The Pas (once Fort Paskoyac and still sometimes called Paskoyac) is a small town in northern Manitoba. The Pas is known as "Gateway to the North". It had about 5500 people in 2011, a population roughly split between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals.
It is approximately 630 km (390 mi) northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and 40 km (25 mi) from the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals after the first trading post, called Fort Paskoya and constructed during French colonial rule. The Pasquia River begins in the Pasquia Hills in east central Saskatchewan. The French in 1795 knew the river as Basquiau.
Known as "The Gateway to the North", The Pas is a multi-industry northern Manitoba town serving the surrounding region. The main components of the region's economy are agriculture, forestry, commercial fishing, tourism, transportation, and services (especially health and education). The main employer is a paper and lumber mill operated by Canadian Kraft Papers. The Pas contains one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North.
The Pas is bordered by part of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
The Pas experiences a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and short, warm summers.
The Pas is 626 km (about 6½-9 hours) north of Winnipeg on Highways 6 and 60.
Via Rail goes once a day, leaving at 12:05PM and arriving 13 hr 40 min later at 1:45AM ($85-290).
- 1 The Pas Airport (YQD IATA). There is one direct flight a day from Winnipeg (YWG IATA) to The Pas on Calm Air (1 hr 40 min, $440), and one flight that stops at Flin Flon (YFO IATA).
- Cal's Can, ☏ . 24 hours.
- City Cab, ☏ .
- Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival, ☏ . Manitoba's oldest festival and one of Canada’s oldest winter festival. It has been held every year continuously since 1948 and features a wide variety of winter activities including ice fishing, muskrat skinning, and an annual sled dog race, which is part of the International Federation of Sleddog Sports.
- 1 Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, ☏ . This park has an area of 593 km². Clearwater Lake comprises almost half of the park. Large areas of boreal forest including spruce bog cover the land areas. Clearwater Lake, a deep, clear, cold lake, is renowned for its excellent water quality and large lake trout. The nearly circular lake, 16 km (10 mi) in diameter, has an average depth of 13.1 m (43 ft) and a maximum depth of 39 m (127 ft). It is spring-fed and lacks major inflowing streams which may carry silt, although there are several small inflowing streams on its south and west shores. Campgrounds are on the south shore. Vehicle permit: $5/day, $12/3 days.
- [dead link] Otineka Mall, Highway 10 N, Opaskwayak. M-W 10AM-6PM, Th F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. "The Largest Mall in the North": Warehouse One, Red Apple, North of 53 Paperwork Plus, Bank of Nova Scotia, Super Thrifty Drug Mart, Sports Traders, Shane’s Music, Kick It Sports, Ardene, food court.
- Good Thymes, 1607 Gordon Ave,, ☏ . M-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-1AM. Sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pastas. Lunch $10-18, dinner mains $13-25.
- Fat Boy Restaurant, 329 Fischer Ave, ☏ . M-F 6AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 9AM-8PM.
- Andersen Inn and Suites, 1717 Gordon Ave, ☏ . All smoke-free rooms, free continental breakfast, indoor pool, free Wi-Fi access, business center.
- Wescana Inn, 439 Fischer Ave, ☏ , toll-free: . Rooms are equipped with coffee makers, small fridges, microwaves, and LCD TVs. Hair dryers, irons and ironing boards at your request. Free local telephone calls, free wireless internet in the restaurant/lounge, internet rooms available on request, onsite ATM, smoking and non-smoking rooms, one room wheelchair access, pet-friendly rooms. From $94.
- The Pas Motel, 1316 Gordon Ave, ☏ . Just south of Clearwater Lake Provincial Park. 24 drive-up rooms at a budget price. Each room is equipped with refrigerators, microwaves, new flat screen televisions with HD channels, and wireless internet. Smoking and non-smoking rooms available. Taavi's Grill restaurant is open daily 7AM-3PM. From $79.
- Native-owned Keewatin Railway Company operates a subsidized connecting service from The Pas to Pukatawagan which reaches isolated native communities in that region of Manitoba (7½ hr, twice a week). Reservations ☏ .
|Routes through The Pas|
|Churchill ← Thompson ←||N S||→ Hudson Bay → Winnipeg|
|END ← Flin Flon ←||N S||→ Jct W → Swan River → Brandon|
|Hudson Bay ← Jct W ← becomes ←||W E||→ END|