Assiginack () is a township in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

of Ontario, located on Manitoulin Island. An Ontario Historical Plaque was built on the grounds of the Assiginack Museum by the province to commemorate the Manitoulin Treaties' role in Ontario's heritage.

Communities

The principal community in the township is Manitowaning. Smaller communities in the township include Bass Creek, Bidwell, Clover Valley, Eagles Nest, Hilly Grove, The Slash, Squirrel Town and Vanzant's Point.

Manitowaning

Manitowaning is the administrative centre of Assiginack township. The town was founded in 1836 as a centre of the island's

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

education. Manitowaning Bay is a natural harbour, and the community has a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

with good docking facilities. From its early history, Manitowaning was a regular port of call for

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

s and

steamboats A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

from many points on the Great Lakes. Manitowaning was the first and last scheduled stop on Manitoulin Island for the ships of the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited. The old steamboat wharf is now part of the community's Museum Heritage Complex, home of the

SS Norisle SS ''Norisle'' is a Canadian steam-powered automobile ferry that sailed the route between Tobermory and South-Baymouth Manitoulin Island alongside her sister ships, the and the , owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited. The name ' ...

. The town is home to the

De-ba-jeh-mu-jig The Debajehmujig Storytellers, also Debahehmyjig Theatre Group, or informally Debaj, is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations theatre group and multi-arts organization based in the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Man ...

Creation Centre. Cardwell Street in Manitowaning continues east of the community, becoming the primary access road to the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Assiginack had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

External links

* {{Manitoulin District Municipalities in Manitoulin District Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario 1836 establishments in the British Empire

Communities

Manitowaning

Demographics

See also

References

External links