Peawanuck is an isolated

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

community in the

Kenora District, Ontario Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora. It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at , it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it larger ...

, Canada. It is located near the confluence of the Winisk and

Shamattawa The Shamattawa First Nation ( cr, ᑭᓭᒫᑖᐘ, kisêmâtâwa) () is a Remote community, remote First Nations in Manitoba, First Nations community in Northern Region, Manitoba, northern Manitoba, Canada, located in the Indian reserve, reserve o ...

rivers, about 35 km from the Winisk River's end in

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

. Its population is 237. Its population used to live in the community of Winisk (), near the mouth of the Winisk River. This also used to be a

Mid-Canada Line The Mid-Canada Line (MCL), also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of radar stations running east–west across the middle of Canada, used to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. It was built to supplement the ...

Radar site. In 1986, its population was forced to abandon Winisk as a result of the Winisk Flood Disaster. The community was relocated thirty kilometers up-river on higher ground. The new settlement was renamed Peawanuck, meaning "flintstone" in the

Cree language Cree (also known as Cree– Montagnais–Naskapi) is a dialect continuum of Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Alberta to Labrador. If considered one language, it is th ...

. It only took seven months for the community to be rebuilt in Peawanuck, with much credit going to the community members who were determined to have their new homes ready by the winter. It is surrounded by lands of the

Polar Bear Provincial Park Polar Bear Provincial Park is an isolated wilderness park in the far north of Ontario, Canada. It lies on the western shore where James Bay joins Hudson Bay. The terrain is part of the Hudson Bay Lowlands and features unspoiled low-lying tundra i ...

providing Peawanuck with limited tourism opportunities. It lies at similar latitudes to

Ketchikan Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 20 ...

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

but has much harsher winters than those other cities.

Transportation

Peawanuck is not accessible by year-round road but has an airfield (

Peawanuck Airport Peawanuck Airport is located adjacent to Peawanuck, Ontario, Canada. Airlines and destinations Air Creebec and Thunder Air (contractor with ORNGE Ornge (formerly Ontario Air Ambulance Corporation and Ontario Air Ambulance Service) is ...

). Marked roads exists for travel within Peawanuck. While the roads have no names, the main road in town is referred to as ''Main Street'' and the one along the river as ''Riverside''. There are private cars or light trucks in town, but other modes of travel include snowmobiles and canoe. The town is however, linked by

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Inte ...

s in the winter towards

Fort Severn, Ontario Fort Severn First Nation ( [] in Swampy Cree language, Cree) is a Western Swampy Cree First Nations in Canada, First Nation band government located on Hudson Bay and is the most Extreme communities of Canada, northern community in Ontario, Canad ...

, and ultimately,

Shamattawa, Manitoba The Shamattawa First Nation ( cr, ᑭᓭᒫᑖᐘ, kisêmâtâwa) () is a remote First Nations community in northern Manitoba, Canada, located in the reserve of Shamattawa 1. Shamattawa 1 is located on the banks of the Gods River where the Ech ...

and

Gillam, Manitoba Gillam is a town on the Nelson River in northern Manitoba, Canada. It is situated between Thompson and Churchill on the Hudson Bay Railway line. Many residents of Gillam are employed by Manitoba Hydro at one of their many facilities or support g ...

Emergency Services

Peawanuck has no hospitals and is only served by one of two

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; french: Santé Canada, SC)Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary unit ...

funded Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Partnership Sites. The Peawanuck Nursing station provides basic health care needs in the community. It is federally run by

's First Nation and Inuit Branch and partnered with

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) is a health-care network operating hospitals and supporting federal nursing stations in remote communities along the James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts in Northern Ontario, Canada. History Created in October ...

. Peawanuck Nursing Station (staffed by two nurses) can be assisted by doctors at

, by teleconference, with occasional physician visits. Advanced medical care requires transport by air ambulance operated by

James Bay Ambulance Services Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Paramedic Services (WAHA-PS) - formerly James Bay Ambulance Services - services First Nation communities in Northern Ontario and is funded by the province of Ontario. WAHA-PS services the communities and trans ...

from Peawanuck Airport to Timmins or Kingston. There is a fire station in town staffed by about a dozen volunteers using a single fire truck. Peawanuck is

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

d by the

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (NAPS), also occasionally known as the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (without a hyphen) is the police agency for Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN). As of July 2020, NAPS has 34 detachments in NAN communities across the ...

, an Aboriginal-based service staffed by two officers.

Utilities and Public Works

Electricity for the community is provided by three diesel generators and are maintained by the

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

. There is a waste water treatment plant that serves all residential homes and most business. There is no sanitation services in Peawanuck due to lack of funds so waste is handled locally.

Government Services

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...

provides staffing at the

Office.

Ontario Ministry of Transportation The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the ...

has a garage in Peawanuck, maintains the power generators and manages the local airport. MTO has housing for out of town staff.

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

postal station is located the Band Administration offices. Mail is delivered to Peawanuck by air with contract services with

Thunder Airlines Thunder Airlines is a Canadian scheduled flight, charter and medevac airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It offers an on-demand charter service from bases in Thunder Bay and Timmins. The company was founded in 1994 and operates fourteen airc ...

Local Government

The local band council consists of band chief with 2 or 3 councilors elected to 2 year terms. Band Offices are located a shared facility with FNP and Canada Post.

Media

There are no newspapers in town. The Band Office maintains a local radio station, but has limited service time. Television and radio services is by satellite only.

Religion

Peawanuck has a local Catholic Church shaped as a teepee. Most residents are Catholic with a few Traditionalist or

Born Again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

Recreation

There is no community centre and limited recreation facilities maintained by the Band Council or Catholic Church: * 2 outdoor ballparks * Catholic Church Children's

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

* Outdoor

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

with Zamboni (broken) * Multi-purpose Room * Drop-In Centre

Education

Matahhamao opened in 1995 by Weenuck Education Services is the only school in the community and offers classes up to Grade 8. Students moving on to Grades 9 to 12 and beyond must travel to large communities like Timmins and Moosonee.

Economy

The community is served by a single store, a

Northern Store The North West Company is a multinational Canadian grocery and retail company which operates stores in Canada's western provinces and northern territories, as well as the US states of Alaska, Hawaii, and several other countries and US terri ...

, and other goods must be shipped in by air. Northern Store provides banking services via fax to

CIBC The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; french: Banque canadienne impériale de commerce) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario. T ...

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

in Moosonee and Timmins respectively. * Peawanuck Development Corporation - operates Peawanuck Petroleum, General Store, Annual Barger Services and maintains winter road * Hudson's Bay Adventures - offers outdoor adventures at Polar Bear Provincial Park * Louie's Store (Louis Chookomolin Diversified Products)

Climate

Peawanuck has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Dfc) due to its location in far

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

, which brings long cold winters and short but mild summers. Peawanuck is one of the coldest communities in Ontario, having far different weather than the more populous parts of Ontario.

Notes

References

{{authority control Communities in Kenora District Algonquian ethnonyms Cree reserves in Ontario Swampy Cree