A small town big on business.

Atikokan saw a major exodus after its two iron ore mines closed in the late 1970. Today many of those exiles, between the ages of 30 and 60, are coming home to raise their families in a clean, safe place, or to retire.

There are as many reasons for that trend as there are lakes in the region. Not only did the town recover from the mine closures, but it has become home to over 250 businesses, many of them home-based.

But even more than its economic resilience, this northern town 200 kiometres west of Thunder Bay is probably better known for its natural beauty.

Covering 9,000 square kiometres of lakes and wilderness, including Quetico Provincial Park, Atikokan has been dubbed the "canoeing capital of Canada."

Quetico Provincial Park is an internationally renowned canoeing area of over 4,655 square kilometers.

With Quetico in its backyard, Atikokan has plenty of room for growth in the tourism industry, says Garry McKinnon, the town's economic development officer.

McKinnon calls Quetico "the last remaining wilderness park in Canada."

"There are approximately 140,000 user-nights per year in Quetico Park and still potential for some growth," McKinnon says.

In addition to Quetico, Atikokan has a wide variety of activities to offer the outdoor enthusiast, from 700 kiometres of groomed snowmobile trails and 30 kilometres of cross-country ski trails in the winter to mountain biking trails and a golf course in the summer.

Those who would rather play indoors also have a variety of venues to choose from, including an arena, curling rink, indoor swimming pool and two facilities for seniors' activities.

As an investment in its youth, the town recently constructed a new public elementary and secondary school, as well as a new separate elementary school. The town's high school is known throughout Ontario for its outdoors program, which teaches outdoor survival skills to Grade 11 students through overnight or two week-long trips in Quetico Park, in both summer and winter.

Atikokan prides itself on its quality of life and low cost of living. Through technology, local business operators are connected to the world. A small call centre also operates in the town.

"It brings us psychologically into the new age," McKinnon says.

In 2000, Bell Canada upgraded its line along Highway 11 to fibre optic and broadband width. Not only does this mean more Web-enabled business opportunities in Atikokan, but also the possible expansion of the town's Sunset Country Call Centre.

For more than two years, the centre has provided 24-hour, week-long service to businesses, health-care and social agencies.

Today the town's move into the high-tech age is reminiscent of the many paradigm shifts it has had to make in its history.

With the creation of the railroad in the 1850s, Atikokan was no longer an important stopping point for fur traders.

Fortunately, around the same time gold was discovered about 45 kilometres southeast of Atikokan, which began an explosion of mineral exploration activities.

Active mining operations commenced in the Atikokan area in 1899. Mining activity was a natural predecessor to the forestry industry in the area since the mines used large quantities of timber.

In the early 1900s there were numerous lumber mills in the surrounding area of Atikokan. Many lumber companies logged the Quetico area extensively before it was announced in 1971 that commercial logging in Quetico Park would have to cease.

Atikokan Forest Products, originany owned by Domtar Woodlands Limited, continues to operate under the direction of Buchanan Forest Products.

Although inroads are being made in the tourism and technology sectors, forestry remains Atikokan's greatest employer, in particular Atikokan Forest Products.

Operating in the community since 1946, Atikokan Forest Products today employs about 250 people at its sawmill and planing mill. With a rich source of wood in northwestern Ontario, the mill supplies markets in the Midwest United States and California.

Its distance from the centres of provincial and federal government has been an ongoing challenge for Atikokan's economic development, says McKinnon. But by focusing its energy on north-south trade, mainly north-central and Midwest United States, the town has maintained a relatively healthy economy.

In the past few years, some northwestern Ontario organizations and communities, including Atikokan, formed the NorthwestMidwest Alliance, which employs a contact in Minneapolis to identify potential economic opportunities.

In the future McKinnon would like to see Atikokan develop small manufacturing, such as machinery, with the nearby United States as a likely market. Twin cities Minneapolis and St. Paul are only five hours from Atikokan.

ATIKOKAN
POPULATION                    4,000
MAIN EMPLOYER/PRIVATE SECTOR  Atikokan Forest Products
TOP 5 EMPLOYERS               Atikokan Forest Products,
                              Proboard Manufacturing,
                              Fort Frances-Rainy River
                              District Board of Education,
                              Atikokan General Hospital,
                              Ontario Power Generation
AREA-SIZE OF COMMUNITY        9,000 sq. kilometers
LOCATION OF NEAREST CITY      Thunder Bay - 200 kilometers
MUNICIPAL TAXES               Total Commercial/Industrial
                              occupied 12.8 million
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE        fairly slow - expect
MARKET                        significant change
                              (McKinnon area)
LAND VALUES                   n/a
INDUSTRIAL PARK               n/a