Red Lake, Ontario
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Red Lake is a small amalgamated municipality 535 km north-west of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The municipality consists of 6 small towns and has a local population of approximately 8,500 people. The three primary sources of employment in Red Lake include: support services for the numerous mines surrounding the town, small scale logging and a tourism sector specializing in hunting and fishing. It is known as the "Norseman Capital of the World", referring to the Noorduyn Norseman aircraft which played a significant role in the development of the area.
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[edit] History
The town experienced a sudden surge of economic, industrial, and population growth with the discovery of gold in 1926. In fact, by 1936, Red Lake's Howey Bay was the busiest airport in the world with more flights landing and taking off per hour than O'Hare International Airport or JFK. In 1995 Goldcorp., owners of the Red Lake Mine discovered that it contains the world's richest grade gold ore (2 troy ounces of gold per metric ton). Shortly thereafter, the mine suffered through a four-year long miners' strike. Since then the mine has become one of the richest gold mines in the world.
[edit] Attractions
The village has a museum and is close to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and Pakwash Provincial Park. Red Lake is a prime location for summer sports fishing, as the lake contains several types of fish including walleye, northern pike, lake trout, whitefish and sauger. Other popular recreational summer activities include golfing at the Red Lake Golf and Country Club, swimming at Rahill beach, and even exploring the many bays and arms of Red Lake by boat.
Hunting is another activity in the region that attracts tourism, especially during the fall season. Outdoorsmen know of the abundance of game in the Red Lake District, including moose, ruffed grouse, spruce hen, duck, and bear. Some citizens even participate in the fur industry with established trapping lines interspersed throughout the local forests. The gray wolf, white-tailed deer, red fox, beaver, and many bird species also inhabit the area.
[edit] Climate
The climate of the area is subarctic. In this township, snow usually starts falling around late October / early November, and starts melting around March but doesn't fully melt until late April (and May snow is not uncommon). This long winter is ideal for the local snowmachiners, though during this period, the wind is often very cold and temperatures may drop to below -35 degrees Celsius. On most winter days ice hangs off of every building in the village. During winter, residents participate in skiing, ice hockey, and tobogganing.
During the short summer, it is usually hot and humid, with some rain and occasional light breezes.
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