Town in Ontario, Canada
Kapuskasing
(
KAP
-?ss-
KAY
-sing
) is a town on the
Kapuskasing River
in the
Cochrane District
of
Northern Ontario
, Canada, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) east of
Hearst
and 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of
Timmins
. The town was known as MacPherson until 1917,
[3]
when the name was changed so as not to conflict with another railway stop in
Manitoba
.
[
citation needed
]
Etymology
[
edit
]
The town of Kapuskasing gets its name from the Kapuskasing River, which was named long before the existence of the town.
Kapuskasing
is a word of
Cree
origin meaning "bend in the river".
[
citation needed
]
The first reported survey of the district in which Kapuskasing lies was carried out in 1875 by Dr. Robert Bell of the
Geological Survey of Canada
. He referred to the Kapuskasing River as the "Kai-bush-ka-sing". According to Bell's information, the Kapuskasing River derived its name from the lake at its head.
[4]
In 1900, the Bureau of Colonization of the Ontario Department of Agriculture sent parties to survey the region north of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
between the
Quebec
border and
Lake Nipigon
. Their main interest was to seek out and delimit areas for further agricultural settlements that would give Ontario a new farming frontier to offset the attraction of the western prairies.
In 1900, the Department of Crown Lands commissioned a Survey of Exploration of Northern Ontario. Survey parties were sent out to explore, document and report back to the Province on the various resources of water power, timber, etc., that might be available for exploitation. No roads existed, but northern
Cree
Indians and fur traders had used the local rivers connecting to
James Bay
for centuries. In the summer of 1900 groups of surveyors traveled the many rivers of this remote area documenting their findings. The results were published by order of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as "Report of the Survey of Exploration of Northern Ontario 1900". The section of the report detailing the exploration of the Kapuskasing River contains references to the local Cree names for Sturgeon Falls, White Spruce Rapids, Kapuskasing River, and Big Beaver Falls, among others. Surveyors who explored the Kapuskasing River and tributaries in 1900 had local Cree guides familiar with the country who provided the local place names and their meanings to them. In this report the word
Kapuskasing
is said to mean "Whispering Water".
[
citation needed
]
At the location where the CNR crossed the Kapuskasing River in 1910, there was an island in the centre of the river. Power and storage dams were built at that location in 1923. Prior to the dam construction, the rapids at that location was known as "White Spruce Rapids" and later known simply as "Spruce Falls". The first Spruce Falls Company of 1920 took its name from these rapids.
Geography, climate, and wildlife
[
edit
]
Kapuskasing lies in the heart of the
Great Clay Belt
. The topography of the region is very flat, dotted with numerous small lakes and
muskeg
bogs. Also in the heart of Canada's
boreal forest
, the region is drained by rivers running north to
James Bay
. The district is heavily forested, mostly by thick stands of
black spruce
that have commercial value as
pulpwood
.
Kapuskasing has a humid, continental climate (Koppen Dfb). Kapuskasing has long, cold winters and warm, sometimes humid summers. Spring and autumn are relatively short transitional seasons. Visitors often comment on the deep blue of the sky during clear weather.
Wildlife is abundant. Species such as
moose
,
black bear
,
lynx
and
red fox
are commonly seen in the area. Lakes and rivers are well populated with
walleye
,
northern pike
and
yellow perch
. Fishing and hunting are very popular recreational activities locally.
Climate data for
Kapuskasing Airport
(1991?2020 normals, extremes 1937?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high
humidex
|
5.7
|
11.1
|
21.8
|
31.7
|
43.2
|
43.9
|
44.6
|
44.6
|
40.6
|
31.5
|
21.2
|
16.0
|
44.6
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
12.2
(54.0)
|
26.2
(79.2)
|
29.7
(85.5)
|
34.6
(94.3)
|
38.3
(100.9)
|
36.7
(98.1)
|
35.0
(95.0)
|
33.3
(91.9)
|
27.8
(82.0)
|
20.3
(68.5)
|
13.3
(55.9)
|
38.3
(100.9)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
?11.5
(11.3)
|
?8.5
(16.7)
|
?1.1
(30.0)
|
6.9
(44.4)
|
16.0
(60.8)
|
22.0
(71.6)
|
24.1
(75.4)
|
22.6
(72.7)
|
17.4
(63.3)
|
8.5
(47.3)
|
0.1
(32.2)
|
?7.4
(18.7)
|
7.4
(45.3)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
?17.4
(0.7)
|
?15.4
(4.3)
|
?8.2
(17.2)
|
0.5
(32.9)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
15.0
(59.0)
|
17.7
(63.9)
|
16.3
(61.3)
|
11.6
(52.9)
|
4.2
(39.6)
|
?3.8
(25.2)
|
?12.2
(10.0)
|
1.4
(34.5)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?23.3
(?9.9)
|
?22.3
(?8.1)
|
?15.4
(4.3)
|
?6.0
(21.2)
|
2.0
(35.6)
|
8.0
(46.4)
|
11.2
(52.2)
|
9.9
(49.8)
|
5.8
(42.4)
|
?0.1
(31.8)
|
?7.6
(18.3)
|
?16.9
(1.6)
|
?4.6
(23.7)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?45.3
(?49.5)
|
?43.3
(?45.9)
|
?42.2
(?44.0)
|
?28.3
(?18.9)
|
?13.0
(8.6)
|
?4.4
(24.1)
|
?0.6
(30.9)
|
?2.8
(27.0)
|
?6.1
(21.0)
|
?17.7
(0.1)
|
?34.4
(?29.9)
|
?44.4
(?47.9)
|
?45.3
(?49.5)
|
Record low
wind chill
|
?55.8
|
?54.8
|
?48.5
|
?34.2
|
?22.0
|
?8.6
|
0.0
|
?4.6
|
?9.6
|
?21.1
|
?41.8
|
?54.9
|
?55.8
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
48.1
(1.89)
|
36.1
(1.42)
|
47.7
(1.88)
|
54.6
(2.15)
|
69.0
(2.72)
|
80.3
(3.16)
|
102.0
(4.02)
|
77.2
(3.04)
|
100.9
(3.97)
|
86.3
(3.40)
|
70.9
(2.79)
|
56.5
(2.22)
|
829.5
(32.66)
|
Average rainfall mm (inches)
|
0.6
(0.02)
|
2.5
(0.10)
|
10.1
(0.40)
|
29.2
(1.15)
|
61.1
(2.41)
|
80.1
(3.15)
|
101.9
(4.01)
|
77.2
(3.04)
|
99.5
(3.92)
|
64.9
(2.56)
|
23.5
(0.93)
|
5.2
(0.20)
|
555.7
(21.88)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
55.5
(21.9)
|
39.3
(15.5)
|
42.1
(16.6)
|
26.9
(10.6)
|
7.8
(3.1)
|
0.2
(0.1)
|
0.1
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
1.3
(0.5)
|
21.5
(8.5)
|
52.9
(20.8)
|
60.0
(23.6)
|
307.6
(121.1)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.2 mm)
|
17.8
|
14.3
|
14.4
|
11.2
|
12.7
|
15.3
|
15.6
|
14.9
|
17.4
|
17.5
|
19.8
|
20.4
|
191.3
|
Average rainy days
(≥ 0.2 mm)
|
0.77
|
0.87
|
3.1
|
6.8
|
11.6
|
15.2
|
15.6
|
14.9
|
17.3
|
13.6
|
6.6
|
2.3
|
108.5
|
Average snowy days
(≥ 0.2 cm)
|
18.1
|
14.7
|
13.2
|
6.9
|
2.8
|
0.17
|
0.03
|
0.0
|
0.63
|
7.4
|
16.9
|
20.2
|
101.1
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
(at 15:00)
|
71.0
|
62.9
|
55.4
|
50.1
|
48.1
|
52.3
|
56.1
|
57.3
|
64.0
|
67.7
|
75.7
|
77.7
|
61.5
|
Source:
Environment and Climate Change Canada
(precipitation/rain/snow/humidity/wind chill/humidex 1981?2010)
[5]
[6]
|
Climate data for Kapuskasing CDA (1981?2010 normals, extremes 1918?2001)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
11.7
(53.1)
|
19.4
(66.9)
|
29.5
(85.1)
|
33.3
(91.9)
|
37.0
(98.6)
|
38.3
(100.9)
|
35.0
(95.0)
|
32.8
(91.0)
|
27.8
(82.0)
|
20.0
(68.0)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
38.3
(100.9)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
?12.3
(9.9)
|
?8.3
(17.1)
|
?1.9
(28.6)
|
7.0
(44.6)
|
15.7
(60.3)
|
20.9
(69.6)
|
23.5
(74.3)
|
22.1
(71.8)
|
15.9
(60.6)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
?0.6
(30.9)
|
?8.4
(16.9)
|
6.8
(44.2)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
?18.6
(?1.5)
|
?15.1
(4.8)
|
?8.5
(16.7)
|
0.8
(33.4)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
14.5
(58.1)
|
17.2
(63.0)
|
16.1
(61.0)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
4.2
(39.6)
|
?4.2
(24.4)
|
?13.2
(8.2)
|
1.1
(34.0)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?24.8
(?12.6)
|
?22.0
(?7.6)
|
?15.1
(4.8)
|
?5.3
(22.5)
|
2.5
(36.5)
|
8.0
(46.4)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
5.8
(42.4)
|
0.0
(32.0)
|
?7.8
(18.0)
|
?18.0
(?0.4)
|
?4.7
(23.5)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?47.2
(?53.0)
|
?46.7
(?52.1)
|
?42.8
(?45.0)
|
?30.6
(?23.1)
|
?13.0
(8.6)
|
?6.7
(19.9)
|
?1.0
(30.2)
|
?3.9
(25.0)
|
?7.0
(19.4)
|
?15.6
(3.9)
|
?36.1
(?33.0)
|
?47.2
(?53.0)
|
?47.2
(?53.0)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
50.8
(2.00)
|
36.9
(1.45)
|
48.9
(1.93)
|
55.2
(2.17)
|
67.1
(2.64)
|
85.4
(3.36)
|
102.8
(4.05)
|
78.7
(3.10)
|
96.0
(3.78)
|
91.8
(3.61)
|
70.1
(2.76)
|
55.1
(2.17)
|
838.6
(33.02)
|
Average rainfall mm (inches)
|
0.1
(0.00)
|
3.5
(0.14)
|
11.2
(0.44)
|
30.7
(1.21)
|
61.8
(2.43)
|
85.3
(3.36)
|
102.3
(4.03)
|
78.7
(3.10)
|
95.3
(3.75)
|
72.8
(2.87)
|
23.5
(0.93)
|
5.1
(0.20)
|
570.3
(22.45)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
53.5
(21.1)
|
36.2
(14.3)
|
37.3
(14.7)
|
23.3
(9.2)
|
4.8
(1.9)
|
0.1
(0.0)
|
0.5
(0.2)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.7
(0.3)
|
18.9
(7.4)
|
45.5
(17.9)
|
53.3
(21.0)
|
274.1
(107.9)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.2 mm)
|
16.1
|
12.1
|
11.3
|
9.6
|
13.1
|
16.2
|
16.1
|
14.7
|
20.0
|
18.0
|
17.1
|
17.5
|
181.6
|
Average rainy days
(≥ 0.2 mm)
|
0.19
|
0.76
|
2.7
|
5.5
|
12.4
|
16.2
|
16.1
|
14.7
|
20.0
|
14.7
|
4.9
|
1.1
|
109.1
|
Average snowy days
(≥ 0.2 cm)
|
15.9
|
11.3
|
9.4
|
5.1
|
1.2
|
0.05
|
0.05
|
0.0
|
0.43
|
5.7
|
13.2
|
16.6
|
78.9
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
78.3
|
109.5
|
146.7
|
185.9
|
220.8
|
226.2
|
252.5
|
224.6
|
127.5
|
88.0
|
48.3
|
55.4
|
1,763.7
|
Percent
possible sunshine
|
29.1
|
38.4
|
39.9
|
45.2
|
46.5
|
46.6
|
51.5
|
50.3
|
33.6
|
26.3
|
17.6
|
21.6
|
37.2
|
Source:
Environment and Climate Change Canada
[7]
|
History
[
edit
]
Town centre of Kapuskasing
Located near the western edge of the
Clay Belt
of "New Ontario", the town was founded in the early 20th century after the
National Transcontinental Railway
, forerunner of the
Canadian National Railway
, was built through the area in 1911.
[8]
An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the founding of Kapuskasing's role in Ontario's heritage.
[9]
A post-war scheme to settle
Canadian Corps
combat veterans in the area proved unsuccessful. It was not until the start of pulp and paper milling operations in the 1920s that Kapuskasing began to develop as an organized community.
[10]
Val Albert
Name taken from that of an early settler and assigned by postal authorities on October 7, 1936, "to correspond with the village known as {Val} Albert" (CPCGN files). Annexed by Kapuskasing on January 1, 1974.
[11]
Spruce Falls
[
edit
]
Reel room at the New York Times in 1942, with Spruce Falls Power and Paper Company paper reel
The Kapuskasing River Pulp and Timber limit, that included 4,500 square kilometres (1,700 sq mi) of timber and hydro leases at
Sturgeon Falls
, White Spruce Rapids (Spruce Falls) and Big Beaver Falls, was awarded to speculators Saphrenous A. Mundy and Elihu Stewart in 1917, and Spruce Falls Pulp and Paper Ltd. was incorporated, but no development took place.
The still unexploited timber limits were sold to
Kimberly-Clark
in 1920. The new Spruce Falls Company Ltd. began the development of the first pulp mill in Kapuskasing under the direction of F.J. Sensenbrenner, a Vice President of Kimberly Clark Corporation for the next 20 years. The small
sulphite
mill started up in late 1922 with four 12-ton digesters and a daily output of 75 tons of pulp. Spent liquor was discharged untreated into the Kapuskasing River.
Early development was plagued by major setbacks. Fire destroyed the construction camp and power project at Sturgeon Falls. A year's supply of pulpwood that was boomed up in the river was washed away in the spring flood. A fire at the new mill killed two workers and brought production to a halt.
In 1923, a water storage and hydro electric dam was built by Morrow and Beatty Ltd. of
Peterborough
at Spruce Falls. In 1925, the Spruce Falls Company Limited was awarded additional timber limits to the north and south, bringing their total limits up to 11,830 square kilometres (4,570 sq mi).
In 1926, the Spruce Falls Power and Paper Company was incorporated under joint ownership of Kimberly-Clark and
The New York Times
. The new company negotiated two additional hydro power leases to the north on the
Mattagami River
at Smoky Falls and Devils Rapids. Work to build a 550 ton/day paper mill at Kapuskasing, a 75,000 HP hydro generating station at Smoky Falls and a 80 kilometres (50 mi) railway and power line connecting the two got underway in the spring of 1926. The contractor for the entire project was Morrow and Beatty Ltd. of Peterborough.
Since July 13, 1928,
The New York Times
has been printed entirely on Spruce Falls paper. The mill has run continuously ever since. The company became known locally as "Uncle Spruce" in affectionate reference to the steady work and benefits provided to this distinct northern community for many decades.
The mill was the focus of the
Reesor Siding 1963 Strike
, which saw three union workers killed. In 1997
Tembec
became the sole owner of the mill which is now known as Tembec ? Spruce Falls Operations.
Kapuskasing Inn
[
edit
]
View of Kapuskasing Inn, 1958
The
Kapuskasing Inn
was built in 1927?28 by George Roper Gouinlock, son of
George Wallace Gouinlock
, together with the Civic Centre (built 1928) and the former Sensenbrenner Hospital (built 1929, now Drury Place, a geared-to-income housing complex). They were commissioned by the Spruce Falls Company Ltd. These buildings were all built in an impressive
Neo-Tudor
style and would form the nucleus of the town. In 1951, the inn hosted
Princess Elizabeth
and
the Duke of Edinburgh
on their first visit to Canada.
[12]
The landmark inn closed in 2002 and fell in disrepair but was slated for renovation by new investors. On May 22, 2007, youths set fire to the inn. It was damaged beyond repair. The arsonists were not charged as they were below the age of criminal responsibility at the time of the fire.
[13]
The remains of the inn were demolished in May and June 2008.
Internment camp
[
edit
]
Ukrainian Cemetery of Kapuskasing Internment Camp
During
World War I
, the town was the site of one of the largest
internment camps
in Canada, at Bunk Houses in Kapuskasing from December 1914 to February 1920.
[14]
The camp held over 1,300 German, Austrian, and Turkish prisoners, though originally the majority were civilian internees of
Ukrainian
descent who had emigrated from the provinces of
Bukovina
and
Galicia
, their homeland, which at the time were part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
, in the first wave of Ukrainian emigration to Canada prior to 1914. Prisoners were employed in the construction of buildings and clearing of land for a government experimental farm on the west side of the Kapuskasing River. Isolation provided ideal security for the
minimum security
camp, as the railway was the only access to the remote location. Prisoners who attempted to escape into the bush were turned back by endless
muskeg
and clouds of
mosquitoes
or minus-40 degree temperatures in winter. In 1917, most were paroled to help relieve labour shortages. Afterwards, the camp was used for prisoners of war and political radicals until its closure in 1920.
[8]
While serving as camp paymaster at Kapuskasing during its use for POWs, Captain
Watson Kirkconnell
, who was later to become a highly important figure in
Canadian poetry
, helped prevent a prisoner uprising and, on two occasions, he also discovered and foiled attempts to tunnel out of the camp.
[15]
Despite years of grief over the combat death of his brother, Captain Kirkconnell later wrote, "Generally speaking, I could feel little animus against our German prisoners. Guarding them was simply a job. It was their duty to try to get away and our duty to prevent it. The ingenuity that they displayed in their attempts to escape was being duplicated by our men in German captivity."
[16]
A small cemetery is all that remains of the internment camp near the Kapuskasing Airport where victims of the
1918 influenza epidemic
were laid to rest. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the Kapuskasing Internment Camp's role in Ontario's heritage.
[17]
Kapuskasing Soldier Colony
[
edit
]
Governments of the day were mistakenly impressed with the agricultural potential of the Great Clay Belt. A federal government experimental farm had been established on the west side of the river to explore and develop crops and systems for farming the area. Under the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Act of 1917, the Kapuskasing Soldier Colony was established to settle veterans returned from the Great War. Settlers received homesteads, grants, and guaranteed loans and were paid for clearing their own land. However, by 1920 only nine of more than a hundred original settlers remained, and the project was discontinued.
[8]
A 1920 Commission of Enquiry into the failed settlement scheme found that the settlers had not been up to the task at hand. The inhospitable climate and geography had won out. One bitter settler testified, "There are 7 months snow, two months rain and the remainder mosquitoes and black flies." Settlers had also counted on the development of a pulp mill at Kapuskasing that would provide a local market for pulp wood.
Radar site
[
edit
]
During World War II, Kapuskasing was one of five Northern Ontario
radar
bases that were set up to watch for potential attacks on the
Soo Locks
in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
. Kapuskasing was the headquarters for the radar bases, which were manned by the
United States Army Air Forces
.
[18]
The town may have ceased its importance as a location for a traditional military radar base, but has become a site for the
Super Dual Auroral Radar Network
that is involved with tracking and measuring ionospheric turbulence.
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical populations
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1921
| 926
| ?
|
---|
1931
| 3,819
| +312.4%
|
---|
1941
| 3,431
| ?10.2%
|
---|
1951
| 4,687
| +36.6%
|
---|
1961
| 6,870
| +46.6%
|
---|
1971
| 12,834
| +86.8%
|
---|
1981
| 12,014
| ?6.4%
|
---|
1991
| 10,344
| ?13.9%
|
---|
1996
| 10,036
| ?3.0%
|
---|
2001
| 9,238
| ?8.0%
|
---|
2006
| 8,509
| ?7.9%
|
---|
2011
| 8,196
| ?3.7%
|
---|
2016
| 8,292
| +1.2%
|
---|
2021
| 8,057
| ?2.8%
|
---|
In the
2021 Census of Population
conducted by
Statistics Canada
, Kapuskasing had a population of
8,057
living in
3,790
of its
4,134
total private dwellings, a change of
-2.8% from its 2016 population of
8,292
. With a land area of 83.98 km
2
(32.42 sq mi), it had a population density of
95.9/km
2
(248.5/sq mi) in 2021.
[19]
Canada census ? Kapuskasing community profile
Population
| 8,057 (-2.8% from 2016)
| 8,292 (1.2% from 2011)
| 8,196 (-3.7% from 2006)
|
Land area
| 83.98 km
2
(32.42 sq mi)
| 84.37 km
2
(32.58 sq mi)
| 84.13 km
2
(32.48 sq mi)
|
Population density
| 95.9/km
2
(248/sq mi)
| 98.3/km
2
(255/sq mi)
| 97.4/km
2
(252/sq mi)
|
Median age
| 48.4 (M: 47.2, F: 50.0)
| 44.2 (M: 43.6, F: 44.9)
| |
Private dwellings
| 4,134 (total) 3,790 (occupied)
| 4,087 (total)
| 4,049 (total)
|
Median household income
| $69,000
| $60,019
| |
In 2006, 68% of the population identified
French
as its first language, 36% identified
English
as its first language, and 0.02% identified a non-official language as its first language (Cree etc.); 0.02% identified both French and English. The median age of the population was 44.2 years in 2016.
[25]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Train station, now also serving as the Economic Development Office and Tourism Bureau
Travellers reach Kapuskasing by car, by
Ontario Northland
bus or by plane.
The town's pulp and paper mill is served by the
Ontario Northland Railway
, which took over the trackage serving the mill in 1994. The mill is located near the original National Transcontinental Railway mainline (NTR) that was later nationalized as part of the Canadian National Railway. The railway line crossed the Kapuskasing River in 1913 and was the main means of transportation accessing the town until the late 1950s and early 1960s when
Highway 11
became the main route to the city.
Kapuskasing Airport
was once a refueling stop for
Trans-Canada Air Lines
flights in the days before jet airliners. It no longer has scheduled flights.
Economy
[
edit
]
The former Spruce Falls, now
GreenFirst Forest Products
, had purchased the site from
Rayonier Advanced Materials
(RYAM) in 2021. The
pulp and paper
mill is the town's major employer, soon to be replaced by the
Ontario Power Generation
's
Smoky Falls Dam
reconstruction site. A former employer was also the
Agrium
phosphate mine which shut down in 2013.
General Motors Canada
operates the GM Cold Weather Development Centre in Kapuskasing.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
operated an
agricultural experiment station
, or Experimental Farm, close to the town; the Experimental Farm closed in 2014.
Politics
[
edit
]
Kapuskasing has a federal representative known as a Member of Parliament, or MP, and a provincial representative known as a Member of Provincial Parliament, or MPP.
Carol Hughes
of the
New Democratic Party
is the area's MP and represents the federal riding of
Algoma?Manitoulin?Kapuskasing
.
Guy Bourgouin
, member of Ontario's New Democratic Party, is the town's MPP and represents the provincial
Mushkegowuk?James Bay
riding.
[26]
Locally the town is led by Mayor David Plourde. The mayor works with six councillors to complete Kapuskasing's municipal government. Local officials are all elected through universal elections, meaning the town is not divided into wards.
[27]
Media
[
edit
]
Kapuskasing's locally originated media include English-language commercial radio station
CKAP
(branded as Moose FM), French-language community radio station
CKGN
, and the English-language
Kapuskasing Northern Times
and bilingual
Le/The Weekender
community newspapers and the French newspaper
L'Horizon
.
Le Nord
, a French newspaper from Hearst, is also available in Kapuskasing. English-language daily newspaper the
Timmins Daily Press
offers minimal coverage through its regional reporting of the
Cochrane District
. The community receives its only aerial television coverage from
CITO-TV-1
channel 10, a repeater of
CTV
outlet
CITO-TV
Timmins
.
Radio
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Education
[
edit
]
- Public
- Separate
- Other
- Centre d'education Alternative High School (Adult Education)
- College Boreal
a Kapuskasing (Post Secondary)
- Universite de Hearst
a Kapuskasing (Post Secondary)
- D'Youville Academy (Religious, Closed)
Public services
[
edit
]
Health
[
edit
]
Sensenbrenner Hospital was built in 1927-1929 by the Spruce Falls Pulp & Paper Company for its workers. At the time the hospital was one of northern Ontario's finest. In 1988 the need for a more modern facility arose and the ultra-modern 53 bed complex was built in a different part of the town. Sensenbrenner serves a regional population of 14,000 residents. The hospital provides both in-patient and out-patient care. Clinical services include; emergency services, chronic cardiorespiratory, acute neurology, specialty clinics, general medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, obstetrics, pediatrics, chronic and long-term care, rehabilitation, and other related diagnostic and treatment services. The health care services are assessment, evaluation, screening, treatment programs and direct therapy. In 1995 the hospital built a private clinic wing near the Emergency Room.
EMS services are provided by Sensenbrenner Hospital, which is managed by the Northeastern Ontario Medical Education Corporation (NOMEC).
The Porcupine Health unit serves the town with preventive education, psychiatric services, social services and child social service.
Safety
[
edit
]
The town operates a fire department which is a member of the Fire Marshalls of Ontario, Public Fire Safety Council.
A local branch of the Ontario Provincial Police is located at the site of the old Kapuskasing Inn.
Kapuskasing has
Enhanced 911
(E911) service for Fire, Ambulance and Police.
Well-being
[
edit
]
Children's Aid Services, Counselling services, Detox centres, Chiropractitioners, and many other services are offered for those who need it.
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Shera Bechard
, model and
Playboy Playmate
- Maxime Boudreault
,
World's Strongest Man
competitor
- James Cameron
, motion picture director
- Roy Dupuis
, actor
- Paul Lefebvre
, politician
- Heather Mallick
, author and columnist for the
Toronto Star
- Kirk McCaskill
, retired pitcher,
Major League Baseball
- Shane Peacock
, writer
- Kelly Vanderbeek
, alpine ski racer
In popular culture
[
edit
]
Kapuskasing is mentioned in the 1994 children’s book
Where is Gah-Ning
, by
Robert Munsch
. In the story, a young Chinese-Canadian girl wants to visit Kapuskasing, but her father says no. She tries to go by bicycle and later on roller blades; she finally succeeds in getting there by floating on 300 helium balloons. It is also featured in Tomson Highway's award-winning play
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
.
In Season 12 of
Degrassi
, junior pro hockey player Campbell Saunders comes from Kapuskasing.
The protagonist of
Alice Munro
's story "Train" (2012), set in the early 1960s, is hopeful when he heads for Kapuskasing: "Work there, sure to be work in a lumbering town".
Canadian singer-songwriter
Justin Rutledge
has a song called "Kapuskasing Coffee" on his album
Valleyheart
. The album won the
Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year - Solo
in 2014.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Kapuskasing census profile"
.
2021 Census of Population
. Statistics Canada
. Retrieved
March 16,
2017
.
- ^
"Kapuskasing A"
.
Canadian Climate Normals 1981?2010
.
Environment Canada
. October 31, 2011
. Retrieved
April 9,
2014
.
- ^
Kirkconnell, Watson (1921).
Kapuskasing, An Historical Sketch
. Kingston, Ontario: Jackson Press. p. 3.
OCLC
1047585608
.
- ^
Canada, G.S.C., Report of Progress for 1875-76, "Report on an Exploration in 1875 Between James Bay and Lakes Superior and Huron," by Robert Bell.
- ^
"Kapuskasing, Ontario"
.
Canadian Climate Normals 1991?2020
. Environment Canada. Archived from
the original
on September 27, 2023
. Retrieved
September 27,
2023
.
- ^
"Kapuskasing A, Ontario"
.
Canadian Climate Normals 1981?2010
. Environment Canada. Archived from
the original
on September 27, 2023
. Retrieved
September 27,
2023
.
- ^
"Kapuskasing CDA, Ontario"
.
Canadian Climate Normals 1981?2010
. Environment Canada. Archived from
the original
on September 27, 2023
. Retrieved
September 27,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
Ontario Heritage Foundation
- ^
"Ontario Plaque"
. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2008
. Retrieved
January 7,
2009
.
- ^
http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_6546_1.html
Archived
April 3, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
Ontario Heritage Trust Founding of Kapuskasing
- ^
Hamilton, William (1978).
The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names
. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 176.
ISBN
0-7715-9754-1
.
- ^
Heritage Resources Centre
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Timmins Daily News
? May 25, 2007.
- ^
Canada, Library and Archives.
"Thematic Guides - Internment Camps in Canada during the First and Second World Wars - Library and Archives Canada"
.
www.bac-lac.gc.ca
.
- ^
Watson Kirkconnell (1967),
A Slice of Canada: Memoirs
, published for
Acadia University
by
University of Toronto
Press. Page 99-102.
- ^
Watson Kirkconnell (1967),
A Slice of Canada: Memoirs
, published for
Acadia University
by
University of Toronto
Press. Page 100.
- ^
"Ontario Plaque"
. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2008
. Retrieved
January 7,
2009
.
- ^
Dziuban, Stanley W. (1970).
Military Relations Between the United States and Canada 1939 - 1945
.
United States Army Center of Military History
. p. 196
. Retrieved
June 30,
2010
.
- ^
"Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario"
.
Statistics Canada
. February 9, 2022
. Retrieved
March 30,
2022
.
- ^
"2021 Community Profiles"
.
2021 Canadian Census
. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022
. Retrieved
October 19,
2023
.
- ^
"2016 Community Profiles"
.
2016 Canadian Census
. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021
. Retrieved
March 16,
2017
.
- ^
"2011 Community Profiles"
.
2011 Canadian Census
. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019
. Retrieved
February 17,
2012
.
- ^
"2006 Community Profiles"
.
2006 Canadian Census
. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^
"2001 Community Profiles"
.
2001 Canadian Census
. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^
"2006 Community Profiles - Kapuskasing, Ontario"
.
2006 Census
. Statistics Canada. Archived from
the original
on March 5, 2017
. Retrieved
February 10,
2016
.
- ^
Gilles Bisson - MPP/Depute Provincial :: Timmins-James Bay-Baie James
- ^
"Mayor & Council"
. Town of Kapuskasing. January 30, 2019
. Retrieved
February 14,
2019
.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Kapuskasing
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Indian reserves
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