Cross Lake is the name of two closely related, adjoining but independent communities 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 Nort ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

. One of the Cross Lakes is the Cross Lake Indian Reserve (

Pimicikamak Pimicikamak is the namethe Anglicized version of its collective name. of one of the Cree-speaking aboriginal peoples of Canada.It is also referred to erroneously as Pimicikamak Cree Nation. Pimicikamak is "a people of rivers and lakes. The tradit ...

Cree) of the Cross Lake First Nation where the main urban area is called Cross Lake. The other Cross Lake is on nearby provincial

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it ...

. The communities are located about 520 kilometres by air north of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, and 120 kilometres by air south of Thompson. They are situated on the shores of the Nelson River where the river enters Cross Lake. An all-weather road, PR 374, connects the communities to PR 373 via the

Kichi Sipi Bridge The Kichi Sipi Bridge spans a deep channel of the Nelson River south of Cross Lake, providing the only all-weather road link between eastern Manitoba and the rest of Canada and North America. Its origins are unusual and its technology innovative. ...

. In March 2016, Cross Lake appeared in the national news after First Nation officials declared a state of emergency because of an epidemic of suicides. The Canadian Press reported that there had been "six suicides in the last two months and 140 attempts in the last two weeks alone", and band councillor Donnie McKay said the community "is traumatized and needs immediate help from the provincial and federal governments".

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, Cross Lake had a population of 521 living in 139 of its 162 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 443. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The adjoining reserves of Cross Lake 19 (population 1,751 in 2011), Cross Lake 19A (population 1,889 in 2011) and Cross Lake 19E (population 682 in 2011) of the Cross Lake First Nation had a combined population of 7,622 in 2011. Together these communities formed a population centre of 9,033 in 2017.

Notable people

* Brady Keeper, professional hockey player

Geography

The communities are situated on the eastern shores of Cross Island and Cross Lake. The lake is on the

Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is ...

north of

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...

. It is long and narrow and extends 102 km (63 mi) east-northeast. The Nelson enters and leaves on the west side. The

Minago River Minago River is a river in the Hudson Bay drainage basin in Northern Manitoba, Canada. It flows in a northeasterly direction from Moon Lake into the western end of Cross Lake on the Nelson River. From Moon Lake a portage led to South Moose ...

enters on the west. From the Minago a portage trail leads to Moose Lake and the

Saskatchewan River The Saskatchewan River ( Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Win ...

. On the east side via the Walker River, Walker Lake and Kapaspwaypanik Lake the Kapaspwaypanik Portage leads to the Carrot River and

Oxford Lake Oxford Lake is a lake on the Hayes River in Manitoba, Canada. The lake is in size and sits at a surface elevation of . Description Oxford Lake is a vaguely man-shaped lake, with a 'head' on the east, a 'neck', a northwest-southeast shoulder lin ...

on the Hayes River.

Climate

Cross Lake has a subarctic climate ( Koppen: Dfc), typical of

Northern Manitoba Northern Manitoba (also known as NorMan or Nor-Man) is a geographic and cultural region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Originally encompassing a small square around the Red River Colony, the province was extended north to the 60th paralle ...

. Temperatures in the summer are warm, whilst in the winter they are bitterly cold.

References

{{MBDivision22 Designated places in Manitoba Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Localities in Manitoba Northern communities in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Northern Region, Manitoba