Hearst, Ontario

Coordinates: 49°41′13″N 83°39′16″W / 49.68694°N 83.65444°W / 49.68694; -83.65444
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hearst
Town (single-tier)
Town of Hearst
Ville de Hearst (French)
Hearst is located in Ontario
Hearst
Hearst
Coordinates: 49°41′13″N 83°39′16″W / 49.68694°N 83.65444°W / 49.68694; -83.65444
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictCochrane
Established1913
Government
 • TypeTown
 • MayorRoger Sigouin
 • Governing BodyHearst Town Council
 • MPCarol Hughes (NDP)
 • MPPGuy Bourgouin (NDP)
Area
[1]
 • Land98.52 km2 (38.04 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total4,794
 • Density48.9/km2 (127/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code FSA
P0L
Area code705
GNBC CodeFBMTW[2]
Websitewww.hearst.ca

Hearst is a town in the district of Cochrane, Ontario, Canada.[2][3] It is located on the Mattawishkwia River in Northern Ontario, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) west of Kapuskasing, approximately 520 kilometres (320 mi) east of Thunder Bay along Highway 11. At Hearst, Highway 583 extends northward to Lac-Sainte-Thérèse and southward to Jogues, Coppell and Mead. Just over 96% of the town's residents speak French as their mother language, the highest proportion in Ontario.[4]

History[edit]

The town was established as a divisional point of the National Transcontinental Railway in 1913, 208 km west of Cochrane and 201 km east of the divisional point of Grant. There is some indeterminacy with the name Grant as the original site of Hearst was also called Grant and was changed to Hearst in 1911.

Hearst was named to honour William Howard Hearst, then Ontario Minister of Forests and Mines and later Premier of Ontario.[5] It was incorporated in 1922. Many settlers to the town originally came from the province of Quebec. Many also came from Europe and other regions in Canada and the USA.

Demographics[edit]

Historical census populations
YearPop.±%
1941995—    
19511,723+73.2%
19612,373+37.7%
19916,079+156.2%
19966,049−0.5%
20015,825−3.7%
20065,620−3.5%
20115,090−9.4%
20165,070−0.4%
20214,794−5.4%
[6][7][1]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hearst had a population of 4,794 living in 2,254 of its 2,373 total private dwellings, a change of -5.4% from its 2016 population of 5,070. With a land area of 98.06 km2 (37.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 48.9/km2 (126.6/sq mi) in 2021.[8]

Canada census – Hearst community profile
202120162011
Population4,794 (-5.4% from 2016)5,070 (-0.4% from 2011)5,090 (-9.4% from 2006)
Land area98.06 km2 (37.86 sq mi)98.52 km2 (38.04 sq mi)98.73 km2 (38.12 sq mi)
Population density48.9/km2 (127/sq mi)51.5/km2 (133/sq mi)51.6/km2 (134/sq mi)
Median age48.0 (M: 48.4, F: 47.2)47.9 (M: 47.4, F: 48.3)45.1 (M: 44.8, F: 45.5)
Private dwellings2,373 (total)  2,254 (occupied)2,466 (total)  2,401 (total) 
Median household income$76,500$64,064
References: 2021[9] 2016[10] 2011[11] earlier[12][13]

Economy[edit]

Mill in Hearst

Hearst has a long tradition of being a "lumber town". Currently the major employers include a Tembec hardwood and softwood facility as well as a plywood mill operated by Columbia Forest Products.

Arts and culture[edit]

93.7% of Hearst's population is francophone.[14] Different cultures can be found in Hearst such as Finn, Slovak, Bulgarian, Chinese, Portuguese, Greek, Ukrainian, First Nations and also Black Canadians.

The town is home to the Université de Hearst, formerly a federated school of Laurentian University in Sudbury. The Hearst Public Library was founded on December 17, 1974. In its beginning, the library was situated in the basement of the Hearst High School where it shared its space with the school library. On June 4, 1984, the library moved to its present location, 801 George Street (formerly Stedman's). Hearst is a four-season destination. Many years ago, the town proclaimed itself the Moose Capital of Canada.[15] Local outdoor activities include fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, camping, swimming, canoeing, and golf.

Infrastructure[edit]

Transportation[edit]

Hearst is served by Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport.

Hearst was the northern terminus for a Canadian National Railways-operated passenger train service from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, running over the tracks of the former Algoma Central Railway.[14] Hearst is the northern terminus for Ontario Northland's coach service.

Education[edit]

Université de Hearst, Hearst campus

Hearst has both elementary and high schools (public and Catholic). It also has the Université de Hearst, a post-secondary institution that was formerly federated with Laurentian University in Sudbury. Education can also be sought at the collegiate level with the Collège Boréal.

Media[edit]

Radio[edit]

Hearst's only local radio service is provided by CINN-FM, a community radio station. All other radio stations available in the community are rebroadcasters of stations from Kapuskasing, Timmins or Sudbury.

Frequency Call sign Branding Format Owner Notes
FM 90.3 CBON-FM-26 Ici Radio-Canada Première Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBON-FM (Sudbury)
FM 91.1 CINN-FM CINNFM 91.1 Community radio Radio de l'Épinette Noire Franco-Ontarian community radio
FM 91.9 CBCC-FM CBC Radio One Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBCS-FM (Sudbury)
FM 92.9 CHYK-FM-3 Le Loup French hot adult contemporary Le5 Communications Rebroadcaster of CHYK-FM (Timmins)
FM 94.5 CKHT-FM Moose FM Adult contemporary Vista Broadcast Group Rebroadcaster of CKAP-FM (Kapuskasing)

Television[edit]

OTA channel Call sign Network Notes
4 (VHF) CITO-TV-3 CTV Rebroadcaster of CITO-TV (Timmins); de fact rebroadcaster of CICI-TV (Sudbury)

Hearst used to be served by CBCC-TV and CBLFT-TV-5, rebroadcasters of the Toronto-based CBLT-DT (CBC Television) and CBLFT-DT (Ici Radio-Canada Télé) respectively, but the transmitters were shut down in 2012 due to budget cuts at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Hearst census profile". 2016 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  2. ^ a b "Hearst". Natural Resources Canada. October 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Hearst". Statistics Canada. November 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2017-02-08). "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Hearst, Town [Census subdivision], Ontario and Hearst [Population centre], Ontario". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  5. ^ "'The Honourable Sir William Howard Hearst (Premier 1914-1919)'". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  6. ^ 143.pdf, Canada Year Book 1955
  7. ^ 191.pdf, Canada Year Book 1967
  8. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  10. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  11. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  12. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "The French Connection with a local twist". Soo Today. 2013-08-30. Archived from the original on 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2013-09-03. Why go to Quebec to speak French when you can hop on the Algoma Central train to the 95 percent francophone city of Hearst - 96 miles north of the Sault!
  15. ^ Northern Ontario - Hearst, Ontario - James Bay Frontier
  16. ^ "Réginald Bélair". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "Hearst's Rene Fontaine Dies". Northern Ontario Business. March 26, 2012.
  18. ^ Staff Writer (29 January 2007). "Prospect Profile: Claude Giroux". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 31 January 2021.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hearst, Ontario.
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