Fort Simpson, known in the Slavey language as Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ or "place where rivers come together," is a unique village nestled in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. As the only village in the entire territory, Fort Simpson is situated on an island where the Mackenzie and Liard rivers converge. This location, approximately 500 km west of Yellowknife, was a traditional trade route for both the Hudson's Bay Company and the native Dene people of the area.
As the regional centre of the Dehcho, Fort Simpson serves as the gateway to the scenic South Nahanni River and the Nahanni National Park Reserve. The village is accessible by air, water, and road, with the Mackenzie Highway extended to Fort Simpson in 1970-71. The community offers full secondary and elementary school services and is divided into a central section on an island near the south bank of the Mackenzie River, industrial areas, and rural residential areas along the highway up to the Fort Simpson Airport.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Simpson had a population of 1,100 living in 452 of its 572 total private dwellings. This represented a change of -8.5% from its 2016 population of 1,202. With a land area of 77.89 km2, it had a population density of 14.1/km2 in 2021. In 2016, 890 people identified as Indigenous peoples, with the majority (770) being First Nations, 95 Métis, and 20 Inuit. The main languages spoken are South Slavey and English.
Fort Simpson was initially established as a fur trading site in 1803, known then as the Fort of the Forks. It became a permanent settlement in July 1822 when the Hudson's Bay Company constructed a trading post, naming it after George Simpson, the Governor of Rupert's Land at the time. Until 1910, Fort Simpson was primarily a company town, with some involvement from the Anglican and Roman Catholic Missions. The village was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1969. Pope John Paul II attempted to visit the community in September 1984 but was prevented from landing due to fog. He fulfilled his promise to visit in September 1987.
Fort Simpson hosts two main annual festivals. The "Beavertail Jamboree," held in March, is a winter carnival featuring traditional games, snowmobile races, and talent shows. The "Open Sky Festival," held around the Canada Day long weekend, is a multi-disciplinary arts festival showcasing musical, theatrical, and other performances, traditional Dehcho Dene Crafts, visual arts, new media exhibitions, workshops, and demonstrations. The Dene of the community are represented by the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation and the Métis by Fort Simpson Métis Local 52. Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations.
Fort Simpson experiences a subarctic climate with long, cold winters and warm but short summers. July temperatures are unusually warm for such northerly areas, demonstrating the extreme continental nature of the area's climate. However, the heat quickly turns into long, cold winters when daylight hours turn drastically shorter. Transition seasons are extremely short, and the year is on average dominated by the winter and to a lesser extent, summer. The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Simpson was 36.6 °C on 25 July 1994 and 13 July 2014. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −56.1 °C on 1 February 1947.
