Smooth Rock Falls | |
---|---|
Town (single-tier) | |
Town of Smooth Rock Falls | |
Motto: The North's Biggest Little Town | |
Coordinates: 49°17′N 81°38′W / 49.283°N 81.633°WCoordinates: 49°17′N 81°38′W / 49.283°N 81.633°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
District | Cochrane |
Settled | 1916 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Michel Arsenault |
• MP | Carol Hughes (NDP) |
• MPP | Gilles Bisson |
Area | |
• Land | 199.79 km2 (77.14 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,376 |
• Density | 6.9/km2 (18/sq mi) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Postal code | P0L 2B0 |
Area code(s) | 705 |
Website | www.townofsmoothrock falls.ca |
Smooth Rock Falls is an incorporated town in the Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 1,376 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the Mattagami River and on Highway 11; 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 community 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 mi) south by that route.
The town is served by the Ontario Northland Railway for freight service, and by Ontario Northland passenger buses.
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 has 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 is expected to take control of the mill and will be provided with 50,000 cubic metres of cedar from the province. Operations could begin as early as March 2008. The cedar project could provide the community with as many as 44 full-time jobs.