Discover

(Redirected from Keewatin, Ontario)

'Kenora' (2006 population 15,177), originally named 'Rat Portage', is a small city situated on the Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario, Canada close to the Manitoba boundary, about 200km east of Winnipeg. Kenora is home to the annual International Bass Fishing Tournament. It is the seat of Kenora District. The town of Kenora was amalgamated with the towns of Keewatin and Jaffray Melick in 2000 to form the present-day city of Kenora.

Contents

History

Economy

Politics

Healthcare

Education

Media

Radio

Television

Notable People

Trivia

External links

References

History

Kenora's future site was in the territory of the Sioux when the first European, Jacques De Noyon, sighted Lake of the Woods in 1688. Pierre La Verendrye established a secure French trading post, Fort St. Charles, to the south of present-day Kenora near the current Canada/U.S. border in 1732, and France maintained the post until 1763 when it lost the territory to the British in the Seven Years' War — until then, it was the most northwesterly settlement of New France. In 1836 the Hudson's Bay Company established a post on Old Fort Island, and in 1861, the Company opened a post on the mainland at Kenora's current location.
In 1878, the Company surveyed lots for the permanent settlement of ''Rat Portage'' — the community kept that name until 1905, when it was renamed to ''Kenora''. Gold and the railroad were both important in the community's early history: gold was first discovered in the area in 1850, and by 1893, 20 mines were operating within 15 miles (24 km) of Rat Portage, and the first Canadian ocean-to-ocean train passed through in 1886 on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Later, the Trans-Canada Highway passed through Kenora in 1932, placing the community on both of Canada's major transcontinental transportation routes.
The logging industry, which was important earlier, declined in the second part of the 20th century as the tourist industry grew, and the last log boom was towed into Kenora in 1985. In 1967, the year of the Canadian Centennial, Kenora erected a sculpture known as ''Husky the Muskie'' which has become the town's effective mascot and one of its most recognizable features.

Economy

Forestry, tourism and mining are the three largest sectors of the Kenora economy. The population balloons in the spring and summer to almost double the normal population when summer residents move in. The Lake of the Woods and numerous smaller lakes situated all around Kenora are the major draw for cottagers who summer here. Many are from the neighbouring province of Manitoba and the state of Minnesota.

Politics

Kenora-Rainy River's Member of Provincial Parliament, Howard Hampton, is leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. Federally, the area is represented by Liberal Member of Parliament Roger Valley. He was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 in the Kenora riding.
The current mayor of Kenora is Len Compton.
Some residents of Kenora, citing dissatisfaction with the level of government service provided to the region by the provincial government, have proposed that the region secede from Ontario to join the province of Manitoba. Former Kenora mayor Dave Canfield was the most notable public figure to have endorsed this proposal.

Healthcare

The Lake of the Woods District Hospital was founded in 1897, and was originally known as the Rat Portage Jubilee Hospital and then the Kenora General Hospital. Through the years a series of additions and renovations took place to meet the expanding needs of the population. On May 1, 1968, the St. Joseph's Hospital and the Kenora General Hospital amalgamated to form the Lake of the Woods District Hospital. Treating well over 30,000 people per year, Lake of the Woods District Hospital is Northwestern Ontario's largest hospital outside of Thunder Bay.
The hospital's core programs include emergency and ambulatory care, chronic care, mental health, maternal and child health, and acute care services which include general medicine, intensive care and surgical services. It also manages a broad range of services including dialysis, chemotherapy, diagnostic imaging, mammography, ultrasound, addiction counseling and detoxification, a sexual assault centre, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services, ambulance (land and dedicated air), palliative care and various education programs.
The Lake of the Woods District Hospital meets the immediate healthcare needs of residents of the city of Kenora, as well as a large surrounding area, including several First Nations Communities. In recognition of the First Nations communities that it serves, the hospital is committed to ensuring that traditional native healing and culture are part of native health care, including a unique native healer program that recognizes the spiritual component of aboriginal health care.
Their goal is to provide high quality patient care within the limits of our resources. Their healthcare team is made up of a wide range of dedicated, expert individuals who work along with your physician to provide you or your loved one with the best possible treatment. They are a fully accredited hospital under the national standards of the Canadian Council on Health Services.

Education

Two school boards and a community college function in the Kenora Area.
The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board operates one high school (Beaver Brae Secondary School) and 5 elementary schools (Lakewood School, Keewatin Public School, Evergreen School, King George IV School, and Valleyview School).
The Kenora Catholic District School Board operates one high school (Saint Thomas Aquinas High School) and 4 elementary schools (Mount Carmel School, Our Lady of the Valley School, École Ste Marguerite Bourgeoys, and St. Louis School). In September 2007 a new elementary school, offically named Pope John Paul II, will open it's doors, amalgamating approximately 350 students from the Mount Carmel and Our Lady of the Valley schools.
Confederation College has a Kenora campus as well, and serves post-secondary and adult education needs in the city and surrounding area.

Media

The major news source in Kenora is the ''Kenora Daily Miner and News'', one of Canada's smallest daily newspapers. On the weekends, the ''Lake of the Woods Enterprise'' is delivered free to area households. ''NWO Update'', offers regional news coverage.
It is also Canada's smallest (and North America's second smallest) television market, with just a single station, and two CBC/SRC affiliates.

Radio

★ FM 89.5 - CJRL ("The Mix"), adult contemporary (Fawcett Broadcasting Limited 31.2kW/105m (B))

★ FM 93.5 - CKSB-7, La Première Chaîne 20kW/100m (B)

★ FM 98.7 - CBQX, CBC Radio One 38kW/100m (B)

★ FM 104.5 - CKQV-FM-2 ("Q104"), hot adult contemporary (Norwesto Broadasting Limited 1.6kW/105m (A))

Television

★ Channel 2: CBWFT-7 - (SRC)

★ Channel 8: CBWAT - (CBC)

★ Channel 13: CJBN - (CTV/Global)

★ Channel 44: CICO-TV-91 - (TVO)
''See the for more information on television stations''.

Notable People

★ NHL and Team Canada 1972 player Gary Bergman.

★ NHLer Mike Richards

★ Mike Smith (decathlon) (born 1967), Canadian silver medalist in the decathlon, at the 1991 World Championships.

★ Andrea Hansen- professionmal violinist and Member of the Order of Canada.

★ Mildred Tremblay- renowned poet.

★ Robert Hilles- renowned poet.

★ Dora Forstrom- artist

★ Alison Norlen- artist

★ Greg Lowe- jazz guitarist

★ James William Wright- Canadian horse racing builder.

★ Glory Annen- actress

Trivia

★ Kenora has a 40 ft (12 m) tall fish statue named Husky the Muskie.

★ Recently, some residents have expressed interest in separating from Ontario and joining neighbouring Manitoba. Reasons cited include high costs of doing business in the forestry sector and high hydro (electric) rates in Ontario. A local businessman has started a petition to the Government of Ontario.

★ The Manitoba/Ontario boundary formerly ran through the downtown area of Kenora, creating problems for Manitoba and Ontario Provincial Law enforcement.

★ The Stanley Cup, the trophy awarded to the NHL's best team, was won by the Kenora Thistles hockey team in 1907. The team featured such Hall of Famers as Billy McGimsie, Tommy Phillips, Roxy Beaudro, and Art Ross, for whom the Art Ross Trophy is named. Kenora is the smallest town to have won a major North American sports title.

★ A dramatic and daring bank robbery took place in Kenora on May 10, 1973. An unknown man entered the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce heavily armed and wearing a 'dead man's switch', a device utilising a clothespin, wires, battery and dynamite, where the user holds the clothespin in the mouth, exerting force on the clothespin. Should the user release the clothespin, two wires attached to both sides of the pin complete an electrical circuit, sending current from the battery, detonating the explosives. After robbing the bank, the robber exited the CIBC, and was preparing to enter a city vehicle driven by undercover police officer Don Milliard. A sniper positioned across the street from the bank shot the robber, initiating the sequence of events required to detonate the explosive. Recently, Kenora Police submitted DNA samples from the robber's remains to identify him, but the suspect was never positively identified. He has since been referred to as "Oliver Town", because he was found all-over town.

★ CBWAT was once a separate CBC Television station from Winnipeg-based CBWT. It would air basic news, weather and sports from Winnipeg followed by a locally produced current affairs programme. This was discontinued when CBWAT became a repeater of CBWT.

External links

★ City of Kenora website

★ Historical timeline for Kenora

★ MyKenora Community Portal

★ Lake Of The Woods District Hospital

★ Architecture of Kenora

★ Lake of the Woods Museum

★ Ctv.ca: Residents of Ontario town want to join Manitoba

★ NorthPine.com's page on Northwest Ontario radio stations

★ Live Full-Control Webcam from the top of the Best-Western Lakeside Inn

References

1. StatsCan GeoSearch2006 Map Zoom in to Kenora, select "Urban Areas" and identify to find the population of the urban area.