Leaf Rapids is a town in north west Manitoba, Canada. The town was developed as an experimental model; a model that other northern communities could replicate as they strove for modern convenience and luxury in a northern environment. The community is located approximately 1,000 km north of Winnipeg along the Churchill River. The original (urban) community of Leaf Rapids is on Manitoba Provincial Road 391, although most of the large official town created later lies east of this community. This town is as large as a typical Rural Municipality in the more southern parts of Manitoba. An all-weather road connects the community to Thompson, Lynn Lake, and South Indian Lake. Since the establishment of the community, Leaf Rapids has witnessed a number of significant changes directly related to mining operations. Population declines, service provision declines, and a changing employment have all occurred since the mine's closure in 2002. The community have invested considerable time and effort examining possible transitions. History In 1969, Sherritt Gordon Mines discovered a vast copper and zinc ore body at Ruttan Lake. As a result of this substantial discovery, there was an urgent demand for a community to provide support services for the mine and its workers. The first residents of Leaf Rapids arrived in 1971 and the community's infrastructure was completed in the fall of 1976. During this same year, the community's population exceeded 2,000 residents. Leaf Rapids is sometimes described as the "instant town" due to the fast construction time and the large population that gathered during the short time period. The Ruttan Mine was closed down in the summer of 2002. In March 2007 it became the first municipality in Canada to ban the use of plastic shopping bags. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Leaf Rapids had a population of 351 living in 118 of its 266 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 582. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Planning The government of Manitoba decided that the past mistakes in the planning of northern resource communities should not be repeated, and participated directly in the planning of the community. An entirely new approach to building was conceived. In July 1970, the Leaf Rapids Development Corporation Ltd. (a Manitoba provincial crown corporation) was charged with the responsibility of building the Town of Leaf Rapids