Kenora, Ontario

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This article is about a city in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. For other uses, see Kenora (disambiguation).
City of Kenora
Location of Kenora in Ontario
City of Kenora
Location of Kenora in Ontario
Coordinates: 49°46′N 94°29′W / 49.767, -94.483
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Region Northwestern Ontario
District Kenora
Incorporated (town) 1882 as Rat Portage
Renamed 1905 as Kenora
Amalgamated (City) 2000 [1]
Government
 - Mayor Len Compton
 - MP Roger Valley (Kenora, LIB)
 - MPP Howard Hampton (Kenora—Rainy River, NDP)
Area
 - City 210.91 km² (81.4 sq mi)
Population (2006)[2]
 - City 15,177
 - Density 72.0/km² (186.5/sq mi)
 - Urban 11,306
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal Code FSA P9N, P0X
Area code(s) 807
Statistics Canada 2006 Community Profile[3]
Website: Kenora Community Portal

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, and about 200 km (124 mi) east of Winnipeg. 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

[edit] 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. The name, "Kenora," was coined by combining the first two letters of Keewatin, Norman (two nearby communities) and Rat Portage.

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 24 km (15 mi) 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.

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.

Husky the Muskie
Husky the Muskie

The Stanley Cup, the trophy awarded to the NHL's winning 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.

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. [1]

[edit] Community

In addition to the formerly separate towns of Keewatin and Jaffray Melick, the city also includes the named neighbourhoods of Norman, Rideout, Brickyard, Pinecrest and Lakeside.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Culture

The city's most prominent cultural venue is the downtown Harbourfront, a park on the shore of Lake of the Woods which hosts the city's annual winter and summer festivals, as well as concert series, a "Bard on the Harbour" reading series of Shakespeare plays and other special events. Harbourfront is also the docking point for the M/S Kenora, a small cruise ship which offers a guided tour of the lake, and the home of Husky the Muskie.

The city's downtown core is home to an arts project which has to date seen 20 murals depicting the region's history planned and painted along buildings in the business district.

The city is also home to a major international bass fishing tournament.

Kenora is sometimes unfairly stereotyped as an archetypal hoser community, evidenced by the phrase "Kenora dinner jacket"[4] as a nickname for a hoser's flannel shirt.

[edit] Transportation

VIA Rail offers passenger service to Redditt on the CN transcontinental rail line, approximately 30 minutes and 20 km (12 mi) north of Kenora. The CP transcontinental rail line passes directly through town.

Kenora Airport is located 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) east northeast of the city centre.

Greyhound Lines offers intercity bus services from the Excel Coach Lines terminal.[5]

Highway 17 passes through Kenora, and the Highway 17A Kenora By-Pass goes around the city. Both routes are designated as part of the Trans-Canada Highway. Highway 658 extends northerly from Kenora to Redditt.

Kenora Transit operates three routes, from Monday to Saturday, 7:00am to 6:30pm. [6]

[edit] 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, who was defeated by Compton in the 2006 municipal election, was the most notable public figure to have endorsed this proposal.[7]

[edit] 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.

Being funded largely in part by the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation, 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.

[edit] 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 3 elementary schools (École Ste. Marguerite-Bourgeois, St. Pope John Paul II School and St. Louis School). The elementary school, officially named Pope John Paul II, amalgamates approximately 350 students from the Mount Carmel and Our Lady of the Valley schools. École Ste. Marguerite-Bourgeois is a French immersion school.

Confederation College has a Kenora campus as well, and serves post-secondary and adult education needs in the city and surrounding area.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Radio

[edit] Television

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.

[edit] Notable people

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[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b City of Kenora - History Milestones and City of Kenora - History and Culture both accessed 2007-11-09
  2. ^ StatsCan GeoSearch2006 Map Zoom in to Kenora, select "Urban Areas" and identify to find the population of the urban area.
  3. ^ Statistics Canada 2006 Community Profile accessed 2007-11-09
  4. ^ True North strong and plaid. Globe & Mail. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
  5. ^ City of Kenora - Getting Here and Getting Around accessed 2007-11-09
  6. ^ Kenora Transit. Accessed 14 January 2008.
  7. ^ Ctv.ca: Residents of Ontario town want to join Manitoba accessed 2007-11-09
  8. ^ NorthPine.com's page on Northwest Ontario radio stations accessed 2007-11-09

Coordinates: 49°46′N 94°29′W / 49.767, -94.483