O'Connor is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located west of the city of Thunder Bay. The municipality was formed on January 1, 1907. The township serves as a bedroom community of Thunder Bay, with some agriculture, and is part of Thunder Bay's Census Metropolitan Area. The township was opened to settlement in 1887 because of the silver mining boom, and named by the Ontario government after Port Arthur businessman, alderman and police magistrate James Joseph O'Connor. The current mayor of O'Connor is Jim Vezina. The township has four councillors, Chantal Alkins, Kevin Foekens, Jerry Loan, and Bishop Racicot. The township maintains a disposal site, a skating rink, basketball court, and a fire station staffed by volunteer fire fighters. The township produces and distributes a newsletter called The Cornerstone. O'Connor's primary industry is agriculture. Many residents commute to work either to Thunder Bay or the surrounding woodlands.
Geography
The geography of O'Connor is mainly flat open farmland and rolling hills, with the Whitefish River Valley dominating the southeast corner of the township. The township contains many creeks and rivers. The most notable geographic feature is Kakabeka Falls, located in the northeastern corner of the municipality near the community of Kakabeka Falls, Ontario.
Transportation
The municipality is served by highways 590 and 595, which intersect in the northern half of the municipality. Highway 590 connects the community to the Trans-Canada Highway at Kakabeka Falls in neighbouring Oliver Paipoonge.
Population and demographics
According to the 2016 census, there were 663 people residing in O'Connor, of whom 51.1% were male and 48.9% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 4.5% of the resident population of O'Connor. This compares with 5.2% in Ontario as a whole. In mid-2006, 9.0% of the resident population in O'Connor were of retirement age compared with 13.7% in Canada. The average age was 40.8 years of age comparing to 39.5 years of age for all of Canada. In the five years between 2001 and 1996, the population of O'Connor declined by 0.6% compared with an increase of 6.6% for Ontario province as a whole. Population density of O'Connor averaged 6.6 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 13.4 for Ontario altogether.
Media
The township receives good quality radio from Thunder Bay. Some radio stations from Thunder Bay do not reach this township, such as CILU-FM, The Lakehead University campus radio, and Magic 99.9 FM. Major radio 105.3 The Giant and Rock 94 reach the township with good reception.
