Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
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Leaf Rapids is a town in northwest
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 ...
, Canada. The town was developed as using an experimental model that emphasized modern convenience and luxury in a northern environment. The community is located approximately 1,000 km north of
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
along the Churchill River. The original (urban) community of Leaf Rapids is on Manitoba Provincial Road 391, although most of the large official town created later lies east of this community. This town is as large as a typical Rural Municipality in the more southern parts of Manitoba. An all-weather road connects the community to Thompson, Lynn Lake, and South Indian Lake. Since the establishment of the community, Leaf Rapids has witnessed a number of significant changes directly related to mining operations. Population declines, service provision declines, and a changing employment have all occurred since the mine's closure in 2002. The community have invested considerable time and effort examining possible transitions.


History

In 1969, Sherritt Gordon Mines discovered a vast
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
and
zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
ore body at Ruttan Lake. As a result of this substantial discovery, there was an urgent demand for a community to provide support services for the mine and its workers. The first residents of Leaf Rapids arrived in 1971 and the community's infrastructure was completed in the fall of 1976. During this same year, the community's population exceeded 2,000 residents. Leaf Rapids is sometimes described as the "instant town" due to the fast construction time and the large population that gathered during the short time period. The Ruttan Mine was closed down in the summer of 2002. In March 2007 it became the first municipality in Canada to ban the use of
plastic shopping bag In use by consumers worldwide since the 1960s, shopping bags made from various kinds of plastic, are variously called plastic shopping bags, carrier bags, or plastic grocery bags. They are sometimes referred to as single-use bags—referring to c ...
s.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Leaf Rapids had a population of 351 living in 118 of its 266 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 582. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Planning

The government of
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 ...
decided that the past mistakes in the planning of northern resource communities should not be repeated, and participated directly in the planning of the community. An entirely new approach to building was conceived. In July 1970, the Leaf Rapids Development Corporation Ltd. (a Manitoba provincial crown corporation) was charged with the responsibility of building the Town of Leaf Rapids – 25 kilometres away from Ruttan Lake. The town was constructed with a deep respect for the
wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
that is incorporated into every aspect of the community, from construction to infrastructure to recreation. In June 1971, the construction of Leaf Rapids began, ensuring that much of the natural
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...
would be saved. Even in present-day Leaf Rapids, a permit must be obtained before cutting down any trees within the town limits. The Town Centre Complex contains the following: *Leaf Rapids Education Centre *Leaf Rapids Town Offices *Leaf Rapids Consumer Cooperative *Library *Art Gallery - Currently closed. *Restaurant - Currently closed. (September 2009) *Hotel - Currently closed. *Gymnasium *Hockey arena - Currently closed. (September 2009) *Curling club (4 sheets of ice) - Currently closed. (September 2009) *Health Centre


Awards

Built in a semicircle of residential bays around the Town Centre Complex, Leaf Rapids won the coveted Vincent Massey Award for Urban Excellence in 1975. The Town Centre Complex was built of a material that was supposed to turn bright blue as it reacted over time to air pollution; however, in this remote part of the world, there is no air pollution, causing the Town Centre Complex to remain rust colored. During the first four years of its life,
architects An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and town planners from across Canada and around the world – some as far away as
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
– visited Leaf Rapids to view its unique design and
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...
. Over the years, other towns followed suit and today Leaf Rapids is not alone in offering modern urban convenience in the midst of a commanding
wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
– but Leaf Rapids was the first.


Transportation

Leaf Rapids is located adjacent to provincial highway 391. Highway 391 connects the communities of Thompson, Lynn Lake, the Nelson House, and South Indian Lake. Six kilometres north of Leaf Rapids is the Leaf Rapids Airport. As of 2007, there was no regular commercial air service at the airport. A number of small local companies provide charter passenger and cargo services. Calm Air used to fly regular passenger flights from Leaf Rapids to Thompson, however these flights have ceased since the Ruttan Mine closed. In 2007 the community again made headlines by proposing the use of golf carts for local transport. Golf carts were offered as an incentive to new buyers of homes in the community.


Education

Leaf Rapids is home to the Leaf Rapids Education Centre. The centre provides kindergarten to grade 12 services. The school is part of the Frontier School Division. In 2005/2006, the Leaf Rapids Education Centre had a student population of 163.


Health care

The Leaf Rapids Health Centre is part of the Northern Health Region (NHR). The Health Centre provides a range of services to community residents. The Health Centre is staffed with registered nurses, a lab technologist, and other support staff. The community is also served by an NHR ambulance service.


Law enforcement

The Leaf Rapids
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
detachment polices Leaf Rapids, South Indian Lake, and Granville Lake. The detachment is made up of a sergeant, one corporal, six constables, and an administrative public service employee.


Notes and references


External links


Town of Leaf Rapids
{{Authority control Towns in Manitoba Mining communities in Manitoba