White River, Ontario


White River is a township located in Ontario, Canada, on the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631. It was originally set up as a rail town on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. In 1961, it was finally made accessible by car via Highway 17 of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The forest industry was the largest employer until 2007, when the Domtar mill shut down. In 2013, the Domtar assets were purchased by the Township of White River and the Pic Mobert First Nation along with private partners. The mill was then reopened, with significant investment in new equipment, as White River Forest Products LP.
The township is perhaps best known for being the home of Winnie the Pooh. In August 1914, a trapped black bear cub was sold to Captain Harry Colebourn in White River, and Colebourn named it Winnipeg, or Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over the years, the animal became the basis for the popular literary character.
The town celebrates "Winnie's Hometown Festival" every third week in August.

Climate

White River advertises itself as "The Coldest Spot in Canada" with recorded temperatures as low as. However, this is a myth, as the coldest temperature in Canada was recorded in Snag, Yukon, at on 3 February 1947. Even in Ontario, the coldest recorded temperature was in Iroquois Falls on 23 January 1935 , which is also the lowest temperature ever recorded in Eastern Canada. White River's reputation for being the "coldest spot" is probably based on the fact that for many years, its reported temperature was deemed "the coldest in the nation today" from the handful of stations reporting daily temperature extremes in newspapers and on radio, with most stations' data being available only on a monthly basis to Environment Canada at the time.
Its official weather station was located in a frost hollow, but most residential areas have good air drainage and do not see temperatures far below. Gardeners can keep their flowers alive into October and grow non-boreal species such as silver maple.

Popular culture

White River is referenced by the Canadian singer/songwriter Christine Fellows in her song "Migrations".

Transportation

is the western terminus of Via Rail's thrice-weekly Sudbury – White River train, which operates east to Greater Sudbury. Greyhound Canada stopped serving White River on 31 October 2018, when it ended all service west of Sudbury. Ontario Northland buses continue to serve White River.

Demographics

Population:
Mother tongue:
In 2006, the township was 61% White, 26% Metis, and 13% First Nations.