Berens River is a community in Manitoba, Canada, along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, at the mouth of the Berens River, which flows west from the Ontario headwaters. Together with the adjacent Berens River 13 reserve, it forms one a population centre collectively called Berens River. Both are served by the Berens River Airport.
Prior to 2017, the community was accessible only by winter road, boat, or airplane. Road construction of an all-weather road from Bloodvein, connecting Berens River to the provincial road system, was completed in December 2017, linking the two communities to Provincial Road 304.[2][3]
The First Nation and fur trade community there was officially started in the 19th century, but the spot was a traditional hunting and fishing area for thousands of years.
History
The first Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fur-trade post at the mouth of the Berens River was established in the winter of 1814, which was named after Joseph Berens, HBC governor from 1812 to 1822 (it was also spelled as Beren's River and Berings River). This post lasted only 2 years. It was reestablished as an outpost of the HBC post at the Pigeon River in 1821. In the fall of 1824, it became a full post again.[4]
In 1842, a new warehouse was built and the post served as a transshipment point and to protect the trade at Little Grand Rapids, located about 140 kilometres (90 mi) upstream of the Berens River.[4]
In the 1930s, the Berens River Post operated an outpost at Poplar River. In 1959, the post became part of the HBC Northern Stores Department. HBC divested this department in 1987 to The North West Company, which still operates a Northern Store in Berens River First Nation.[4][5]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Berens River had a population of 71 living in 21 of its 47 total private dwellings, a change of -47.4% from its 2016 population of 135. With a land area of 5.12 km2 (1.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.9/km2 (35.9/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
Historical census populations – Berens River, Manitoba
Year
Pop.
±%
2006
153
—
2011
111
−27.5%
2016
135
+21.6%
2021
71
−47.4%
Population figures based on revised counts. Source: Statistics Canada
Climate
Berens River experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb). The highest temperature ever recorded in Berens River was 40.0 °C (104 °F) on 11 July 1936.[7] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −47.2 °C (−53 °F) on 28 December 1933.[8]
Climate data for Berens River, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1905−present
