Peawanuck is an isolated Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 community in the Kenora District, Ontario

Kenora District, Ontario

Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District. It is, geographically, the largest division in that province; at 407,192.66 km2 it comprises almost 38 percent of the province's land area...

, Canada. It is located near the confluence of the Winisk

Winisk River

The Winisk River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, that starts at Wunnummin Lake and flows east to Winisk Lake. From there it continues in a mostly northly direction to Hudson Bay. The Winisk River is 475 km long and has a drainage basin of . The name is from Cree origin meaning...

 and Shamattawa Rivers, about 35 km from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

. Its population is 139 (2001 Canada Census).

Its population used to live in the community of Winisk (55°16′N 85°11′W), near the mouth of the Winisk River. This also used to be a Mid-Canada Line

Mid-Canada Line

The Mid-Canada Line, also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of radar stations across the "middle" of Canada to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. It was built to supplement the less-advanced Pinetree Line, which was located further south...

 Radar site. In 1986, its population was forced to abandon Winisk

Winisk, Ontario

Winisk is a small ghost town in extreme Northern Ontario, situated along the Winisk River. It was destroyed in the 1986 Winisk Flood. After the flood, the town was re-located to Peawanuck, Ontario, 30 km inland....

 as a result of the Winisk Flood Disaster

Winisk Flood, 1986

On May 16, 1986, the Northern Ontario community of Winisk was completely washed away. A spring ice jam on the Winisk River caused flood waters to reach as far as six kilometers inland, sending every structure but two into Hudson Bay....

. The community was relocated thirty kilometers up-river on higher ground. The new settlement was renamed Peawanuck, meaning "flintstone" in the Cree language

Cree language

Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...

. 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

Polar Bear Provincial Park

Polar Bear Provincial Park is an isolated wilderness park in the far north of Ontario, Canada. It lies on the western shore where James Bay joins Hudson Bay. The terrain is part of the Hudson Bay Lowlands and features unspoiled low-lying tundra in the Hudson Plains ecozone.Administered by Ontario...

 providing Peawanuck with limited tourism opportunities.

Peawanuck is not accessible by year-round road but has an airfield (Peawanuck Airport

Peawanuck Airport

Peawanuck Airport, , is located adjacent to Peawanuck, Ontario, Canada....

). The town is however, linked by winter

Winter road

Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....

/ice road

Ice road

Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...

s in the winter towards Fort Severn, Ontario

Fort Severn, Ontario

Fort Severn First Nation is located on Hudson Bay and is the most northern community in Ontario, Canada.As of 2001, the population was 401, consisting of 90 families in an area of 40 square kilometres...

, and ultimately, Shamattawa, Manitoba

Shamattawa, Manitoba

Shamattawa is a community in Northern Manitoba, Canada and the location of the Shamattawa First Nation. It is located on the banks of Gods River where the Echoing River joins as a right tributary....

 and Gillam, Manitoba

Gillam, Manitoba

Gillam, Manitoba, Canada, is a community between Thompson and Churchill on the Hudson Bay Railway line. Gillam is a significant community because of the nearby Nelson River Bipole converter station on the Nelson River...

.

Peawanuck is police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

d by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service is the police force for Nishnawbe-Aski Nation . Created in 1994, the force has 175 sworn officers at 35 detachments in NAN communities. The Chief of Police is vacant with Robin Jones Acting Chief of Police...

, an Aboriginal based service.
Around June 10 2011, there was a report of a forest fire near Peawanuck. A Search and Rescue team help put out the fire. There was no damage reported except a couple of burnt trees.