Shuniah

Shuniah
Municipality (single-tier)
Municipality of Shuniah
Township hall
Shuniah
Coordinates: 48°35′N 88°50′W / 48.583°N 88.833°W / 48.583; -88.833
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 [1]
• Land	571.34 km^2 (220.60 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	3,247
• Density	5.7/km^2 (15/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code FSA	P0T & P7A
Area code	807
Website	www.shuniah.org

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, 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

Thunder Bay of Lake Superior at Shuniah Township

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]

Canada census – Shuniah community profile

	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 km^2 (220.60 sq mi)	570.99 km^2 (220.46 sq mi)	570.98 km^2 (220.46 sq mi)
Population density	5.7/km^2 (15/sq mi)	4.9/km^2 (13/sq mi)	4.8/km^2 (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

References: 2021^[9] 2016^[10] 2011^[11]

Historical census populations – Shuniah, Ontario
Year Pop. ±% 1881 1,275 —     1901 71 −94.4% 1911 804 +1032.4% 1921 1,032 +28.4% 1931 1,692 +64.0% 1941 2,521 +49.0% 1951 3,044 +20.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1956 4,355 +43.1% 1961 5,667 +30.1% 1966 5,600 −1.2% 1971 1,292 −76.9% 1976 1,715 +32.7% 1981 2,011 +17.3% 1986 2,077 +3.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 2,182 +5.1% 1996 2,346 +7.5% 2001 2,466 +5.1% 2006 2,913 +18.1% 2011 2,737 −6.0% 2016 2,798 +2.2% 2021 3,247 +16.0%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[1][12][13][14][15][16]

See also

• List of townships in Ontario

References

1. "Shuniah (Code 3558028) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
2. "Municipality of Shuniah electoral history 1873-1884," F.B. Scollie, Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors, 1873-1945 (Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2000), pages 12-15, with map.
3. "Living". www.shuniah.org. Municipality of Shuniah. 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
4. "Municipality of Shuniah Records" (PDF). /www.thunderbaymuseum.com. Thunder Bay Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
5. "Shuniah celebrates its 150th anniversary". TBNewsWatch.com. Dougall Media. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
6. "Municipality of Neebing Fonds" (PDF). /www.thunderbaymuseum.com. Thunder Bay Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
7. Port Arthur News-Chronicle, 4 Jan 1936, 13.
8. "Election 2018". Municipality of Shuniah. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
9. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
10. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
11. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
12. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
13. "Shuniah, Ontario (Code 3558028) census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
14. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Shuniah". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
15. Ninth Census of Canada 1951 - Volume I - Population General Characteristics (Report). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1953. CS98-1951-1.
16. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada. July 1973.

External links

• Official website