Shuniah
Municipality in Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shuniah (/ˈʃuːniə/) is a municipal township in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada, bordering the city of Thunder Bay to the southwest. Shuniah was incorporated by an act of the Ontario legislature in 1873, and at that time included much of present-day Thunder Bay and its predecessor and surrounding municipalities.[2]
Shuniah | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Shuniah | |
Township hall | |
  Shuniah | |
| Coordinates: 48°35′N 88°50′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Thunder Bay |
| Settled | 1860s |
| Incorporated | 1873 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wendy Landry |
| • Fed. riding | Thunder Bay—Superior North |
| • Prov. riding | Thunder Bay—Superior North |
| Area | |
| • Land | 571.34 km2 (220.60 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 3,247 |
| • Density | 5.7/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Postal Code FSA | P0T & P7A |
| Area code | 807 |
| Website | www |
Shuniah, named after the Ojibwa word "zhooniyaa" for "money" or "silver" (see the French argent), was settled largely due to silver mining potential identified in the mid-19th century.[3]
History
The Municipality of Shuniah was incorporated on March 29, 1873, making it the oldest municipality in Thunder Bay District[4] and one of the oldest in the province.[5] Prince Arthur's Landing was its seat of local government, with John McKellar as the first reeve.[3] At that time, its area included the geographic townships of Blake, Crooks, McIntyre, McGregor, McTavish, Neebing, Paipoonge, Pardee, and Sibley, as well as some islands southwest from Black Bay. Its territory was gradually reduced as follows:[4]
- In 1874, the townships of Sibley and McTavish were removed.
- In 1881, the Township of Neebing was separately incorporated (then consisted of the geographic townships of Blake, Crooks, Neebing, Neebing Additional, Paipoonge, and Pardee).[6]
- In 1884, the village of Prince Arthur's Landing was incorporated as the Town of Port Arthur (and was expanded in April 1892 and May 1906 with lands from MacGregor Township).[3]
- In 1904, the Township of Paipoonge was separately incorporated.
By 1936, Shuniah included only three wards, the geographic townships of McIntyre, McGregor, and McTavish. That year, the Ontario Legislative Assembly removed a number of islands in Lake Superior that had formed the Island Ward since 1873.[7] In 1970, McIntyre Township was amalgamated into the then new-created City of Thunder Bay.[3]
From 1994 to 2014, the township reeve was Maria Harding. On October 27, 2014, Wendy Landry was elected as Reeve and as of January 26, 2015 the title of the Head of Council was changed from Reeve to Mayor. Landry was re-elected in 2018.[8]
Geography
The township is part of Thunder Bay's Census Metropolitan Area, and consists of the communities of:
- Amethyst Harbour
- Ancliff
- Bowker
- Ishkibibble
- Loon
- Mackenzie
- Navilus
- Pass Lake
- Pearl
- Silver Harbour
+ Wild Goose
Serving today primarily as a rural bedroom community to Thunder Bay, Shuniah is also a popular cottaging locale, stretching about 40 kilometres (25 mi) along Thunder Bay and Black Bay of Lake Superior's northern shoreline.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Shuniah had a population of 3,247 living in 1,425 of its 2,088 total private dwellings, a change of 16% from its 2016 population of 2,798. With a land area of 571.34 km2 (220.60 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.7/km2 (14.7/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,247 (+16.0% from 2016) | 2,798 (+2.2% from 2011) | 2,737 (-6.0% from 2006) |
| Land area | 571.34 km2 (220.60 sq mi) | 570.99 km2 (220.46 sq mi) | 570.98 km2 (220.46 sq mi) |
| Population density | 5.7/km2 (15/sq mi) | 4.9/km2 (13/sq mi) | 4.8/km2 (12/sq mi) |
| Median age | 55.2 (M: 55.6, F: 54.8) | 52.8 (M: 53.6, F: 51.9) | 51.7 (M: 52.6, F: 50.7) |
| Private dwellings | 2,088 (total) 1,425 (occupied) | 2,130 (total) | 2,156 (total) |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $96,939 |
Historical census populations – Shuniah, Ontario | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[1][12][13][14][15][16] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
