The Pas, Manitoba
Encyclopedia
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba
Division No. 21, Manitoba
Division No. 21, also informally known as Flin Flon—Northwest, is a census division in the Canadian province of Manitoba.The division had a population of 21,606 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Communities:* Flin Flon, city* Cranberry Portage, village...
in the Northern Region
Northern Region, Manitoba
The Northern Region is a region in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is situated on the Canadian Shield and includes Manitoba's Hudson Bay coastline. The major economic activities are mining and tourism. The region is composed of four census divisions: 19 and 21–23...
, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, near the border of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac. The Pasquia River which begins in the Pasquia Hills in east central Saskatchewan runs into the North Saskatchewan River at this point. The French in the 1795 knew the river as Basquiau.
Known as "The Gateway to the North", The Pas is a multi-industry northern Manitoba town serving a district population of over 15,000 (including the Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Opaskwayak Cree Nation
The Opaskwayak Cree Nation is a First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. Opaskwayak means "where the two rivers meet". The First Nation has territory near The Pas, Manitoba, along the Saskatchewan River. The First Nation hosts the Opaskwayak Indian Days annually each August. The OCN Blizzard, a...
). The main components of the region's economy are agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, commercial fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, transportation, and services (especially health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
). The main employer is a paper and lumber mill operated by Tolko Industries. The Pas contains one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North
University College of the North
University College of the North is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada.UCN has a student body of approximately 2,700 annually, and a staff of approximately 400...
.
The Pas is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, as well as part of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Opaskwayak Cree Nation
The Opaskwayak Cree Nation is a First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. Opaskwayak means "where the two rivers meet". The First Nation has territory near The Pas, Manitoba, along the Saskatchewan River. The First Nation hosts the Opaskwayak Indian Days annually each August. The OCN Blizzard, a...
.
History
The area's original inhabitants were the CreeCree
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...
. They are thought to have migrated from the southeastern prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s over 9000 years ago.
The first European recorded to encounter the Cree here was Henry Kelsey
Henry Kelsey
Henry Kelsey , aka the Boy Kelsey, was an English fur trader, explorer, and sailor who played an important role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company. Kelsey was born and married in East Greenwich, south-east of central London...
, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. He travelled through the area between 1690 and 1692 on his way to the Canadian prairies.
During the years of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, La Vérendrye, the first western military commander, directed the construction of Fort Pascoyac
Fort Paskoya
Fort Paskoya or Paskoyac or Pasquia was a French fort and trading post near the mouth of the Saskatchewan River. Along with Fort Bourbon, Fort Dauphin and Fort La Reine is was built by the Vérendryes to control the chain of lakes west of Lake Winnipeg...
near here. It was named after the people of the Pasquia River.
For years the settlement was called Pascoyac, sometimes shortened to Le Pas. The Pas Indian Band's reserve lands around the site of the Hudson Bay trading post and the Anglican Church Mission were surrendered in the first decade of the 20th century to make way for the railroad and development of the Town of The Pas which was incorporated in 1912. The Pas Indian Band was relocated to the north side of the Saskatchewan River and changed its name to Opaskwayak Cree Nation in ----. The area today is composed of three distinct communities: The Town of The Pas, the Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Opaskwayak Cree Nation
The Opaskwayak Cree Nation is a First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. Opaskwayak means "where the two rivers meet". The First Nation has territory near The Pas, Manitoba, along the Saskatchewan River. The First Nation hosts the Opaskwayak Indian Days annually each August. The OCN Blizzard, a...
, and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey.
The history of the city and the region may be seen at the Sam Waller Museum
Sam Waller Museum
The Sam Waller Museum is dedicated to preserving the history and artifacts of this region of northern Manitoba. The collections include First Nations, fur trading, mining, transportation...
, located in the old courthouse in downtown The Pas.
Government and politics
The Pas is governed by a mayor and six councillors, who are elected by residents. The mayor is Alan McLauchlan.The region is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
as part of The Pas
The Pas (electoral district)
The Pas is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1912 following the expansion of the province's northern border, and has existed continuously since that time....
riding. The riding was held by New Democratic
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Oscar Lathlin
Oscar Lathlin
Oscar Lathlin was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of Gary Doer.-Life and career:...
until his death in November 2008.
In the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, The Pas is part of the Churchill
Churchill (electoral district)
Churchill is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935. It covers northern Manitoba, a vast wilderness area dotted with small municipalities and First Nations reserves...
riding, held by NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Niki Ashton
Niki Ashton
Niki Christina Ashton is the New Democratic Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. She was first elected in the 2008 federal election....
.
Sports
The people of The Pas enjoy watching ice hockey. The OCN BlizzardOCN Blizzard
The Opaskwayak Cree Nation Blizzard are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team from The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League and Hockey Canada. The team is owned by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.-History:The...
is owned by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. The team competes in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Manitoba Junior Hockey League
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ....
. The Pas is also home to the Huskies minor hockey league and the MBCI Spartans who compete in Zone 11 of the MHSAA.
Education
The Pas's public schoolPublic education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
system is the Kelsey School Division, which consists of two elementary schools (Kelsey Elementary and Opasquia School), One middle schools (Scott Bateman Middle School), One Adult learning centre (Mary Duncan) and one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute)
There is also a K-12 school located on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
The town hosts one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North
University College of the North
University College of the North is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada.UCN has a student body of approximately 2,700 annually, and a staff of approximately 400...
.
Local media
Radio- AM 1240: CJAR, adult contemporary
- FM 92.7: CITP-FM, First NationsFirst NationsFirst Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
community radioCommunity radioCommunity radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest... - FM 93.7: CKSB-3-FMCKSB (AM)CKSB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1050 AM and 90.5 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is an affiliate of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network.-History:...
, Première Chaîne (repeats CKSBCKSB (AM)CKSB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1050 AM and 90.5 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is an affiliate of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network.-History:...
WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
) - FM 94.5: CBWJ-FMCBWK-FMCBWK-FM is the callsign of the CBC Radio One station in Thompson, Manitoba. The station broadcasts at FM 100.9.-History:Formerly a rebroadcaster of Winnipeg's CBW, the Thompson station was upgraded to a full CBC production centre in the early 1990s to improve local service in rural northern Manitoba...
, CBC Radio OneCBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
(repeats CBWK-FMCBWK-FMCBWK-FM is the callsign of the CBC Radio One station in Thompson, Manitoba. The station broadcasts at FM 100.9.-History:Formerly a rebroadcaster of Winnipeg's CBW, the Thompson station was upgraded to a full CBC production centre in the early 1990s to improve local service in rural northern Manitoba...
ThompsonThompson, ManitobaThompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
)
Television
CBWIT first went on the air in June, 1962 as CBWBT-1. The station broadcast kinescope recordings sent to the transmitter from CBWT. On March 1, 1969, the province-wide microwave system replaced the kinescope recordings, and The Pas has enjoyed live television since then.
All stations serving The Pas are repeaters of Winnipeg-based stations.
- CBWFT-1CBWFTCBWFT is Radio-Canada's French language television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is broadcast locally on channel 3 cable 10, and on Bell TV channel 118.-History:...
Channel 6 (Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
) - CBWITCBWTCBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
Channel 7 (CBCCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
) - CKYP-TVCKY-TVCKY-DT is a television station based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Television Network....
Channel 12 (CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
)
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
is the local cable television provider serving The Pas, and operates the local Shaw TV
Shaw TV
Shaw TV is a locally-based community channel service operated by cable TV company Shaw Communications, and is available to Shaw Cable subscribers in most major communities throughout western Canada....
channel on cable channel 11.
Newspapers
- Opasquia Times
Climate
The Pas experiences a humid continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfb) that just barely escapes being classified as a subarctic climate
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen Dfc).