Communities

More than 5400 people inhabit the area, including some 2,000 residents of the Bigstone Cree Nation Reserves.

The largest hamlet is Wabasca/Desmarais, with a population of about 3,300, split between M.D. residents and Bigstone Cree Nation members. Located on the narrows between North and South Wabasca Lakes, Wabasca/Desmarais serves as the headquarters for the Municipal District of Opportunity and Bigstone Cree Nation, as well as for some provincial government area-offices.
 

Other communities under M.D. administration include the hamlets of Calling Lake, Red Earth Creek, and Sandy Lake, and the settlements of Chipewyan Lake, Peerless Lake, and Trout Lake. All communities have benefited from numerous infrastructure improvements in recent years.

Brimming with cultural and historical treasures, the place and its peoples are a mesmerizing mix of past achievements, present activity, and future possibilities.