In addition to help from the provincial gov-
ernment, the residents of Atikokan sin-
glehandedly raised close to $600,000 for
this initiative. “If you think about raising
$600,000 from a community of 2,800 peo-
ple, that is unimaginable!” McKinnon said.
THE CANOEING CAPITAL OF
CANADA
Atikokan has another name — the Canoe-
ing Capital of Canada — a name that re-
flects both the town’s past and present.
The whole area of Northwestern Ontario
was opened up and developed by the ca-
noe. The town sits on the original fur trade
routes that connected Montreal to West-
ern Canada, and Native inhabitants and
trappers commuted via canoe to trade at
various trading posts throughout the re-
gion.
In more recent history, canoes played an
essential role in the rise of Atikokan’s gold
mining industry. Between 1890 and 1920,
there was an estimated 50 operational gold
mines. “All of that prospecting and devel-
opment was essentially done by people in
canoes,” McKinnon explained.
Canoeing also plays a significant part in
the recreational culture of the residents
of Atikokan, who use it for hunting and
fishing. More recently, canoes have been
used to explore what Mayor Brown called
one of the jewels of this area — Quetico
Provincial Park. The park is the only true
Retrofit of OPG Plant
8
business elite canada
H
OCTOBER 2016
