Forestin Lambton Shores, Ontario

TownGrade

B⁻

#1,238 of 2,556

A town of 12,962 in Ontario. Its population rose 12% from 2016 to 2021.

2 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: bgilliard from St. Catharines, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

Population

12,962

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

56.8

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

52%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Forest a good place to live?

A town of contrasts. Overall, Forest earns a B−: better than 53% of Canadian towns, and #472 of 858 in Ontario. Police record less crime here than in most towns (A). Buying in is costly (D). Its other grades sit near the middle: B for schools and C+ for health.

Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

StrongestASafety A⁻Hazard riskWeakestDCost of living

How Forest grades

Each subject compares Forest with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.

How grading works

SafetyVery little crime by comparisonAOpen →Cost of livingNear the bottom of the towns comparedDOpen →Hazard riskGraded on earthquake risk and radon, with high wildfire risk able to lower itA⁻Open →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work trail most townsCOpen →WalkabilityBetter than most of the towns comparedB⁺Open →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsBOpen →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsC⁺Open →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Forest stand out

The 3 things Forest does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

33% are 65 or over

Next to 19%, the median among Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Safety

Better than 94%

of Canadian towns on safety

Its safety grade: A.

Cost of living

Behind 89%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: D.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Forest.

SafetySafety A

Violent crime weighs less where Forest is policed than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 39

32Crime Severity Index

Measured across the Lambton (St. Clair/Lambton Shores) detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000

Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 32 over 2023–25, lower than both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 6.4 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 12.2 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202331

202432

202533

2023–2025	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	12.2	30.5	31.2
Crime Severity Index	32	56	67
Violent Crime Severity Index	39	76	86
Violent crime	6.4	10.5	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

43%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageForest’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety32 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Forest’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Forest safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

HousingCost of living D

Forest is graded a D for cost of living

$500,000median home value, 2021DCost of living Grade

Owners make up 81% of households. Shelter took 30% or more of income for 14% of households, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Forest$500,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	14%	22%	18%
Median home value, 2021	$500,000	$695,000	$406,000
Households owning their home	81%	76%	74%
Rent as a share of income	22%	22%	20%

$1,473

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$795

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageForest’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Cost of living6.2 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $500,000, against the median household income Renting$1,473 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Owners and renters81% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.

Natural hazardsHazard risk A⁻

A flood study covers Forest: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from St. Clair Region Conservation Authority

Lowwildfire bandA⁻Hazard risk Grade

Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.013 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Forest’s survey area, 8.4% over the radon guideline, is close to the typical town’s 6.6%. Little of the land around Forest has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.002% a year.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Forest8.4%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	8.4%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.013	$0.043	$0.030

$0.013

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

0.4 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageForest’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.1% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.013 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon8.4% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Work & commuteJobs & income C

The share of 15-to-64s with a job in Forest trails that of 63% of Canadian towns

8%walk, cycle or take transit

Commutes averaged 28 min, near Ontario’s towns (29 min) and higher than Canadian towns (26 min). Driving is how 90% of commuters got to work at the census.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van90%

Walk8%

Bicycle0%

Census 2021	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	28 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	90%	88%	89%

$80,000

median household income, 2020

20%

worked from home, May 2021

50%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageForest’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment9.6% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work8% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to295 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Sarnia

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

Who lives here

Fewer of Forest’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.9%

56.8median age

Immigrants make up 9.2% of residents, above both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). 2.9% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and close to Canadian towns (2.8%).

ForestOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

33%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree16%

Postsecondary qualification52%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 50.3% of Forest

Of the 2021 count, 5,975 were women and 5,900 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).

Who lives in Forest
	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	12%	15%	16%
15 to 64	55%	65%	64%
65+	33%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	16%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	52%	56%	56%

Full pageForest’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants9% are immigrants · 2% belong to a visible minority Ages56.8 median age · 33% are 65 or over Households5,300 households · 2.2 people per household English and French3% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

SchoolsSchools B

Most schools around Forest score below the middle in Ontario: 3 of 5

5schools within 3 kmBSchools Grade

The 3 km around Forest counts 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, 1,645 students between them. The schools around it answer to 2 boards, below both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3).

School	Level	Students	System
St John Fisher Catholic School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	325	English Catholic
North Lambton Secondary School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	575	English public

See all 5 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public4

English Catholic1

Schools within 3 km	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Nearest secondary school	14 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
School boards	2	4	3
Nearest elementary school	2.6 km	0.5 km	0.5 km

1,645

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

14 km

to the nearest secondary school

2.6 km

to the nearest elementary school

Full pageForest’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Results1 of 5 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario Every school5 schools within 3 km · 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school Language0 of 5 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario The boards2 school boards · Lambton Kent DSB Questions“What schools are there in Forest?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

HealthHealth C⁺

People in Forest’s health region live to 80.0 on average, 1.5 years short of the typical Canadian town

49%very good or excellent healthC⁺Health Grade

Residents have 6.8 km to cover to reach a hospital, above Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. Smoking is commoner than in the province: 14% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. Adults here are less upbeat about their health than the province: 49% very good or excellent, against 51% in Ontario.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Forest49%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Smokers	14%	10%	12%
Life expectancy at birth	80.0	82.8	81.5
Very good or excellent health	49%	51%	52%
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	17%	17%

80.0

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

6.8 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

14%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

6.7 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageForest’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey49% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care6.8 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 6.7 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 82.2, men 77.8 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Data for health survey and life expectancy covers the Lambton Health Unit

Climate

Forest has warmer summers than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: July afternoons reach 27.3°C

27.3°CJuly afternoons

Between the last spring frost, 8 May, and the first in autumn, 11 October, lie 155 days. On a January night, the temperature in Forest falls to about −8.5°C. Frost comes on 137 days a year, near Ontario’s towns (139) and lower than Canadian towns (159). Most of the snow comes in January, about 43 cm.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−0.1°C

Spring12.6°C

Summer26.2°C

Autumn15.3°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Forest	Ontario	Canada
July afternoon high	27.3°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
January night low	−8.5°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	137	139	159
Precipitation a year	966 mm	902 mm	883 mm

137

days with frost a year

155

frost-free days, 8 May to 11 Oct

132

days with precipitation a year

Full pageForest’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 27.3°C, January lows −8.5°C Rain and snow966 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow152 cm of snow a year Weather station30 km to the station · Strathroy-Mullifarry

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Strathroy-Mullifarry)

Weather

In Forest, November normally means 8°C afternoons and freezing nights

8°Ca normal November afternoon

By December, a normal day reaches 2°C and a night falls to −5°C. A typical November adds 13 cm of snow. A normal November brings 90 mm of rain and snow. Normal highs peak at 27°C in July; nights bottom out at −9°C in January.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November8°C

December2°C

January−2°C

February0°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	0°C	−7°C	222 mm
Spring	13°C	2°C	238 mm
Summer	26°C	15°C	245 mm
Autumn	15°C	6°C	261 mm

0°C

a normal November night

90 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageForest’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Strathroy-Mullifarry); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Forest’s council outspends 82% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities, per resident

Forest is part of Lambton Shores, a municipality by Statistics Canada’s count.

Turnout	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	39%	31%	31%

Full pageForest’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentMarilyn Gladu council seats9

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C

Forest has 5 public library branches

By name: Lambton County Library - Arkona, Lambton County Library - Forest, Lambton County Library - Grand Bend and 2 more.

Full pageForest’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong1.5 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

Step out of Forest into Pinery Provincial Park

1.7%of the land within 10 km protected

Within 10 km are 9 protected areas. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. For a swim, Ipperwash Beach is the nearest of 18 beaches within 5 km.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Forest1.7%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Forest	Ontario	Canada
Public protected areas within 10 km	1	4	4
Protected land within 10 km	1.7%	2.3%	2.3%

At the edge

to Pinery Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

public protected area within 10 km

Full pageForest’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas9 protected areas within 10 km · Pinery Provincial Park National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Pinery Provincial Park Footpaths & routes2 named routes · Ausable River Trail

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Forest

15pages on Forest

The big questions

SafetyACrime Severity Index 32 Housing & costDHomes 6.2 × income Property pricesSchoolsB5 schools within 3 km HealthC⁺Life expectancy 80 in its region Work & commuteC47% of adults in work Natural hazardsA⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors1.7% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 27°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 56.8 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Forest-Lambton Museum and 2 more in and around Forest

What there is to see in Forest and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.

All attractions →

MuseumMuseumForest-Lambton Museumin town MuseumMuseumLambton Heritage Museumin town MuseumMuseumArkona Lion's Museum And Information Centrein town

Famous people from Forest

4 notable people were born in Forest.

See all 4 →

Jamie JohnsonCanadian ice hockey player · born 1982

Bill LocheadCanadian ice hockey player · born 1954

Jesse Pickard TrippCanadian politician · 1883–1971

Colette McAuleyCanadian rugby union player · born 1973

Photo credits

Jamie Johnson: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0

About Forest

Town in Ontario

Statistics Canada treats Forest as a single census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings keeps to that line.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 12,962 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Lambton
Census subdivision: 3538040

Forest’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Kettle Point 44ParkhillForest

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Forest	12,962	—	B⁻	D	A	C⁺
Kettle Point 44	1,363	12	—	—	D⁻	C⁺
Parkhill	6,864	15	A⁻	B	A⁺	B

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Forest

Has Forest grown?

It grew from 10,631 people in 2016 to 11,876 in 2021, up 11.7%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 12,962.

Who are the people of Forest?

Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 3%.

What kind of homes are in Forest?

Mostly 84% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 29% have just one.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).