NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Northwestern Ontario
border
Location of Northwestern Ontario
Geography
Area	526,371.87 km²
Demographics
Population (2006)	235,046
Population Density	0.4 persons/km²
Largest City	Thunder Bay 109,140 (2006)
Politics
MPs	3
MPPs	3

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

Contents

Geographic subdivisions

Population

Politics

See also

Notes

External links

Geographic subdivisions

Northwestern Ontario consists of the census divisions of Kenora District, Rainy River District and Thunder Bay District. Northwestern Ontario is the province's most sparsely populated region, the only major city being Thunder Bay.
Other important communities in the region include Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Greenstone, Red Lake, Marathon, and Atikokan. There are also several dozen First Nations in Northwestern Ontario.

Population

The population of Northern Ontario had been in decline over the past decade, mainly due to a downturn in the forestry sector. Recent population growth in Kenora is likely due to growth in the aboriginal population and the region's growing popularity as a cottage country region.

Population of Northwestern Ontario
District	2006	±	2001	±	1996
Northwestern Ontario	235,046	0.1%	234,771	-3.8%	244,117
Kenora District	64,419	4.2%	61,802	-2.5%	63,360
Rainy River District	21,564	-2.5%	22,109	-4.4%	23,138
Thunder Bay District	149,063	-1.2%	150,860	-4.3%	157,619

Politics

Northwestern Ontarians are strong supporters of left wing politics, mainly due to the history and influence of labour unions and a large aboriginal population. At the federal level, Northwestern Ontario is represented by Liberals Roger Valley in the Kenora District and Ken Boshcoff in Thunder Bay—Rainy River. As of June 23 2007, the riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North is represented by Conservative Joe Comuzzi, who was previously a Liberal. Provincially, NDP Leader Howard Hampton represents Kenora—Rainy River while Liberals Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle represent Thunder Bay—Atikokan and Thunder Bay—Superior North respectively.
Recently, some residents of the region have expressed dissatisfaction at the level of attention paid to the region by the provincial government. Some, most notably former Kenora mayor Dave Canfield 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 has not yet attracted widespread public support.

See also

★ Northern Ontario

★ Northeastern Ontario

★ Western Ontario

Notes

# "Kenora eyes joining Manitoba", cbc.ca, August 3, 2005
# "So, how does Kenora, Man., sound to you?", ''Toronto Star'', April 1, 2006

External links

★ Northwestern Ontario

★ Northwestern Ontario Towns

★ Gateway to Northwestern Ontario History

★ NWO Update -- Online News

★ Travel Information

★ Photos from Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario