The Pas, located at 54° N 101° W in the Norman Region, some 630 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan, on the Saskatchewan river incorporated in1912. Founded as a fur-trading post, it became in 1920 the starting point and headquarters of the Hudson Bay Railway to Churchill and an outfitting point for prospecting and mining expeditions into the northern mineral belt of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In 1967 the provincial government began the development of a forest products industry in the area. The area today is composed of three distinct communities: The Town of The Pas, the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey.
KINSMEN CLUB OF
THE PAS
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Known as the "Gateway to the North," The Pas is a multi-industry northern Manitoba town serving a district population of over 15,000 (including the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN), a Swampy Cree Reservation). The main components of the region's economy are agriculture, forestry, commercial fishing, tourism, transportation, and services (especially health and education). The main employer is a paper and lumber mill called Tolko, secondly Hudson Bay Railway . The Pas contains one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North.
History
The area's original inhabitants were the Cree, who are thought to have migrated from the southeastern prairies 5,000 years ago. "The Pas" is a derivative of the Cree word "pasquia" meaning "wooded narrows". It may also originate from the French words "le pas" - "the step".
The first European was Henry Kelsey, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company who traveled through the area on his way to the Canadian prairies sometime between 1690 - 1692.
Government and politics
The Pas is governed by a mayor and six councilors who are elected by residents. The mayor is Herb Jacques. The town councilors are Grant Buchanan, Ken Gurba, Bert Lagimodiere, Todd Early, and Ron Skokun.
The Pas is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (as part of The Pas riding) by New Democratic MLA Oscar Lathlin and in the Canadian House of Commons (as part of the Churchill riding) by Liberal MP Tina Keeper.
Sports
The Pas and the Opaskwayak Cree Nation share a hockey team called the OCN Blizzard, who compete in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Pas is also home to the Huskies minor hockey league, and the MBCI Spartans who compete in Zone 11 of the MHSAA.
Education
The Pas' public school system is the Kelsey School Division, which consists of two elementary schools (Kelsey Elementary and Opasquia School), one middle school (Scott Bateman Middle School) and one high school (Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute).
Local Media
- CJ 1240 - adult contemporary radio
- Opasquia Times
(Don't Miss the Bill Bannock Classic)
The Pas Hosts 2008 MSOS Games!
Sam Waller Museum
