Pinawa is a
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
and small community of 1,331 residents (2016 census) located in southeastern
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. It is 110 kilometres north-east 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 749,6 ...
. The town is situated on the
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...
within the western boundary of
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeast Manitoba, approximately east of the city of Winnipeg. The park is considered to be a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. It is in size.
...
, which lies near the Manitoba-
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
provincial boundary. Administratively, the town includes the surrounding area, and is officially the Local Government District of Pinawa. Except for a small eastern border with the unorganized area of the
Eastman Region
Eastern Manitoba, or the Eastman Region (french: Région de Eastman), is an informal geographic region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is bounded on the north by the Winnipeg River and Lake Winnipeg, on the east by the Manitoba-Ontario b ...
, it is surrounded by the Rural Municipalities of
Lac du Bonnet to the north and
Whitemouth to the south, but is independent of either one. The community lies on the north bank of the
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river that flows roughly northwest from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is ...
in the southeastern part of the Local Government District.
History
The community of Pinawa was established in 1901 to support the operation of an early
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
generating station but was abandoned in 1951 when the site was shut down.
Pinawa was re-established about 10 km from the original Hydro town in 1963 when
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the 1950s, and in October 2011 licensed thi ...
built the
Whiteshell Laboratories The Whiteshell Laboratories, originally known as the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (WNRE) was an Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) laboratory in Manitoba, northeast of Winnipeg. It was originally built as a home for the experimental WR-1 r ...
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
research facility in the area. Pinawa was chosen as the site for the research station due to the seismic stability of the area. Pinawa was developed as a
planned community
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
which preserved many of the natural features of the site and designated all riverfront property as public reserve.
Whiteshell Laboratories was somewhat similar to the
Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories
Chalk River Laboratories (french: Laboratoires de Chalk River; also known as CRL, Chalk River Labs and formerly Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, CRNL) is a Canadian nuclear research facility in Deep River, about north-west of Ottawa.
CRL is a ...
in
Chalk River, Ontario
Chalk River (2016 population: 1029) is a small rural village, part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Highway), inland (west) from ...
. AECL began decommissioning the Whiteshell Laboratories in 1998. The economy of Pinawa is diversifying and now includes small recreation and resort businesses and a number of environmental science firms.
Geography
Pinawa is located beside the
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river that flows roughly northwest from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is ...
, which offers access to boating, kayaking, canoeing, and other water recreational activities. Other attractions include an 18-hole golf course, beach, outdoor pool, tennis courts, a curling rink, a hockey arena and many kilometres of cross-country ski trails.
The
Trans-Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The trail extend ...
runs through the town of Pinawa along the Riverside. Pinawa also hosts the Eastern Manitoba Concert Association or EMCA's concerts, held in the community centre's gymnasium in the secondary school building once a month between October and April.
Pinawa is also home to an abundance of wildlife, including deer, bears, and other species. The people of Pinawa are very familiar with white-tailed deer, although their views on them may differ. Five deer in the backyard is a common sight there, and the town is known as the Deer Capital of Manitoba.
Climate
Pinawa has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfb'') with warm summers and severely cold winters. Precipitation is moderate, but is somewhat higher in summer than at other times of the year.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population 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 ...
, Pinawa had a population of 1,558 living in 708 of its 797 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,504. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Infrastructure
Pinawa has a full service hospital with 24 hour emergency service, doctors' offices, and an ambulance station. There is a small shopping centre with a post office, credit union, grocery store, bakery, hairdresser, and the offices. The town also has a motel, a conference centre, and an art gallery.
Education
Pinawa has two schools: F.W. Gilbert Elementary School for students in Kindergarten up to grade six, with about 85 students, and Pinawa Secondary School for grades 7–12, with about 110 students. The schools of Pinawa comprise their own school district, the School District of Whiteshell.
Pinawa Secondary School is located near the elementary school, and is well known in the Whiteshell area for its outstanding Pinawa Panther sports teams and a unique outdoor education program that takes full advantage of the surrounding wilderness. Students are involved in basketball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, and travel club as well as academic sports like Reach For The Top and community service activities such as the LIVE volunteer group.
Pinawa was also selected as host for one day of the ''Kraft Celebration Tour'' during the summer of 2010, which saw
Dan O'Toole
Daniel Gerard O'Toole (born September 10, 1975) is a former Canadian television sports anchor who was last employed by TSN. From 2003 to 2013 and 2017 to February 2021, he co-hosted the 1:00 AM ( ET) weekday broadcast of TSN's '' SportsCentre'', a ...
and
Jay Onrait
Jay Michael Onrait (born August 29, 1974) is a Canadian television personality and sports anchor who hosts ''SC with Jay Onrait'' on TSN. From 2003 to 2021, he has been frequently paired with fellow Canadian broadcaster Dan O'Toole.
In his fir ...
host
TSN's ''
SportsCentre'' in the town on August 23. The town also received a cheque for $25,000 from
Kraft Canada which went towards renovating their local rink, the Orville Acres Arena.
Notable people
*
Robin Black
Robin Black is a Canadians, Canadian mixed martial arts commentator, former mixed martial artist, and Glam rock, glam rock musician.
History
Originally a member of the Pinawa, Manitoba band Ballroom Zombies, Robin Black moved to Toronto in 1998 ...
, MMA commentator, musician
*
Andrew Davidson (author)
Andrew Davidson (born April 12, 1969) is a Canadian novelist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Born in Pinawa, Manitoba, he graduated with a B.A. in English literature from the University of British Columbia in 1991, and worked as a teacher in Japan befo ...
, writer
References
External links
PinawaMap of Pinawa LGD at Statcan
{{Manitoba, rural=yes
Local government districts in Manitoba
Populated places in Eastman Region, Manitoba