Making Manitouwadge your new home
Manitouwadge is a town of 2,000 people nestled in the bush on the north end of Highway 614.
Mayor Jim Moffat says it's the town's tagline -- 'play in the extreme' -- that makes Manitouwadge so endearing.
"We're looking forward to a year of a lot of upgraded improvements and hopefully it's going to be a vibrant summer," Moffat said.
"A lot of people love the tranquility, you know, just being in the outdoors and the fresh air. To me, I've been here so long that's what it is. Every time I go to the big cities, I just shake my head and wonder why people (would) want to live there. Here we got lakes, forest, wildlife and it's just beautiful."
One of Moffat’s big concerns is finding skilled labour.
The long-time Manitouwadge resident says there are a lot of great jobs there for the taking. They want northern Ontario's best-kept secret to be a little less secret.
"That's definitely something we need, like tradespeople,” he said.
“We have to pull from the other surrounding communities -- for example electrician, plumber, that type of thing and also mechanics, millwrights. There's always a shortage of that in the area. But there's not much we can do short of enhance them to try and come here.”
Moffat says you can't beat the cost of living. He says the community continues to be one of the cheapest in the province when it comes to real estate.
"We're steadily growing actually," he said.
"I'm going to say we're up to 10 to 20 per cent over the last three years, which brings us to a total of about 3,000 people right so we're definitely steadily growing.”
The community has plans to upgrade its infrastructure, Moffat says, and highway improvements are also on the way.
"It's a great place to live but never leave," he laughed, adding they also welcome all new Canadians.
'HIGHWAY TO PARADISE'
"We welcome anyone that wants to do that 50 kilometres off the highway to paradise."
Melanie Armstrong has Sudbury roots and relocated to Manitouwadge a few years ago with her partner, Jason Yurko.
Together they run Melanie's Your Independent Grocer, an employer in the community.
"The community is wonderful here, it's very welcoming to us,” Armstrong says.
“Running a business here feels more on the easy side than a hard job and that's because the people make it so wonderful … People in the community, our staff, we have a great team of people. We feel right at home and you wouldn't know that we always haven't been here."
Especially if you love the outdoors and activities like hunting and fishing, she said the community has a lot to offer.
"The nice part is when you drive in here – it feels really much different than going into other communities. It's a really warm feeling driving in here," said Armstrong.
Manitouwadge is a town of 2,000 people nestled in the bush on the north end of Highway 614. Mayor Jim Moffat says it's the town's tagline -- 'play in the extreme' -- that makes Manitouwadge so endearing. (Photo from video)
"There's absolutely nothing past us, we're at the end of the road so you're coming off the beaten path and you're driving half an hour down into the bush just to get to us, there's nothing on the other side. We're at the other end of the rainbow," added Yurko.
Barrick Gold is a major employer in the community.
Another employer is Sante Manitouwadge Health, formerly known as Manitouwadge General Hospital.
Chief nursing officer Annie Janveau relocated to the community 25 years ago with her husband and never left.
"We've stayed through a lot of changes in the community,” Janveau said.
“When we moved here there was three operating mines, now we have one but we still have a lot of employers in the community including the logging industry.”
Janveau says there's something for everyone in the town and you don't have to just have a love of the outdoors to live there, although it admittedly helps.
"We have a lot of young families that are choosing to stay there now, I think there's a misconception from the city folk that there's nothing to do in small towns but really there's as much to do as you want to do," said Janveau.
She says living so close to the office has been a bonus for her, giving her more time to enjoy her life rather than having to carpool.
The long-time employee says she even knew of one of her co-workers who used to take their ATV in to work.
Janveau says they not only need experienced people but they always like to get people starting their careers, as well, and work to invest in them, making sure they are in the field they want to be in and build a career at doing.
It makes Manitouwadge not only a great place to put the feet up, but thanks to what is being done at the hospital, also maybe get a leg up at the same time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.