Hearst

Town in Cochrane District, east-central Ontario; population (2006) 5,800. Hearst stands on the Mattawishkwia River, 350 km/217 mi north-northeast of Sault Ste Marie.

Hearst was settled at the time of the construction of the National Transcontinental (Canadian National) Railway (completed 1913), and was also reached in 1914 by the Algoma Central Railway. Since 1939 it has been a Catholic bishopric, and has a predominantly French-speaking population; the Collège de Hearst (1953) is sited here. The town's economy focuses on forestry, pulp and paper manufacture, and farming. Moose hunting and canoeing attract visitors to the area.