CBCnews

Exotic Northern Ontario?

Espanola.

Political Bytes

Rosemary Barton

Sounds exotic doesn't it? Palm trees and pina coladas exotic. Surf and sand exotic.

In fact, it's a small town in Northern Ontario with a population of 5,314, according to the latest census information. But the story of Espanola actually is pretty exotic.

According to Wikipedia, the story dates back to the 18th century. An Ojibwa tribe sent a raiding party to the south and brought back a Spanish woman who later married a local. She taught her children Spanish, so when French voyageurs arrived later they noticed people speaking "Espangol" (Spanish in French).

And, hence, the name, Espanola.

Go figure.

Rosemary Barton