Baiwejewung, the place where the waters begin to flow, otherwise known as Little Current is the largest town on Manitoulin Island. It is also a place for boat repairs and for provisioning. Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, at more than 1,000 square miles, is populated by only 12,500 permanent residents. The believed playground of the Great Spirit Gitchi Manitou, the Island defines the southern border of the North Channel.

Centuries past, the passage north of Manitoulin from the French River was the favoured route of the voyageurs heading west in search of furs. The North Channel offered comparatively sheltered waters in the lee of the great island. French voyageurs called the narrows here Petit Courant in the late 1600s. In 1890 the name was adopted, translated into English, and incorporated as the town of Little Current. The area grew into a busy shipping and rail hub, in response to substantial logging operations and a regular flow of steamers from Collingwood. A railway bridge was built in 1913 and was converted for use by cars in 1945. Now a heritage landmark, the swing bridge has become a local icon