Opasatika

Opasatika is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Cochrane District on the Opasatika River, a tributary of the Missinaibi River.^[2] Its name is of indigenous origin, meaning "surrounded by poplar".^[3]

Opasatika
Township (single-tier)
Township of Opasatika Canton d'Opasatika
Highway 11 through Opasatika
Opasatika
Coordinates: 49°32′N 82°52′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Cochrane
Government
• Mayor	Jacques Dorval
• MP	Gaétan Malette (Conservative)
• MPP	Guy Bourgouin (NDP)
Area [1]
• Land	327.09 km2 (126.29 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	200
• Density	0.6/km2 (2/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code	P0L 1Z0
Area codes	705, 249
Website	opasatika.net

The main communities in the township are Opasatika and Lowther, both located along Highway 11 between Mattice and Harty. The ghost town of Reesor Siding, site of the 1963 Reesor Siding incident, is at the western edge of the township. The former Canadian Forces Station Lowther was located in the municipality.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Opasatika had a population of 200 living in 101 of its 110 total private dwellings, a change of -11.5% from its 2016 population of 226. With a land area of 327.09 km² (126.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.6/km² (1.6/sq mi) in 2021.^[1]

Canada census – Opasatika community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	200 (-11.5% from 2016)	226 (+5.6% from 2011)	214 (-23.6% from 2006)
Land area	327.09 km2 (126.29 sq mi)	330.44 km2 (127.58 sq mi)	329.98 km2 (127.41 sq mi)
Population density	0.6/km2 (1.6/sq mi)	0.7/km2 (1.8/sq mi)	0.6/km2 (1.6/sq mi)
Median age	57.2 (M: 58.0, F: 56.8)	53.7 (M: 53.2, F: 54.5)
Private dwellings	110 (total)  101 (occupied)	132 (total)	120 (total)
Median household income		$52,096

References: 2021^[4] 2016^[5] 2011^[6]

Historical census populations – Opasatika

Year Pop. ±% 1976 740 —     1981 681 −8.0% 1986 647 −5.0% 1991 388 −40.0% 1996 349 −10.1%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 325 −6.9% 2006 280 −13.8% 2011 214 −23.6% 2016 226 +5.6% 2021 200 −11.5%
Population figures based on revised counts. Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[1][7][8]

Mother tongue (2021):^[1]

• English as first language: 32.5%
• French as first language: 62.5%
• English and French as first language: 2.5%
• Other as first language: 0%

See also

• List of townships in Ontario
• List of francophone communities in Ontario