The term township , in Canada , is generally the district or area associated with a town. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semirural government within the country itself.
53-596: Ear Falls is a township located in Northwestern Ontario , Canada, on the banks of the English River , Lac Seul , Pakwash Lake and Wenesaga Lake . It is located along Highway 105 , 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Highway 17 and Vermilion Bay , about halfway between Highway 17 and Red Lake , or about 480 kilometres (300 mi) northwest of Thunder Bay . Ear Falls is entirely surrounded by Unorganized Kenora District . The closest community to Ear Falls
106-580: A Municipal Accommodation Tax will not be implemented for Ear Falls. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Ear Falls had a population of 924 living in 402 of its 506 total private dwellings, a change of -7.1% from its 2016 population of 995 . With a land area of 336.69 km (130.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.7/km (7.1/sq mi) in 2021. Historic populations: Ear Falls offers essential services and shopping for residents and tourists. The municipal water and sewage treatment plants are able to support
159-540: A lower-tier municipality (if located in a county or regional municipality , i.e. in Southern Ontario ) or single-tier municipality (if located in a district, i.e. in Northern Ontario ). A township municipality may consist of a portion of one or more geographic townships united as a single entity with a single municipal administration. Often rural counties are subdivided into townships. In some places, usually if
212-497: A plan to reopen the sawmill with an anticipated start date in mid- to late- 2014. In 2013, EACOM and the local union, Unifor , signed an 8-year agreement from 2014 to 2022. The sawmill commenced operation in August 2014. Unifor estimates as many as 125 of its members will have work at the sawmill site and up to 175 more will be employed in log harvesting and hauling operation. The construction of Highway 105 helped to introduce tourism to
265-507: A political unit called a rural municipality in general is 3 townships by 3 townships in size, or 18 miles squared, about 324 square miles (840 km ). Three municipalities in British Columbia , Langley , Esquimalt and Spallumcheen , have "township" in their official names but legally hold the status of district municipalities . Winnipeg River Winnipeg River is a Canadian river that flows roughly northwest from Lake of
318-559: A population of five times the current population. Other facilities include a Community Health Centre (built in 2010) and a Municipal Government Building (constructed in 2011) which contains the Municipal Office, Fire Hall, Day Care, Public Library, Best Start Hub (Parent Resource Centre) and a Museum as well as public meeting rooms. Ear Falls has an elementary school and day care service. Older children go to secondary school in Red Lake at
371-576: A storage basis for power developments in both Ontario and Manitoba. The construction of the dam had a dramatic impact on the lake due to a rise in water levels. Upper Ear Falls was drowned out by the dam, and well known landforms around the lake disappeared under the water level. Ontario Hydro played an instrumental role in the development of Ear Falls. The company realized that many of its generating stations in Northern Ontario were situated in isolated areas. In order to retain operators for these plants,
424-426: Is Wabauskang First Nation , followed by the unincorporated community of Perrault Falls. There are different versions of how the settlement was named after the eponymous falls. The following are three versions of the story found in the museum archives: The early French fur traders' name for the falls was Portage D'Oreille , or literally speaking, "carrying place of the ear". Upper Ear Falls, about 1.5 miles upstream,
477-412: Is CSA certified with a capacity of 350,000 cubic metres (150 million board feet ). The sawmill was built by Avenor Inc. and later sold to Weyerhaeuser , then to Domtar , and is now owned by Eacom Timber Corporation . The sawmill was operational from 1998 to 2009. There were intermittent closures in 2008, and was closed indefinitely in 2009 due to unfavourable market conditions. Eacom has announced
530-595: Is located adjacent to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) existing Ear Falls GS on the English River in Ear Falls. The facilities are located at the outlet of the Lac Seul reservoir on the English River. This station consists of one 12.5 MW double regulated pit turbine and will operate under a rated net head of 9.78 metres and flow of 139.45 cubic metre per second. It will use the excess water flow that has historically been passed by
583-585: Is used to regulate water levels and flows for the purposes of power production in Ontario and Manitoba. It is estimated these facilities will generate approximately 185,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year. During the Second World War, there was a 50% decline in the gold mining industry in the Patricia District . With the end of the war and the opening of Highway 105 in 1947, the mining industry in
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#1732869511581636-540: The Canadian National Railway was extended through the boundary of West Patricia with two lines: The Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway . The railway opened the area to the development of timber, fish and mineral resources. Development of Ear Falls did not occur immediately with the arrival of the railways as the lines were not close to the town, but occurred when the fur trade
689-631: The Prairie Provinces and parts of British Columbia , a township is a division of the Dominion Land Survey . Townships are (mostly) 6-by-6-mile (9.7 by 9.7 km) squares, about 36 square miles (93 km ) in area. The townships are not political units (although political boundaries often follow township boundaries) but exist only to define parcels of land relatively simply. Townships are divided into 36 equal 1-by-1-mile (1.6 by 1.6 km) square parcels, known as "sections." In Saskatchewan ,
742-592: The 1920s, the Federal Government considered proposals to regulate the water in the Winnipeg River . By constructing the dam at the head of Lac Seul, the lake would become a large reservoir, retaining the spring run-off for use by power developments downstream on both the English and Winnipeg River systems. Lower Ear Falls was the selected location for the Lac Seul dam. The construction of the dam at Ear Falls began in
795-680: The British Conquest, primarily as a surveying unit. They were designated and cover most of the unattributed territory in Eastern Quebec and what is now known as the Eastern Townships and later used in surveying the Outaouais and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions. Townships often served as the territorial basis for new municipalities, but township municipalities are no different from other types such as parish or village municipalities. In
848-469: The English on Hudson Bay heard reports of the coureurs in 1718 if not earlier. In 1717 Zacharie Robutel de La Noue tried and failed to penetrate the area. Opening of the land west of Lake Superior by a European is credited to La Vérendrye in 1731–1743. In 1731 his men built a post on Rainy Lake. In 1732 he built Fort Saint Charles on Lake of the Woods. In 1733 one of his sons almost reached Lake Winnipeg but
901-659: The Hudson's Bay Company. After the British conquest of Canada as part of its victory in the Seven Years' War , French traders were largely replaced by "pedlars" (as the HBC people called them) from Montreal . The pedlars soon formed the North West Company , which was capitalized by both English and Scots. From about 1775 the HBC began building competing posts in the interior, including one on
954-535: The Lac Seul First Nation have formed a historic partnership that will see the First Nation own 25 per cent of the station. The station has dual names. The Ojibway name, Obishikokaang Waasiganikewigamig, means "White Pine Narrows electricity generating building". White Pine Narrows is the original Ojibway name for the area where the station is located. The English name of the plant is Lac Seul GS. The Lac Seul GS
1007-539: The Ontario Hydro construction at Manitou Falls was completed and the lumber company had closed, the tourist industry became the economic mainstay of the Ear Falls community. Hunting and fishing have been a popular draw to the area for years, and more recently, eco-tourism has added an additional element to the tourism experience of Ear Falls. In 2019, the Township of Ear Falls, in coordination with Accommodation Facilities in
1060-650: The Rainy River. Competition ended in 1821 when the two companies merged and trade was diverted to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Trade was also diverted south as population grew on the United States side. The last major use of the route was by the Wolseley Expedition in 1870. After 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway connected eastern and western Canada with a route north of Lake Superior. Trading posts on
1113-482: The Red Lake District High School. Adult Education services and Distance Education services are also available in the community. Ear Falls tourism is centered on outdoor recreation. It has numerous fishing and hunting camps located throughout the area, catering to both novice and seasoned fishermen alike. Each year during the hunting season, the town draws hundreds of hunters from all over the world. In
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#17328695115811166-535: The Tourism Sector, reviewed the option of implementing a Municipal Accommodation Tax in the municipality. Council has determined that the Municipal Accommodation Tax, as revenue tool, does not appear to be in the best interest of the community at large due to the relatively low level of revenue that would be generated and the increased costs to administer another form of taxation. Council determined that
1219-636: The Whiteshell Provincial Park. The Winnipeg River was the main route from the Great Lakes to Western Canada before the railroads were constructed in this area. After reaching Lake Winnipeg, a traveler could go by canoe as far as the Rocky Mountains , Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay . This section covers the route from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg via Rainy Lake , the Rainy River , Lake of
1272-939: The Winnipeg River are controlled through the various dams by the Lake of the Woods Control Board. It maintains a website with detailed descriptions of the river basin and water flow characteristics. Major tributaries include the Black Sturgeon River , English River , Bird River, Lee River, Whiteshell River, Whitemouth River , and Macfarlane River . Manitoba: Ontario: Areas where the Winnipeg River widens markedly have been identified as lakes, including Gun, Roughrock and Sand lakes in Ontario; and Nutimik, Eleanor, Dorothy, Margaret, Natalie, and Lac du Bonnet, all in Manitoba. Nutimik, Dorothy, and Margaret lakes are all entirely within
1325-607: The Winnipeg River at Kenora, exiting Lake of the Woods, and at Whitedog Falls. Power from the dams have supplied Kenora and a local pulp and paper mill, while local Anishinaabe populations have been negatively impacted by consequent environmental degradation . In Manitoba, there are six hydroelectric dams : Pointe du Bois Generating Station at Pointe du Bois , Slave Falls a few kilometres downstream, Seven Sisters Generating Station at Seven Sisters Falls , MacArthur Falls Generating Station, Great Falls Generating Station, and Pine Falls Generating Station at Powerview, Manitoba. Flows on
1378-499: The Woods and the Winnipeg River. For the route in general, see Nelson River basin . The area was too rocky to be good beaver country, as they needed a forested habitat. Grand Portage was the second-longest portage in Canada after Methye Portage . Once over the height of land, rivers led west to Rainy Lake and the Rainy River. Duncan M'Gillivray called the Rainy the 'most beautiful river in
1431-582: The Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba . This river is 235 kilometres (146 mi) long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is 106,500 square kilometres (41,100 sq mi) in area, mainly in Canada. About 29,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi) of the watershed is in northern Minnesota , United States . The Winnipeg River watershed
1484-452: The area, with hunting and fishing camps constructed on lakeshore sites along the highway. It also provided access points to Lac Seul, Cedar River and Chukuni River. Ear Falls is a natural funnel for supplies and services, due to its location between Vermillion Bay and Red Lake and its waterway access points. A tourist camp was built around the former Hudson's Bay store at Goldpines. Camps were also operated at Little Canada and Snake Falls. Once
1537-492: The colony. In Prince Edward Island, the colonial survey of 1764 established 67 townships, known as lots, and 3 royalties, which were grouped into parishes and hence into counties; the townships were geographically and politically the same. In New Brunswick, parishes have taken over as the present-day subdivision of counties, and present-day Nova Scotia uses districts as appropriate. In Ontario , there are both geographic townships and township municipalities. Geographic townships are
1590-466: The community hosts the annual Trout Forest Music Festival. Township (Canada) In Eastern Canada , a township is one form of the subdivision of a county . In Quebec, the term is canton in French. The historic colony of Nova Scotia (present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick , and Prince Edward Island ) used the term township as a subdivision of counties and as a means of attracting settlers to
1643-573: The company recognized that they would need to supply quality housing, schools, recreation halls, stores, hospitals and other buildings. The company also supplied provisions for water supply, electrical services, sewage disposal and fire protection. In 1937, a colony was constructed at Ear Falls. Ontario Power Generation constructed the Obishikokaang Waasiganikewigamig/Lac Seul Generating Station (GS) beginning its commercial operation on 18 February 2009. OPG and
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1696-422: The existing Ear Falls GS. This water will now be used to generate clean, renewable energy. The combined nameplate capacity of the two facilities is 29.3 MW. The existing 4-unit Ear Falls GS was placed in service between 1930 and 1948. Each unit has two intakes. The Ear Falls GS powerhouse is connected to the 185-metre long Lac Seul Conservation Dam which is owned by the province of Ontario and operated by OPG. The dam
1749-524: The height of land about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Lake Superior . Major modern communities along the banks of the Winnipeg River include Kenora , Minaki and Whitedog in Ontario; and Lac du Bonnet , Pinawa , Powerview , and Pine Falls , all in Manitoba. Whitedog is the home of the Wabaseemoong First Nation . The Sagkeeng First Nation is located near the mouth of the Winnipeg River and Pine Falls. In Ontario, dams were built on
1802-503: The mill operations to Ear Falls. The workers constructed houses north of the highway, along the hydro line. The Chukuni Lumber Company was eventually purchased by Colenso of Red Lake Road in 1968 and the Ear Falls sawmill operations were closed. Colenso was, in turn, sold to the Dryden Paper Company in 1972. In the early 1950s, ore deposits were discovered on Bruce Lake north of Ear Falls. In 1966 Stelco , an iron pelletizing plant,
1855-507: The next 200 years. The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company were rivals for most of the fur trade era. In 1821 both companies united, and posts were set up in the Ear Falls area on Lac Seul and Red Lake. Remains of these posts could be seen along the lakes in the area until the 1920s when the construction of the Lac Seul Dam caused a rise in the water levels and the remnants of the fur trade were covered with water. The arrival of
1908-583: The north'. George Simpson and many others made similar comments. The route went up the east side of Lake of the Woods and over the Rat Portage ( Kenora ) to the Winnipeg. The Winnipeg River was notorious for its many portages and décharges . Three were known as the Dales, Portage de l'Isle, and La Rivière Blanche, named for its white water. This last was the scene of many deaths. Its seven portages were all visible from
1961-432: The original historical administrative subdivisions surveyed and established primarily in the 1800s. They are used primarily for geographic purposes, such as land surveying, natural resource exploration and tracking of phenomena such as forest fires or tornados , but are not political entities. Township municipalities, also called "political townships", are areas that have been incorporated with municipal governments, and are
2014-470: The primary freight route from Hudson to Red Lake. A generating station was constructed by Ontario Hydro in order to supply power to the mines at Red Lake, which led to the creation of the Hydro colony at Ear Falls. By the 1930s, Ear Falls had replaced Goldpines as the main settlement in the area. When bush planes became more affordable to transport goods, Ear Falls became the jump off point to Red Lake. During
2067-416: The railway in the 1880s began the decline of the fur trade. The Hudson's Bay Company shifted the focus of their posts to meet the needs of the new residents in the area: supplies for miners, lumbermen and settlers were sold at posts and stores in the Ear Falls area. Following the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1870 and 1885, geologist and surveyors mapped Northwestern Ontario. By 1923,
2120-549: The region was renewed. Ear Falls was now linked by road to the Trans-Canada Highway and to Red Lake. At this time, the Chukuni Lumber Company was operating at Snake Falls. The operation consisted of a saw mill, a small box mill, and about a dozen houses lining the trail that ran through the lumber yards to the saw mill. The children of the workers were bussed to school in Ear Falls. By 1954, plans were made to move
2173-467: The river in order to reach First Nations for the fur trade , with trade interactions for hundreds of years. It is the only major water route between what is now Ontario and southern Manitoba that was easily navigable by canoe . The Red River route was much farther south and had a longer portage. La Vérendrye was one of the first explorers to establish fur trade forts near the First Nations camps along
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2226-496: The river. The river section through Whiteshell Provincial Park has many petroforms near the Whiteshell River forks where the two rivers meet. These petroforms are an ancient reminder of the importance of the area for native travel, trade, ceremonies, harvesting, and settlements. Since 1906 the river has been an important source of hydroelectric power to the city of Winnipeg . The Winnipeg River watershed stretches to
2279-565: The same spot. After the last portage, at Manitou Rapids, the river opened out into the Bas de la Rivière and then the lake. About halfway up the river, the English River led to Fort Albany on James Bay . In 1679 Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut , reached the western tip of Lake Superior. In 1688 Jacques de Noyon went from Kaministiquia as far as Rainy Lake and perhaps beyond. He seems to have been followed by coureurs des bois , who may have gotten as far as Lake Winnipeg. They left no records, but
2332-450: The spring of 1928, but not before camp buildings were constructed along the east side of the river. A coffer dam, two earth dikes, excavation and preparations of the foundations of the dam were also completed before construction began. The pouring of concrete commenced in November and work on the dam continued throughout the winter months. The conservation dam was an economical means to create
2385-461: The summer months, mountain biking, ATVs, hiking and geocaching are some of the ways to see the wildlife and experience the outdoors. In the winter months, activities include snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, ice fishing and cross-country skiing are common. The community utilizes a few different Facebook Groups to advertise local events (search Township of Ear Falls (@earfalls), Ear Falls Central and Ear Falls Best Start Hub (@earfallsbeststarthub) Every year,
2438-401: The township is in a county rather than in a regional municipality , the head of a political township may be called a " reeve ", not a mayor. However, the distinction is changing as many rural townships are replacing the title with "mayor" to reduce confusion. A few townships keep both titles and designate "mayor" as the head of the municipal council and use "reeve" to denote the representative to
2491-412: The upper tier (usually county) council. The term "geographic township" is also used in reference to former political townships that were abolished or superseded as part of municipal government restructuring. In Quebec , townships are called cantons in French and can also be political and geographic, similar to Ontario although the geographic use is not used much or at all. They were introduced after
2544-455: The west to Pickle Lake in the east. Transportation routes, settlements and power supplies were developed to support the mining industry. It was the success of the gold mines which led to the shaping of the region's transportation, land use and settlements patterns. It was also the Red Lake Gold developments that provided incentive for settlers to locate to Ear Falls. The falls were located on
2597-468: Was altered as a result of the railway. Supplies were brought in and furs were taken out at the closest point to the rail. Warehouses were erected for shipping and receiving at Hudson (near Sioux Lookout ). A steamer was placed on Lac Seul to enhance freight operations. The discovery of gold at Red Lake in 1925 initiated a rise in development throughout areas north of the railways. In the following years, thousands of claims were staked from Favorable Lake in
2650-457: Was blocked by ice. In 1734 two explorers reported that they had reached the south end of Lake Winnipeg, and La Vérendrye ordered the first Fort Maurepas to be built there soon after. By 1743 the French had reached the Assiniboine and Saskatchewan rivers and had sent explorers to present-day North Dakota and, probably, Wyoming in what is now the United States. All this drew trade away from
2703-626: Was developed in the area. The Canadian Northern Railway constructed a line to the mine which crossed highway 105 to the south of Ear Falls and the outlet of Lac Seul to the east of the dam. A new town site containing 100 residential units was developed in Ear Falls North of the dam. Today the mine is closed and the rail line has been abandoned. On 14 May 1998, the Ear Falls Sawmill opened to produce dimensional lumber (Premium, Stud, #3 & Btr, Economy; 2x3, 2x4, 2x6; 6' to 9' length). The sawmill
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#17328695115812756-457: Was drowned out when the lake level was raised some 16 feet (4.9 m) when the power dam came into operation, and nothing of it remains today except dangerous ripple rapids with a very strong current. The beginning of the 17th century marked the arrival of French explorers to Northwestern Ontario and the beginning of the fur trade . The fur trade would remain the predominant business in the North for
2809-683: Was the southeasternmost portion of the land granted in 1670 to the Hudson's Bay Company . The portion in Canada corresponds roughly to the land deeded to Canada in Treaty 3 , signed in 1873 by Her Majesty's treaty commissioners and the First Nation chiefs at Northwest Angle on the Lake of the Woods. The river's name means "murky water" in Cree . This river route was used by natives for thousands of years before European contact. French and English colonists also began to use
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