Municipality Of Neebing

Geographically, the Municipality of Neebing is the second largest municipality within the Province of Ontario. It is located immediately to the south of Thunder Bay and has a population of approximately 2200 residents living in 1150 private dwellings, on a land mass of 875.51 square kilometres (338.0363 square miles). The Queen’s Highway 61 traverses the Municipality and travels for a total of 35 scenic kilometres. The Municipality is bordered by the Municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge, Township of Gillies, City of Thunder Bay, Lake Superior and the Canada/US border.

In Neebing you will find affordable living complimented by low taxes (private well and septic systems are the norm). From large areas of vacant, developable land to smaller pieces of lakefront property, Neebing has acreage available, just waiting for you. Whether you are looking to purchase, rent or build-it-yourself, Neebing can accommodate your plans. From heavily wooded areas to farm fields- look no further- you will be able to find it within our municipality.

Neebing has had a history of active and forward thinking Municipal Councils who work diligently to obtain the greatest benefits for our community. Council meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month and welcomes audience participation. A bi-monthly Council newsletter, the Neebing News, keeps everyone informed about what’s happening in our municipality.

There is one Roman Catholic Church within Neebing; St. Benedict’s meets for worship on the last Sunday of every month. You will find other places of worship within a short 20 minute drive commute of our boundaries.

One day a month the NorWest Community Health Centre sponsors a walk-in clinic at our Municipal Office. They provide the services of a nurse-practitioner, a foot care specialist and a community health representative.

Our Volunteer Emergency Services team is one of the the most active in the area. They participate in both internal and external fire and first response training,and are a very productive and dedicated group of individuals. The Neebing Emergency Services (NES) is very proud to serve full time residents and seasonal residents, as well as and guests visiting in or passing through to our municipality. They will respond to all 911 calls for assistance (fire, medical and accident). The Municipality is currently covered by six (6) volunteer-manned fire stations, each of which is strategically located within the community. Over the past five (5) years, NES has been fortunate in being able to provide its residents with the protection of a special medical service through the presence of six (6) Automatic External Defibrillators (AED’s).

The interesting and informative Neebing Settler’s Descendants book was published a short time ago through the efforts and contributions of many of our local residents. It preserves a history that would otherwise have been lost. Complimentary copies have been distributed to our local schools to be included in their libraries.

Volunteers are always welcomed in our fair Municipality.  Several boards and committees operate with volunteer members (the Neebing Recreation Board; the Crooks Cemetery Board; the Waste Management Committee; the Economic (Development) Advisory Committee or the Environment Advisory Committee to name a few). There are volunteer programs such as baseball, soccer or skating for all ages. We have a very active Association that does fundraising to support our Fire Department who are always looking for new ideas and people to assist them. The Neebing Fire/Rescue Association provides our Fire Department with essential equipment and supplies that would not be normally supported through the tax dollars. Consider volunteering and getting involved with a Community who will give you back twice as much as you give. It’s a great way to meet your neighbours and make new friends along the way.

Many Neebing residents are employed in the city of Thunder Bay, while others work either within the municipality either at one of our various ”home-based” industries or in public service.

Worried about getting to work? Don’t be!

It is a short commute into the city along a quiet well maintained and patrolled highway. Neebing itself has a reputation for providing our residents with some of the best kept roads around in the region. During the winter, every effort is made to have any new snowfall plowed prior to the school busses beginning their runs in the morning. We maintain our 510 kilometres of road to Ministry of Transportation standards. Other ongoing road projects include gravelling, ditching and brushing.

• Mink Mountain Lodge & Resort

• Window Light Photo Gallery

• Chaschuk Enterprises

• Eagle Ridge Trout Ponds

• Jester Sports (Paintballs)

• Tycon Construction

• Jay’s Automotive

• Boreal Taxidermy

• Ferguson Construction & Bookkeeping

• Fast Forward Motor Sports

• Thunder Oak Cheese Farms

• CopperCliff Lodge & Kennels

• Pizza Primevara

• Veterinary Clinic & several Veterinarians

• Early Snows Pottery

• Ruen Tai

• Frank’s Alternate Energy

• Magnum Enterprises

• Moose Hill Sports

• Numerous family owned and run farming operations

As Neebing has no school within its boundaries, our public elementary children are bussed to nearby Valley Central School or Whitefish Valley School.

Schooling for Catholic elementary children is provided at either Holy Family School or St. Anne’s School, and all High School aged youth are bussed into the City of Thunder Bay. Bussing is also provided for students of the Thunder Bay Christian School.

A pre-school playgroup meet on Thursday mornings at our Blake Community Hall, and welcomes all school- aged or younger children.

Neebing has contracted with the neighbouring Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge to access their library and internet facilities.

Some of the business opportunities entrepreneurs have created in Neebing are: bed & breakfasts; resort facilities; cottage rentals; a trout pond, cabins and R.V. park; a pottery studio and sales shop; home based automotive garages serviced by licensed mechanics; a photo gallery, a paintball field; a taxidermy shop; a ‘cheese factory’, and pallet plant.

If you are looking for a place to open/operate a business, our friendly and knowledgeable municipal staff will assist you with the planning and the paperwork necessary to get you started. There are numerous viable dairy and beef farms in the Municipality; we are home to three (3) veterinarians and have, in our midst, the world famous Thunder Oak Cheese Farms in our midst. Our well-known taxidermist is one of the best in the Thunder Bay area. We are host to an oven-fired pizza operation and a Tai food caterer, and the newest member on our list of entrepreneurs is a paintball playing field.

Useful Links:

• www.neebing.org

• Onramp Ontario.ca

• www.coppercliff.com

• www.ertp.ca

• www.thunderbay.ca

• www.superiornorth.com/MainMenu.htm

Neebing is a great place in which to live and play. As well as all the wonderful fishing and hunting, we have four distinct play areas. The Pearson Recreation Centre features a baseball diamond and skating rink; the Crooks ball diamond is available for public group usage, and the Municipal Office has a smaller ball diamond and space for a soccer field. The Blake Hall Community Centre has facilities available (with approximately seating of 125) for meetings, weddings, parties and gatherings. While there is no catering available on site, the kitchen area is well equipped -with stoves, a fridge, dishes, and cutlery. The Hall boasts an outdoor skating rink facility, and an area suitable for outdoor recreation.

Neebing has numerous stunning cliffs with face areas that are excellent for both rock and ice climbing. Sites for bird watching and dragonfly counting are plentiful. We have trails aplenty many of which lead to scenic waterfalls and other forested locales. The LaVerandrye Provincial Park and the High Falls Provincial Park (maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) are included in our beautiful region. Just outside of Neebing are located (within the City of Thunder bay and a short distance across the Canada/United States border) are some world class downhill and cross-country skiing facilities.

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority has a beautiful public picnic area that can be easily accessed. It affords picnic tables and a boat launch that will handle a larger-sized boat as well as small boats, canoes and kayaks. The Municipality has developed several public boat-launching sites (both on Lake Superior and the smaller inland lakes).

So come and join us in Neebing! Take a quiet walk on the many available paths, do some swimming, scuba diving, snowmobiling, ATVing,hiking, skating cross-country skiing or snow shoeing. Or just relax and to take in all that our wonderful nature has to offer! For your pleasure “We have it all”!

Margaret Schep

Jacob and I moved to Thunder Bay twenty-eight years ago from the Netherlands. We started dairy farming in the beautiful Slate River Valley. Fourteen years ago, the family opened our Thunder Oak Cheese business on our property. Our cheeses are known all over the country and have won many awards. We love living in Neebing because nature is in our backyard, with Oliver Lake for swimming in summer, High Falls for hiking in the fall and Cloud Lake for fishing whenever we wish. We could go on and on, but the countryside is so wonderful here.  

Judy and Rick Osipenko

We joined the Neebing family in 1995, with the purchase of a beautiful vacant 62 acre lot on Highway 61.  A hike up the ridge netted us a sweet view of Lake Superior, Pine Bay and Isle Royale.  Who could not fall in love with this area?  The drive from the Pidgeon River Border to Thunder Bay is so scenic.  We are in awe every time we pass the farm lands in the Slate River Valley.  No matter what season of growth, the rolling fields are always in such perfect symmetry.  It just makes you want to get into farming (if we didn’t like fishing so much!).In developing the original fishing ponds and gift store, we relied heavily on the expertise provided by the Neebing municipal office.  They were instrumental in directing us to the proper steps and procedures to follow, as well as contacts necessary at the provincial levels.  We were able to draw upon local Neebing enterprises for our site clearing, landscaping and construction. A big “THANK-YOU” goes out to the community as a whole for being very supportive.  In our first summer, the Neebing volunteer fire department held their summer picnic at the trout pond.  This gave us great exposure our first year, and helped spread the word about us in the municipality.

Donn and Donna Larson, Duluth, Minn.

Our perspective is as part-time residents, citizens of the neighbouring U.S. state of Minnesota, who discovered Neebing in 1969, bought a modest cottage on Lake Superior, and have relished our community’s hospitality and natural appeal ever since. Our children spent all of their formative summers here, plus many holidays in all seasons. Besides the friendliness and unspoiled natural beauty, we appreciate the efficiency and good services of our local government, reasonable taxes, good roads and citizens’ involvement and ability to influence public policy. Neebing has welcomed us warmly—no equivocation—for us this is a magical rural place with both a good conservation ethic and progressive spirit.

Bev Dale

We chose to live in Neebing because we discovered a lifestyle we didn't want to leave behind. I've lived in eight Ontario towns and cities since leaving Montreal,my home since birth, with my young family; my husband has lived in thirteen. We purchased our modest cottage (known as "camps" up here) on an ancient stony beach in 1993. Watching the sun rise over the mouth of our bay and beyond, over the magnificent waters of the largest lake in the world, we knew we had found home. We love the peacefulness, the privacy living on the edge of the boreal forest, the bounty of wildlife, the starry nights and the magic of the Northern Lights, the clean air, the crisp cold sunny winter days and the long summer days with cool nights. All the amenities of the city are a relaxing half hour drive away. As well, we have become an active part of the community. That's why we've chosen to call Neebing home and we are here to stay.