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Smooth Rock Falls
Town (single-tier)
Town of Smooth Rock Falls
Motto: The North's Biggest Little Town
Smooth Rock Falls
Coordinates: 49°17′N 81°38′W / 49.283°N 81.633°W / 49.283; -81.633
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Cochrane
Settled	1916
Government
• Mayor	Patrick Roberts
• MP	Carol Hughes (NDP)
• MPP	Guy Bourgouin (NDP)
Area
• Land	200.10 km (77.26 sq mi)
Population
• Total	1,330
• Density	6.6/km (17/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code	P0L 2B0
Area code	705
Website	www.smoothrockfalls.ca

Smooth Rock Falls is an incorporated town in the Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 1,330 at the 2016 census.

Geography and transportation

The town lies on the Mattagami River and on Highway 11. The next full-service towns in each direction are Cochrane, about 59 km (37 mi) to the east and slightly south by road, and Kapuskasing, about 65 km (40 mi) to the west and slightly north. Highway 634 connects Smooth Rock Falls northward with the railway point of Fraserdale, and Highway 655, starting in Driftwood east of Smooth Rock Falls, provides easier access to Timmins, the dominant regional centre, about 102 km (63 m) south by that route.

The town is served by the Ontario Northland Railway for freight service, and by Ontario Northland passenger buses.

Economy

The Smooth Rock Falls economy was dominated by the Tembec Malette pulp mill, which was closed on December 5, 2006. Prior to that, the mill had been in a state of indefinite shutdown since July 31, 2006. The closure of the mill meant the loss of about 210 jobs.

The town of Smooth Rock Falls made a series of announcements regarding community investments since Tembec's departure and the closure of the pulp mill. On July 13, 2007 a joint news conference between the town and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources revealed the former Tembec pulp mill would be converted into a value-added cedar plant. Quebec-based Hardy Cedar Lumber took control of the mill and was provided with 50,000 cubic metres of cedar from the province. The cedar project would provide the community with as many as 44 full-time jobs.

One month prior to the cedar announcement, the town made public an investor's plan to build a new seniors retirement home, 80-100 room hotel and establish a new Indian restaurant. Nightingale Premier, an investment company based in Great Britain, first met with town officials in November 2006. The British company made its plans for a new seniors home, hotel and restaurant known on June 13, 2007.

In 2017 the town announced incentives to encourage new construction that included up to $2,500 off building permit fees, property tax forgiveness over three years of 100%, 75% and 25% per year and 90% of the market value of building lots. The long closed motel reopened in August 2017.

NorthernTel, Ontera, and Persona Communications provide telecommunications services.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Smooth Rock Falls had a population of 1,200 living in 582 of its 650 total private dwellings, a change of -9.8% from its 2016 population of 1,330. There has been a steady population decline in Smooth Rock Falls with every five-year census since 1986; the town's population decreased by 45.7% between 1986 and 2021. With a land area of 199.73 km (77.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.0/km (15.6/sq mi) in 2021.

Politics

Smooth Rock Falls is part of the provincial electoral district of Mushkegowuk—James Bay and the federal electoral district of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing. Its Member of Provincial Parliament is Guy Bourgouin, a New Democrat, and its Member of Parliament is Carol Hughes. Bisson's constituency office serves Smooth Rock Falls locally with weekly hours at Town Hall.

Health care

The Smooth Rock Falls Hospital includes 14 acute care and 23 long-term care beds, and its Cochrane District Detoxification Centre serves the larger region.

Education

District School Board Ontario North East operates

• Smooth Rock Falls Public School (JK-6)

Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières operates

• L'École catholique Georges-Vanier.

For postsecondary education, a Contact North distance education access centre serves the town. The Smooth Rock Falls Resource Centre offers Adult Education for those who want to upgrade or finish their grade 12 secondary school diploma.

Media

CKGN-1, a repeater of CKGN-FM Kapuskasing, provides community radio service for the Franco-Ontarian population.

Attractions

Town attractions include the Reg Lamy Cultural Centre, which includes a hockey arena and Smooth Rock Falls Curling Club; the Smooth Rock Falls Golf Course (9 holes), a public library, and a public swimming pool in the summer.

Some years the town hosts the Smooth Truck Fest, a popular festival that features truck pulls and other motorized pull contests alongside children's activities, concerts, canoe races and much more.

Notable people

This article's list of residents may not follow Misplaced Pages's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are residents, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (February 2019)

Notable people from Smooth Rock Falls include:

• Jeffrey Buttle, figure skater
• Carl Hudson, ice hockey defenceman
• Louise Pitre, singer and actress
• J. P. Parisé, NHL/ Team Canada 1972 hockey left winger, and father of NHL hockey forward Zach Parise
• Charlotte L'Écuyer, Quebec politician and current Member of National Assembly of Pontiac
• Dick Mattiussi, NHL and AHL hockey player.
• Grant Martin, NHL and AHL hockey player.

See also

• List of francophone communities in Ontario

References

1. ^ "Smooth Rock Falls census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Smooth Rock Falls". Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
3. Stewart, Nick (September 5, 2007). "Cedar sawmill sets sights on Smooth Rock Falls". Northern Ontario Business Ltd. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
4. "Want 90 per cent off of land? Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. is looking to boost its population". National Post. 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
5. "Ontario town entices new residents with 90 per cent off land | CTV News". www.ctvnews.ca. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
6. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
7. "Smooth Truck Fest". truckfest. Retrieved 2019-04-23.

External links

• Official website

v t e Places adjacent to Smooth Rock Falls
Unorganized North Cochrane Unorganized North Cochrane Smooth Rock Falls Unorganized North Cochrane Unorganized North Cochrane

v t e Cochrane District, Ontario
City	Timmins
Towns	Cochrane Hearst Iroquois Falls Kapuskasing Moosonee Smooth Rock Falls
Townships	Black River-Matheson Fauquier-Strickland Mattice-Val Côté Moonbeam Opasatika Val Rita-Harty
First Nations	Constance Lake Flying Post Fort Albany Kashechewan Marten Falls Moose Cree Taykwa Tagamou Wahgoshig
Indian reserves	Abitibi 70 Constance Lake 92 English River 66 Factory Island 1 Flying Post 73 Fort Albany 67 (part) Moose Factory 68 New Post 69 New Post 69A
Indian settlements	Fort Albany
Unorganized territories	North South East South West
Local services boards	Hallébourg Jogues Lac-Sainte-Thérèse Moose Factory
Unincorporated communities	Abitibi Canyon Bourkes Brower Calstock Coppell Departure Lake Driftwood Eades Florida Fontaine's Landing Frederick Gardiner Ghost River Hunta Kitigan Low Bush River Marina Veilleux Mead Norembega Pagwa River Reesor Smoky Falls Tunis Val Gagné
See also: Communities in Cochrane District Census divisions of Ontario

• Municipalities in Cochrane District
• Single-tier municipalities in Ontario
• Towns in Ontario