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Revision as of 16:29, 12 August 2010
Town in Ontario, Canada| Red Lake | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Gold in quartz from the Red Lake Mine | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Kenora |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town |
| • Mayor | Phil Vinet |
| • Governing Body | Red Lake Municipal Council |
| • MP | Greg Rickford (CPC) |
| • MPP | Howard Hampton (NDP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 610.38 km (235.67 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 4,526 |
| • Density | 7.4/km (19/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 807 |
| Website | Municipality of Red Lake |
Red Lake is a municipality and census subdivision in the Canadian province of Ontario, located 535 km (332 mi) northwest of Thunder Bay and less than 100 km (62 mi) from the Manitoba border. The municipality consists of six small communities — Balmertown, Cochenour, Madsen, McKenzie Island, Red Lake and Starratt-Olsen — and had a population of 4,526 people in the Canada 2006 Census.
The three primary sources of employment in Red Lake are support services for the numerous mines surrounding the town, small scale logging and a tourism sector specializing in hunting and fishing. It is known as the "Norseman Capital of the World", referring to the Noorduyn Norseman aircraft which played a significant role in the development of the area.
History
The town experienced a sudden surge of economic, industrial, and population growth with the discovery of gold in 1926. In fact, by 1936, Red Lake's Howey Bay was the busiest airport in the world with more flights landing and taking off per hour than any other.
In 1995 Goldcorp, owners of the Red Lake Mine, discovered that it contains the world's richest grade gold ore (two troy ounces of gold per metric ton). Shortly thereafter, the mine suffered through a four-year long miners' strike. Since then the mine has become one of the richest gold mines in the world.
Attractions
This little bush town has a museum and is close to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and Pakwash Provincial Park. Some local restaurants are Spud&Dog, the Lakeview, and The Howey. Red Lake is a prime location for summer sports fishing, as the lake contains several types of fish including walleye, northern pike, lake trout, whitefish and sauger. Other popular recreational summer activities include golfing at the Red Lake Golf and Country Club, swimming at Rahill Beach, and even exploring the many bays and arms of Red Lake by boat.
Hunting is another activity in the region that attracts tourism, especially during the fall season. Outdoorsmen know of the abundance of game in the Red Lake District, including moose, ruffed grouse, spruce hen, duck, and bear. Some citizens even participate in the fur industry with established trapping lines interspersed throughout the local forests. The gray wolf, white-tailed deer, red fox, beaver, and many bird species also inhabit the area.
Climate
The climate of the area is warm-summer continental. In this township, snow usually starts falling around late October / early November, and starts melting around March but doesn't fully melt until late April (and snow in May and even June is not uncommon). This long winter is ideal for the local snowmachiners and for ice fishing though during this period, the wind is often very cold and temperatures may drop to below -35 degrees Celsius. During winter, residents and visitors participate in snow-mobiling, ice fishing, skiing, ice hockey, and downhill sliding.
During the summer, the area experiences a moderate climate with little humidity, which is ideal for camping, boating, canoeing, and hiking.
| Climate data for Red Lake | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Transportation
Red Lake is located at the northern terminus of Highway 105, and is the northernmost town in Ontario that is located on a primary King's Highway. A short spur route, Highway 125, extends northerly from Highway 105 to the communities of Balmertown, Cochenour and McKenzie Island, while Highway 618 extends westerly from Highway 105 to the communities of Madsen and Starratt-Olsen. Only one highway in the province, the secondary Highway 599, extends further north than the terminus of Highway 125.
The town acts as a cargo, passenger and tourism hub for Northwestern Ontario. With Pickle Lake, Red Lake services over twenty northern fly-in communities. Today, the airport is a "mini-hub" facilitating travel to and from all northern communities in North-western Ontario. Four airway companies take advantage of Red Lakes close proximity to the northern communities. Bearskin Airlines, Superior Airways, and Wasaya Airways all operate out of "YRL".
Notable residents
- Kristen Hager, actress
- Brendan Williams, musician
References
- 2006 Community Profiles
- ^ Richthammer, John. The End of the Road: A History of the Red Lake District (1985)
- Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 26 September 2009
External links
51°02′N 93°50′W / 51.033°N 93.833°W / 51.033; -93.833
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