# Northern Saskatchewan Administration District

The Northern Saskatchewan Administration District (NSAD) is the unincorporated area of Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It encompasses approximately half of Saskatchewan's land mass. Despite its extent, the majority of Saskatchewanians live in the southern half of the province, while the majority of northern Saskatchewanians live in incorporated municipalities outside the NSAD's jurisdiction. The area is co-extensive with Division No. 18, Saskatchewan, one of Statistics Canada's census divisions in the province for its 2016 census.
The census division is the largest in the province terms of area at 269,996.55 square kilometres (104,246.25 sq mi), representing 46 per cent of the province's entire area of 588,239.21 square kilometres (227,120.43 sq mi).
The most populous communities in the census division are La Ronge and La Loche with populations of 2,743 and 2,611 respectively.
The 2016 census also refers to the Unorganized Division No. 18, which counted only 1,115 residents, which placed its population density at 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) for every inhabitant. The district has no local government and is directly subject to the Minister of Government Relations.

## History

An unincorporated Northern Saskatchewan region was first established by the 1948 Northern Administration Act.

## Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Division No. 18 had a population of 35,986 living in 10,475 of its 12,843 total private dwellings, a change of -2.9% from its 2016 population of 37,064. With a land area of 262,280.94 km$^2$ (101,267.24 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.1/km$^2$ (0.4/sq mi) in 2021.
Division No. 18, Unorganized is an unorganized area in northern Saskatchewan. It consists of all of Division No. 18, excluding municipalities and reserves. It has a population of 1,641 as of 2011, and an area of 268,389.99 km$^2$.

## Census subdivisions

Division No. 18 has 58 census subdivisions, of which 24 are municipalities (including a portion of the city of Flin Flon, a city bisected by the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, 2 northern towns, 11 northern villages and 10 northern hamlets), 32 are First Nations communities (31 Indian reserves and an Indian settlement), an unincorporated northern settlement and the unorganized balance of Division No. 18. All municipalities within the census division, except for the Northern Hamlet of Black Point, are recognized as census subdivisions.

### City

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Flin Flon (part) | City | 229 | 242 | −5.4 | 2.37 | 96.4 |

### Northern towns

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Creighton | Northern town | 1,498 | 1,502 | −0.3 | 14.39 | 104.1 |
| La Ronge | Northern town | 2,743 | 2,725 | 0.7 | 11.86 | 231.4 |

### Northern villages

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Air Ronge | Northern village | 1,043 | 1,032 | 1.1 | 6 | 173.8 |
| Beauval | Northern village | 756 | 806 | −6.2 | 6.71 | 112.6 |
| Buffalo Narrows | Northern village | 1,153 | 1,081 | 6.7 | 68.63 | 16.8 |
| Cumberland House | Northern village | 772 | 810 | −4.7 | 15.69 | 49.2 |
| Denare Beach | Northern village | 669 | 785 | −14.8 | 5.84 | 114.5 |
| Green Lake | Northern village | 418 | 361 | 15.8 | 121.92 | 3.4 |
| Île-à-la-Crosse | Northern village | 1,365 | 1,341 | 1.8 | 23.84 | 57.3 |
| La Loche | Northern village | 2,611 | 2,348 | 11.2 | 15.59 | 167.5 |
| Pelican Narrows | Northern village | 790 | 599 | 31.9 | 3.7 | 213.3 |
| Pinehouse | Northern village | 978 | 1,076 | −9.1 | 6.84 | 142.9 |
| Sandy Bay | Northern village | 1,233 | 1,175 | 4.9 | 14.85 | 83 |

### Northern hamlets

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Unorganized Division No. 18 | Unorganized | 1,641 | 1,181 | 39 | 268,389.99 | 0 |
| Cole Bay | Northern hamlet | 230 | 156 | 47.4 | 4.95 | 46.5 |
| Dore Lake | Northern hamlet | 28 | 30 | −6.7 | 8.03 | 3.5 |
| Jans Bay | Northern hamlet | 187 | 181 | 3.3 | 5.94 | 31.5 |
| Michel Village | Northern hamlet | 66 | 79 | −16.5 | 3.73 | 17.7 |
| Patuanak | Northern hamlet | 64 | 84 | −23.8 | 1.34 | 47.6 |
| St. George's Hill | Northern hamlet | 100 | 19 | 426.3 | 1.46 | 68.7 |
| Stony Rapids | Northern hamlet | 243 | 255 | −4.7 | 3.96 | 61.3 |
| Timber Bay | Northern hamlet | 93 | 139 | −33.1 | 4.44 | 20.9 |
| Turnor Lake | Northern hamlet | 0 | 115 | −100 | 4.62 | 0 |
| Weyakwin | Northern hamlet | 135 | 99 | 36.4 | 8.2 | 16.5 |

### Indian settlement

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Brabant Lake | Indian settlement | 51 | 66 | −22.7 | 3.71 | 13.7 |

### Indian reserves

| Name | Status | Population (2011) | Population (2006) | Change (%) | Area (km$^2$) | Population density |
| Buffalo River Dene Nation 193 (Peter Pond Lake 193) | Indian reserve | 764 | 741 | 3.1 | 86.32 | 8.9 |
| Canoe Lake 165 | Indian reserve | 716 | 822 | −12.9 | 25.71 | 27.9 |
| Chicken 224 | Indian reserve | 1,070 | 1,109 | −3.5 | 234.44 | 4.6 |
| Chicken 225 | Indian reserve | 0 | 46 | −100 | 21 | 0 |
| Clearwater River Dene 222 | Indian reserve | 778 | 658 | 18.2 | 30.5 | 25.5 |
| Clearwater River Dene Band 223 | Indian reserve | 19 | 15 | 26.7 | 9.66 | 2 |
| Cumberland House Cree Nation 20 | Indian reserve | 715 | 595 | 20.2 | 16.48 | 43.4 |
| Fond du Lac 227 | Indian reserve | 874 | 801 | 9.1 | 138.26 | 6.3 |
| Fond du Lac 229 | Indian reserve | 0 | 0 | — | 88.42 | 0 |
| Fond du Lac 231 | Indian reserve | 0 | 0 | — | 17.44 | 0 |
| Fond du Lac 232 | Indian reserve | 0 | 0 | — | 17.83 | 0 |
| Four Portages 157C | Indian reserve | 0 | 0 | — | 8.02 | 0 |
| Grandmother's Bay 219 | Indian reserve | 337 | 320 | 5.3 | 49.7 | 6.8 |
| Kimosom Pwatinahk 203 (Deschambault Lake) | Indian reserve | 1,194 | 821 | 45.4 | 8.04 | 148.5 |
| Kinoosao-Thomas Clark 204 | Indian reserve | 40 | 57 | −29.8 | 0.42 | 94.7 |
| Kitsakie 156B | Indian reserve | 644 | 671 | −4 | 1.06 | 606.6 |
| La Plonge 192 | Indian reserve | 115 | 139 | −17.3 | 91.22 | 1.3 |
| Lac La Hache 220 | Indian reserve | 1,251 | 988 | 26.6 | 110.87 | 11.3 |
| Lac La Ronge 156 | Indian reserve | 1,914 | 1,534 | 24.8 | 9.1 | 210.2 |
| Little Hills 158 | Indian reserve | 0 | 5 | −100 | 6.58 | 0 |
| Little Hills 158B | Indian reserve | 0 | 5 | −100 | 2.04 | 0 |
| Montreal Lake 106 | Indian reserve | 999 | 880 | 13.5 | 60.96 | 16.4 |
| Morin Lake 217 | Indian reserve | 618 | 406 | 52.2 | 105.94 | 5.8 |
| Pelican Narrows 184B | Indian reserve | 1,913 | 1,342 | 42.5 | 5.46 | 350.5 |
| Potato River 156A | Indian reserve | 0 | 0 | — | 3.73 | 0 |
| Southend 200 | Indian reserve | 904 | 910 | −0.7 | 37.64 | 24 |
| Stanley 157 | Indian reserve | 1,634 | 1,467 | 11.4 | 3.13 | 522.1 |
| Sturgeon Weir 184F | Indian reserve | 61 | 66 | −7.6 | 24.11 | 2.5 |
| Sucker River 156C (Nemebien River 156C) | Indian reserve | 400 | 290 | 37.9 | 1.38 | 289.2 |
| Turnor Lake 193B | Indian reserve | 419 | 413 | 1.5 | 1.12 | 375.4 |
| Wapachewunak 192D | Indian reserve | 482 | 526 | −8.4 | 19.48 | 24.7 |

### Unincorporated communities

A northern settlement is an unincorporated community in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, and its administration is regulated by The Northern Municipalities Act. Saskatchewan has 11 northern settlements. One northern settlement, Missinipe, is recognized as a census subdivision by Statistics Canada.
| Name | Population (2011) |
| Bear Creek | 47 |
| Brabant Lake | 102 |
| Camsell Portage | 37 |
| Descharme Lake | 42 |
| Garson Lake | 34 |
| Missinipe | 39 |
| Sled Lake | 35 |
| Southend | 35 |
| Stanley Mission | 124 |
| Uranium City | 201 |
| Wollaston Lake | 129 |