'Sioux Lookout' is a town in north-western
Ontario,
Canada. It has a population of 5,336 and an elevation: 1280 ft / 390 m. Known locally as the "Gateway to the North", it is serviced by the
Sioux Lookout Airport,
Highway 72, and a
Via Rail station. Tourism, lumber, and health care are the primary sources of employment in the town. There are a number of fishing camps in the area that allow access to an extensive lake system fed by the English River. Several beaches are nearby including the historical site of Umpreville Park, a historical site that predates the town itself. During the summer months, Sioux Lookout's population rises as American tourists arrive to take advantage of the seemingly infinte amount of lakes and rivers in the area. Experienced guides, employed by the camps, can locate the best locations and also provide an educated tour of a unique land known affectionately as "sunset country".
History
The name of Sioux Lookout comes from a nearby mountain and a First Nations story. This mountain was used in the late 1700s by
Ojibway Indians to watch for Sioux warriors coming to ambush their camp. A careful eye could see the sun shining off the birch of enemy canoes crossing nearby rapids. Women and children could be led away safely while the warriors could intercept the Sioux in the water. The front page of the local newspaper, The Sioux Lookout Bulletin, features the iconic image of a First Nations man, drawn by local artist Glen Keessic, holding a hand above his eyes and scanning the waters.
Present day Sioux Lookout was incorporated in 1912 and was then a terminal point on the
National Transcontinental Railway. For many years, Sioux Lookout was simply a railway town. When gold was discovered in Red Lake, Sioux Lookout became one of the leading aviation centers in Canada during the twenties and thirties. During the Cold War Sioux Lookout operated a radar base to monitor any activity from Russia. Now, the
Canadian National Railway is a significant employer, but it is no longer the base of the municipality’s economy. The forest industry is an important part of the economy. Its inherent instability is partly offset by the stability of the service sector. As a result, Sioux Lookout barely felt the effects of the recession of the early 1980’s. Urban Sioux Lookout fronts on Pelican Lake, and the municipality undertook a lakefront improvement program to beautify this area. There are now more parks, paths, and other recreational facilities along the lakefront. Numerous other lakes are easily accessible by car or boat from Sioux Lookout. Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy, but its potential is just beginning to be tapped.
Geography and climate
Topography
Climate
Demographics
Government
Sioux Lookout elects one mayor and four "councillors-at-large". Mayor Kathy Poling leads a council of James Brohm, David Gordon, Ben Hancharuk, and Joyce Timpson.
Federally, they are represented by Liberal
Roger Valley MP, Kenora-Rainy River. Provincially, they are represented by NDP
Howard Hampton MPP, Kenora.
Economy
The main industries of Sioux Lookout are:
★ Services (68%)
★ Forestry (14%)
★ Transportation, (12%)
★ Tourism (4%)
Education
Schools are located in the Sioux Lookout area include Queen Elizabeth District High School, Sacred Heart Elementary School, Sioux Mountain Public School, Cornerstone Christian Academy, and Pelican Falls First Nations High School.
Culture
The annual Blueberry Festival has been held in August since 1982. 2007 marks the 25th anniversarry of a festival which celebrates the town and its surrounding environment. The most popular events include: the Sioux Mountain Music and Cultural Festival, the Bocce Tournament, and a charitable social which incorporates an annual theme. This year's theme is rumoured to be James Bond, in a play on the last three digits of the year.
Sites of interest
Sioux Mountain,
Media
'Newspaper'
★ ''
Sioux-Lookout Bulletin''
'Television'
★
CICA-85 (
TVOntario) channel 2
★
CBWDT-1 (
CBC Television) channel 12
'Radio'
★ AM 1240 -
CBLS,
CBC Radio One
★ FM 90.1 -
CKWT,
First Nations community
★ FM 91.9 -
CIDE,
First Nations community
★ FM 97.1/AM 1400 -
CKDR-2,
adult contemporary
★ FM 103.3/104.5 -
CKQV-FM
Arts
Literature
Peggy Sanders, awarded the Order of Canada in October of 2006, is Sioux Lookout's leading literary figure. She was praised by the Governor-General for "bridging cultures...and building relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities for decades". She continued to note that Sanders was: "a founding member of the local anti-racism committee...and has championed literacy by founding the town's first public library." Patricia Ningewance Nadeau, from Lac Seul, Ontario, is on the board of directors at the Indigenous Language Institute. She has published a textbook on language: "Survival Ojibwe" and works with Wawatay Communications Society in Sioux Lookout.
Richard Schwindt, a fomer resident of Sioux Lookout, published a collection of short stories titled "Dreams and Sioux Nights" in 2003.
Phillip Neault-Pioneer is the collected songs and stories told by Mae Carroll to her grandchildren. Her book, edited by James R. Stevens, takes place in the two railroad towns of Fort Williams and Sioux Lookout in pioneer times. The Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee won the 23rd Annual Media Human Rights Awards Winner for "their web site which deals with the effects and strategies of dealing with issues of racism and resources and strategies to deal with instances of racism".
The town also figures prominently in the novel ''
The Cunning Man'' by
Robertson Davies, as well as the 1952 novel '' by
Richard Morenus.
Music
Lawrence Martin, a Juno Award winning musician, was the mayor during the nineties. Martin is now Mayor of Cochrane Ontario and was once a member of the TVOntario Board of Directors.
Sports
Sioux Lookout hosts an Annual Northern First Nations Hockey Tournament.
[1]
First round NHL draft pick and World Junior Hockey champion
Ryan Parent is from Sioux Lookout. As a member of the Canadian World Juniors team, Parent won two gold medals. A first-round draft pick of the
Nashville Predators in the 2006 NHL entry draft, he has since been traded to the
Philadelphia Flyers, he played in the last regular season game of the 2006/2007 season and could possibly make the official roster next season.
Infrastructure
New residential zones have been created in response to Sioux Lookout's continued population growth (which is one of the highest in Northern Ontario). In the past decade, Sioux Lookout has built an elementary school, a large grocery store, municipal office, police station, and a clinic,
Health and medicine
The Meno-Ya-Win Health Center is the largest construction project in the town and is nearing production phase. The proposed building complex will provide Sioux Lookout and several northern communites with advanced health care. Services that had to be outsourced to larger cities, forcing patients to travel or wait longer periods for results, will now be available locally. The three municipalities and twenty-nine northern communities that will be serviced by the center cover an area larger than that of France. The health center including a hospital, long term care, community services, patient hostel and other related services is characterized by its unique blending of mainstream and traditional Aboriginal care. It has been designated Ontario's center of excellence for First Nations' healthcare.
Transportation
Sioux Lookout Airport was opened in
1933; at the time it was the second busiest airport in North America next to
Chicago. Today, the airport is a "Mini-Hub" facilitating travel to and from all northern communities in Northwestern Ontario. Sioux Lookout's Airport is recognized as the fourth busiest in Ontario. Three airway companies and ORNGE (part of Ontario's largest medical transport providers) take advantage of a large facility that is undergoing further expansion.
Bearskin Airlines,
NAC AIR, Lockhart, and
Wasaya Airways all operate out of "YXL".
[2]
References
Footnotes
1. http://firstnationshockey.ca/
2.
Other references
External links
★
Town of Sioux Lookout
★
Sioux Lookout Chamber of Commerce
★ ''
Sioux Lookout Bulletin'', newspaper
★ ''
Wawatay News''
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