Kirkland Lake

Kirkland Lake
Town of Kirkland Lake
Aerial view of Kirkland Lake
Kirkland Lake
Coordinates: 48°09′00″N 80°02′00″W / 48.15000°N 80.03333°W / 48.15000; -80.03333
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictTimiskaming
Established1919 (Township of Teck)
Incorporated1972 (Town)
Government
  MayorStacy Wight
  Town Council
Councillors (as of 2018)
  MPsCharlie Angus (NDP)
  MPPsJohn Vanthof (ONDP)
Area
  Total
261.29 km2 (100.88 sq mi)
Elevation
243 m (797 ft)
Population
 (2021)
  Total
7,750
  Density30.4/km2 (79/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Forward sortation area
Area code705
Websitewww.kirklandlake.ca

Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District of Northeastern Ontario. The 2021 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,750.

The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn was named after Winnifred Kirkland, a secretary of the Ontario Department of Mines in Toronto. The lake was named by surveyor Louis Rorke in 1907. Miss Kirkland never visited the town, and the lake that bore her name did not exist as it dried because of mine tailings, but recently due to floodings of the mineshafts has come back up to about half of its initial deepness. The community comprises Kirkland Lake (Teck Township), as well as Swastika, Chaput Hughes, Bernhardt, and Morrisette Township.

Kirkland Lake was built on gold, but is also notable for its hockey players. As well, hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt called Kirkland Lake "the town that made the NHL.":212 The town celebrated this via Hockey Heritage North, which was renamed Heritage North.

Until January 1, 1972, the town was known as Township of Teck. A by-law was introduced, on July 20, 1971, to change the municipality's name to Town of Kirkland Lake, effective January 1, 1972.