Pinawa, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Pinawa is a small Canadian
community of about 1500 residents located in southeastern Manitoba
, 110 kilometres north-east of Winnipeg. The town is situated on the Canadian Shield
within the western boundary of Whiteshell Provincial Park
, which lies near the Manitoba-Ontario
provincial boundary. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipalities of Lac du Bonnet
and Whitemouth, but is independent of either one.
Pinawa was re-established about 10 km from the original Hydro town in 1963 when Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
built the Whiteshell Laboratories
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
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 in Chalk River, Ontario
. AECL began decommissioning the Whiteshell Laboratories in 1998. The economy of Pinawa is diversifying and now includes the head office of the North Eastman Health Association and a number of environmental science firms.
Pinawa is located beside the Winnipeg River
, 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 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 center'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.
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
and Jay Onrait
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
community of about 1500 residents located in southeastern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 110 kilometres north-east of Winnipeg. The town is situated on the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
within the western boundary of Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park is a 2,729 km2 park centrally located in Canada in the province of Manitoba. It can be found in the southeast of the province along the Manitoba-Ontario border, approximately 130 km east of Winnipeg. The park is located in the Canadian Shield region and has many...
, which lies near the Manitoba-Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
provincial boundary. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipalities of Lac du Bonnet
Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba (rural municipality)
Lac du Bonnet is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. The separately administered town of Lac du Bonnet lies within the borders of the municipality. It also mostly encircles the Pinawa local government district in the municipality's southeast part.-External links:*...
and Whitemouth, but is independent of either one.
History
The community of Pinawa was originally established in 1901 to support the operation of Manitoba's first hydro electric 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
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory...
built the Whiteshell Laboratories
Whiteshell Laboratories
The Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, now Whiteshell Laboratories, was established by the Government of Canada in 1963 as an AECL research laboratory in Pinawa, Manitoba...
nuclear
Atomic nucleus
The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. It was discovered in 1911, as a result of Ernest Rutherford's interpretation of the famous 1909 Rutherford experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Rutherford. The...
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
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
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 in Chalk River, Ontario
Chalk River, Ontario
Chalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
. AECL began decommissioning the Whiteshell Laboratories in 1998. The economy of Pinawa is diversifying and now includes the head office of the North Eastman Health Association and a number of environmental science firms.
Geography
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river which flows 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 area, mainly in Canada. About of this area is in northern...
, 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 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 center'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.
Town Infrastructure
The town of 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 office of the Pinawa Community Development Corporation. The town contains a Motor Inn and the retreat center Wilderness EdgeEducation
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
Dan O'Toole
Dan O'Toole is a Canadian television sports anchor for TSN. Since 2003, he has co-hosted the 2:00 AM weekday broadcast of SportsCentre, alongside Jay Onrait.- Biography :...
and Jay Onrait
Jay Onrait
Jay Michael Onrait is a Canadian television personality. He is the co-host, along with Dan O'Toole, for the late night broadcast of Sportscentre.-Personal:Onrait is a native of Athabasca, Alberta....
host TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
's SportsCentre
SportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
in the town on August 23. The town also received a cheque for $25,000 from Kraft Canada
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
which went towards renovating their local rink, the Orville Acres Arena.
External links
- http://www.pinawa.com and http://www.allthingspinawa.com/site/index.php and http://www.wildernessedge.com
- Map of Pinawa at Statcan