Named after John K. McLennan, vice president of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway on what used to be a community known as Round Lake,[5] the town lies on the southern shore of Kimiwan Lake (the Cree word for rain), and northwest of Winagami Lake. The large concentration of shorebirds and waterfowl and McLennan's informal nickname as the 'Bird Capital of Canada' is due to the nearby lakes creating an attraction for migratory birds.[6]Winagami Lake Provincial Park is located 29 km (18 mi) southeast of McLennan.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of McLennan had a population of 695 living in 255 of its 322 total private dwellings, a change of -0.9% from its 2016 population of 701. With a land area of 3.58 km2 (1.38 sq mi), it had a population density of 194.1/km2 (502.8/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of McLennan recorded a population of 701 living in 256 of its 296 total private dwellings, a -13.3% change from its 2011 population of 809. With a land area of 3.71 km2 (1.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 188.9/km2 (489.4/sq mi) in 2016.[16]
^"Table 5: Population of urban centres, 1916-1946, with guide to locations". Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1946. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1949. pp. 397–400.
^"Table 6: Population by sex, for census subdivisions, 1956 and 1951". Census of Canada, 1956. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1958.
^"Table 9: Population by census subdivisions, 1966 by sex, and 1961". 1966 Census of Canada. Western Provinces. Vol. Population: Divisions and Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1967.
^"Table 3: Population for census divisions and subdivisions, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada. Census Divisions and Subdivisions, Western Provinces and the Territories. Vol. Population: Geographic Distributions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1977.
^"Table 2: Census Subdivisions in Alphabetical Order, Showing Population Rank, Canada, 1981". 1981 Census of Canada. Vol. Census subdivisions in decreasing population order. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1982. ISBN0-660-51563-6.
^"Table 2: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 and 1991 – 100% Data". 91 Census. Vol. Population and Dwelling Counts – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1992. pp. 100–108. ISBN0-660-57115-3.