Township Of Dorion

Local real estate is country living at its best; large tracts of land with attractive market prices.  Residents maintain both, their own water and septic services. The area is crisscrossed with a series of municipal roads for easy access throughout the community.

The municipality provides an elementary school, a community hall, an early childhood education drop-in centre for parents and children, a well stocked library with high speed internet, as well as a municipal administrative services.

Municipal Fire protection is provided by local volunteers. The fire station consists of both, a pumper truck and tanker truck. Mutual aid support is provided by the nearby community of Hurkett.

Amenities

“Canyon Country Service”provides residents with a convenience store and includes fuel, post office, courier, liquor store, propane. Local residents have the option of travelling east to the neighbouring community of Nipigon to access their groceries, a pharmacy, hardware stores or they can travel west to the City of Thunder Bay for such amenities, including the Thunder Bay International Airport.

Child Care

The “Brass Bell” Early Years Centre offers parents and children access to daily, drop-in pre-school learning materials and activities. Child care is provided primarily by local neighbours and friends within the community.

Medical Care

Access to 24-hr emergency services is available to local residents in the nearby community of Nipigon. Nipigon District Memorial Hospital is an accredited  37- bed facility with both acute and longterm care accommodations. Five family physicians provide non-emergent care. Specialist care is provided at the state-of-the –art Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre in Thunder Bay. A travelling health van from Norwest Community Health Centre attends the community monthly and offers the services of a nurse practitioner as well as foot care. Immunization is available as well as seniors’ workshops on issues ranging from  diabetes and medications through to arthritis care.

Emergency Services

911 calls for ambulances services are provided from the Red Rock EMS base. Residents can expect response times to be less than 20 minutes for most calls. Policing services are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police out of the Nipigon Detachment.

Municipal Fire protection is provided by local volunteers. The fire station consists of both, a pumper truck and tanker truck. Mutual aid support is provided by the nearby community of Hurkett.

Communications

Although rural in nature, both Tbaytel and Bell provide high speed internet access. Several areas within the community still depend on dial-up services, but this is expected to improve in the near future. Cellular services are provided throughout the community by Tbaytel.

Dorion was opened for settlement  in the early 1900’s, when European farmers arrived to raise crops, and raise dairy and beef cattle. Others made their living working in the forest industry. Today, Dorion remains an agricultural community with employment opportunities in the tourism sector.

Many residents choose to work in the larger city of Thunder Bay along with the towns that surround Dorion. These residents describe Dorion as a wonderful place to return to in the evening to relax.

An excellent elementary school offers local children primary education from Junior Kindergarten through to Grade 8 close to home. High School students travel twenty minutes by bus to the nearby town of Red Rock. The city of Thunder Bay offers first class, post- secondary education at Lakehead University and Confederation College.

New business opportunities exist in the community. Low taxes, affordable living and the immediate proximity to the Trans-Canada Highway for shipping and transportation of goods support home-based businesses. High speed internet services offer unlimited opportunities for the entrepreneur to establish and expand a business in a rural setting.

Additional opportunities have been identified in the agricultural sector. Underutilized arable land offers new farmers the opportunity to serve the needs of the local community with future potential for expansion to neighbouring centres.

There currently exists approximately forty-five (45) home-based businesses in Dorion. Small business development has access to the Superior North Community Futures Development Corporation and its resources. They provide a range of consulting services including the services of a visiting development officer, business planning and training.

Dorion’s Municipal Council makes every attempt to promote and support new business development. The development of Renewable Energy Systems’ Greenwich Wind Farm, north of the community has been facilitated by council’s willingness to accommodate the developer’s requests for support, information, and rezoning.

Dorion’s rural lifestyle provides time for many recreational activities. A volunteer Recreation Committee organizes regular events for both adults and children. From mushroom workshops to stargazing, from children’s movie nights to bake sales to the regular Christmas Tree Lighting Evening.

Children can also participate in a number of sport activities such as soccer, softball and basketball. Outdoor skating is provided in the nearby community of Hurkett, two kilometers down the highway. Curling, hockey and figure skating are offered in nearby Nipigon or Red Rock.

The Black Bay Friendship Club, some 45 members strong, offers weekly activities for the 55+ crowd. Whether you want to relax and visit with your neighbour over a cup of coffee or participate in a more organized day trip, such as canoeing or hiking, the club offers both.

Many residents are avid bird-watchers and in 2009, Dorion hosted the first Dorion Birding Festival which brought visitors to observe and photograph native birds in their natural habitat.

Dorion is surrounded by natural beauty at its doorstep! The community is home to the world famous Ouimet Canyon which draws visitors from around the globe. Just minutes away, Eagle Canyon features the longest suspension bridge in Canada plus a recently added “zip “ line for the adventurous visitor. During the summer months, locals participate in numerous recreational activities; boating on Lake Superior or one of the many inland lakes, hiking, fishing, photography. Kayaking and windsurfing on the waters of Black Bay appeal to many. In the winter months, snowmobiling, ice-fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing entertain both local residents as well as visitors.

Those wishing for fine dining and live entertainment have the option of travelling to Thunder Bay, where various nightclubs, hotels, Magnus Theatre and the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium host international acts and live theatre.