West Nipissing, Ontario
Encyclopedia
West Nipissing is a town
in northeastern Ontario
, Canada
, on Lake Nipissing
in the Nipissing District. It was formed on January 1, 1999, with the amalgamation of seventeen and a half former towns, village
s, townships and unorganized communities.
It is the most bilingual community in Ontario, with 73.4% of its population fluent in both English and French.
and 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) west of North Bay
on Highway 17, part of the Trans-Canada Highway
. The place got its start around 1874 as a trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company
. Roughly half the entire population of West Nipissing lives in Sturgeon Falls.
Field is located on Highway 64, approximately 20 kilometres north of Sturgeon Falls. In 1979, the Sturgeon River bursted its banks, flooding the town's centre. Many houses were demolished and rebuilt on higher ground nearby. The Thistle Fire Tower is to be dismantled and re-erected here as a tourist attraction. Logging, farming and outdoor recreational activities are main village industries.
Verner is located on the Veuve River (Rivière Veuve), at the western junction of highways 17 and 64, approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Sturgeon Falls. The largely francophone
community serves as an agricultural
hub for the surrounding area and offers a consumers' cooperative
and farm equipment
dealers. The town was named for the wife of Canadian Pacific Railway
superintendent Archer Baker, who oversaw the laying of track through the West Nipissing area in the 1880s.
Many of the francophone settlers immigrated to the area from Michigan in the late 19th century in order to preserve their language; they were concerned they would lose their language in the predominantly Anglo-centric US.
Smaller communities in the municipality include Cache Bay, Caderette, Crystal Falls, Desaulniers, Evansville, Harfred, Kirk, Lavigne, Notre Dame du Lac and River Valley. It also includes part of the North Monetville area, which straddles the boundary between West Nipissing and French River. The separate Nipissing
First Nations reserve
is also located near and closely associated with West Nipissing.
, an Anishinabek people, and many N’Biissing still inhabit the area today. Sturgeon Falls is the oldest community in the District of Nipissing. From 1848 to 1879, the Hudson's Bay Company
operated a trading post, known as the Sturgeon River House, on the right bank of the river several hundred metres below the falls, trading with the N’Biissing for furs and other goods. James R. Holditch of Utterson, Ontario is generally credited as being the first permanent non-aboriginal settler in the area. He arrived in 1878 and built a cabin on the left bank, near the falls.
The region began to grow in the 1880s, with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
and the efforts of Fr. Charles Alfred Marie Paradis, an Oblate
missionary, to develop an agricultural
settlement for Franco-Ontarians in the Verner area.
The development of Sturgeon Falls began in 1881 with the arrival of Canadian Pacific Railway construction crews. The area's first post office was opened in Sturgeon Falls in 1881. Lumbering and the establishment of pulp and paper industries accelerated the village's growth and attracted many French-Canadian settlers to the area.
The erection of sawmills and the rapid growth of the lumber
ing and pulp and paper
industries stimulated the development of the village and attracted many French-Canadian settlers to the area. The town of Sturgeon Falls was incorporated on April 16, 1895. At the time, J. A. Lévis was elected the first mayor and the population was 850.
The community of Field suffered two significant natural disasters in the 1970s. On August 20, 1970, it was hit by a small tornado associated with the Sudbury, Ontario tornado
event. In the spring of 1979 the Sturgeon River overflowed its banks at Field, causing massive flooding in the town's centre. Half the town that was located in the flood plain was relocated to higher ground two kilometres south of the original town centre on Highway 64. This new location is known as New Field (Val des Arbres).
and Sudbury. One commercial radio station, CFSF
, broadcasts from Sturgeon Falls, as does a retransmitter of the SRC
television affiliate CBLFT. Le5 Communications
received CRTC approval on January 6, 2011 to launch a new French language radio station in the region.
The area has a bilingual weekly newspaper, The West Nipissing Tribune, which was previously called The Sturgeon Falls Tribune. It is also served by the daily North Bay Nugget
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in northeastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, on Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...
in the Nipissing District. It was formed on January 1, 1999, with the amalgamation of seventeen and a half former towns, village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s, townships and unorganized communities.
It is the most bilingual community in Ontario, with 73.4% of its population fluent in both English and French.
Communities
The primary administrative and commercial centre of West Nipissing is the community of Sturgeon Falls, which is situated on the Sturgeon River, 5|km}} north of Lake NipissingLake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...
and 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) west of North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
on Highway 17, part of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
. The place got its start around 1874 as a trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. Roughly half the entire population of West Nipissing lives in Sturgeon Falls.
Verner is located on the Veuve River (Rivière Veuve), at the western junction of highways 17 and 64, approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Sturgeon Falls. The largely francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
community serves as an agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
hub for the surrounding area and offers a consumers' cooperative
Consumers' cooperative
Consumer cooperatives are enterprises owned by consumers and managed democratically which aim at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of their members. They operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a form of mutual aid, oriented toward service rather than pecuniary profit...
and farm equipment
Farm equipment
Agricultural machinery is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. The best-known example of this kind is the tractor.-Soil cultivation:*Cultivator*Cultipacker*Chisel plow*Mulch tiller*Harrow**Spike harrow**Drag harrow...
dealers. The town was named for the wife of Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
superintendent Archer Baker, who oversaw the laying of track through the West Nipissing area in the 1880s.
Many of the francophone settlers immigrated to the area from Michigan in the late 19th century in order to preserve their language; they were concerned they would lose their language in the predominantly Anglo-centric US.
Smaller communities in the municipality include Cache Bay, Caderette, Crystal Falls, Desaulniers, Evansville, Harfred, Kirk, Lavigne, Notre Dame du Lac and River Valley. It also includes part of the North Monetville area, which straddles the boundary between West Nipissing and French River. The separate Nipissing
Nipissing 10, Ontario
Nipissing 10 is a First Nations reserve in northeastern Ontario, Canada located on the north shores of Lake Nipissing in Nipissing District, serving as the land base for the Nipissing First Nation. The reserve is located west of North Bay and east of West Nipissing.The reserve comprises the...
First Nations reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
is also located near and closely associated with West Nipissing.
History
The original inhabitants of the area are the N’BiissingNipissing First Nation
The Nipissing First Nation consists of first nation people of Ojibwa and Algonquin descent who have lived in the area of Lake Nipissing in the Canadian province of Ontario for about 9,400 years. Though in history known by many names, they are generally considered part of the Anishinaabe peoples,...
, an Anishinabek people, and many N’Biissing still inhabit the area today. Sturgeon Falls is the oldest community in the District of Nipissing. From 1848 to 1879, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
operated a trading post, known as the Sturgeon River House, on the right bank of the river several hundred metres below the falls, trading with the N’Biissing for furs and other goods. James R. Holditch of Utterson, Ontario is generally credited as being the first permanent non-aboriginal settler in the area. He arrived in 1878 and built a cabin on the left bank, near the falls.
The region began to grow in the 1880s, with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR)
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and the efforts of Fr. Charles Alfred Marie Paradis, an Oblate
Oblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
missionary, to develop an agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
settlement for Franco-Ontarians in the Verner area.
The development of Sturgeon Falls began in 1881 with the arrival of Canadian Pacific Railway construction crews. The area's first post office was opened in Sturgeon Falls in 1881. Lumbering and the establishment of pulp and paper industries accelerated the village's growth and attracted many French-Canadian settlers to the area.
The erection of sawmills and the rapid growth of the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
ing and pulp and paper
Pulp and paper industry
The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American , northern European and East Asian countries...
industries stimulated the development of the village and attracted many French-Canadian settlers to the area. The town of Sturgeon Falls was incorporated on April 16, 1895. At the time, J. A. Lévis was elected the first mayor and the population was 850.
The community of Field suffered two significant natural disasters in the 1970s. On August 20, 1970, it was hit by a small tornado associated with the Sudbury, Ontario tornado
Sudbury, Ontario Tornado
On August 20, 1970, an F3 tornado hit the Canadian city of Sudbury, Ontario.Considered unusual because tornadoes of this strength rarely occur in Northern Ontario, the tornado touched down in the suburban community of Lively. The tornado tracked quickly eastward into the city, hitting the...
event. In the spring of 1979 the Sturgeon River overflowed its banks at Field, causing massive flooding in the town's centre. Half the town that was located in the flood plain was relocated to higher ground two kilometres south of the original town centre on Highway 64. This new location is known as New Field (Val des Arbres).
Media
The region is served primarily by broadcast stations from North BayNorth Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
and Sudbury. One commercial radio station, CFSF
CFSF-FM
CFSF-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 99.3 FM in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. The station airs an adult contemporary format.The station, owned by Haliburton Broadcasting Group, uses the on-air brand name Moose FM.-History:...
, broadcasts from Sturgeon Falls, as does a retransmitter of the SRC
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
television affiliate CBLFT. Le5 Communications
Le5 Communications
Le5 Communications is a Canadian media company. Based in Sudbury, Ontario, the company operates radio stations and newspapers in the Northeastern Ontario region....
received CRTC approval on January 6, 2011 to launch a new French language radio station in the region.
The area has a bilingual weekly newspaper, The West Nipissing Tribune, which was previously called The Sturgeon Falls Tribune. It is also served by the daily North Bay Nugget
North Bay Nugget
-External links:* *...
.
People
- Harry BainHarry BainHarry William Bain, OC was a Canadian pediatrician.He was raised in Cache Bay, Ontario, and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1944. He was a paediatrician at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children from 1951 to 1985...
, former paediatrician-in-chief of the Hospital for Sick ChildrenHospital for Sick ChildrenThe Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
and the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's department chairman of paediatrics - Ed HarringtonEd HarringtonEd Harrington was a star defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.Harrington played college football at Langston University and later with the Toronto Rifles of the Continental Football League. He had a 10 year career in the Canadian Football League from 1963 to 1974 for the Toronto...
, ex-CFL player - Jean-Jacques BlaisJean-Jacques BlaisJean-Jacques Blais, PC, QC is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nipissing in the Canadian House of Commons from 1972 to 1984...
, former cabinet member in the Canadian government - Louise CharronLouise CharronLouise Charron is a Canadian jurist. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in October, 2004, and is the first native-born Franco-Ontarian Supreme Court judge...
, first Franco-OntarianFranco-OntarianFranco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
justice of the Supreme Court of CanadaSupreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions... - Jean Éthier-Blais, writer and literary critic at Le DevoirLe DevoirLe Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
- France GareauFrance GareauFrance Gareau is a Canadian athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Canada in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, USA in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the silver medal with her team mates Angela Bailey, Marita Payne and Angella Taylor-Issajenko.-References:*...
, 1984 Olympics1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
athlete who won a silver medal in the 4x100 metres sprints - François Larocque, Canadian lawyer and academic
- Carl LegaultCarl LegaultCarl Legault is a former Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Nipissing in the Canadian House of Commons from 1964 to 1972...
, former federal politician - Moe Mantha, Sr.Moe Mantha, Sr.Maurice William Mantha is a former Canadian athlete and politician.Mantha played minor league hockey for several teams in the AHL, the QHL and the WHL from 1954 to 1970...
, former NHL player and politician - Moe Mantha, Jr.Moe Mantha, Jr.Maurice William Mantha, Jr. is a retired American-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman and former coach who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia Flyers.-Playing...
, former NHL player, raised in Sturgeon Falls - Denise Meehan, founder and operator of the Lick's HomeburgerLick's HomeburgerLick's Homeburgers & Ice Cream is a privately-owned Canadian restaurant chain founded in 1980 with a $5,000 loan by Denise Meehan, the president and sole shareholder. It is known for its burgers, which are called "homeburgers".- History :Meehan, a native of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, grew up in a...
s hamburger chain - André PaiementAndré PaiementAndré Paiement was a Canadian playwright and musician. He was one of the most prominent Franco-Ontarian artists, playing a key role in developing many of the cultural institutions of the community....
, singer and songwriter - Lise Paiement, director of L'écho d'un Peuple, famous franco-Ontarian theatre play
- Rachel PaiementRachel PaiementRachel Paiement is a Canadian musician and songwriter. She is best known as a former member, singer and songwriter for the franco-ontarian band CANO in the 1970s...
, singer and songwriter - Benoît SerréBenoît SerréBenoît Serré is a former Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Timiskaming—French River from 1993 to 1997, and Timiskaming—Cochrane from 1997 to 2004, in the Canadian House of Commons. He was a member of the Liberal Party...
, former federal politician - Gaetan SerréGaetan SerréGaetan-Joseph Serré is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nickel Belt in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1972. He represented the Liberal Party....
, former federal politician