Redditt, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Redditt is an unincorporated community in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern
Ontario
, Canada
. It is on the MacFarlane River
, and located at the northern terminus of Ontario Highway 658, 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of Kenora. Redditt is also the name of the surrounding geographic township that includes the community.
A designated place
served by a local services board, Redditt had a population of 172 in the Canada 2006 Census
.
Once a location for a Canadian National Railway
roundhouse, the railyard operations were closed down in the early 1950s when the CNR switched to diesel/electrics from steam. At this time Ontario Central Airlines
, owned by Barney Lamb, established a maintenance facility in the old roundhouse, for its fleet of amphibious charter aircraft. The old switch yard was used as a landing strip for wheel aircraft after the tracks had been pulled. At this time the inflow to Corn Lake (the MacFarlane River) was dredged, and a control dam constructed at the out flow of Ena Lake to ensure an adequate water depth for the landing of amphibious aircraft, which were then towed by dolly to the former roundhouse for maintenance.
Redditt is on the Canadian National Railway transcontinental
main line
, between Ena Lake to the west and Brinka
to the east, and Redditt railway station
is served by Via Rail
transcontinental Canadian passenger trains.
There is no scheduled bus service to Redditt.
. Wireless (cellular) service is currently unreliable—i.e. connections can only be made when stationary and at the top of hills and ridges. KMTS mobility is intending to install wireless cell gear, this is however pending funding assistance from the Federal and Provincial governments. As of 2008 wireless broadband is available from KMTS (now part of the Bell Aliant
family). Television is limited to two off-air channels, one of which is the CBC
. Satellite TV is available through Shaw Direct or Bell TV.
The primary economic activities are tourism and resource harvesting. Several hunting and sport fishing lodges and camps are found in Redditt. The facilities are usually quite basic, relying on the "external" or outdoor experience to provide the fun and excitement. Prices are generally quite affordable. Many outfitters, lodges, and camps (the terms are quite often interchangeable) provide varying levels of service from simple "house keeping" cabins to full "American plan" (generally understood to mean all-inclusive except for licenses, alcohol, and tobacco). Price is of course service level dependent. Some of the operators provide an "outpost" camp experience. These outlying camps or cabins can usually only be reached by air via float plane, or by canoe over one or more portages and lakes. Traditionally this has been seen as the truest wilderness experience. The areas where these "outposts" are located are more isolated, and less frequented by travelers, and thus often offer a higher potential for trophy hunting and fishing, and consequently also offer the non-hunter or non-angler a better chance to experience the northern wilderness unintruded upon by strangers.
The greater proportion of the working population is employed in Kenora. There are many summer and weekend cottages/camps located in and around Redditt. The majority of these are owned by people from Manitoba
(Winnipeg
), and Kenora. The relative remoteness and isolation, low density, and privacy are attractive to people seeking a "rustic" retreat or recreational experience. The cost of recreational properties around Redditt is still very affordable for average incomes, especially when compared to prices on Lake of the Woods
, or the Winnipeg River
.
At the west side of Redditt, just north of Corn Lake, there is a rock quarry where high quality granite
is mined. Visitors and residents are sometimes alarmed when blasting takes place at the quarry.
A branch of the Royal Canadian Legion
is located in Redditt.
region in general. Though so called ecotourism
is also being promoted, it has however failed to develop fully. Locals (including the First Nations
, or Aboriginal Peoples
) historically engaged in hunting and fishing for food. As such, whitetail deer, moose, ducks and geese were and are the primary quarry for local hunting. Ruffed and spruce grouse are popular upland game birds. Snowshoe hare is a tradition catch for women and children. Walleye
(pickerel), northern pike
, whitefish
and lake trout
were the primary food fish species. Outfitting and sport hunting is still focused on whitetail and moose. Black bear and wolf are becoming more and more desirable for non-resident hunters, especially those from Europe and the USA. Many local residents find employment as hunting and/or fishing guides. The primary sport fish species are walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout and muskie.
Snowmobiling is a popular winter activity in Redditt. Snowmobile trails connect Redditt with Kenora. Day trips to Redditt from Kenora are very popular. It is also possible to travel by snowmobile from Redditt to Manitoba, and to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. The trails to Manitoba are fairly well maintained, and appropriate for operators of average ability. The trails to Woodland Caribo Provincial Park are single track, rugged, and extremely challenging, with many unpredictable water crossings and are therefore only appropriate for very experienced operators. Hiring an experienced guide is strenuously recommended, as is traveling in groups. It is always recommended to be prepared for self rescue when snowmobiling, winter weather conditions can prevent search and rescue from reaching those seeking aid for many days.
Norway Lake at the north end of town is a popular camping/picnic location. A fine beach and warm water make it an attractive outing destination in the summer. Armstrong Lake at the east end of town is also popular for recreation and fishing. Corn Lake at the south/west side of the village is also a popular fishing and swimming destination for residents and visitors.
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
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....
, Canada
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...
. It is on the MacFarlane River
MacFarlane River (Ontario)
The MacFarlane River is a river in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada and a tributary of the Winnipeg River.-Course:...
, and located at the northern terminus of Ontario Highway 658, 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of Kenora. Redditt is also the name of the surrounding geographic township that includes the community.
A designated place
Designated place
A designated place or DPL is a type of community or populated area identified by Statistics Canada for statistical purposes. DPLs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages.DPLs are communities that lack...
served by a local services board, Redditt had a population of 172 in the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
.
Transportation
Until 1985 the main street of Redditt was called highway 666. In 1985, an Evangelical Christian church located on the then Highway 666 nearer to Kenora, asked that the highway be renumbered. Subsequently the main street of Redditt and the road into town were renumbered to highway 658. Members of the church had argued to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, that it was inappropriate for their church to be located on the "Highway to Hell". Redditt is also the starting point for what is locally known as the "English River Road", which provides access to resource (logging primarily) exploitation in the region north of Redditt.Once a location for a Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
roundhouse, the railyard operations were closed down in the early 1950s when the CNR switched to diesel/electrics from steam. At this time Ontario Central Airlines
Ontario Central Airlines
Ontario Central Airlines was a Canadian airline headquartered in Kenora, Ontario. It was founded in 1947. In 1984, the airline was renamed Nunasi-Central Airlines.-History:...
, owned by Barney Lamb, established a maintenance facility in the old roundhouse, for its fleet of amphibious charter aircraft. The old switch yard was used as a landing strip for wheel aircraft after the tracks had been pulled. At this time the inflow to Corn Lake (the MacFarlane River) was dredged, and a control dam constructed at the out flow of Ena Lake to ensure an adequate water depth for the landing of amphibious aircraft, which were then towed by dolly to the former roundhouse for maintenance.
Redditt is on the Canadian National Railway transcontinental
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
main line
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
, between Ena Lake to the west and Brinka
Brinka, Ontario
Brinka is an unincorporated place on Bluff Lake on the MacFarlane River in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.It lies on the Canadian National Railway transcontinental main line, between Redditt to the west and Farlane to the east, and is passed but not served by Via Rail...
to the east, and Redditt railway station
Redditt railway station
Redditt railway station is located in the community of Redditt in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The station is on the Canadian National Railway transcontinental main line and is in use by Via Rail as a stop for transcontinental Canadian trains....
is served by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
transcontinental Canadian passenger trains.
There is no scheduled bus service to Redditt.
Economy
Wireline telephone service is provided by Bell CanadaBell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
. Wireless (cellular) service is currently unreliable—i.e. connections can only be made when stationary and at the top of hills and ridges. KMTS mobility is intending to install wireless cell gear, this is however pending funding assistance from the Federal and Provincial governments. As of 2008 wireless broadband is available from KMTS (now part of the Bell Aliant
Aliant
Bell Aliant Inc. is a communications company providing services in various areas throughout eastern Canada, as Bell Aliant throughout Atlantic Canada, and under the NorthernTel, and Télébec brands in rural areas of Ontario and Quebec....
family). Television is limited to two off-air channels, one of which is the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. Satellite TV is available through Shaw Direct or Bell TV.
The primary economic activities are tourism and resource harvesting. Several hunting and sport fishing lodges and camps are found in Redditt. The facilities are usually quite basic, relying on the "external" or outdoor experience to provide the fun and excitement. Prices are generally quite affordable. Many outfitters, lodges, and camps (the terms are quite often interchangeable) provide varying levels of service from simple "house keeping" cabins to full "American plan" (generally understood to mean all-inclusive except for licenses, alcohol, and tobacco). Price is of course service level dependent. Some of the operators provide an "outpost" camp experience. These outlying camps or cabins can usually only be reached by air via float plane, or by canoe over one or more portages and lakes. Traditionally this has been seen as the truest wilderness experience. The areas where these "outposts" are located are more isolated, and less frequented by travelers, and thus often offer a higher potential for trophy hunting and fishing, and consequently also offer the non-hunter or non-angler a better chance to experience the northern wilderness unintruded upon by strangers.
The greater proportion of the working population is employed in Kenora. There are many summer and weekend cottages/camps located in and around Redditt. The majority of these are owned by people from 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...
(Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
), and Kenora. The relative remoteness and isolation, low density, and privacy are attractive to people seeking a "rustic" retreat or recreational experience. The cost of recreational properties around Redditt is still very affordable for average incomes, especially when compared to prices on Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
, or the Winnipeg River
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...
.
At the west side of Redditt, just north of Corn Lake, there is a rock quarry where high quality granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
is mined. Visitors and residents are sometimes alarmed when blasting takes place at the quarry.
A branch of the Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
is located in Redditt.
Recreation
Fishing and hunting are the primary recreational and tourism activities for Redditt, and the Northwestern OntarioNorthwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
region in general. Though so called ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
is also being promoted, it has however failed to develop fully. Locals (including the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, or Aboriginal Peoples
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
) historically engaged in hunting and fishing for food. As such, whitetail deer, moose, ducks and geese were and are the primary quarry for local hunting. Ruffed and spruce grouse are popular upland game birds. Snowshoe hare is a tradition catch for women and children. Walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
(pickerel), northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, whitefish
Freshwater whitefish
The freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings...
and lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
were the primary food fish species. Outfitting and sport hunting is still focused on whitetail and moose. Black bear and wolf are becoming more and more desirable for non-resident hunters, especially those from Europe and the USA. Many local residents find employment as hunting and/or fishing guides. The primary sport fish species are walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout and muskie.
Snowmobiling is a popular winter activity in Redditt. Snowmobile trails connect Redditt with Kenora. Day trips to Redditt from Kenora are very popular. It is also possible to travel by snowmobile from Redditt to Manitoba, and to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. The trails to Manitoba are fairly well maintained, and appropriate for operators of average ability. The trails to Woodland Caribo Provincial Park are single track, rugged, and extremely challenging, with many unpredictable water crossings and are therefore only appropriate for very experienced operators. Hiring an experienced guide is strenuously recommended, as is traveling in groups. It is always recommended to be prepared for self rescue when snowmobiling, winter weather conditions can prevent search and rescue from reaching those seeking aid for many days.
Norway Lake at the north end of town is a popular camping/picnic location. A fine beach and warm water make it an attractive outing destination in the summer. Armstrong Lake at the east end of town is also popular for recreation and fishing. Corn Lake at the south/west side of the village is also a popular fishing and swimming destination for residents and visitors.