Winisk 90

Winisk 90
Indian reserve
Winisk Indian Reserve No. 90
Winisk 90
Coordinates: 55°16′N 85°11′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Kenora
First Nation	Weenusk
Area
• Land	53.10 km2 (20.50 sq mi)

Winisk 90 is a First Nation reserve and ghost town in the Kenora District in Northern Ontario, situated along the Winisk River. It was destroyed in the 1986 Winisk Flood. After the flood, the residents of the Weenusk First Nation were forced to re-locate to Peawanuck, 30 km inland.

Winisk was home to Royal Canadian Air Force Station Winisk, a Mid-Canada Line radar control station from 1958 to 1965.

Winisk Airport

Winisk Airport
IATA: YWN ICAO: CA-0412
Summary
Airport type	Military 1958-1965 / Civilian 1965-1986
Owner	Government of Canada Government of Ontario
Operator	Royal Canadian Air Force 1957-1965
Location	Winisk, Ontario
Opened	1958
Closed	1986
Passenger services ceased	around 1986
Built	1957-1958
In use	Royal Canadian Air Force 1958-1965
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 6,000 1,829 gravel

The town was served by Winisk Airport (YWN) via a 6,000 feet plus gravel runway which can still be seen in aerial photos on the east bank of Winisk River across from the abandoned townsite. It was built by the RCAF to serve RCAF Station Winisk in 1957-1958. Transair was initially contracted to provide transportation during the construction of the Distant Early Warning Line and in 1964 it began was operating scheduled weekly roundtrip passenger flights with Douglas DC-4 propliners on a Montreal - Ottawa - Winisk - Churchill, Manitoba routing. The RCAF left in 1965 but the airport remained until the town relocated in 1986 and replaced by Peawanuck Airport. Austin Airways connected Winisk with other northern communities until the airport closed in 1986.

Airlines / Destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Transair	Montreal - Ottawa - Winisk - Churchill, Manitoba
Austin Airways	Winisk - Timmins - Fort Albany - Moosonee - Attawapiskat - Kashechewan Airport - Fort Severn

References

• Hubbert, Mildred Young (1997). Winisk: On the Shore of Hudson Bay. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-896219-35-7.
• Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada profile