Val Rita-Harty

Val Rita-Harty
Township municipality (single-tier)
Township of Val Rita-Harty Canton de Val Rita-Harty
Val Rita
Motto:  In Uno Spiritu (Latin: "One in spirit")
Val Rita-Harty Location in Ontario
Coordinates: 49°29′02″N82°37′47″W / 49.48389°N 82.62972°W / 49.48389; -82.62972 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Cochrane
Settled	1922
Incorporated	1973
Government
• Mayor	Johanne Baril
• MPs	Gaétan Malette (Conservative)
• MPP	Guy Bourgouin (NDP)
Area [2]
• Land	378.89 km2 (146.29 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [2]
• Total	757
• Density	2/km2 (5.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern Time Zone (EDT))
Postal code	P0L 2G0
Area codes	705, 249
Website	www.valharty.ca

Val Rita-Harty is a township municipality in Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. ^{[1] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

The township consists of two communities, Val Rita and Harty, both located along Highway 11 between Opasatika and Kapuskasing. It was incorporated as a township in 1973, following a failed community effort in 1964 to request incorporation as a municipality. It was originally known as the Township of Owens, Williamson and Idington, but renamed in 1983 after its main communities. ^[7]

History

The area opened to development when the National Transcontinental Railway was built in 1900s. In 1922, the first pioneer families from Foleyet arrived at Val Rita (originally called Secord after the name of the railroad station). In 1926, the Ste-Rita Parish was founded, followed by the St-Stanislas Parish in Harty in 1932. ^[8]

In 1961, first effort began to incorporate the place as a municipality, but was denied. In 1971, another request was made and in 1973, the township was incorporated, with Joseph Étienne Tremblay acclaimed as first reeve. ^[8]

In 1983, a sewage system was installed in Harty. In 1984, cable television service became available in Val Rita, and in 1989 in Harty. ^[8]

Demographics

Welcome sign in Harty

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Val Rita-Harty had a population of 757 living in 326 of its 382 total private dwellings, a change of -0.7% from its 2016 population of 762. With a land area of 378.89 km² (146.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.0/km² (5.2/sq mi) in 2021. ^[2]

Canada census – Val Rita-Harty community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	757 (-0.7% from 2016)	762 (-6.7% from 2011)	817 (-13.0% from 2006)
Land area	378.89 km2 (146.29 sq mi)	381.18 km2 (147.17 sq mi)	382.71 km2 (147.77 sq mi)
Population density	2.0/km2 (5.2/sq mi)	2.0/km2 (5.2/sq mi)	2.1/km2 (5.4/sq mi)
Median age	48.4 (M: 50.8, F: 46.4)	46.6 (M: 47.2, F: 45.9)
Private dwellings	382 (total)  326 (occupied)	357 (total)  330 (occupied)	368 (total)
Median household income	$81,000	$66,560

References: 2021 ^[9] 2016 ^[10] 2011 ^[11]

Historical census populations – Val Rita-Harty

Year Pop. ±% 1976 1,469 —     1981 1,518 +3.3% 1986 1,317 −13.2% 1991 1,178 −10.6% 1996 1,112 −5.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 1,012 −9.0% 2006 939 −7.2% 2011 817 −13.0% 2016 762 −6.7% 2021 757 −0.7%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada [2]

Mother tongue (as of 2021 ^[update] ): ^[2]

• English as first language: 22.5%
• French as first language: 70.9%
• English and French as first languages: 4.0%
• Other as first language: 2.6%

See also

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

References

1. "Val Rita-Harty". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2018-09-07.
2. "Val Rita-Harty (Code 3556070) Census Profile". 2021 census . Government of Canada - Statistics Canada . Retrieved 2025-11-13.
3. "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada . Natural Resources Canada. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
4. "Ontario Geonames GIS (on-line map and search)". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2014. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
5. Map 14 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 1,600,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
6. Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #3 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
7. c Pr14 Township of Val Rita-Harty Act, 1983. Ontario: Annual Statutes: Vol. 1983, Article 105. 1983. p. 711. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
8. "About Us". valharty.ca. Municipality Of Val Rita-Harty. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
9. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
10. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
11. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-02-21.

External links

• Official website