Kinistino, Saskatchewan


Kinistino is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada. Kinistino is situated in north-central Saskatchewan. It lies on rich agricultural soil in the valley of the Carrot River, which flows a mile east of the town.
Kinistino is located northwest of Melfort on Highway 3 and southeast of Prince Albert.
The marketing area of Kinistino includes parts of the rural municipalities of Kinistino #459, Flett Springs #429, and Invergordon #430, plus the James Smith First Nation. Although the market area along the Highway 3 is not that large to either the east or west, as one continues north and south of the town a fanning-out process occurs. This puts the area of marketing for Kinistino at somewhere near.

Geography

The Town of Kinistino rests upon a bedrock of shale in an area of maximum glacial lake coverage.
Kinistino is located in the Aspen parkland biome. The immediate area is one of moderate rolling hills and level stretches. The excellent soil is interspersed occasionally with bluffs of aspen and some sloughs. To the southwest lies the Waterhen Marsh and Lake, while to the north approximately the Saskatchewan River and the Forks of the North and South branches provide a beautiful spot of coniferous forest growth.

Climate

Like in the rest of Saskatchewan, Kinistino experiences a high variance in the seasonal temperatures. However, Kinistino is not in an area of high storm activity and usually experiences only 3 blizzards per year. Fewer thunderstorms are experienced in Kinistino than in the south of Saskatchewan.
The frost-free period extends, on a 30-year average, from June 1 to September 6; hours of sunshine amount to 2,280. The precipitation averages are: rain ; and snowfall.

Demographics

The population of Kinistino, as reported in the 1998 census, was 702. Although this figures fluctuates from year to year, an approximate level of 700 residents has been maintained for years. The population of Kinistino is stabilized by the communities and rural municipalities surrounding it including James Smith Reserve; comprises a combined population of over another 4000 people. Currently, a change over from second to third generation farmers is occurring in the locality; this in turn offers to Kinistino years of future stability.