ShuniahOntario
It is a town of 3,458 residents in Ontario. Its population rose 16% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Shuniah a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Its schools beat most (A+). Shuniah’s overall grade is B+, better than 72% of Canadian towns. That places it #213 of 858 in Ontario. Safety is another plus (A+). The catch is health (D). Homes were valued at a median $420,000 at the 2021 census, 3.8 times the typical household’s income. It is hard to get around without a car (D).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Shuniah grades
Each subject compares Shuniah 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 TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Shuniah stand out
The 3 things Shuniah does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shuniah.
Shuniah’s teenagers travel 15 km to the nearest high school
On results, 2 of 3 schools are in the top fifth in Ontario. An elementary school stands 4.3 km from the centre, above both Ontario’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude E Garton Public School Top fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 430 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 15 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 4.3 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Shuniah is graded an A+ for safety
Violent incidents came to 2.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Each year brings 6.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 6.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 2.8 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 60 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Shuniah scores below 92% of Canadian towns for health
What sets Shuniah apart within its region is distance: 23 km to a hospital on average, over 30 km for 43% of residents. 17% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, higher than both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). A baby born in the region can expect 76.5 years, 79.0 for a girl and 74.1 for a boy (2022/2024). In addition, in the health survey, 49% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Ontario’s 51%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Shuniah | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: the Thunder Bay District Health Unit
Flood mapping exists for Shuniah: 1 on record, latest by Lakehead Region Conservation Authority
Health Canada’s survey found radon above the guideline in just over one in ten homes, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Fire seldom reaches Shuniah: since 1986, 1% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.03% a year).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.003 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Winter nights bite in Shuniah: January lows of −19.2°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
A normal year brings 790 mm of precipitation, lower than both Ontario’s towns (902 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Shuniah sees July afternoons of 24.9°C on average. Rain and snow peak in July, at 117 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Shuniah | 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)
An older town: 30% of people in Shuniah are 65 or over, more than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
0.6% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). Children under 15 count for 12% of the people here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.5% of Shuniah’s residents are women
Census 2021 put women at 1,610 and men at 1,640; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Shuniah | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 65% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Shuniah’s household incomes are higher than in 94% of Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 31 min, above Ontario’s towns (29 min) and Canadian towns (26 min) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
What November brings in Shuniah: −7°C at night, 3°C by day
Expect about 40 mm of rain and snow over November. Looking ahead to December, expect highs near −5°C and lows near −15°C. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Thunder Bay forecast, on the Weather page.
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
Shuniah turned out at just 17% for its 2022 council election, below 94% of Ontario municipalities
Wendy Landry was elected mayor of Shuniah in October 2022, on a council of 5 seats.
| Turnout | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 17% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Shuniah is Waverley Resource Library, 18 km away
The next is Thunder Bay Public Library: Brodie Resource Library (Thunder Bay), 23 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Most households in Shuniah own their home: 95%, more than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 8% of households, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Rent took 16% of household income, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike. Nobody publishes rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom for Shuniah alone, so this card uses the figure for the Thunder Bay metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 8% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 95% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $420,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Step out of Shuniah and you are in Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area
2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Wild Goose Beach. Of the land within 10 km, 19% has protected status, above Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. 13 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Shuniah | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 19% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Shuniah
About Shuniah
Town in Ontario
Shuniah is a municipality in Ontario, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,458 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Thunder Bay
- Metro area
- Thunder Bay
- Census subdivision
- 3558028
Questions about Shuniah
Who are the people of Shuniah?
1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 9% have an Indigenous identity and 7% are immigrants.
Is Shuniah growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 2,798 to 3,247 residents (up 16%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 3,458.
What kind of homes are in Shuniah?
Single-detached houses make up 97% 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 2.3.
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).