Smooth Rock Falls
Smooth Rock Falls | |
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Smooth Rock Falls is an incorporated town in the
Geography and transportation
The town lies on the
The town is served by the Ontario Northland Railway for freight service, and by Ontario Northland passenger buses.
Economy
The Smooth Rock Falls economy was dominated by the Tembec Malette pulp mill, which was closed on December 5, 2006. Prior to that, the mill had been in a state of indefinite shutdown since July 31, 2006. The closure of the mill meant the loss of about 210 jobs.
The town of Smooth Rock Falls made a series of announcements regarding community investments since Tembec's departure and the closure of the pulp mill. On July 13, 2007 a joint news conference between the town and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources revealed the former Tembec pulp mill would be converted into a value-added cedar plant. Quebec-based Hardy Cedar Lumber took control of the mill and was provided with 50,000 cubic metres of cedar from the province. The cedar project would provide the community with as many as 44 full-time jobs.[3]
One month prior to the cedar announcement, the town made public an investor's plan to build a new seniors retirement home, 80-100 room hotel and establish a new Indian restaurant. Nightingale Premier, an investment company based in Great Britain, first met with town officials in November 2006. The British company made its plans for a new seniors home, hotel and restaurant known on June 13, 2007.
In 2017 the town announced incentives to encourage new construction that included up to $2,500 off building permit fees, property tax forgiveness over three years of 100%, 75% and 25% per year and 90% of the market value of building lots. The long closed motel reopened in August 2017.[4][5]
NorthernTel, Ontera, and Persona Communications provide telecommunications services.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 2,208 | — |
| 1991 | 2,043 | −7.5% |
2021 | 1,200 | −9.8% |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Smooth Rock Falls had a population of 1,200 living in 582 of its 650 total private dwellings, a change of -9.8% from its 2016 population of 1,330. There has been a steady population decline in Smooth Rock Falls with every five-year census since 1986; the town's population decreased by 45.7% between 1986 and 2021. With a land area of 199.73 km2 (77.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.0/km2 (15.6/sq mi) in 2021.[6]
Politics
Smooth Rock Falls is part of the provincial electoral district of
Health care
The Smooth Rock Falls Hospital includes 14 acute care and 23 long-term care beds, and its Cochrane District Detoxification Centre serves the larger region.
Education
District School Board Ontario North East operates
- Smooth Rock Falls Public School (JK-6)
Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières operates
- L'École catholique Georges-Vanier.
For postsecondary education, a Contact North distance education access centre serves the town. The Smooth Rock Falls Resource Centre offers Adult Education for those who want to upgrade or finish their grade 12 secondary school diploma.
Media
CKGN-1, a repeater of
Attractions
Town attractions include the
Some years the town hosts the Smooth Truck Fest, a popular festival that features truck pulls and other motorized pull contests alongside children's activities, concerts, canoe races and much more.[7]
Notable people
 | This article's list of residents may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (February 2019) |
Notable people from Smooth Rock Falls include:
- Jeffrey Buttle, figure skater
- Carl Hudson, ice hockey defenceman
- Louise Pitre, singer and actress
- J. P. Parisé, NHL/ Team Canada 1972 hockey left winger, and father of NHL hockey forward Zach Parise
- Charlotte L'Écuyer, Quebec politician and current Member of National Assembly of Pontiac
- Dick Mattiussi, NHL and AHL hockey player.
- Grant Martin, NHL and AHL hockey player.
See also
- List of francophone communities in Ontario
References
- ^ 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-21.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Smooth Rock Falls". Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ Stewart, Nick (September 5, 2007). "Cedar sawmill sets sights on Smooth Rock Falls". Northern Ontario Business Ltd. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ "Want 90 per cent off of land? Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. is looking to boost its population". National Post. 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- ^ "Ontario town entices new residents with 90 per cent off land | CTV News". www.ctvnews.ca. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Smooth Truck Fest". truckfest. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
External links
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