Penetanguishene

Economy

Penetanguishene historically had several light industrial businesses mainly dealing with plastic and aluminum containers. CCL which makes aluminum containers closed its Penetang factory in June 2017. It is host to the Central North Correctional Centre. In addition there is the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care which includes a high security forensic psychiatric unit for people declared to be not criminally responsible for dangerous offences but considered unsafe to be allowed in the community.

right|thumb|Ice scoots in a race at the Penatang Winterama, 1959

Tourism occupies a considerable portion of the economy with five marinas and shops and restaurants catering to the tourist trade. In the winter, snowmobiling and ice fishing is popular as well as the annual Winterama festival, (Ontario’s longest running winter carnival which started in 1948).

Tourism and sights

The historic naval and military base (now called Discovery Harbour) near Penetanguishene is open to visitors. There are reconstructed buildings from the historic Penetanguishene Naval Yard and two replica sailing ships from the 1812 period, HMS Bee and HMS Tecumseth (c. 1994). The ships no longer sail with passengers but they may be visited in the harbour. The original HMS Tecumseth was raised in 1953 and preserved at a nearby display area.

The King's Wharf Theatre located at Discovery Harbour has a programme of popular plays and musicals every summer.

There are two notable and historic churches located in Penetanguishene. The oldest is St. James on-the-Lines, a small wooden Anglican church built in 1836 to serve the military garrison and civilian population. The most prominent is the large limestone Roman Catholic church named St. Anne's. Originally named "Ste-Anne's Jesuit Memorial Church: Canadian National Shrine", it is sometimes referred to today as the "Cathedral of the North". The Church was constructed between 1886 and 1902 by pastor Théophile François Laboureau. Laboureau secured major funding for the church from the Bishops of Rouen and Normandy in France as well as the governments of England, France and the United States. As it serves a bilingual Catholic community, services are held in both French and English.

Education

Penetanguishene has five different school boards within its limits — the publicly funded English board (Simcoe County District School Board), which runs James Keating Elementary School; the French Catholic School Board Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud, which operates École élémentaire catholique Saint-Louis; the Public French School Board, the Conseil scolaire Viamonde which runs École secondaire Le Caron, and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (English). The town is also home to the province's last remaining Protestant Separate school board, Penetanguishene Protestant Separate School Board.

From 1995 to 2001, the town was home to a satellite campus of the defunct francophone Collège des Grands-Lacs.

Sports

Penetanguishene is home to the Penetang Kings of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. They are in the Carruthers division in the Ontario Hockey Association.

Media

The town is home to a francophone community radio station, CFRH-FM (Vague FM), but is otherwise served by media based in the neighbouring town of Midland.

Notable people

Bert Corbeau, hockey player
Patrick DesRochers, hockey player
Glenn Howard, World champion curler
Russ Howard, Olympic curling gold medallist
Chris Kontos, NHL hockey player
James LaBrie, vocalist of progressive metal band Dream Theater
Phil Marchildon, baseball pitcher
Tim Mason, lawn bowler
Peggy McIntaggart, Playboy Playmate (Miss January 1990)
John Moberly, Naval Officer
Brian Orser, figure skater
Alfred B Thompson, first Canadian POW of World War II and a survivor of the Stalag Luft III escape
Alfred Burke Thompson, MLA (now MPP) and MP
Michael H. Albert, mathematician and computer scientist
David Dupuis, Author

References

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