Northern Region, Manitoba

Northern Manitoba is the most northerly region of the Canadian province of Manitoba, added to the province during the last major expansion of its boundaries in 1912.[1] Forestry, mining and hydro-electric development are significant economic drivers[2] with long-term consequences to the environment in the region.[3]

Northern Region
Region
Location of Northern Manitoba in Manitoba and Canada. The thin straight lines denote census division boundaries.
Country Canada
Province Manitoba
Divisions19, 21, 22, 23
Largest cityThompson
Area
 • Total438,492 km2 (169,303 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total88,146
 • Density0.20/km2 (0.52/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CST)

Geography

It is situated on the Canadian Shield and includes Manitoba's Hudson Bay coastline. The land area of the region is 438,491.51 km² (169,302.52 mi²), which encompasses 67% of Manitoba's total land area. The vast majority of the region is undeveloped wilderness.

Climate

Manitoba's northern region is mostly within in the subarctic climate zone (Köppen climate classification Dfc). It also has some Humid Continental (Koppen Dfb) areas in the south. This region features long and extremely cold winters and brief, warm summers with little precipitation.[4] Overnight temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) occur on several days each winter.[4]

Ecology

This region is covered by large extents of stunted Black Spruce dominant forest, with association of Tamarack. There are several mammals in the region including the Arctic fox, Beluga whale and Polar bear. The Polar bear has a significant denning area within the Wapusk National Park, from which annual bear migrations to Hudson Bay are made.[5]

Protected Areas in Northern Manitoba

A single national park, Wapusk National Park; a provincial forest, Cormorant Provincial Forest; several ecological reserves; and more than twenty provincial Parks are located in Northern Manitoba.

Economy

The major economic activities are mining and tourism.

Demographics

The region is composed of four census divisions: 19 and 21–23.[23] Its total population at the 2011 census was 88,146, which was only 7.3% of Manitoba's total population in the 2011 census. The largest municipality is the city of Thompson. Other major population centers include the city of Flin Flon and the town of The Pas. Indian reserves comprise more than 49% of the region's population. There are 54 reserves with a total population of 40,572. The largest of these are Norway House 17 and Peguis 1B.

Major communities

The following communities are within the Northern Region of Manitoba:[24]

Infrastructure

Northern Manitoba is accessed by two Provincial Trunk Highways: PTH 10 to Flin Flon and PTH 6 to Thompson, as well as a network of smaller roads.[25] These are extended in the winter by an additional network of winter roads.[26]

Northern Manitoba is served by a single rail line running north from Winnipeg, via eastern Saskatchewan. The Canadian National Railway operates the line as far as The Pas.[27] At The Pas, the line splits into branches. The Keewatin Railway Company owns the branch connecting The Pas to Pukatawagan, while the Hudson Bay Railway operates a cargo-only branch to Flin Flon and a mixed-use branch connecting to Churchill. All rail service between The Pas and Churchill was suspended from 2017 to 2018 due to a washout of tracks north of Amery. Via Rail passenger service operates on these lines as part of its Winnipeg–Churchill service.

Air transport provides access to many northern communities with 58 airfields in the region.[28] Calm Air and Perimeter Aviation provide scheduled passenger service into larger northern communities.[29][30] Chartered bush planes land on lakes when airfields are not available.[31]

See also

References

Line notes
  1. Kemp, Douglas. From Postage Stamp to Keystone. Manitoba Pageant. April 1956.
  2. Chuchman, George (1992). "People and Land in Northern Manitoba:The Economics of Large-Scale Resource Development in Northern Manitoba". University of Manitoba anthropology papers. 32. ISSN 0227-0072. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  3. Lithman, Yngve Georg (1992). "People and Land in Northern Manitoba:Introduction". University of Manitoba anthropology papers. 32. ISSN 0227-0072. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  4. Ritter, Michael E. Subarctic Climate; 2006 [archived 25 May 2008; Retrieved 7 August 2007].
  5. C. Michael Hogan. 2008
  6. A System Plan for Manitoba's Provincial Parks (PDF) (March 1998 ed.). Winnipeg: Manitoba Conservation, Parks and Natural Areas Branch. 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  7. "Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  8. "North Steeprock Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  9. "Nueltin Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. "Colvin Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  11. "Paint Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. "Bakers Narrows Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  13. "Bell Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  14. "Grand Rapids Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  15. "Neso Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  16. "Overflowing River Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  17. "Pisew Falls Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  18. "Red Deer River Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  19. "Rocky Lake Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  20. "Sasagiu Rapids Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  21. "Twin Lakes Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  22. "Wekusko Falls Provincial Park". Geographical Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  23. Northern Manitoba: A Benchmark Report. Thompson: Northern Manitoba Economic Development Commission. 1993. The four census divisions numbered 19, 21, 22 and 23 are generally considered to make up northern Manitoba.
  24. Manitoba. 2009
  25. "Official Highway Map". Province of Manitoba. Manitoba Infrastructure. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  26. "Winter Roads in Manitoba". Province of Manitoba. Manitoba Infrastructure. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  27. "Canadian Rail Atlas: Manitoba" (PDF). Proximity. Railway Association of Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  28. "Investing in Northern Manitoba:Transportation". Province of Manitoba. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  29. "History". Calm Air. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  30. "Destinations Map". www.perimeter.ca. Perimeter Aviation.
  31. Weir, T.R. "Manitoba". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

Lithman, Yngve Georg; Riewe, Rick R.; Wiest, Raymond E.; Wrigley, Robert E. (1992). "People and Land in Northern Manitoba". University of Manitoba anthropology papers. 32. ISSN 0227-0072. Retrieved 21 October 2017.

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