White River, Ontario

For the river flowing through this township, see White River (Ontario).

Township in Ontario, Canada

White River

Township (single-tier)

Township of White River

White River

Coordinates: 48°35′N 85°17′W﻿ / ﻿48.583°N 85.283°W﻿ / 48.583; -85.283
Country| Canada
Province| Ontario
District| Algoma
Established| 1885
Government

• Type| Township
• Mayor| Tara Anderson Hart
• Federal riding| Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing
• Prov. riding| Algoma—Manitoulin
Area

[1]

• Land| 95.55 km2 (36.89 sq mi)
Population

(2021)[1]

• Total| 557
• Density| 5.8/km2 (15/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code|

P0M

Area code| 807
Highways|  Highway 17 Highway 631
Website| www.whiteriver.ca

White River is a township located in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, at the western end of the District of Algoma. It sits along the namesake White River and the junction of Highway 17 of the Trans-Canada Highway, and Highway 631. It was originally a railway town on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, and is still served by a passenger rail service to Sudbury, the Budd Car managed by Via Rail.

Its main employers include White River Forest Products (a softwood lumber mill), Albert Bazzoni Ltd., A&W Restaurant, Tri Timber, NCCP, CP Rail, Home Hardware, and Primary Power.[2]

## History[edit]

In the early 1880s, White River started as a workcamp along the Canadian Pacific Railway, then under construction, but grew into a town when this site was selected by William Van Horne as the railway's divisional point. By 1886, it had a station house, fine hotels and an ice house. A stockyard to feed and water the livestock that regularly traveled through was also added. Its population grew from 10 families in 1886 to 42 families in 1906.[3]

In 1961, Highway 17 reached White River, making it accessible by car. This brought new industries and businesses, particularly tourism-related, to the town, ending its existence as an exclusive railway town.[3] In the 1970s, Abitibi-Price established a lumber mill, which was purchased by Domtar Forest Products in 1984 and closed in July 2007.[4] In 2013, the Domtar assets were purchased by the Township of White River and the Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (Pic Mobert First Nation) along with private partners. The mill was then reopened, with significant investment in new equipment, as White River Forest Products LP.[5]

## Geography[edit]

White River is located north of Lake Superior, on White River and halfway along Highway 17 between Marathon and Wawa. This is also roughly halfway between Toronto and Winnipeg.[2]

### Climate[edit]

A highway sign in 1973 promoting White River as the "Coldest Spot in Canada".

White River advertises itself as "The Coldest Spot in Canada" with recorded temperatures as low as −58 °C (−72 °F). However, this is a myth, as the coldest temperature in Canada was recorded in Snag, Yukon, at −62.8 °C (−81.0 °F) on 3 February 1947.[6] Even in Ontario, the coldest recorded temperature was in Iroquois Falls on 23 January 1935 [−58.3 °C (−72.9 °F)], which is also the lowest temperature ever recorded in Eastern Canada.[6] White River's reputation for being the "coldest spot" is probably based on the fact that for many years, its reported temperature was deemed "the coldest in the nation today" from the handful of stations reporting daily temperature extremes in newspapers and on radio, with most stations' data being available only on a monthly basis to Environment Canada at the time.

Its official weather station (which closed in 1976) was located in a frost hollow, but most residential areas have good air drainage and do not see temperatures far below −40 °C (−40 °F). Gardeners can keep their flowers alive into October and grow non-boreal species such as silver maple.[citation needed]

## Demographics[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, White River had a population of 557 living in 270 of its 333 total private dwellings, a change of -13.6% from its 2016 population of 645. With a land area of 95.55 km2 (36.89 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.8/km2 (15.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1]

Canada census – White River, Ontario community profile

| 2021| 2016| 2011

|
|
|

Population| 557 (-13.6% from 2016)| 645 (+6.3% from 2011)| 607 (-27.8% from 2006)
Land area| 95.55 km2 (36.89 sq mi)| 96.78 km2 (37.37 sq mi)| 96.94 km2 (37.43 sq mi)
Population density| 5.8/km2 (15/sq mi)| 6.3/km2 (16/sq mi)| 6.3/km2 (16/sq mi)
Median age| 50.0 (M: 52.8, F: 47.2)| 48.0 (M: 48.8, F: 47.3)| 46.9 (M: 46.8, F: 47.1)
Private dwellings| 333 (total) 270 (occupied)| 411 (total) | 435 (total)
Median household income| $80,000| $74,752| $58,732

References: 2021[7] 2016[8] 2011[9] earlier[10][11]

Historical census populations – White River, Ontario| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1976 | 762| —
1981 | 1,006| +32.0%
1986 | 1,132| +12.5%
1991 | 948| −16.3%
1996 | 1,022| +7.8%
| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

2001 | 993| −2.8%
2006 | 841| −15.3%
2011 | 607| −27.8%
2016 | 645| +6.3%
2021 | 557| −13.6%
Source: Statistics Canada[12][13]

Mother tongue:[14]

* English as first language: 78%
* French as first language: 16%
* English and French as first language: 1%
* Other as first language: 5%

## Tourism[edit]

White River- the Hometown of Winnie the Pooh

The township is perhaps best known for being the home of Winnie the Pooh. In August 1914, a trapped black bear cub was sold to Captain Harry Colebourn in White River, and Colebourn named it Winnipeg, or Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over the years, the animal became the basis for the popular literary character. The town celebrates "Winnie's Hometown Festival" every third week in August.[3]

Being surrounded by wilderness, White River has a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities. Summer activities include hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, boating and canoeing. In the winter the town offers cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.[2]

Other attractions include:[15]

* Heritage Museum - documents the history of White River and includes Canadian Pacific Railway artifacts, rare Winnie the Pooh artifacts, displays White River in the early 1900s, as well as some artwork by the Group of Seven.
* Authentic Canadian Pacific Railway caboose
* Picnic Lake - with an unsupervised sandy beach, picnic tables, and boat launch.
* Tukanee Lake - nature area with rocks, water, and trails.

## Transportation[edit]

The train station in White River.

White River is located at the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631, which connects the town to Highway 11 to the north.

White River station is the western terminus of Via Rail's thrice-weekly Sudbury–White River train, which operates east to Greater Sudbury. Greyhound Canada stopped serving White River on 31 October 2018, when it ended all service west of Sudbury. Ontario Northland buses continue to serve White River.[16]

## In popular culture[edit]

White River is referenced by the Canadian singer/songwriter Christine Fellows in her song "Migrations".

## See also[edit]

* List of townships in Ontario
* List of francophone communities in Ontario

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "White River, Ontario (Code 3557091) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
2. ^ a b c "About". www.whiteriverlibrary.com. White River Public Library. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
3. ^ a b c "History". www.whiteriverlibrary.com. White River Public Library. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
4. ^ "2017-2021 Strategic Plan" (PDF). www.whiteriver.ca. The Corporation of the Township of White River. 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
5. ^ "White River Forest Products Ltd. Fact Sheet" (PDF). Pic Mobert First Nation. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
6. ^ a b David Phillips. "Cold Places in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historca Canada. Archived from the original on 13 November 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
7. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
8. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
9. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
10. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 20 August 2019.
11. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. 18 July 2021.
12. ^ 1996, 2001, 2006 census
13. ^ "White River census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
14. ^ "White River, Ontario - 2006", Community Profiles, Statistics Canada, retrieved 31 January 2016
15. ^ "Things to Do". www.whiteriver.ca. The Corporation of the Township of White River. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
16. ^ Walters, Jeff (26 September 2018). "Going without Greyhound: Travellers to end up stranded with loss of connections". CBC. Retrieved 1 February 2019.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to White River, Ontario.

* Official website

Places adjacent to White River, Ontario

|  | Unorganized North Algoma |

|
|

|  |
Unorganized Thunder Bay |

White River

| Unorganized North Algoma
|  |
| Unorganized North Algoma |

* v
* t
* e

Algoma District, Ontario

Cities|

* Elliot Lake
* Sault Ste. Marie

Towns|

* Blind River
* Bruce Mines
* Spanish
* Thessalon

Townships|

* Dubreuilville
* Hilton
* Hornepayne
* Huron Shores
* Jocelyn
* Johnson
* Laird
* Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional
* The North Shore
* Plummer Additional
* Prince
* St. Joseph
* Tarbutt
* Wawa
* White River

Villages|

* Hilton Beach

First Nations|

* Batchewana
* Garden River
* Hornepayne
* Michipicoten
* Missanabie
* Mississauga
* Sagamok
* Serpent River
* Thessalon

Indian reserves|

* Garden River 14
* Goulais Bay 15A
* Goulais Bay 15C
* Gros Cap 49
* Gros Cap Village 49A
* Missanabie 62
* Mississagi River 8
* Obadjiwan 15E
* Rankin Location 15D
* Sagamok
* Serpent River 7
* Thessalon 12
* Whitefish Island

Unorganized areas|

* North
* South East

Local services boards|

* Aweres
* Batchawana Bay
* Goulais and District
* Hawk Junction
* Missanabie
* Peace Tree
* Searchmont
* Wharncliffe and Kynoch

Unincorporated
communities|

* Algoma Mills
* Ansonia
* Bar River
* Bellevue
* Bourdage Corner
* Bruce Station
* Cloudslee
* Dalton
* Day Mills
* Dayton
* Dean Lake
* Desbarats
* Dunns Valley
* Echo Bay
* Eley
* Fire River
* Franz
* Frater
* Glendale
* Goudreau
* Goulais Bay
* Goulais Mission
* Goulais River
* Gros Cap
* Harmony
* Harmony Bay
* Havilland Bay
* Heyden
* Iron Bridge
* Island Lake
* Karalash Corners
* Kentvale
* Kirby's Corner
* Kynoch
* Leeburn
* Little Rapids
* Livingstone
* Livingstone Creek
* Lochalsh
* MacDuff
* MacLennan
* Maple Ridge
* Michipicoten
* Michipicoten River
* Moiles Mills
* Montreal River
* Montreal River Harbour
* Neebish
* Nestorville
* Northland
* Northland Lake
* Norris
* Oba
* Ophir
* Parkinson
* Plummer
* Poplar Dale
* Port Findlay
* Ranger Lake
* Richards Landing
* Rock Lake
* Rydal Bank
* Sailors Encampment
* Sand Bay
* Serpent River
* Sherwood
* Sowerby
* Spragge
* Sunset Beach
* Sylvan Valley
* Wabos
* Wharncliffe

* See also: Communities in Algoma District
* Census divisions of Ontario

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