The Bay of Quinte ( /ˈkwɪnti/) is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is located about 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Toronto and 400 kilometres (250 mi) west of Montreal.
The name "Quinte" is derived from "Kente", which was the name of an early French Catholic mission located on the south shore of what is now Prince Edward County.[1]
The Bay, as it is known locally, provides some of the best trophy Walleye angling in North America as well as most sport fish common to the great lakes. The bay is subject to algae blooms in late summer which are a naturally occurring phenomenon and do not indicate pollution other than from agricultural runoff. Zebra mussels as well as the other invasive species found in the great lakes are present.
The Quinte area played a vital role in bootlegging during Prohibition in the United States, with large volumes of booze being produced in the area, and shipped via boat on the Bay to Lake Ontario finally arriving in New York State where it was distributed. Illegal sales of liquor accounted for many fortunes in and around Belleville.
Tourism in the area is significant, especially in the summer months due to the Bay of Quinte and its fishing, local golf courses, provincial parks, and wineries.
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The northern side of the bay is defined by Ontario's mainland, while the southern side follows the shore of the Prince Edward County headland. Beginning in the east with the outlet to Lake Ontario, the bay runs west-southwest for 25 kilometers (16 mi) to Picton (although this section is also called Adolphus Reach), where it turns north-northwest for another 20 kilometers (12 mi) as far as Deseronto. From there it turns south-southwest again for another 40 kilometers (25 mi), running past Big Island on the south and Belleville on the north. The width of the bay rarely exceeds two kilometers. The bay ends at Trenton (Quinte West) and the Trent River, both also on the north side. The Murray Canal has been cut through the "Carrying Place", the few miles separating the end of the bay and Lake Ontario on the west side. The Trent River is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, a canal connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and then Georgian Bay on Lake Huron.
There are several sub-bays off the Bay of Quinte, including Hay Bay, Big Bay, and Muscote Bay.
Quinte is also a region comprising several communities situated along the Bay of Quinte, including Belleville which is the largest city in the Quinte Region, and represents a mid-point between Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.
The Greater Bay of Quinte area includes the municipalities of Brighton, Quinte West, Belleville, Prince Edward County, and Greater Napanee as well as the Native Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Overall population of the area exceeds 200,000.[2]
The Quinte Region, specifically the City of Belleville, is home to "Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology." Other post-secondary schools in the region include; "Maxwell College of Advanced Technology," "CDI College," "Ontario Business College," and "Quinte Literacy." Secondary Schools in the region include "Albert College" (private school) and "Sir James Whitney" (a school for the deaf and severely hearing-impaired).
The Quinte Region is home to a large number of national and international food processing manufacturers. Quinte also houses a large number of industries in the plastics & packaging sector, transportation sector, logistics sector and advanced manufacturing sector, including the following (just a few of over 350 industries located in the Bay of Quinte Region) :