca has four churches including St. Charles Catholic Church, St. John's Anglican Church, St. Martins Catholic Church, and the Wabasca Revival Centre.
Education
The Northland School Division operates three schools in the community – St. Theresa School for students in kindergarten through grade 6 and Mistassiniy School for students in grades 7 through 12. As well as an outreach school for Jr and Sr high. The Bigstone Cree First Nation Education Authority operates the Bigstone Community School.OPK is from preschool to grade 9 with plans on Building a future Jr and Sr high school A campus of Northern Lakes College is located in Wabasca. The college provides part-time and full-time programming for adult upgrading, apprenticeships, university studies, workforce development, and other careers.
Activities
Fishing, ice fishing, hunting, trapping, quadding, and snowmobiling are traditional and recreational activities in the area. Other activities includes cross-country skiing, skating, skateboarding, and swimming. A paved walking trail links Desmarais and Wabasca with an approximate distance of. Located along the shores of the North and South Wabasca Lakes, the community has a boat launch, a swimming dock, and a fishing bridge between the two lakes. No limits boxing club also operates out of wabasca
