McGarry | |
---|---|
Township of McGarry Canton de McGarry | |
Coordinates: 48°08′47″N79°34′14″W / 48.14639°N 79.57056°W [1] | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
District | Timiskaming |
Government | |
• Type | Township |
• Mayor | Bonita Culhane [2] |
• Federal riding | Timmins-James Bay |
• Prov. riding | Timiskaming—Cochrane |
Area | |
• Land | 86.67 km2 (33.46 sq mi) |
Elevation | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 579 |
• Density | 6.8/km2 (17.5/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Postal code | P0K 1X0 |
Area code(s) | 705, 249 |
Website | www |
McGarry is an incorporated township in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. [1] It includes the communities of Virginiatown and Kearns. The township borders with Quebec to the east, along Highway 66 between Kirkland Lake and Rouyn-Noranda. The northern border of the township forms part of the border between Timiskaming District and Cochrane District. Highway 66 was rerouted in 2017 because of concerns that aging mine shafts under the road could cause it to collapse. [5]
J. T. Kearns (after whom one of the communities was named) [6] staked a claim in 1906, which became the Chesterville gold mine (1938–1952). [7] An 854-metre (2,802 ft) shaft connected 20 levels, and its 500-ton stamp mill produced a total of 458,880 ounces of gold. The Kerr-Addison Gold mine started in 1936, and employed 1,456 people by 1959. In 1960, the mine produced the most gold in the Western Hemisphere, and the 10 millionth ounce of gold was produced in 1982.
Gold in the area was originally reported in the late 1800s by Chief Ignace Tonené of the Temagami First Nation. He staked a claim near the north arm of Larder Lake but claimed it was stolen. [8] He reported it, but Indian Affairs was unable to help. [9] Tonené's claim was jumped by European settlers and later developed into the Kerr-Addison Mine. [10] [11] Adjacent to the Kerr-Addison Mine, the Chesterville gold mine was developed, operating from 1939 until 1952. [12]
Virginiatown was built to house the Kerr Addison workers.[ citation needed ]
On December 21, 1972, masked thieves successfully robbed the Virginiatown Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on the Kerr Addison miners' payday. The robbers were never captured. [13] In 2016, the nearby Tournene Lake (or Lac Tournene in French), was officially re-named as Chief Tonene Lake. [14] [15] [16]
In 2018, Beaverhouse First Nation submitted a claim to the Government of Ontario, asserting the community is a distinct First Nation and did not sign Treaty 9, or any other treaty. [17] On April 19, 2022, Beaverhouse First Nation was officially recognized as a First Nation under Section 35 of Canada’s Constitution. [18]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, McGarry had a population of 579 living in 289 of its 333 total private dwellings, a change of
2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 579 (-4.9% from 2016) | 609 (2.4% from 2011) | 595 (-11.7% from 2006) |
Land area | 85.62 km2 (33.06 sq mi) | 86.67 km2 (33.46 sq mi) | 86.72 km2 (33.48 sq mi) |
Population density | 6.8/km2 (18/sq mi) | 7.0/km2 (18/sq mi) | 6.9/km2 (18/sq mi) |
Median age | 55.2 (M: 57.6, F: 53.6) | 54.7 (M: 55.5, F: 53.9) | 51.7 (M: 52.9, F: 50.6) |
Private dwellings | 333 (total) 289 (occupied) | 345 (total) | 360 (total) |
Median household income | $54,800 | $47,232 | $29,360 |
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1986 | 1,237 | — |
1991 | 1,139 | −7.9% |
1996 | 1,015 | −10.9% |
2001 | 787 | −22.5% |
2006 | 674 | −14.4% |
2011 | 595 | −11.7% |
2016 | 609 | +2.4% |
Source: [25] [26] [3] |
Language | % spoken |
---|---|
English as first language | 30.5% |
French as first language | 63% |
English and French as first language | 1.5% |
Other as first language | 5% |
McGarry's economy has historically been supported by the mining industry, and struggled when the mines were not producing.
The Armistice Gold mine was purchased by Bonterra Resources from Kerr Resources in 2016, [28] and gold exploration and modelling was done to update the resource to a National Instrument 43-101 Compliant Resource. [29]
Gold Candle Ltd. and investors purchased the historic Chesterville Gold Mines and Kerr Addison Gold Mines property in 2016, [30] and conducted a feasibility study and gold exploration with Canadian Exploration Services Limited [31] on the old Chesterville Gold Mines and Kerr Addison Gold Mines property.
McGarry hosts several events, including an annual fish derby at Larder Lake, and a Labour Day weekend music event at the McGarry community centre. [32] Gem Lake Maple Bedrock Provincial Park is located in McGarry Township. Sport fishing is permitted within Gem Lake Maple Bedrock Provincial Park. [33] McGarry Township Forest Conservation Reserve, shared with McFadden Township, is located in McGarry Township. [34]
Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District of Northeastern Ontario. The 2016 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,981.
Timiskaming is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district was created in 1912 from parts of Algoma, Nipissing, and Sudbury districts. In 1921, Cochrane District was created from parts of this district and parts of Thunder Bay District.
North Dundas is a township in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
Larder Lake is an incorporated municipal township and eponymous constituent dispersed rural community in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located along Ontario Highway 66 and Ontario Highway 624 at the north-western part of the lake bearing the same name. The area of the township is 229.65 km2 (88.67 sq mi) and includes the geographic townships of Hearst, McVittie and Skead.
Wawa is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario in the Algoma District. Formerly known as the Township of Michipicoten, named after a nearby river of that name, the township was officially renamed in 2007 for its largest and best-known community of Wawa, located on the western shores of Wawa Lake.
Marmora and Lake is a municipality along the banks of Crowe River and Beaver Creek, about midway between Toronto and Ottawa on provincial Highway 7 in Hastings County in Central Ontario, Canada. It is home to over 4,000 full time and seasonal residents, many of whom enjoy outdoor recreation and relaxation on Crowe Lake.
North Stormont is a lower tier township in eastern Ontario, Canada in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
Unorganized North Algoma District is an unorganized area in northeastern Ontario, Canada, comprising all areas in Algoma District, north of the Sault Ste. Marie to Elliot Lake corridor, which are not part of an incorporated municipality or a First Nation. It covers 44,077.03 km2 (17,018.24 sq mi) of land, and had a population of 6050 in 2021. Many of these communities were/are stations on the Algoma Central Railway or were logging/mining towns.
Matachewan is a township in Timiskaming, Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located at the end of Ontario Highway 66 along the Montreal River. The name is derived from the Cree word for "meeting of the currents".
Unorganized East Timiskaming District is an unorganized area in the Canadian province of Ontario, comprising the unincorporated portions of the Timiskaming District lying east of the municipal boundaries of Kirkland Lake and north of the municipal boundaries of Gauthier, Larder Lake and McGarry.
Larder Lake is a freshwater lake in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The lake straddles the incorporated (municipal) townships of Larder Lake and McGarry and geographic McFadden Township. It is part of the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is the source of the Larder River.
The Abitibi gold belt is a region of Canada that extends from Wawa, Ontario to Val-d'Or, Quebec. Located within the mineral-rich Abitibi greenstone belt, the gold belt is an established gold mining district having produced over 100 mines, and 170 million ounces of gold since 1901. Timmins, a town founded in 1912 following the Porcupine Gold Rush and subsequent creation of the Hollinger Mines, McIntyre Mines and Dome Mine, which was one area in the region that experienced a gold rush, beginning in 1909. The Kerr Addison Mine in Virginiatown was at one time Canada's largest gold producing mine. Many of the towns readily acknowledge gold mining as part of their history, some being named after gold. One of Canada's 'large roadside attractions' is a 12-foot replica of a 1908 gold sovereign built to commemorate Canada's first gold coin which was made using gold from the Kerr Addison owned Kerr-Addison mine.
Kerr Addison Mines Ltd was a Toronto-based mining and gas company that owned various mines throughout Canada, including the Agnew Lake Mine, the Kerr-Addison Mine and Chesterville gold mine.
Ignace Tonené, also known as Nias or by his Ojibwe name Maiagizis, was a Teme-Augama Anishnabai chief, fur trader, and gold prospector in Upper Canada. He was a prominent employee of the Hudson's Bay Company.
The Kerr–Addison Mine is an abandoned Canadian gold mine in the Kearns area of McGarry, Ontario. In 1960, the mine was the largest producer of gold in North America. The mine produced the second most gold overall in North America, with the Homestake Mine being the leader.
Chief Tonene Lake is a lake in the Timiskaming District of Ontario, Canada.
Deak Resources Corporation was a Canadian mining company that was formed by a merger in 1989. It became AJ Perron Gold in 1994 and operated the Kerr-Addison Mine.
Chesterville Gold Mine was a gold mine located in McGarry, Ontario.
Jeremiah (Jerry) T. Kearns was a Canadian general store keeper who co-founded the Chesterville gold mine.