View source for Moose Factory

{{for|the island|Moose Factory Island}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Moose Factory
|nickname               = Moose Antlers
|settlement_type        =
|total_type             =
|motto                  =
|image_skyline          = Moose Factory.jpg
|imagesize              =
|image_caption          = [[St. Thomas' Anglican Church (Moose Factory, Ontario)|St. Thomas' Anglican Church]]
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|pushpin_map            = Canada Ontario
|pushpin_mapsize        = 200
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = Canada
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Ontario]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[List of regions of Canada|Region]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[Northeastern Ontario]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[Census divisions of Ontario|District]]
|subdivision_name3      = [[Cochrane District, Ontario|Cochrane]]
|subdivision_type4      =
|subdivision_name4      =
|government_footnotes   =
|government_type        = multiple governments
|leader_title           = Federal riding
|leader_name            = [[Timmins—James Bay (federal electoral district)|Timmins-James Bay]]
|leader_title1          = Prov. riding
|leader_name1           = [[Mushkegowuk—James Bay]]
|leader_title2          =
|leader_name2           =
|leader_title3          =
|leader_name3           =
|leader_title4          =
|leader_name4           =
|established_title      = Settled
|established_date       = 1673
|established_title2     = Renamed
|established_date2      = 1686
|established_title3     =
|established_date3      =
|area_footnotes         = <ref name=mfcp>Wakenagun Community Futures Development Corporation – [http://www.wakenagun.ca/Adobe/moosefactory.pdf Moose Factory Community Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316073824/http://www.wakenagun.ca/Adobe/moosefactory.pdf |date=2012-03-16 }}</ref>
|area_total_km2         =
|area_land_km2          = 5.25
|area_water_km2         =
|area_water_percent     =
|area_blank1_title      =
|area_blank1_km2        =
|elevation_footnotes    =
|elevation_m            = 7
|population_as_of       = [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]
|population_footnotes   = <ref name=mfcp/>
|population_note        =
|population_total       = 2458
|population_density_km2 = 473.3
|population_blank1_title =
|population_blank1      =
<!-- General information  --------------->
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|postal_code            = P0L 1W0
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'''Moose Factory''' is a community in the [[Cochrane District]], [[Ontario]], Canada. It is located on [[Moose Factory Island]], near the mouth of the [[Moose River (Ontario)|Moose River]], which is at the southern end of [[James Bay]]. It was the first [[English language|English]]-speaking settlement in lands now making up Ontario<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/maps/ontario-boundaries.aspx|title = The Changing Shape of Ontario: The Evolution of Ontario's Boundaries 1774-1912}}</ref> and the second [[Hudson's Bay Company]] post to be set up in [[North America]] after [[Waskaganish, Quebec|Fort Rupert]]. On the mainland, across the Moose River, is the nearby community of [[Moosonee, Ontario|Moosonee]], which is accessible by [[water taxi]] in the summer, [[ice road]] in the winter, and chartered helicopter in the off-season (break-up or freeze-up).<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.moosecree.com/tourism/directions.html|title=Visiting Moose Factory|work=Moose Cree First Nation|access-date=3 January 2014|date=nd|archive-date=3 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203085112/http://www.moosecree.com/tourism/directions.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A private company also offers freighter-canoe ferry service across the Moose River.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.northernontario.travel/outdoor-adventures/top-5-kid-approved-vacations-in-ontario-that-won-t-break-the-bank|title=Top 5 Kid-Approved Vacations in Ontario That Won't Break the Bank|date=5 February 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> As of 2020, the MV Niska 1 ferry was operating between [[Moosonee]] and Moose Factory, carrying passengers and vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ontarioferries.com/mv-niska-1/ |title=MV Niska|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

The settlement is mainly inhabited by the [[Cree]], but the hospital that provides healthcare services to the people of the island and surrounding area (collectively known as the [[Weeneebayko Area Health Authority]])<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.weeneebaykohealth.ca|title=Weeneebayko Area Health Authority|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref> employs a diverse group of people.

The term "[[Factory (trading post)|Factory]]" refers to the [[jurisdiction]] of a [[Factor (agent)|factor]] (a business agent or merchant in charge of buying or selling) of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]].

== History ==
[[File:Moose Factory rebaptisé Fort St-Louis après sa capture par les Français en 1686.jpg|thumb|left|Moose Fort was known as Fort St Louis after its capture by de Troyes; it was recaptured by the British in 1696]]
[[File:Moose Factory 1854.JPG|thumb|left|Moose Factory 1854]]
The area was explored by [[Pierre-Esprit Radisson]] (an HBC employee) in the winter of 1670/71 from the base at [[Rupert House]]. In 1673, [[Charles Bayly]] of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]], Governor of the HBC, established a fur-[[trading post]] originally called '''Moose Fort'''. The property was located on traditional Môsonîw Ililiw (Cree) lands. According to the Government of Canada, the Cree traded furs and also "supplied necessary provisions and labour ... throughout the 1700s".<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2017/08/moose_factory_buildingsmoosefactoryontario.html|title=Moose Factory Buildings, Moose Factory, Ontario|date=3 August 2017|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

In addition to trading, the site was also intended to protect the company's interests from French traders to the south. The fort was profitable and had a direct impact on the fur trade in [[New France]]. So in 1686, [[Pierre de Troyes, Chevalier de Troyes|Chevalier de Troyes]] led a small contingent of French soldiers north on an [[Hudson Bay expedition (1686)|expedition to raid HBC forts]]. The English defenders were caught by total surprise and surrendered. The French captured Moose Fort and renamed it to Fort St. Louis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ontarioarchaeology.org/resources/Documents/Ontario%20Archaeology/Doroszenko.pdf|title=The Archaeology of the Hudson's Bay Company Staff House, Moose Factory Island|access-date=14 March 2021|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715024351/https://www.ontarioarchaeology.org/resources/Documents/Ontario%20Archaeology/Doroszenko.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ten years later in 1696, the English recaptured it and burned it to the ground. No trace has remained of this original fort.<ref name=ohf>{{Citation |title=Moose Factory – An Exploration of Frontier History |year=2002 |publisher=Ontario Heritage Foundation |id=07-02-12M-9002-2002}}</ref>

In 1713, the fort was formally given to the British under the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] but it was not reoccupied for almost two decades.<ref name="auto2"/>

The Hudson's Bay Company set up a new fort in 1730, one mile upstream from the old site, to accommodate Cree traders for whom travel to the other James Bay posts was too dangerous. Five years later, this one also was destroyed by a fire that started in the kitchen, but was rebuilt over a period of seven years.<ref name=ohf/>

By the early 1800s, the settlement was the "headquarters for the HBC’s Southern Department".<ref name="auto2"/>
In 1821, when the Hudson's Bay Company merged with the rival [[North West Company]], there were no longer any serious threats and the post expanded beyond the fort's [[palisade]]s. Thereafter it came to be known as Moose Factory. It became HBC's main base on James Bay, being the administrative headquarters of the Southern Department. The Governor of Rupert's Land and Council met frequently there to plan for the coming year's operations.<ref name=ohf/><ref>{{citation|title=Our History: Places: Forts & Posts: The Staff House at Moose Factory
|url=http://www.hbcheritage.ca/hbcheritage/history/places/forts/the-staff-house-at-moose-factory|access-date=3 January 2014|date=nd}}</ref>

In 1905, the Cree signed a treaty ([[Treaty 9]]) with the government that established the Factory Island Indian Reserve.<ref name=mfcp/> Around the same time, the Parisian furrier company [[Revillon Frères]] set up a trading post on the west bank of the Moose River. This post, first known as Moose River Post, grew into the town of Moosonee and provided stiff competition to the HBC Moose Factory post.<ref name=mdab>{{Citation |title=Revillon Frères |year=2002 |publisher=The Moosonee Development Area Board}}</ref>

Isolated until 1931, the community was finally connected by the [[Ontario Northland Railway|Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway]] to Moosonee and it became a service type economy.<ref name="auto2"/> Supplies could be delivered from the south by train, thereby making redundant the once-yearly sea voyages on which the settlement had previously relied. In 1936, the last supply ship arrived.<ref name=ohf/>

After World War II, the Hudson's Bay Company transformed into a retail business, and in 1960 it opened a modern retail store in Moose Factory. The HBC staff house and other historic properties were converted into the open-air museum of Centennial Park that opened in 1967. The HBC continued to operate in Moose Factory until 1987, when its operations in northern Canada, including Moose Factory, were sold to [[The North West Company]].<ref name=ohf/> Today, the North West Company operates a grocery and general goods store at the Moose Cree Complex selling "food, as well as general merchandise such as clothing, electronics and housewares" near some of the historic HBC buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://opening-hours.me/07466778/Northern_Store_-_Moose_Factory|title=About Northern Store - Moose Factory|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

==Climate==
The Moose Factory and Moosonee area has a very cold [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb''). The climate data is from Moosonee, around {{cvt|3|km}} to the west.

{{Moosonee weatherbox}}

==Economy==
The economy of the island is based on the healthcare, service, tourism, and construction industries. The largest employer is the Weeneebayko General Hospital, followed by [[Moose Cree First Nation]] and [[Northern Stores]].<ref name=mfcp/>

Northern Stores, G.G.'s and QuickStop are the main stores on the island. "The Complex" is the retail and community centre containing a grocery store (Northern Stores), a restaurant, a Canada Post outlet, a pharmacy, and offices.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Although few people practise a solely traditional lifestyle (i.e. living only off the land), the majority of people still participate in the spring and fall moose hunt. Traditional skills such as preparing and tanning of moose hides as well as the creation of moccasins and moose hide mitts with beading are still practised today. Other crafts practised in Moose Factory include the production of [[tamarack geese]], [[snowshoes]], and soapstone carvings which are sold locally.<ref name=mfcp/>

==Political organization==
The island is politically divided into two political entities:<ref name=mfcp/>
* [[Factory Island 1, Ontario|Factory Island 1]] (population: 1451) – [[Indian reserve]] of {{convert|3.08|km2}}<ref name=SC06-FI1>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3556094&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=factory&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Factory Island 1 community profile |publisher=Statistics Canada |work=[[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census data]] |date=13 March 2007 |access-date=2010-12-21}}</ref> that make up the northern two-thirds of the island, belonging to the [[Moose Cree First Nation]] and is governed by an elected Chief, Deputy Chief, and Councillors. In 2005, Patricia Faries-Akiwenzie, a practising lawyer from Moose Factory, became the first woman to be elected as Chief.
* [[Unorganized North Cochrane District|Unorganized Cochrane District]] (population: 1007) – Unincorporated southern third of the island, home to the old [[Hudson's Bay Company]] post and government services, governed by the provincial [[Local services board (Ontario)|Local Services Board]] and the provincial Weeneebayko Area Health Authority that administers the regional medical facility, Weeneebayko General Hospital.

The [[Electoral district]]s include:
* Federally, Moose Factory is part of the [[Timmins—James Bay (federal electoral district)|Timmins--James Bay]] electoral district.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.elections.ca/res/cir/maps/mapprov.asp?map=35092&lang=e|work=Elections Canada|title=Timmins-James Bay|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>
* Provincially, Moose Factory is part of the [[Mushkegowuk—James Bay (provincial electoral district)|Mushkegowuk—James Bay]] electoral district.<ref>{{citation|url=http://fyed.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/map_page_en.jsp?dcode=093|work=Elections Ontario|title=Mushkegowuk-James Bay|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617140131/http://fyed.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/map_page_en.jsp?dcode=093|archive-date=17 June 2014}}</ref>

The [[Mushkegowuk Council|Mushkegowuk Tribal Council]], a non-profit Regional Chiefs' Council representing eight [[Cree]] First Nations in northern Ontario, has its headquarters in Moose Factory.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The namesake [[Moose Factory 68, Ontario|Moose Factory 68]] Reserve, also belonging to the [[Moose Cree First Nation]], is about {{Convert|15|km}} upstream on the east banks of the [[Moose River (Ontario)|Moose River]].{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==Attractions and tourism==
Notable attractions include the Centennial Park with its 19th-century buildings associated with the Hudson's Bay Company post, Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre,  the Cree Village Eco Lodge and St. Thomas' Anglican Church.<ref name=ohf/>  Outdoor tourism in summer and winter, such as [[Trap-lining|trap-line]] tours, canoe expeditions, and [[snowmobile]] trips, are locally provided. The [[Tidewater Provincial Park]] is nearby on the adjacent island facing Moosonee. Visitors also take freight canoe tours that leave from Moose Factory or Moosonee downstream to James Bay at the mouth of the river, or upstream to Fossil Island.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
[[File:S IMG 1733.jpg|thumb|Polar Bear Express train]]
Tourism agencies recommend the [[Polar Bear Express]] as a "great rail excursion", between [[Cochrane, Ontario]] and [[Moosonee]], to view the "hydroelectric dams, isolated homes and perhaps even some wildlife."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cochraneontario.com/visitors/things-to-do/|title=EXPLORE & DO|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=2 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302141325/http://www.cochraneontario.com/visitors/things-to-do/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The train, operated by [[Ontario Northland]], offers passenger and freight service; tickets are sold by phone or at the offices Cochrane, Moosonee, Moose Factory and Timmins. The train will stop on demand in some locations as part of the flag stop service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cochraneontario.com/visitors/things-to-do/|title=Travelling on the Train|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=2 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302141325/http://www.cochraneontario.com/visitors/things-to-do/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Service on the Express operates six days a week in summer, and five days per week during other seasons.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.northernontario.travel/northeastern-ontario/train-in-getaways-in-northeastern-ontario|title=Travelling on the Train|date=9 March 2015|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> No meal service is available.<ref name="auto"/>

The [[Lonely Planet]] guide lists the Polar Bear Habitat & Heritage Village in Cochrane and the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre as tourist attractions in the ''Cochrane to Moose Factory & Moosonee'' region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/ontario/moose-factory-and-moosonee/top-things-to-do|title=Top things to do in Cochrane to Moose Factory & Moosonee|access-date=15 March 2021}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Moose Cree First Nation Tourism indicates that available activities from members include boat, island and snowmobile tours, "traditional cooking, fishing (summer and winter)" and HBC historical tours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moosecree.com/departments/economicdevelopment/|title=Tourism|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

=== Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre ===

Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre is an interpretive centre that displays many aspects of Cree culture and crafts.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Cree Eco Lodge===
[[File:Cree Eco Lodge dining room.jpg|thumb|Cree Eco Lodge dining room]]

Cree Village Eco Lodge<ref name=ecolodge>{{citation|url=http://creevillage.com/|title=Cree Village Eco Lodge|date=nd|access-date=15 March 2021|work=Cree Village|archive-date=8 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308191649/http://creevillage.com/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> is an eco-tourist lodge with modern rooms and a restaurant; it opened in 2000. Traditional bannock and goose (in season) is prepared in a teepee adjacent to the lodge. From the lodge visitors can see Sawpit Island on the southern side of the canal and Charles Island on the opposite side of the canal.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Boat rides (for a fee) are available out the Moose River to James Bay, or "on fishing and canoeing trips to the Moose River Migratory Bird Sanctuary and the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre".<ref name="auto1"/> Other types of boat tours are also available.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://creevillage.com/adventures/|title=Adventure|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=20 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220213852/http://creevillage.com/adventures/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
Cree Village Ecolodge has been converted into office space for  Payukotayno Child & Family Services since 2021.

=== Centennial Park ===
[[File:Moose Factory Centennial Park.JPG|thumb|Centennial Park - foreground: historic cemetery; background (from left to right): blacksmith shop, McLeod House, Sackabuckiskum House, Powder magazine.]]

The ''Moose Factory Buildings National Historic Site of Canada'' "consisted of several buildings, of which only the Staff House is at its original location. Built in 1847-50, it is the last surviving fur trade officer’s dwelling in Canada and the oldest building in the James Bay area. The Powder Magazine, built in 1865-66, is situated some distance away on its original location, in what is now Centennial Park."<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=10481|title=Moose Factory Buildings National Historic Site of Canada|series=Canada's Historic Places|work=Parks Canada|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>

The 19th-century buildings associated with the Hudson's Bay Company post were designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] in 1957.<ref>[http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/lhn-nhs/det_E.asp?oqSID=0430&oqeName=Moose+Factory+Buildings&oqfName=%C9difices+de+Moose+Factory Moose Factory Buildings], Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada</ref><ref>{{CRHP|10481|Moose Factory Buildings}}</ref>
[[File:Moose Factory HBC staff house.JPG|thumb|Hudson's Bay Company staff house]]
The ''Moose Factory Hudson's Bay Company staff house'' was originally the officers' dwelling for HBC doctors, captains, clerks, and secretaries; it is now used as a museum and tourism office. The staff house was built between 1847 and 1850, making it the oldest building in the James Bay area and the last surviving HBC officers' dwelling. Like several other buildings in this National Historic site, the Staff House is a historic listed building, recognized by the [[Ontario Heritage Trust]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8854|title=HBC Staff House Moose Factory, Ontario|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>
Today, The Staff House’s second floor is now rented out to travellers needing accommodation & is run by the Tourism Department of Moose Cree First Nation. 

In the ''Hudson's Bay Company cemetery'' the oldest tombstone is dated 1802 and marks the grave of the Cree wife and children of John Thomas who was the post's [[Factor (agent)|factor]] at that time. There are only a few graves of British men, since they would return home upon retirement or completion of their contract. In total, 51 graves stones can be found here.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.mooseriver.ca/HeritageandHospitality/Heritage_Resources_files/Moose%20Factory%20HBC%20Graveyard%20sketch-map%20%26%20transcriptions.pdf|title=John Long's sketch plan of Moose Factory HBC graveyard|work=Moose River|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>

''Joseph Turner House'' is the oldest known surviving servant house of the HBC, built in 1863 and named for HBC trader Joseph Turner (1783-1865), son of an English surveyor and Ojibway wife.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.redriverancestry.ca/TURNER-JOSEPH-1783.php|work=Red River Ancestry|title=Joseph Turner|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>

William McLeod House was the carpenter's house built in 1889-90 by HBC carpenter William McLeod. The house, historically listed by the Province and by the federal government, once served as the home for the McLeod family.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8855|title=HBC Worker's House - McLeod House|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8855|title=Moose Factory Buildings National Historic Site of Canada:William McLeod House|series=Canada's Historic Places|work=Parks Canada|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>

''Ham Sackabuckiskum House'' is the only surviving Cree summer home and one of the first [[balloon-frame construction]] house in Moose Factory, built in 1926 by the HBC as an incentive to ensure loyalty from Cree trappers. It is also a historically listed building. In the early days, the house was the residence of Sackabuckiskum, a "Cree fur-trapper and HBC affiliate".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8857|title=HBC Worker's House - Sackabuckiskum House|access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

The ''blacksmith shop'' is the last known surviving HBC [[blacksmith]] shop, built in 1849, and was used until 1934.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The ''powder magazine'' is the only stone structure, built in 1865, was part of the palisaded warehouse complex. In the early 20th century, it was converted from gunpowder to general storage.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

=== St. Thomas' Anglican Church ===
{{main|St. Thomas' Anglican Church (Moose Factory, Ontario)}}
St. Thomas' Anglican Church is a historic [[Carpenter Gothic]] style Anglican church built by the Hudson's Bay Company. Construction began in 1864 and was completed in 1885.

==Healthcare==
[[File:Moose Factory Hospital.JPG|thumb|right|Weeneebayko General Hospital]]
In 1949{{Sfn|MacDonald|2009}} the Moose Factory General Hospital was built – a $3 million project – as a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients on Moose Factory Island{{Sfn|Blythe|Brizinski|Preston|1985}} "in order to isolate the disease"{{Sfn|MacDonald|2009}} in response to a tuberculosis epidemic. It served both [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] and [[Inuit]] patients.{{Sfn|Grygier|1997}}

Today the [[Weeneebayko Area Health Authority#Moose Factory|Weeneebayko General Hospital]] provides medical services as part of the [[Weeneebayko Area Health Authority]] to residents of Moose Factory, [[Moosonee]] as well as [[Fort Albany, Ontario]], [[Attawapiskat First Nation]], [[Kashechewan First Nation]] and [[Peawanuck First Nation]].  The medical staff (consisting of 12 family physicians, 1 anesthetist and 1 surgeon) work with their tertiary care facilities in [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Toronto]], [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]], and [[Timmins]].

The hospital provides various specialized services:
* 24-hour emergency services
* family medicine clinics
* dentistry
* occupational and rehabilitative services
* general surgery and anesthesia
* [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]]
* traditional healing program (with counsellors and traditional healers)
* diabetes education services
* regularly scheduled specialities including: pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, geriatrics rheumatology, ophthalmology, rehabilitation and neurology
* diagnostic imaging (computed tomography, x-ray and ultrasound)
* laboratory services

Chartered aircraft "schedevacs" or "medivacs" are used to provide patients with transportation to diagnostic tests (e.g. CT and MRI) and specialize care. [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's University]] is the primary university link with many medical students completing placements at the hospital.{{Sfn|MacDonald|2009}} However, there are also associations with the [[University of Toronto]], [[McMaster University]], [[University of Ottawa]], and the [[Northern Ontario School of Medicine]].

== Education ==
Moose Factory has three schools plus a Day Care:
* Ministik Public School is a public elementary school operated by the Moose Factory Island District School Area Board. The school opened in 1984<ref>{{citation|url=https://sites.google.com/site/ministikschool/home/extra-credit|title=Ministik School|location=Moose Factory|access-date=3 January 2014|date=nd|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629150504/https://sites.google.com/site/ministikschool/home/extra-credit|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has JK to Grade 8.
* [[Delores D. Echum Composite School]] is a senior elementary and secondary school operated by the Moose Cree Education Authority. The school opened in 1997<ref name=MCEA>{{citation|url=http://www.mcea.ca/programs-services/delores-d-echum-composite-school|work=Moose Cree Education Authority|title=Delores D. Echum Composite School|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref> and has Grades 7 to 12.
* [[Moose Factory Academy of Christian Education]] is a private elementary school and opened in 1995.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.manta.com/ic/mtq51g0/ca/moose-factory-academy|work=MANTA|title=Moose Factory Academy|date=nd|access-date=3 January 2014}}</ref>

Day Care - Moose Cree Education Authority who runs the Day Care, which has been caring for the local children for over 50 years. 

Some post-secondary programs are provided by [[Northern College (Ontario)|Northern College]] via distant learning (correspondence, video, and web-based courses) or Ontario Learn Courses (web-based). [[James Bay Education Centre Northern College-Education Complex]] is a liaison base for the community college.

In Moose Factory, [[Bishop Horden Memorial School]] also known as Horden Hall Residential School, [[Canadian Indian residential school system|Moose Factory Residential School]], Moose Fort Indian [[List of Indian residential schools in Canada|Residential School (1907-1963)]], named after [[John Horden|Bishop Horden]], serving all the communities in the James Bay area, was run by the Anglican Church.{{Sfn|Logotheti|1991|page=17}} The Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated the school which, like others across Canada, where the highest number of premature deaths among children at these schools was from tuberculosis.{{Sfn|Curry|Friesen|2008}}{{Sfn|Curry|Howlett|2007}}

== Notable residents ==
* Former NHL [[Ice hockey]] player [[Jonathan Cheechoo]] is a native of Moose Factory.
* Actress, writer, producer, director, and visual artist [[Shirley Cheechoo]] was raised in Moose Factory
* Sculptor [[Duane Linklater]] was born in Moose Factory

==See also==
{{Portal|Ontario|France|North America|History}}
* [[William Bevan (sloopmaster)]] – chief factor and commander of Moose Fort in 1732.
* [[List of unincorporated communities in Ontario]]
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==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{citation|last1=Blythe|first1=Jennifer|year=1985|first2=Peggy|last2=Brizinski|last3=Preston|first3=Sarah Preston|title=I Was Never Idle: Women and Work in Moosonee and Moose Factory|number=21|institution=McMaster University|location=Hamilton, Ontario|series=TASO report}}
* {{citation|title=A Long Way from Home: The Tuberculosis Epidemic Among the Inuit|first=Pat S. |last=Grygier|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press|date=1 March 1997|pages=272}}
* {{citation|title=Natives died in droves as Ottawa ignored warnings|first1=Bill|last1=Curry|first2=Karen|last2=Howlett|location=Ottawa, Ontario|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=24 April 2007|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/natives-died-in-droves-as-ottawa-ignored-warnings/article4309756/?page=all}}
* {{citation|title=Commission to probe graves at school sites|first1=Bill|last1=Curry|first2=Joe|last2=Friesen|publisher=Globe and Mail|date=27 October 2008|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/commission-to-probe-graves-at-school-sites/article1064906/}}
* {{citation|url=http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7982&context=opendissertations|title=Six Moose Factory Cree Life Histories: the Negotiation of Self and the Maintenance of Culture|last=Logotheti|first=Argyro|access-date=3 January 2014|work=Open Access Dissertations and Theses|date=April 1991|archive-date=5 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105035343/http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7982&context=opendissertations|url-status=dead}}
* {{citation|url=http://queensjournal.ca/story/2009-01-09/features/relationship-we-have-so-ingrained/
|title=Chartering the right to healthcare: Weeneebayko Program has provided medical services for Moose Factory region since 1960s|volume=136|number=24|date=9 January 2009|journal=The Journal|first=Kerri|last=MacDonald|publisher=Queen's University|location=Kingston, Ontario|access-date=3 January 2014}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.moosecree.com Moose Cree First Nation – official website]

{{Cochrane District}}
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[[Category:Populated coastal places in Canada]]
[[Category:Communities in Cochrane District]]
[[Category:Cree reserves in Ontario]]
[[Category:Local services boards in Ontario]]
[[Category:French forts in Canada|Moose]]
[[Category:Hudson's Bay Company forts]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis organizations|Sanatoria]]