The first European settlement in the area was established in 1777 by the Hudson's Bay Company. The settlement was a fur trading post about 50 mi (80 km) to Chapleau's north, on Big Missinabi Lake.
In 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through the area. The CPR chose this as a divisional point, and the town was founded. It was named in honour of Sir Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, a lawyer, journalist, businessman, politician, and most notably the 5th Premier of Quebec.
After a fire in 1948, the government was prompted to construct a road to Chapleau to enable logging contractors to truck timber before it rotted. The Chapleau Road (now Highway 129) was completed on January 28, 1949. In the early 1960s, Highway 101 was completed to link Chapleau with Timmins to the east, and Wawa to the west.[6][7]
Chapleau also developed logging and lumber mill operations, up until 1994 the town supported no less than three lumber mills, but the United States' imposition of a softwood lumber tariff designed to benefit American lumber companies has led to many layoffs and difficult times for the town. At its largest, with large CPR and lumber operations, the town had a population of over 5,000. However, the town has been gradually shrinking since 1950.
In 1967, the Chapleau Centennial Museum was opened to showcase and celebrate local history. It is located at 94 Monk Street.
One unusual feature of the community's transportation network is that because a railway yard separates the community into distinct halves, the main street in the western portion of the community loops back over itself in a manner resembling a cloverleaf interchange, and then crosses over both itself and the railway yard on a grade separation before returning to street level to link to the eastern street grid.
Chapleau Crown Game Preserve
Chapleau Crown Game Preserve to the north of the town is, at over 7,000 km2 (2,700 sq mi), the largest animal preserve in the world. Protected wildlife include moose, black bears, pygmy shrews, bald eagles and loons. The preserve is a source of tourism, drawing nature-enthusiasts and fishermen to the township. All forms of hunting and trapping have been forbidden in the preserve since the 1920s. The result is an area with abundant wildlife. In fact, over 2,500 moose and over 2,000 black bears reside within the game preserve. Logging does occur within the preserve, as does fishing. There are two provincial parks and cottages located within the preserve.
Climate
Chapleau experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm, rainy summers and long, cold, and snowy winters.
Chapleau was incorporated as the Corporation of the Township of Chapleau on February 1, 1901.[11] Since that time it has been governed locally by a five-member council. The current council is made up of Mayor Ryan Bignucolo and Councillors Lisi Bernier, Paul Bernier, Cathy Ansara and Alex Lambruschini.[12]
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Chapleau had a population of 1,942 living in 867 of its 973 total private dwellings, a change of -1.1 per cent from its 2016 population of 1,964. With a land area of 13.2 km2 (5.1 sq mi), it had a population density of 147.1/km2 in 2021.[2]
The town has two high schools, Chapleau Elementary and Secondary School (CESS) and École Secondaire Catholique Trillium, and two elementary schools, École élémentaire catholique Sacré-Cœur, and Our Lady of Fatima. Chapleau Elementary and Secondary school belongs to the Algoma District School Board, the others belong to the French and English Catholic school boards.
Economy
Main employers in Chapleau include the Canadian Pacific Railway and Ryam Lumber. Tourism is also an important part of the economy with several outfitters and lodges operating in the area.[21]
In 2012, the Chapleau Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) was founded as an independent, non-profit organization. Resolution 28-371, passed by the Chapleau Town Council on September 24, 2012, established the existing agreement between the Township and the CEDC.[22]
Goldcorp is working towards the advanced exploration phase at the Borden Gold project.
Borden Lake Mine opened September 23, 2019, creating many jobs for the local populace.
Starting on November 9, 2005, Chapleau residents began testing a wireless mesh Internet technology in a program called Project Chapleau. This Wi-Fi connection covered the entire town and was the first of its kind in Canada.
This service was designed and implemented by Bell Canada Enterprises, Nortel Networks, and the Township of Chapleau.
An analysis of the impact of high-speed internet on the residents and town of Chapleau was published in 2010 by Jessica Collins and Barry Wellman.[23]
In April, 2007, Project Chapleau concluded without a reason being given. The Project Chapleau office (The Chapleau Innovation Centre) was converted into a public internet access point, with job search and community networking facilities.
Media
All of the township's regular broadcast media are rebroadcasters of signals from Sudbury, Timmins or Wawa. The township's only purely local media service is CFJW-FM 93.7, a special station which airs information from the municipal government in the event of a weather or industrial emergency. The station does not broadcast on a regular basis; in the event of an emergency, the municipal fire service activates its fire sirens to alert residents to tune in the station.[24]
