Township of White River

Discover the beauty of White River

The Township of White River is best known as the birthplace of the world famous children’s character Winnie the Pooh, the bear cub that became the inspiration of author A.A. Milne.

White River is set amongst a stunning landscape of lush boreal forests, fresh water lakes and natural wildlife. Located on Highway 17 of the Trans-Canada Highway and midway between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie; this Northern Ontario town connects Central Canada with the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia.

White River attracts many people from across North America who want to experience the natural beauty of Northwestern Ontario. Residents enjoy swimming, boating, fishing and hunting in the summer months to snowmobiling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months.

With a population of 1000, White River is a small but growing community. Due to its location on one of Canada’s major highways, new industries, services and people stop and often take permanent residency in White River, where raising a family, doing business and enjoying our spectacular countryside become a natural way of life.

The Township of White River is pleased to provide our Community Profile online for your convenience. You will note that White River has an immense number of services and amenities, with excellent potential for further growth. White River is a wonderful place to raise your family, engage in an active outdoor lifestyle, and create business opportunities.

We would be pleased to send you an information package about our community and our services. If you would like to speak with someone from White River about a specific issue, please contact us.

Businesses For Sale: Thriving Tourism Business For Sale in White River

Living

The Township of White River is located at the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631. If you are flying into Canada, residents can access White River by arriving at the international airports of Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Domestic connections can then be easily taken into the regional airport of Wawa, Ontario and a car trip to White River.

Although we are a relatively small community with only 1000 residents, White River has six other neighbouring communities that combine to make a total population of approximately 12,000 people within a 1 hour driving radius.

There are a number of housing units available in town to rent or to own including apartments, duplexes (houses split into two sections), town houses, and single dwelling houses.

Local services provided to White River residents include municipal services such as a public library, a recreation centre, a waste disposal site and a trailer dumping station, as well as essential policing, fire, and ambulance services.

High quality communications services such as radio and television stations, telephone and internet are also accessible throughout White River. In addition to its modern infrastructure, White River is a safe community with superior health care provided by the White River Medical Clinic.

White River is surrounded by natural beauty and is the perfect place for the avid outdoors person to make a new home. There are many small, inland lakes and deep forests, which offer the very best water and land based activities, from fishing and hunting to incredible hiking and canoeing, among breathtaking scenery. For the snowmobile enthusiast, White River connects to the TOP trails (Top 100 ranking trails in North America) and Superior Snow Challenge Loops.

White River has much to offer new residents...a strategic location, a quality lifestyle and very affordable real estate, all serviced by a reliable and welcoming community infrastructure.

Working

White River has successfully leveraged its natural resources into opportunities for employment and economic development. In its early days, White River was considered to be a railway town as rail work camps for the Canadian Pacific Railroad were the main economic driver for the community.

Today, White River’s economy and employment prospects are much more diversified and include opportunities in tourism and natural resource industries such as mining and forestry. In White River, major employment sectors include manufacturing, retail, public service, and construction.

For a full listing of employers in White River visit our Business Directory.

Learning

Families in White River are provided with access to a full range of education services in a progressive community setting.

A White River education guarantees that students receive individual care and attention in the classroom. Small class sizes and a supportive teaching environment allow educators to build an understanding of the individual needs of each student. This quality of teaching and attention to the individual student cannot be found in larger urban centres and provides a solid foundation for children and youth from White River to achieve educational success at the post-secondary level.

The St. Basil’s School offers Junior and Senior Kindergarten classes through to Grade 8. After graduating Grade 8, students are transported to the nearby Town of Wawa for secondary education at the Wawa High School.

French-language Catholic and public education is also offered to residents in Wawa where it is possible to study in French from Kindergarten to grade 12. Free transportation if offered to École publique l’Escalade (Kindergarten-grade 8) and École Saint-Joseph (Kindergarten to Grade 12) in Wawa.

Like most other rural towns in Northwestern Ontario, post-secondary education can be accessed in the nearby cities of Thunder Bay and Sault St. Marie. For those students who want to travel further to attend College or University, Canada offers some of the world’s best academic and vocational institutions.

Doing Business

The Township of White River supports new business development and is committed to working with business owners to ensure that needs are met. Contact the Municipal Office for more information.

The Township of White River has a number of commercial, industrial and mixed use (residential/commercial) properties for sale. Contact the Municipal Office for more information.

If you require assistance to evaluate a potential business opportunity, the White River Economic Development Department is ready to assist you with your business plan preparation, grant and loan applications, research/feasibility studies, economics/social research, and project implementation.

For further information please contact:

Tom Farquhar

Economic Development Officer

610 Elgin St. 

White River, ON P0M 3G0

 Phone Number: 807-822-2859

Fax Number: 807-822-1228

 Email: wredc@whiteriver.ca

Playing

White River has year-round sport, recreation and leisure:

White River Community Centre

White River Community Centre is a busy place, housing 3 sheets of ice and offering a variety of activities from hockey to curling and figure skating. There is also a full fitness centre, a baseball field, and a food and beverage facility.

Hunting and Fishing

The local wildlife includes small game, deer, moose and black bears, providing hunters with nearly year-round access to wild game. We attract a large number of moose hunters every fall. A complex watershed makes the Township a wonderful spot for inland fishing. Fishermen will not be disappointed with the opportunities to reel in a Walleye, Bass, Pike or Lake Trout. Our fresh water lakes and rivers are full of fish.

Summer Recreation

Within the Township there are endless opportunities for outdoor fun in the summer. We’ve got wilderness activities like hiking trails that loop through our forests and around our lakes and rivers, swimming, and canoeing to motorized boating activities.

Various community events are also hosted every year like the Canada Day Celebration and Winnie's Hometown Festival that takes place annually on the 3rd weekend in August. A statue, based on the Disney Winnie-the-Pooh character, stands in the Park where the Visitor Centre is located and can be viewed from Highway 17.

Winter Recreation

White River is a great place to find some of the best snowmobiling in North America. There are well-used trails that accommodate ATVs throughout the summer months and snowmobiles all winter long. Winter hiking, ice-fishing, snowshoeing, skating, organized hockey, curling league, pond-hockey and cross-country skiing are the favourite pastimes of local residents.

Other main attractions and clubs in White River include: