Researchers searching for stories of those who died fishing on Lake Winnipeg
Work is underway to create a memorial to those who have lost their lives on Lake Winnipeg over the last two centuries, and researchers need your help to pay proper tribute.
The New Iceland Heritage Museum will house the memorial at the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. It is aimed at recognizing those who have died while working in the fishing industry, combing the large and sometimes volatile lake to make their living.
“It's the 11th largest lake in the world. It's enormous, and it can be really, really unpredictable. It can go from beautiful, glass-like water to a raging storm without really a whole lot of warning,” said Heather Hinam, owner of Second Nature Creative Interpretation, who is heading up research for the memorial.
Hinam said Indigenous people have been harvesting fish off Lake Winnipeg for many, many years. When Icelandic settlers came in the late 1800s, they wanted to continue fishing - a trade they knew well.
However, dropping a line on Lake Winnipeg proved a very different experience than on the ocean.
(Source: New Iceland Heritage Museum)
Hinam said in addition to learning how to catch pickerel and sauger during the freeze-up, folks also had to navigate the challenging geography. For its size, Lake Winnipeg is ‘remarkably shallow,’ with a host of topographical quirks in its two basins.
“There’s not enough depth of water to dampen the waves, and so when a storm comes in, it can create some really big rollers, and it can knock you right over very quickly.”
As a result, many have died on the lake. Hinam is still trying to piece together just how many, as there is no central registry for such deaths. She’s currently digging through archives and newspapers, but is hoping families or friends from deceased fisher folk will reach out with their stories.
“We'd really like to honour those people.”
Anyone who has a story of someone who lost their lives on the lake as part of the fishing industry is asked to contact researchers.
- With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé
Boats are pictured docked at Gull Harbour Marina in Hecla, Man. (Source: New Iceland Heritage Museum)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.