North Bay

North Bay calls itself the "gateway to Northern Ontario". The region was first populated by Aboriginal tribes, and was explored and charted by Samuel de Champlain.

History

The site of North Bay was on the main canoe route west from Montreal. Apart from Indigenous people, voyageurs and surveyors, there was little activity in the Lake Nipissing area until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1882. The CPR started its westward expansion from Callander Station (later renamed Bonfield), just to the east of North Bay, which was the point where the Canada Central Railway (CCR) ended. In 1882, John Ferguson decided that the north bay of Lake Nipissing was a promising spot for settlement. North Bay was incorporated as a town in 1891.
North Bay was selected as the southern terminus of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO) in 1902 when the Ontario government established a development road to serve the Haileybury settlement. During construction of the T&NO, silver was discovered at Cobalt and started a mining frenzy in the northern part of the province that continued for many years. The Canadian Northern Railway was built to North Bay in 1913.
North Bay grew through a strong lumbering sector, mining and the three railways in the early days.
The Dionne Quintuplets were born in Corbeil, Ontario, on the southern outskirts of North Bay in 1934. Their births had a tremendous impact on tourism in the area, and may have saved the economy in the district during the Depression and beyond. North Bay and area lived off this legacy well into the 1960s. Many visitors to the area discovered lakes and summer retreats that were easily accessible and the businesses thrived on the tourist dollars.
In 1951, as a result of rising tensions in the Cold War, the Royal Canadian Air Force established an air base at North Bay. Construction of RCAF Station North Bay took three years, during which it became the largest industry in the community, a status it held for more than four decades. In 1963, the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) opened its Canadian operations centre at the base. Manned by American and Canadian military personnel, the centre, situated 60 storeys underground to withstand a nuclear strike, monitored Canada's northern, east-central and Atlantic airspace, identifying and tracking all air traffic in this airspace, and responding to airborne emergencies, crime, and suspicious, unknown and potentially hostile aircraft. In 1983 this responsibility was expanded to all of Canada, and in October 2006 the base's NORAD operations moved into a new facility above ground where it continues to provide surveillance, identification and tracking of aircraft, and warning and response to emergencies, attacks and other crises, for the air sovereignty of Canada and North America.
By the 21st century the base was no longer the city's top industry. The current engines driving North Bay's economy are the university and college population, and the North Bay Regional Health Centre, opened in January 2011. Tourism and a stable provincial government service centre also contribute to the robust economy.

By car

From Toronto, take Highway 400 north to Barrie and then take the Highway 11 cutoff just north of the city. From Sudbury (and the west), take Highway 17 east. From Ottawa, follow Highway 17 west. From Timmins, take Highway 101 east to Matheson and then follow Highway 11 south. From Rouyn-Noranda, take Highway 101 south (in Quebec) which becomes Highway 63 (in Ontario) south.

By plane

• North Bay/Jack Garland AirportA wonderfully efficient small airport with scheduled flights to Toronto and Sudbury. The airport is named after Jack Garland, a long-serving local member of Parliament; his specially-built chair from the House of Commons (he was apparently a rather large man) is preserved in the waiting area. It is served by Air Canada Express, Bearskin Airlines, Voyageur Airways, and Sunwing in the winter.

By bus

Three inter-city bus carriers service the North Bay terminal (Autobus Maheux, Greyhound Lines of Canada & Ontario Northland) at 100 Station Road in North Bay.

By train

There is no train service to North Bay.

North Bay City Transit and ParaBus is an efficient public transit system servicing the city and ski-hills (in the winter months).

• The North Bay WaterfrontOn the shores of Lake Nipissing.

• Dionne Quints Museum

  phone: +1 705-472-8480
  The original Dionne farmhouse commemorates the May 28, 1934 birth of identical quintuplets (Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, and Marie) in nearby Corbeil. Their fame was exploited to attract three million visitors to the area during the Great Depression. The farmhouse was relocated to North Bay in 1985 as a seasonal museum displaying artefacts from the quintuplets' bizarre childhood. The North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce ran the museum at the Hwy 11/17 crossroads until it closed in 2015; the city relocated the building to a site on the local waterfront and plans to re-open the museum in 2019.

• North Bay Museum

  phone: +1 705-476-2323
  address: 100 Ferguson Street
  Features a wide range of exhibits on local history as well as special exhibitions from the Royal Ontario Museum and other national and provincial museums.

• Callander Museum

  phone: +1 705-752-2282
  address: 107 Lansdowne Street E, Callander
  Community museum in former doctor's residence, collection includes artefacts related to the Dionne Quintuplets, the shipping industry on Lake Nipissing, the sawmills around Callander Bay, and the general history of Callander.

• Nipissing Lakers HockeyNorth Bay's newest hockey team. The Lakers will compete in the Ontario University Athletics Men's Hockey circuit and compete against other Ontario- & Quebec-based university clubs.

• The North Bay TriathlonUsually offered the first weekend in July. Notable among the world's triathlons in that triathletes are allowed to wear wet suits for the swimming part of the competition, because of the cold waters.

• Laurentian Ski Hill

  phone: +1 705-494-7463
  address: 15 Janey Avenue
  Nice ski hill in the middle of the city with a good mix of runs and a terrain park.
• There are a number of multi-purpose trails in and around the city.

• Northgate Shopping Centre

  address: 1500 Fisher Street
  A great place to get whatever you need. Many restaurants and specialty shops are also scattered throughout the immediate area.

• Downtown North BayHas many shops with fine, handcrafted goods.

• Nipissing University used to be a campus of Sudbury's Laurentian University but became a separate institution in the early 1990s. It has a full undergraduate program.
• Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology. Shares a campus with Nipissing University.

Budget

• Highwayman Restaurant

  phone: +1 705 495-4101
  address: 3001 Highway 11 North

Mid-range

• Dave's Green Papaya

  address: 652 Fraser Street
  Asian food, eat-in, take-out and delivery.

• Kelsey's

  address: 1899 Algonquin Avenue

• The Moose

  address: 134 Main Street East

• Raven and Republic

  address: 246 First Ave West
  Live music, wide selection of beers.

• Twiggs Coffee Company

  address: 473 Fraser Street
  Serving freshly roasted fair-trade organic coffee, Montreal-style bagels, and soups in a lively café atmosphere. Also includes an outside patio.

Splurge

• Crown and Beaver

  phone: +1 705 495-4114
  address: 786 Lakeshore Drive
• The Boat Dockside Bar & Grill, Memorial Drive (North Bay Waterfront), (705) 472-

• Churchill's Prime Rib House

  phone: +1 705 476-7777
  address: 631 Lakeshore Dr.

• Cecils Eatery and Beer Society

  address: 300 Wyld St Box 1017

• Evolution Niteclub

  address: 151 Main Street East

• Fraser Tavern

  address: 680 Fraser Street

• Winnie's Pub

  address: 631 Lakeshore Drive

• Zoo Nite Club

  phone: +1 705 472-7510
  address: 300 Wyld St, Box 1017

Budget

There are many parks in the region that are great for camping. Visit http://www.parkscanada.ca for more information on camping in the region.

• The Lincoln Inn

  phone: +1 705-472-3231
  address: 594 Lakeshore Drive

Mid-range

• Comfort Inn Airport

  phone: +1 705-476-5400
  address: 1200 O'Brien Street
  Clean, comfortable rooms. Free breakfast.

• Comfort Inn Lakeshore

  phone: +1 705-494-9444
  address: 676 Lakeshore Drive

Splurge

• Best Western North Bay

  phone: +1 705-474-5800
  address: 700 Lakeshore Drive

• Inn on the Bay

  address: 340 Main Street West

• Northern Suites Plus

  address: 710 Lakeshore Drive

• Terrace Suites

  phone: +1 705-713-0111
  address: 2363 Highway 94, Callander
  20 suites, each with wi-fi and a fireplace.

Mattawa

A tiny town of 2000 people on the Trans-Canada Highway between North Bay and Algonquin Provincial Park. Mattawa is located at the junction of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers and serves as point of departure for canoeing or boating on the Ottawa River. The drive along Highway 17 is pretty in the fall when the leaves are changing colours. The area offers fishing, camping, and hiking as well as numerous motels, campgrounds, and retreat centres. Many large wooden statues in the town depict local historical figures.

• Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park

  phone: +1 705-744-2276
  address: 6905 Highway 17 E, Mattawa
  Hiking trails, scenic views, Voyageur canoes, Mattawa River Visitor Centre and Canadian Ecology Centre, an eco-friendly retreat centre.

• Mattawa Voyageur Days FestivalLast weekend of July, four days (Th-Su). Live music, regional talent night, lumberjack competition, canoe race, fireworks at dusk on closing day. Past headline acts include April Wine, Trooper, Saga, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite, Chuck Labelle, David Wilcox, Peter Frampton, Heart and Tom Cochrane.

• Voyageur Multi Use Trail System

  phone: +1 705-744-0003
  address: 119 Argo Run, Mattawa
  Over 300 km (180 mi) of year-round ATV, horse, bike, motorbike and snowmobile trails.

• Mattawa Adventure Camp

  phone: +1 705-744-5127
  address: 4601 Hwy. 17E, Mattawa
  Swimming, fishing, snowmobiling, hunting, skiing, cottage and room rental.

• Valois Motel

  phone: +1 705-744-5583
  address: 701 Valois Dr, Mattawa
  Licensed restaurant (7AM-9PM, nothing fancy, but tasty and good value for the money; worth a stop for lunch if you're driving the Trans-Canada Highway), 42-room motel, two seasonal cottages on Ottawa River, wi-fi, a/c, higher rates and restrictions apply during Voyageur Days.

• The Canadian Ecology Centre

  phone: +1 705-744-1715
  address: 6905 Highway 17
  Beautiful cabins in a wooded environment. Located at the Canadian Ecology Centre at the Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. Book ahead as many conferences take place here, and space can be limited. Medium-sized function facilities also available.

North Bay is surprisingly central despite its perceived location. Sudbury (west along Highway 17) and Muskoka (south along Highway 11) are only an hour and a half away by car. Ottawa and Toronto are both within a few hours' driving distance as well. Timmins is about 360 km to the north.
Algonquin Provincial Park is south of North Bay, less than two hours' drive.