Living in Northern Ontario

With the changing of the seasons, I have been spending more time outside which got me thinking about this wonderful part of the province that I live in. Living in Northern Ontario is not the easiest thing to do but it is definitely worth it if you love the outdoors and like getting away from the big city life. There are still cities here but they are not the same as cities like Toronto. There is a totally different feeling to them here. The Northern Ontario people are also different. It seems like we have a more relaxed but also rough and tough personality to us. I guess that's what happens when you live in areas surrounded by bush. Here is a list of a bunch of things that Northern Ontario is known for and make it what it is.

Winter: I have a love-hate relationship with Winter but it is definitely a huge part of living in Northern Ontario. Pretty much half of the year is Winter due to how long the snow is around. Outdoor Winter activities are popular but there are also people who like me who mostly stay inside during the Winter. I personally think that we should just have snow for Christmas and then it should all melt away but Mother Nature thinks otherwise.

Bears and Other Wildlife: Seeing wildlife is perfectly normal here in Northern Ontario due to all of the surrounding bush. Black bears are especially common and I'd be surprised if someone living here never saw a bear. I have seen a bear while walking down a trail along a creek (thankfully it was on the other side of the creek), while biking (thankfully it was far enough down the trail that I was able to get away from the area without it seeing me), on the front porch of my family's house (it was trying to get seeds from the bird feeder that we put out in November thinking that the bears were hibernating), and in my family's backyard (it would come in the middle of the day to eat grapes from our grapevines). Us Northern Ontarians therefore grow up learning about bear safety and what to do if we encounter a bear. Other wildlife that we have seen just around our house include birds, squirrels (including flying squirrels), chipmunks, raccoons (there were two living under our porch for a while and one Winter there was even a raccoon with no tail that would come to the bird feeders), foxes, snakes, frogs, toads, groundhogs, mice, and more.

Camps: In Southern Ontario, people tend to have what they call cottages, but in Northern Ontario, we have camps. What we call a camp is basically a wooden cabin. Some people have electricity and running water in their camp while others, like my family, do not. A lot of camps are also by a lake but some of us, like my family, have a camp that is simply in the bush. My family also has a wood stove in our camp so that we can use our camp all year long.

Saunas: There is a large Finnish population in Northern Ontario. Two cities in Northern Ontario with larger Finnish populations than others are Sudbury, where I live, and Thunder Bay. A quarter of my family is actually Finnish so I am a part of that Northern Ontario Finnish population. My mom has explained to me that many Finnish people settled here in Northern Ontario because the landscape is so similar to that of Finland. Since there is such a large Finnish population, it should be no surprise that saunas (Finnish steam baths) are very popular here, especially for people that have camps by the lake. It should also be no surprise that my family has our own sauna in our backyard.

The Bush: Here in Northern Ontario, and perhaps in other areas of Canada, we refer to the forest as "the bush." I feel like it is probably because our forests are often more wild than what you might think of when you imagine a forest. Also, when it comes to the outdoors here in Northern Ontario, we are fine with "roughing it" so I suppose "the bush" just adds to that roughness that we associate with the outdoors.

Campfires/Bonfires: Having a fire pit in your backyard is popular in Northern Ontario and yes, my family has one. Even though you may have to fight off a ton of mosquitoes, there is nothing better than inviting family and friends over for a fire to relax and listen to someone play guitar while you roast marshmallows under the stars.

If you don't live in Northern Ontario, I hope this helps you understand this part of Ontario a bit more and I hope it encourages you to visit this area sometime to experience it. If you're from Northern Ontario, then you probably just nodded your head in agreement throughout this list.

Cheers,
Kaylie