Selwyn, Ontario



Selwyn is a township in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, located in Peterborough County. The township comprises a mix of rural areas and built up urban areas (former independent towns and villages).

The township was created in 2001, as Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield, changing its name to Selwyn effective January 15, 2013. It is not to be confused with the hamlet of Selwyn, one of many unincorporated areas within the township.

History
On January 1, 1998, Ennismore and Smith Townships were amalgamated to form the Township of Smith-Ennismore. On January 1, 2001, a Minister's Order created the current – larger – township by amalgamating the formerly independent Village of Lakefield with the Township of Smith-Ennismore and part of Douro–Dummer Township.

In December 2012 the township council voted to select a new name after Canada Post notified many residents that addresses would have to be changed to reflect the municipality due to a phasing out of its rural route system. The council chose to focus on a simpler name, reducing what it felt was confusion regarding the collective purpose – rather than a persistent notion of disparate parts – intended by the history of amalgamations. By a vote of 3 to 2, choosing from a slate of new names, the township council voted to adopt the new name of Selwyn, effective January 2013.

Geography
The township comprises the communities of:

The township is The Trent-Severn Waterway passes through the township.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Selwyn had a population of $18,653$ living in $7,483$ of its $8,540$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $17,060$. With a land area of 316.12 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Mother tongue:
 * English as first language: 92.4%
 * French as first language: 1.3%
 * English and French as first language: 0%
 * Other as first language: 6.3%

Economy
The region is in the heart of Ontario's eastern cottage country, where urban residents (mostly from the Toronto region) have cottages on many of the small lakes. Many of the retail and services offered in the region cater to this seasonal market.

Small scale farms are a main industry, and dairy and meat production are some of the notable goods.

Government
In the 2010 municipal election, Mary Smith won the position of reeve (now mayor) from former reeve Ron Millen by 1,355 votes. Former federal Member of Parliament Andy Mitchell succeeded Smith as deputy reeve.

Education
Near the village is Lakefield College School which Prince Andrew, Duke of York attended in 1977, however was dropped as an honorary chairman due to sexual abuse allegations. In the village itself is the Lakefield District Public School, which opened in 2018 after the Ridpath Junior Public School, named after James William Ridpath, publisher in the late 19th century and early 20th century of the Lakefield News, local businessman, sportsman and dignitary, was closed. LDPS took over the building formerly used for the now closed Lakefield District Secondary School. St. Paul's Catholic School is situated nearby.

Popular culture
In Paul Nicholas Mason's novel Battered Soles (2005), Mason's second novel, The Red Dress (2008),

In film

 * Lakefield and Lakefield College School were used as the location for the 1977 Canadian film Age of Innocence. One memorable scene
 * In the
 * Unheralded (2011), a National Film Board documentary directed by Aaron Hancox,

Notable people

 * Charles Arkoll Boulton, former councillor and reeve, left Ontario and later became Senator for Marquette, Manitoba
 * Sebastian Bach, rock singer, notable for being the lead singer of the band Skid Row
 * Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins, American-born Canadian country musician
 * Margaret Laurence, novelist
 * Leahy Family, band
 * Susanna Moodie, pioneer, writer and newspaper editor
 * Paul Nicholas Mason, writer
 * Paul Reddick, blues-rock artist, songwriter, and harp player
 * Bruce Ridpath, professional ice hockey player who played on the 1911 Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Senators
 * Catharine Parr Traill, English-born pioneer, writer, naturalist (sister of Susanna Moodie)
 * Mike Fisher, professional hockey player for the Nashville Predators, grew up in Bridgenorth
 * Paul Soles, Canadian actor, television personality and voice actor famous for being the voice of Hermey in Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and Spider-man in the 1960’s
 * Thomas Toth, Canadian runner.
 * Tyler Ardron, Canadian international rugby player, Super Rugby player (Waikato Chiefs), ITM Cup player (Bay of Plenty)
 * Trevor Jones, Canadian Rower