Pembroke ON

P embroke, Ontario, a municipality of approximately 14,000, sits at the con- fluence of the Muskrat, Indian and Ottawa Rivers in the Ottawa Valley, some 90 miles northwest of the capital. Origi- nally named Miramichi, Pembroke is indirectly named after Sidney Herbert, First Admiral- ty Secretary from 1841 to 1845 and son of George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke. It be- came a police village in 1856, a town in 1878, and a city in 1971. Historically, forestry and farming formed the backbone of the local economy and remain important today. Local timber products include lumber, plywood, veneer, hydro poles, fiber- board, and office furniture. Two other major employers in the area are Garrison Petawawa, a military base in nearby Petawawa, and Cana- dian Nuclear Laboratories. “Those are two big drivers,” says Heather Salovaara, Pembroke’s Economic Development Officer. “And the Lab- oratories are undergoing a major revamping, right now, which is creating a lot of jobs.We have some businesses that are spinoffs from PEMBROKE, ONTARIO THE HEART OF THE OTTAWA VALLEY PEMBROKE, Ontario AT A GLANCE PEMBROKE, ONTARIO WHAT: A city of 14,000 WHERE: On the Ottawa River, northwest of Ottawa WEBSITE: www.pembroke.ca