The river begins at an unnamed lake in Unorganized Sudbury, Sudbury District, about 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) northwest of the settlement of McKees Camp and the McKee's Camp railway station, and heads north to Tramp Lake where it meets the Canadian National Railway (CN) transcontinental main line, served by the Via Rail The Canadian passenger train.

[4][5] Between 2010-2011, a total of 22 fish species were identified in the lower Vermilion River, including white sucker, lake sturgeon, johnny darter, smallmouth bass, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, logperch, longnose dace, burbot, golden redhorse, northern redbelly dace, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, central mudminnow, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow, emerald shiner, brook stickleback, lake herring and spawning habitat for walleye and northern pike.

[12] The corporation has been criticized for environmental and indigenous concerns in the past, however, has been cooperating with locals and organizations to increase community relations in recent years.

[14] See also: Environmental impact assessment In 2011, four run-of-the-river hydroelectric generating stations (GS) were proposed along the Vermilion River as well as several flood control structures to increase water security in Sudbury, Ontario.

[19] Most notably, the Wabagishik Rapids Hydroelectric Generating Station conducted by Xeneca between 2011-2015, proposed the construction of a modified run-of-the-river dam supplying about 1,600 homes with green renewable energy.

[20] Wabagishik Rapids GS is the one of five hydroelectric dams enlisted by Xeneca to provide green energy for the Sudbury Nickel District.