Peawanuck

Peawanuck
Peawanuck Indian Settlement
Peawanuck is located in Ontario
Peawanuck
Peawanuck
Coordinates: 55°1′N 85°25′W / 55.017°N 85.417°W / 55.017; -85.417
Country Canada
Province Ontario
DistrictKenora
First NationWeenusk
Area
 • Land3.48 km2 (1.34 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total195
 • Density56.0/km2 (145/sq mi)
Postal Code(s)
P0L 2H0
Area Code(s)807 but 705 is used

Peawanuck is an isolated Cree community in the Kenora District, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the confluence of the Winisk and Shamattawa rivers, about 35 km from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay. Its population is 237.[2]

Its population used to live in the community of Winisk (55°16′N 85°11′W / 55.267°N 85.183°W / 55.267; -85.183), near the mouth of the Winisk River. This also used to be a Mid-Canada Line Radar site. In 1986, its population was forced to abandon Winisk as a result of the Winisk Flood Disaster. The community was relocated thirty kilometers up-river on higher ground. The new settlement was renamed Peawanuck, meaning "flintstone" in the Cree language. It only took seven months for the community to be rebuilt in Peawanuck, with much credit going to the community members who were determined to have their new homes ready by the winter. It is surrounded by lands of the Polar Bear Provincial Park providing Peawanuck with limited tourism opportunities.[3] It lies at similar latitudes to Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Moscow but has much harsher winters than those other cities.

  1. ^ a b "Peawanuck census profile". 2016 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Peawanuck census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. ^ Strauss, Julius (12 November 2005). "Welcome to Peawanuck". The Globe and Mail.