Geography

The township comprises the communities of Bridgenorth, Chemong Heights, Chemong Park, Connaught Shore, Deer Bay, Emerald Isle, Ennismore, Fife's Bay, Flood's Landing, Fowlers Corners, Gannon Beach, Gannon Village, Kawartha Park, Kimberley Park, Lakefield, Selwyn, Selwyn Shores, Stewart Heights, Tera View Heights, Tindle Bay, Victoria Springs, Village Meadowa, Windward Sands, Woodland Acres, Young's Cove, Young's Point and Youngstown.

The region is mostly rural, home to small villages and hamlets. Farms have been established on most of the flat areas that are intermixed between the rolling hills and lakes. The Trent-Severn Waterway passes through the township.

History

The township was created in its current form on January 1, 2001, by amalgamating the formerly independent village of Lakefield with the township of Smith-Ennismore and part of the township of Douro–Dummer.

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 large industry, dairy and meat production are some of the notable goods.

Government

After the 2010 Ontario provincial-wide elections, Mary Smith won the position of reeve from former reeve Ron Millen by nearly one thousand votes. Also, for deputy reeve, Andy Mitchell won after Mary Smith had the position for a number of years.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:

• Population: 16,414
• % Change (1996–2001): 1.9
• Dwellings: 7,571
• Area (km²): 319.61
• Density (persons per km²): 51.4

According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census:^[1]

• Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 6730 (total dwellings: 8988)
• 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 %

Population trend:^[2]

• Population in 2006: 17,413 (2001 to 2006 population change: 6.1 %)
• Population in 2001: 16,414
• Population in 1996:
  • Ennismore (township): 4465
  • Lakefield (village): 2444
  • Smith (township): 9200
• Population in 1991:
  • Ennismore (township): 4284
  • Lakefield (village): 2555
  • Smith (township): 8997

Education

Near the village is Lakefield College School which Prince Andrew, Duke of York attended in 1977. The campus was the filming location for the 1977 Canadian film Age of Innocence. In the village itself is 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. Located right in the village is the Lakefield District Secondary School. St. Paul's Catholic School situated very close to the high school is the area parochial school.

In fiction

In Paul Nicholas Mason's novel Battered Soles (2005), Lakefield is the site of a pilgrimage, begun in July 1997, which sees thousands of pilgrims from all over the world walk from Peterborough along the Rotary Greenway Trail to St. John's Anglican Church in the village. The focus of the pilgrimage is a life-sized statue of a blue-skinned Jesus in the basement of the church. Mason's second novel, The Red Dress (2008), is also set in Lakefield, although this time the community is thinly-disguised as Greenfield.

In film

• Lakefield and The Lakefield Boys School were used as the location for the 1977 Canadian film Age of Innocence (aka Ragtime Summer) starring David Warner, Honor Blackman and Trudy Young. One memorable scene was shot at the location of the old Lakefield train station on Stanley St. The first four letters were removed on the Lakefield sign and replaced with the name Rockfield.

• In the winter of 2010 Verizon made a commercial at Lakefield's Ontario Speed Skating Oval outdoor speed skating rink.

Famous persons

• Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins, country musician
• Margaret Laurence, Canadian novelist
• Leahy Family, Canadian band
• Susanna Moodie, Pioneer, Canadian writer and newspaper editor
• Paul Nicholas Mason, Canadian writer
• Paul Reddick, Canadian blues-rock artist, songwriter, and harp player
• Nicholas Sarbutt, Pioneer
• Bruce Ridpath, Professional ice hockey player who played on several Stanley Cup teams in the early-20th Century
• James William Ridpath, Lakefield newspaper publisher and namesake of local public school
• Catharine Parr Traill, pioneer, Canadian writer, naturalist (sister of Susanna Moodie)
• Mike Fisher, professional hockey player for the Nashville Predators, grew up in Bridgenorth

Source Wikipedia