Land for sale in Nipissing District, Ontario

About Nipissing District

The area

Nipissing District covers about 17,000 km² of northeastern Ontario, from Lake Nipissing east to the Ottawa River at Mattawa and south to Algonquin Park, and had about 84,700 people in 2021. North Bay (about 52,700) is the main city, and West Nipissing (about 14,600), which includes Sturgeon Falls and Verner, comes next. Smaller municipalities include East Ferris, Bonfield, Mattawa, Chisholm, South Algonquin and Temagami. Much of the district is unorganized: about 3,700 km² in the north with about 1,600 people, and about 6,700 km² in the south with about 100. Lake Temagami lies in the north, and South Algonquin has large tracts of Crown land.

History

Lake Nipissing and the Mattawa River formed a canoe route used for centuries by First Nations, then by Hudson's Bay Company traders and voyageurs bound for Lake Superior. Nipissing First Nation, a Robinson-Huron Treaty (1850) nation, is at Garden Village near North Bay, and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai (Temagami First Nation) are based on Bear Island. Mattawa grew on white pine logging, and North Bay began in 1882 as a Canadian Pacific Railway divisional point.

Services and access

North Bay Regional Health Centre is the main hospital and has an emergency department. West Nipissing General Hospital in Sturgeon Falls has a 24-hour emergency department, and Mattawa Hospital offers acute and emergency care. Highways 11 and 17 meet at North Bay, whose Jack Garland Airport has scheduled flights, including to Toronto; check its flight page for current routes. Nipissing University, Canadore College, government offices and CFB North Bay anchor the local economy.

Land and climate

Trout Lake supplies water to North Bay and to many private systems in North Bay and East Ferris, and the city's official plan sets policies to protect it. North Bay also applies floodplain rules along the Lake Nipissing shore. Septic permits come from the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority across the district.

Before you buy

With no county government, each municipality, such as West Nipissing, South Algonquin or Temagami, issues its own building permits and zoning. Calvin, Mattawan and Papineau-Cameron share the East Nipissing Planning Board and its official plan. In unorganized territory, land is usually unzoned and no building permit is needed, but construction must still meet the Ontario Building Code, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing makes planning decisions. Near shorelines, wetlands and floodplains, the conservation authority may require a permit for building, fill, culverts or shoreline work. The Crown Land Use Policy Atlas shows the rules for nearby Crown land. The district is in Ontario's fire region, with outdoor burning rules from April 1 to October 31. Ontario's Greenbelt is in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and does not apply here.

Sources

• Statistics Canada, 2021 Census population and dwelling counts (tables 98-10-0002, 98-10-0007)
• City of North Bay, Official Plan
• Tourism North Bay, history of North Bay
• Town of Mattawa, About Mattawa
• Nipissing First Nation
• Municipality of Temagami
• Township of South Algonquin
• West Nipissing, planning and development
• Ontario, East Nipissing Planning Board official plan decision
• North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority: jurisdiction, septic and Section 28 permits
• North Bay Regional Health Centre, West Nipissing General Hospital, Mattawa Hospital, North Bay Jack Garland Airport
• Ontario: land use planning in Northern Ontario, Crown Land Use Policy Atlas, outdoor fire rules, Greenbelt Plan

Written by AcreScout from the sources listed; facts checked October 1, 2026. Rules change: confirm anything that matters with the municipality.