Northwestern Ontario

Last updated
Northwestern Ontario
Secondary region
Map of Ontario NORTHWESTERN.svg
Country Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Province Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
Largest city Thunder Bay
108,843 (2021)
Area
  Total526,417.35 km2 (203,250.88 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
  Total232,299
  Density0.5/km2 (1/sq mi)
Time zones UTC−6 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
UTC−5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)

Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the western part of the region. Ontario's right to Northwestern Ontario was determined by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1884 [1] and confirmed by the Canada (Ontario Boundary) Act, 1889, of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In 1912, the Parliament of Canada by the Ontario Boundaries Extension Act gave jurisdiction over the District of Patricia to Ontario, thereby extending the northern boundary of the province to Hudson Bay.

Contents

For some purposes, Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario are treated as separate regions, while for other purposes they are grouped together as Northern Ontario.

Geographic subdivisions

Northwestern Ontario consists of the districts of Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay. Major communities in the region include Thunder Bay, Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Greenstone, Red Lake, Marathon, and Atikokan. There are also several dozen First Nations in Northwestern Ontario.

Time zones

Northwestern Ontario is divided between the Eastern Time Zone and the Central Time Zone.

Population

Kenora Quay of Kenora, Ontario (0068).jpg
Kenora
Thunder Bay 2006 08 03 Port Arthur Ontario Skyline.jpg
Thunder Bay

Northwestern Ontario is the province's most sparsely populated region: 54% of the region's entire population lives in the Thunder Bay census metropolitan area alone. Aside from Thunder Bay, Kenora is the only other municipality in the entire region with a population greater than 10,000.

The overall population of Northwestern Ontario declined in the early 21st century, mainly because of a downturn in the forestry sector, but some individual municipalities within the region have seen modest population growth over the period.

Population of Northwestern Ontario
District 2021 ± 2016 ± 2011 ± 2006 ± 2001 ± 1996
Northwestern Ontario232,2990.3%231,6913.4%224,034-4.7%235,0460.1%234,771-3.8%244,117
Kenora District 66,0000.7%65,53313.8%57,607-10.6%64,4194.2%61,802-2.5%63,360
Rainy River District 19,437-3.3%20,110-1.3%20,370-5.5%21,564-2.5%22,109-4.4%23,138
Thunder Bay District 146,8620.6%146,0480.0%146,057-2.0%149,063-1.2%150,860-4.3%157,619

Politics

Northwestern Ontarians tend to lean left politically, mainly due to the history and influence of labour unions and a growing environmental ethic. At the federal level, Northwestern Ontario is represented by Liberal MPs Marcus Powlowski in Thunder Bay—Rainy River and Patty Hajdu in Thunder Bay—Superior North, as well as Conservative MP Eric Melillo in the Kenora District,. Provincially, PC Greg Rickford represents Kenora—Rainy River, NDP Sol Mamakwa represents Kiiwetinoong, PC Ken Holland represents Thunder Bay—Atikokan, and Liberal Michael Gravelle represents Thunder Bay—Superior North.

In 2005, some residents of the region expressed dissatisfaction at the level of attention paid to the region by the provincial government. Some, most notably former Kenora mayor Dave Canfield, [2] and Fort Frances town councillor Tannis Drysdale, have proposed the idea of the region as a whole, or parts of it, seceding from Ontario to join Manitoba, although the campaign did not attract widespread public support. [3]

See also

Notes

  1. ONTARIO-MANITOBA BOUNDARY CASE ""Ontario-Manitoba Boundary Case." Volume V 2148-2151: The Labrador Boundary Dispute Documents". Archived from the original on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  2. "Kenora eyes joining Manitoba", cbc.ca, August 3, 2005
  3. "So, how does Kenora, Man., sound to you?", Toronto Star , April 1, 2006

51°N91°W / 51°N 91°W / 51; -91

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ontario</span> Primary Region in Ontario, Canada

Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Province of the Canadian Shield, a vast rocky plateau located mainly north of Lake Huron, the French River, Lake Nipissing, and the Mattawa River. The statistical region extends south of the Mattawa River to include all of the District of Nipissing. The southern section of this district lies on part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Shield which occupies the transitional area between Northern and Southern Ontario. The extended federal and provincial quasi-administrative regions of Northern Ontario have their own boundaries even further south in the transitional area that vary according to their respective government policies and requirements. Ontario government departments and agencies such as the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation define Northern Ontario as all areas north of, and including, the districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing for political purposes, and the federal but not the provincial government also includes the district of Muskoka.

Thunder Bay is a city on Lake Superior in the province of Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenora District</span> District in Ontario, Canada

Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Bay District</span> District in Ontario, Canada

Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay.

King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba boundary, 50 km (31 mi) west of Kenora, and the main section ends where Highway 417 begins just west of Arnprior. A small disconnected signed section of the highway still remains within the Ottawa Region between County Road 29 and Grants Side Road. This makes it Ontario's longest highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnipeg River</span> River in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario

The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river that flows roughly northwest from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is 235 kilometres (146 mi) long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is 106,500 square kilometres (41,100 sq mi) in area, mainly in Canada. About 29,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi) of the watershed is in northern Minnesota, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Frances</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2021 census was 7,466 Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenora (federal electoral district)</span> Federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Kenora is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Bay—Rainy River</span> Federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Thunder Bay—Rainy River is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. It first elected a member in the 2004 federal election.

Fort William was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from the year 1925 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Fort William and Rainy River riding.

Kenora—Rainy River was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 2004. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Fort William and Rainy River and Port Arthur and Kenora ridings.

Thunder Bay was an electoral district in the northwestern part of the province of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until 1975.

Thunder Bay—Atikokan was a federal electoral district in northwestern Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 2003 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007. The federal riding was created in 1976, from parts of Fort William and Thunder Bay ridings. It became a provincial riding in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Highway 71</span> Ontario provincial highway

King's Highway 71, commonly referred to as Highway 71, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 194-kilometre-long (121 mi) route begins at the Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge in Fort Frances, continuing from US Highway 53 (US 53) and US 71 in Minnesota, and travels west concurrently with Highway 11 for 40 kilometres (25 mi) to Chapple. At that point, Highway 11 continues west while Highway 71 branches north and travels 154 kilometres (96 mi) to a junction with Highway 17 just east of Kenora. Highway 71 forms a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway for its entire length, with the exception of the extremely short segment south of Highway 11 in Fort Frances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenora—Rainy River (provincial electoral district)</span> Provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Kenora—Rainy River is a provincial electoral district (riding) in northwestern Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999. It was created from Kenora, most of Rainy River and part of Lake Nipigon. The boundaries of the new district corresponded with the Kenora—Rainy River federal riding, until it was abolished in 2003. The provincial riding will continue to exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Ontario</span>

Ontario is located in East/Central Canada. It is Canada's second largest province by land area. Its physical features vary greatly from the Mixedwood Plains in the southeast to the boreal forests and tundra in the north. Ontario borders Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, Quebec to the east, and the Great Lakes and the United States to the south. The province is named for Great Lake Ontario, an adaptation of the Iroquois word Onitariio, meaning "beautiful lake", or Kanadario, variously translated as "beautiful water". There are approximately 250,000 lakes and over 100,000 kilometres (62,000 mi) of rivers in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques de Noyon</span> French–Canadian explorer and trader (1668–1745)

Jacques de Noyon was a French Canadian explorer and coureur des bois. He is the first known European to visit the Boundary Waters region west of Lake Superior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Bay—Atikokan (provincial electoral district)</span> Provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Thunder Bay—Atikokan is a provincial electoral district in northwestern Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.

Sarah Jane Campbell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the riding of Kenora—Rainy River from 2011 to 2018.