Weenusk First Nation is presently located 324 air miles from Moosonee in the Community of Peawanuck. Peawanuck is located on the banks of the Weenusk River, which opens into the Hudson Bay. The Peawanuck location is approximately 32 miles inland from Weenusk First Nation's original settlement called Winisk. A catastrophic flood destroyed the original community of Winisk and two lives were lost on May 16, 1986. As a result, the community was relocated to its present site as part of an emergency relocation plan that was immediately put into place with the Treasury Board providing funding for the construction of the new community. The location of the present community came as a result of a site selection study.

The original community was under constant threat of flooding and it was anticipated that the community would one day have to relocate.