
Fort William 52Ontario
1,038 residents make their home in this First Nations reserve in Ontario. Statistics Canada counts it in the Thunder Bay metro area.
Is Fort William 52 a good place to live?
Floods and other hazards weigh less here (A−). Its weakest is jobs & income (C−). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for schools and B− for walkability. It lags on health as well (C−).
Reserves such as Fort William 52 stay out of the grades and the ranked lists. Statistics Canada publishes too little of their data, and what it does publish can’t be weighed fairly against other towns.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. No Safety Grade: no police service publishes a crime rate for this place on its own. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread. A First Nations reserve: subject grades only, with no overall grade and no place in ranked lists.
How Fort William 52 grades
Each subject compares Fort William 52 with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Reserves such as Fort William 52 stay out of the grades and the ranked lists. Statistics Canada publishes too little of their data, and what it does publish can’t be weighed fairly against other towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Fort William 52 stand out
The 2 things Fort William 52 does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fort William 52.
Trips to work from Fort William 52 are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 18 min on average
The car took 88% of commuters, about level with both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Lives run shorter around Fort William 52: 76.5 years, 5.0 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Thunder Bay District Health Unit
Adults who call their own health very good or excellent: 49%, below Ontario’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Ontario. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Fort William 52’s is long: 6.9 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Flood mapping exists for Fort William 52: 2 on record, latest by Lakehead Region Conservation Authority
12% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.004 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Burn scars are few around Fort William 52, with 0.2% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.006% a year).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.004 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Fort William 52 has colder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −19.2°C
For the wettest month, look to July: 117 mm on average. There are 206 days of frost in a typical year, above Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159) alike. Summer highs in Fort William 52 reach 24.9°C in July.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −19.2°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 206 | 139 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 24.9°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 790 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Thunder Bay)
More of Fort William 52’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 87%
Those 65 and older account for 16% of residents. Children under 15 make up 20%, higher than both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.8% of Fort William 52’s residents are women
Women numbered 490 and men 475 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 64% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 36% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 36% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Catholic schools are a larger share around Fort William 52: 7 of 12, against 34% in Ontario
On the tests, 3 of 9 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 3 under it. Over three years, results rose at 6 of its 9 tested schools. Within 3 km, 2 boards share the schools, below Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3) alike. None of them teaches in French, though 10% of schools in Ontario do.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pope John Paul II Elementary School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 7–8 | Elementary · Grades 7–8 | 530 | English Catholic |
| Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute VocationalLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,075 | English public |
| Nor'wester View Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 300 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 4.6 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 5 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
In Fort William 52, November normally means 3°C afternoons and −7°C nights
Next comes December, with normal highs of −5°C and lows of −15°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 40 mm. The year peaks in July (25°C) and bottoms out in January (−19°C). The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Thunder Bay.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −6°C | −17°C | 96 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −5°C | 166 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 10°C | 311 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 216 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Thunder Bay); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fort William 52 sends Marcus Powlowski (Liberal Party of Canada) to the Commons from Thunder Bay—Rainy River
The Liberal Party of Canada has 71 of the 122 MPs elected in Ontario.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Fort William 52 has no public library of its own; the nearest is Mary J.L. Black, 4.8 km away
After it comes Thunder Bay Public Library: Brodie Resource Library (Thunder Bay), 5.8 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A national park 19 km from Fort William 52: Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area
Of the land within 10 km, 0.3% has protected status, below both Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). A provincial park, Thompson Island Provincial Park, lies 13 km away. 2 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. Swimmers have 3 beaches within 5 km, Sand Trap the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Fort William 52 | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Fort William 52
St. Patrick's Cathedral and 7 more in and around Fort William 52
The best-known places to visit in and around Fort William 52 come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
CathedralSt. Patrick's Cathedral3 km outside town, to the north
FortFort William Historical Park3.5 km outside town, to the west
MuseumThunder Bay Historical Museum3.2 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumNorthwestern Ontario Aviation Heritage Centre3.2 km outside town, to the northSki hillSki hillKamview Nordic Centre3.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumNorthwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame3.1 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- St. Patrick's Cathedral: Vidioman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort William Historical Park: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thunder Bay Historical Museum: Vidioman, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Fort William 52
No notable person born in Fort William 52 is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.






Photo credits
Marie Avgeropoulos: vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0 · Kevin Durand: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Eric Staal: Benjamin Reed, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jordan Staal: Benjamin Reed, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alex Delvecchio: TGC-Topps Gum Cards, Public domain · Matt Murray: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Fort William 52
First Nations reserve in Ontario
Fort William 52 is a First Nations reserve in Ontario, which Statistics Canada treats as a census subdivision of its own.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,038 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Thunder Bay
- Metro area
- Thunder Bay
- First Nation
- Fort William
- Census subdivision
- 3558003
Fort William 52’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort William 52 | 1,038 | — | — | — | — | C− |
| Thunder Bay | 117,671 | 9.6 | C− | C− | C− | C− |
| Oliver Paipoonge | 6,524 | 19 | B− | B− | B− | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Fort William 52
What kind of homes are in Fort William 52?
Single-detached houses make up 81% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 24% of households are one person, and the average is 2.7.
Has Fort William 52 grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 981 to 964 residents (1.7% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 1,038.
Is Fort William 52 a young town or an old one?
The median resident is 37.6 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 20% are under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · 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).