Gore Bay, Ontario

Gore Bay is a town on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Located on the namesake Gore Bay, a bay of Lake Huron's North Channel, it is one of the two incorporated towns of Manitoulin District, of which it is the administrative and government seat.

Gore Bay
Town (single-tier)
Town of Gore Bay
Motto(s):  Pristine, prosperous, proud.
Gore Bay Show map of Manitoulin District Gore Bay Show map of Ontario
Coordinates: 45°55′N 82°28′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Manitoulin
Settled	1860s
Incorporated	1890
Government
• Type	Town
• Mayor	Ron Lane[1]
• Governing Body	Corporation of the Town of Gore Bay
• MP	Carol Hughes (NDP)
• MPP	Michael Mantha (NDP)
Area [2]
• Land	5.14 km2 (1.98 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	193.50 m (634.84 ft)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	808
• Density	157.2/km2 (407/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code	P0P 1H0
Area code	705
Website	www.gorebay.ca

The town's name is believed to be referencing the gore-shaped harbour. Other theories for the namesake are probably for Francis Gore (1769–1852), Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada from 1806 to 1817, or after the steamer Gore (c. 1839 and scrapped 1861^[4]), which ran between Sault Ste. Marie and Collingwood from 1860 to 1870.

History

Gore Bay before the fire [190-?

After the Treaty of 1862, Manitoulin Island was open for white settlement. Small towns began to emerge from the wilderness, and hotels were developed to provide lodgings for prospective land purchasers. This led to the formation of the town Gore Bay. It was incorporated as a town on 7 April 1890.

Boats were regularly traveling from Sault Ste. Marie, Collingwood, and Owen Sound; establishing regular ports of call on Manitoulin Island, specifically Gore Bay, and prospering hotels due to increased traffic. The new hotel industry in Gore Bay welcomed commercial travellers, fishermen, doctors, lumbermen and tourists.

Three hotels served Gore Bay for many years:

1. The Atlantic Hotel
2. The Campbell House, located on the harbour
3. The Ocean House and Pacific Hotel

Community life in Gore Bay has always been closely connected to water, in fact before roads were built, water was the only means available for travellers to get to the port of Gore Bay by boat. Boats would arrive and leave town with goods until the late 1950s, meaning the population was also quite low in the town's early years.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gore Bay had a population of 808 living in 382 of its 421 total private dwellings, a change of -6.8% from its 2016 population of 867. With a land area of 5.14 km² (1.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 157.2/km² (407.1/sq mi) in 2021.^[2]

	2021	2016
Population	808 (-6.8% from 2016)	867 (2.0% from 2011)
Land area	5.14 km2 (1.98 sq mi)	5.23 km2 (2.02 sq mi)
Population density	157.2/km2 (407/sq mi)	165.7/km2 (429/sq mi)
Median age	56.8 (M: 55.2, F: 57.6)	56.1 (M: 53.8, F: 57.9)
Private dwellings	421 (total)  382 (occupied)	447 (total)
Median household income	$65,500

Canada census – Gore Bay community profile

References: 2021^[5] 2016^[6]

Historical census populations – Gore Bay

Year Pop. ±% 1891 472 —     1901 723 +53.2% 1911 703 −2.8% 1921 635 −9.7% 1931 672 +5.8% 1941 702 +4.5% 1951 752 +7.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1956 731 −2.8% 1961 716 −2.1% 1966 693 −3.2% 1971 770 +11.1% 1976 767 −0.4% 1981 777 +1.3% 1986 829 +6.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 916 +10.5% 1996 907 −1.0% 2001 898 −1.0% 2006 924 +2.9% 2011 850 −8.0% 2016 867 +2.0% 2021 808 −6.8%
Source: Statistics Canada[2][7][8]

Economy

Manitoulin Transport, one of Canada's largest trucking companies, is based in Gore Bay.

The first Gore Bay Highschool (which went up to grade 13, which wasn't common in Manitoulin district) now houses the Manitoulin Lodge Nursing home, and the only nursing home is located in Gore Bay. There is no longer any high school in Gore Bay; students get bussed to surrounding communities like M'Chigeeng First Nation/West Bay.

Tourist attractions

View from East Bluff Lookout onto Gore Bay.

• Gore Bay Museum – What now houses the Gore Bay Museum used to be the courthouse, a land office and a home for the jailer—with jail cells erected from 1889 when Gore Bay became the judicial seat of Manitoulin Island.
• East Bluff Lookout
• The Queens Hotel/Inn
• All Saints Anglican Church – oldest building in Gore Bay after the town went into flames in 1908.^[9]

Climate

Gore Bay experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb). The highest temperature ever recorded in Gore Bay was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 13 July 1936.^[10] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −38.9 °C (−38 °F) on 15 February 1943.^[11]

Climate data for Gore Bay-Manitoulin Airport, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1915−present[a]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9.4 (48.9)	11.5 (52.7)	22.2 (72.0)	27.5 (81.5)	30.6 (87.1)	33.9 (93.0)	37.8 (100.0)	35.6 (96.1)	34.4 (93.9)	26.7 (80.1)	20.0 (68.0)	15.0 (59.0)	37.8 (100.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−4.4 (24.1)	−3.6 (25.5)	1.5 (34.7)	9.0 (48.2)	16.4 (61.5)	21.9 (71.4)	24.4 (75.9)	24.0 (75.2)	19.5 (67.1)	12.2 (54.0)	5.4 (41.7)	−0.3 (31.5)	10.5 (50.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−9.0 (15.8)	−8.7 (16.3)	−3.5 (25.7)	4.0 (39.2)	11.0 (51.8)	16.5 (61.7)	19.4 (66.9)	19.1 (66.4)	14.9 (58.8)	8.3 (46.9)	2.2 (36.0)	−3.8 (25.2)	5.9 (42.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−13.6 (7.5)	−13.8 (7.2)	−8.5 (16.7)	−1.1 (30.0)	5.4 (41.7)	11.0 (51.8)	14.3 (57.7)	14.1 (57.4)	10.2 (50.4)	4.5 (40.1)	−1.1 (30.0)	−7.2 (19.0)	1.2 (34.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−37.5 (−35.5)	−38.9 (−38.0)	−32.3 (−26.1)	−23.3 (−9.9)	−7.8 (18.0)	−1.7 (28.9)	1.1 (34.0)	0.0 (32.0)	−3.9 (25.0)	−9.4 (15.1)	−26.1 (−15.0)	−36.1 (−33.0)	−38.9 (−38.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	45.1 (1.78)	29.8 (1.17)	63.5 (2.50)	67.1 (2.64)	61.2 (2.41)	64.7 (2.55)	47.7 (1.88)	65.1 (2.56)	88.1 (3.47)	107.3 (4.22)	97.2 (3.83)	70.5 (2.78)	804.1 (31.66)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	10.5 (0.41)	4.1 (0.16)	41.7 (1.64)	56.7 (2.23)	61.1 (2.41)	64.7 (2.55)	47.7 (1.88)	65.1 (2.56)	88.1 (3.47)	105.8 (4.17)	71.8 (2.83)	28.6 (1.13)	645.9 (25.43)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	69.7 (27.4)	47.0 (18.5)	33.2 (13.1)	14.0 (5.5)	0.2 (0.1)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.0 (0.8)	31.5 (12.4)	80.2 (31.6)	277.8 (109.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	17.7	12.1	11.1	12.7	11.7	11.7	9.0	11.1	13.3	14.6	15.9	17.8	158.8
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	2.8	2.2	6.2	10.7	11.8	11.9	9.0	11.2	13.4	14.9	11.4	5.2	110.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	17.7	11.9	7.7	3.9	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	7.0	15.9	64.9
Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00 LST)	74.3	70.0	63.6	57.9	56.9	58.5	59.0	60.8	64.7	68.2	73.4	77.6	65.4
Source: Environment Canada (precipitation/rainfall/snowfall 1981–2010)[12][3][13][14][15][16]

Transportation

Highway 540A and Highway 540B are the main roads in the town.

Gore Bay-Manitoulin Airport is located west southwest of Gore Bay, and one of two airports on Manitoulin Island. The airport is a general aviation facility.

Notable people

• Ken Mackenzie. former baseball player for the New York Mets
• National Hockey League player Bobby Burns.

See also

• List of townships in Ontario

References

1. "2018 Municipal Election". Town of Gore Bay. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
2. "Gore Bay, Town (T), Ontario [Census subdivision] Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
3. "Gore Bay A". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
4. "GORE (1839, Steamer)".
5. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
6. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
7. Eighth Census of Canada 1941 - Volume II - Population by Local Subdivisions (Report). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1944. CS98-1941-2.
8. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada. July 1973.
9. "History & Heritage – Town of Gore Bay". Retrieved 2 March 2021.
10. "Daily Data Report for July 1936". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
11. "Daily Data Report for February 1943". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
12. "Gore Bay". Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020. Environment Canada. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
13. "Gore Bay". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
14. "Daily Data Report for March 2003". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
15. "Gore Bay AWOS". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
16. "Gore Bay Climate". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2016.

1. Extreme high and low temperatures in the table below were recorded at Gore Bay from October 1915 to October 1983 and at Gore Bay Airport from November 1983 to present.

External links

• Official website