Temiskaming Shores is a city in Northern Ontario.
The city of Temiskaming Shores encompasses the towns of Dymond, Haileybury, and New Liskeard. Although a city in name, the population of "The Tri-Town Area" is quite small — just over 10,000. However, it is the biggest community in the region, with North Bay, Timmins, and Rouyn-Noranda being the closest cities, all well over 100 km away.
Understand
History
The Ottawa River, which drains into and out of Lake Timiskaming, has been a well-travelled route from the earliest times, and served as the point of access to the Temiskaming area. Native peoples travelled this route since the earliest times. Fort Temiscamingue was established in 1695 by French explorers. In 1794 the Hudson's Bay Company established Abitibi House on Lake Abitibi, to the north. In 1886, Alexander H. Telfer led a survey trip up Lake Timiskaming and gave a report to the Temiskaming Settlers' Association. By this time, the Quebec side of Lake Timiskaming was also being settled, and steamboats, the primary mode of transportation in the area, were ferrying new settlers into the area.
William Murray (1840–1906) and Irvin Heard (1871–1956) were the first European settlers in the New Liskeard area, arriving in 1891. The settlers founded a prosperous agricultural center, taking advantage of the rich soil in the Little Claybelt region. New Liskeard was founded soon after settlers began to arrive in Dymond. New Liskeard was named after Liskeard in Cornwall, England.
Haileybury was founded in 1889 by Charles Cobbold Farr, who named the newly founded town after the Haileybury and Imperial Service College, his former school in England. Farr encouraged settlement in the area, penning his own promotional pamphlet, entitled "The Lake Temiskamingue District", in an effort to attract new settlers to the region. Marketed to settlers as prime agricultural land, Haileybury had only a handful of residents until the arrival of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway in the early 1900s, and the subsequent discovery of large silver deposits in neighbouring Cobalt in 1903. During the Cobalt Silver Rush, Haileybury became a 'bedroom community' that served the needs of the many miners, mine owners and managers. These mine managers and owners were responsible for the construction of the row of stately homes, nicknamed 'Millionaire's Row' that stretched along the waterfront on what is now Lakeshore Road, many of which still stand today.
Dymond still functions largely as an agricultural centre, while the commercial and industrial interests in the area have mostly shifted operations to the former town of New Liskeard. Haileybury maintains its status as a judicial seat, and is also home to the new city hall. A strong link to agriculture means that Temiskaming Shores has largely avoided the boom-and-bust cycle typical of most mining- and forestry-dependent small towns in Northern Ontario. Temiskaming Shores has also become a popular retirement and recreational destination, with small retirement communities like the Bayport Village being developed in the former town of Haileybury.
Get in
By car
Highway 65 runs west from the Quebec border, through Dymond and on towards Elk Lake and Matachewan. Most will come in through Highway 11 (Trans-Canada Highway), from the south (North Bay) or north (Timmins, Cochrane).
By bus
Ontario Northland runs buses to North Bay and Timmins with stops in Dymond and Haileybury.
By plane
Earlton-Timiskaming Regional Airport (YXR IATA), a half-hour drive north-northwest of New Liskerad, is the closest airstrip, but it does not have scheduled passenger service or customs facilities. They advertise "no landing fees for private airplanes".
The closest airports with scheduled passenger service are (YUY IATA) in Rouyn-Noranda and (YSB IATA) in Sudbury; flights to Montreal and Toronto, respectively. No airport shuttle connects these airports to Temiskaming Shores.
Get around
Haileybury and New Liskeard are roughly 8 km apart, so a motor vehicle is key. The Tri-Town Transit bus service connects the two, hourly on weekdays and Saturdays, every 2 hours Sundays, and no service on holidays. $3.25 fare. The long distance between destinations makes taxis an expensive alternative.
See
- 1 Devil's Rock. Large rock formation jutting out over Lake Temiskaming on the deepest part of the lake, located close to Bucke Park and other campgrounds. If you are wanting a good view of the lake and surrounding area, it's a must-see.
- Burnt Island - Located in the middle of Lake Temiskaming the island was at one time home to a few farms, but most of which have since been abandoned. Perhaps not the most outstanding tourist destination, it still makes a good boat trip in summer, or a trek across the frozen lake in the winter.
- 2 Haileybury Heritage Museum, 575 Main St, Haileybury, ☏ 1 705 672-1922. Maintained by Chris Oslund, the museum contains an extensive collection of historical objects in relation to the town including old street cars which used to run in between Haileybury and Cobalt. Visitors will find out many interesting facts about Haileybury here such as the fact that it was the former home of the Montreal Canadiens when both Haileybury and Cobalt had an NHL team.
- 3 Haileybury Beach, 462 Farr Dr, Haileybury, ☏ 1 705 672-5057. Alongside the waterfront in Haileybury, there is an enclosed area which includes a layout of docks, well sanded beach, with a giant mushroom spraying water and three parks nearby for small children, and a much larger water slide similar to those in hotels on the far side of the beach. The cost to go to the beach, and use any of the amenities is free to everyone.
- 4 New Liskeard Arena & Waterfront, 75 Wellington St S, New Liskeard. Most towns in Northern Ontario make the Arena their community center whether official or not, as is the case for Haileybury, New Liskeard and Dymond. The nearest to professional hockey to be seen played in Temiskaming can be witnessed at the New Liskeard arena. Events such as commemorative matches are fairly frequent so it is good to find out in advance what is going on at the arena when you plan to travel.
- 5 Empire Theatre, 35 Armstrong St, New Liskeard, ☏ 1 705 647-5363. Most people accustomed to the conventional multiplex cinemas of larger urban centers will find the theatre located in downtown New Liskeard a bit of an oddity. However, it makes for an interesting activity to break up the itinerary. Usually the theatre plays contemporary films, however it also unveils local films as well, and in the summer it holds over certain films and is capable of reducing ticket costs on both old and new releases to a toonie matinee, with the inclusion of a free drink.
Do
- North on Tap, Temiskaming Shores/Haileybury. Featuring live music and craft beer.
- [dead link]Wabi River Kayak Challenge, Temiskaming Shores/New Liskeard. In August.
Buy
- Farmer's Market - Both Haileybury and New Liskeard have a Farmer's Market which operates through the summer months selling whatever is in season. Despite having a shorter growing season, Northern Ontario supports a substantial agricultural output and visitors should take advantage of the generous prices all to common at markets. The market in New Liskeard is by the Waterfront, as is the market in Haileybury. The one in Haileybury is contained with an elaborate clock tower building which is slightly off-center and is between the beach and the marina.
- Timiskaming Square is the city's main shopping plaza. It is in the Dymond area at 883,303 Highway 65 (47.51 N, 79.67 W). It is anchored by Food Basics, Dollarama, and Giant Tiger. Large Walmart and Canadian Tire stores are nearby.
Eat
- 1 Gilli's Truck Stop, 997490 ON-11, New Liskeard (north of New Liskeard), ☏ 1 610 905-1353. Family restaurant. Great food in a fun setting.
- 2 R U Hungries Food & Pizzeria, 468 Ferguson Avenue, Haileybury (at Main Street), ☏ 1 705 630-5151. 8AM-8PM. Good & cheap take-out pizzas, pepperettes, jerky, and cheese.
Drink
- 1 King George Tavern, 40 Wellington St, New Liskeard, ON (south of Whitewood), ☏ 1 705 647-4403. This is the spot for the younger crowd, can be quite busy Fridays/Saturdays.
- 2 Rooster's Bar & Grill, 2 Cedar Avenue East, New Liskeard, ON (beside the Waterfront Inn), ☏ 1 705 647-9500. M-W 11:30AM-midnight, Th-F 11:30AM-1AM, Saturday 11AM-1AM, Sunday 11AM-midnight. Popular on Thursday nights after 9PM for 'Wing Night'.
Sleep
- 1 [formerly dead link]Auberge Country Inn, 200 Drive in Theatre Rd, New Liskeard, ON, ☏ 1 705 647-6721.
- 2 Edgewater Motel, 1267 Lakeshore Road, New Liskeard, ON (midway between Haileybury and New Liskeard), ☏ 1 705 647-8588.
- 3 Leisure Inn, 509 Ferguson Avenue, Haileybury, ON, ☏ 1 705 672-5084.
- 4 Waterfront Inn, 2 Cedar Avenue, New Liskeard, ON, ☏ 1 705 647-8711, toll-free: 1 800 461-4644, fax: 1 705 647-8714, ✉[email protected]. A comfortable, clean, well-run hotel on the north shore of Lake Temiskaming. Continental-style breakfast is included in the room price. 40 rooms on two floors, but no elevator.
- 5 Wheel Inn Motel, 208 Armstrong Street, New Liskeard, ON, ☏ 1 705-647-6116.
Connect
Rogers cell coverage is *very* sketchy, especially in Haileybury. Telus and Bell/NorthernTel are mostly reliable.
Nearby
- 6 Obadjiwan–Fort Témiscamingue National Historic Site (Lieu historique national d’Obadjiwan–Fort-Témiscamingue) (Take Highway 65 to Autoroute 101 south, the exit will be on the right), toll-free: 1 888-773-8888, ✉[email protected]. A 55-minute drive from downtown New Liskeard, Fort Témiscamingue National Historic Site is on the Quebec side of Lake Temiskaming. The Obadjiwan permanent exhibition describes over six millennia of the native presence in the area and two centuries of the historical fur trade. The site also has hiking trails, a pebble beach, and a set of red Adirondack chairs marking one of the best views from the park.
Silver Centre
The remnants of one of the original mining settlements in Northern Ontario. Highway 567 passes through Silver Centre, continuing to another former mine site Ragged Chutes. One can see old mine ruins or a real ghost town. There's also a virtually untapped natural environment which one can go see at their own pace at any time.
Logging operations are ongoing in the region; in the winter the road is poor quality at best.
Go next
- Cobalt (south of Temiskaming Shores) might be an interesting day trip. The business hours of most attractions there are seasonal, so call before you go.
- Connections to Eastern Ontario, Central Ontario, and Northwestern Ontario are available from North Bay.
| Routes through Temiskaming Shores |
Kapuskasing ← Cochrane ← Jct   E ← | N   S | → Temagami → North Bay |