Wollaston, Ontario

Wollaston
Township (lower-tier)
Township of Wollaston
Municipal office in Coe Hill
Wollaston
Coordinates: 44°57′22″N77°50′01″W / 44.95611°N 77.83361°W / 44.95611; -77.83361 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Hastings
Settled	1860s
Incorporated	1880
Government
• Type	Township
• Mayor	Michael Fuerth
•  MP	Shelby Kramp-Neuman
•  MPP	Ric Bresee
Area [2]
• Land	219.14 km2 (84.61 sq mi)
Population  (2016) [2]
• Total	670
• Density	3.2/km2 (8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code	K0L 1P0
Area code(s)	613 and 343
Website	www.township.wollaston.on.ca

Wollaston is an incorporated township in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. ^[1] The township had a population of 670 in the Canada 2016 Census.

Property taxes provide the primary source of income for the township accounting for 61% of the revenue required to balance the 2017 budget. ^[3] Another major source of revenue for the township was provincial funding via the Ontario Municipality Partnership Fund (OMPF) which provided approximately 80% of non-tax revenue. The Township's mayor Brandon Carter has stood behind the fund since it was first introduced, and has gone on record stating " This fund keeps the town alive".

This revenue provides the income to fund municipal programs. Among these programs is the Community Improvement Plan, the goal of which is to "promote the co-ordinated [sic] implementation of community planning and land use planning programs comprised of maintenance, rehabilitation and redevelopment of the physical, social, and economic environments." ^[4]

Communities

The township of Wollaston comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including communities such as Coe Hill and The Ridge. The small community of Ormsby, with a population of 20, is just outside the municipal boundary of Wollaston.

Coe Hill

Coe Hill ( 44°51′43″N77°50′11″W / 44.86194°N 77.83639°W / 44.86194; -77.83639 ) is the main community in Wollaston Township and is approximately 230 km (143 miles) north-east of Toronto. While referred to as the Hamlet of Coe Hill, it is not truly a hamlet in the strictest British meaning of the word ^[5] as there are two churches within the village: the Coe Hill Gospel Church and the Coe Hill United Church.

The local post office serves residents with lock boxes and four rural routes, two of which are for a neighbouring village, Gilmour in Tudor and Cashel Township. Wollaston Township Road 620 is the main road that runs through the community, ^[6] connecting it to Highways 28 to the west and 62 to the east.

Coe Hill

Coe Hill is named after William Pardee Coe, originally from Norfolk, England, and was incorporated in 1880. Original names for this community were Salem, Welch Corners and Coe Hill Mines.

In 1882, iron-ore deposits were discovered in the area. Coe, who was living in Madoc, Ontario at the time, formed the Coe Hill Mines company to commercialize these newly discovered deposits. Coe was also instrumental in getting the Central Ontario Railway (COR) to build a line that reached Coe Hill in 1884. ^[7] Shipments began that same year. However, once the shipments were analyzed, it was discovered that the ore was too low-grade to be mined viably leading to the near bankruptcy of the Coe Hill Mines company. William Coe died in 1891 and is interred at the Lakeview Cemetery in Madoc.

With the failure of mining in the area, the main economic focus turned to lumber. Coe Hill remained the primary shipping point for the Rathburn Lumber company. ^[8] Up to 100 loads of lumber a day were shipped south on the COR. The rail lines have now been abandoned, but have been repurposed as hiking, biking, and snowmobile trails that are used throughout the year. The old Coe Hill railway station still exists and is currently located on the grounds of the annual Coe Hill Fair.

There are several restaurants and shops along the main street offering arts and crafts, a range of services including a garage and a fully licensed bar complete with summertime patio. There is also a well-stocked grocery store and a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) outlet often referred to as the "liquor trailer".

Wollaston Lake

There are many lakes within Wollaston township including: King Lake, Bear Lake, and Snow Lake. However, the largest lake in the township lies just adjacent to Coe Hill: Wollaston Lake ^[9] This lake should not be confused with Wollaston Lake in Saskatchewan. Although Wollaston Lake is the largest lake in the township, it is still relatively small, approximately 6.5 kilometres long and covering just 360 hectares. It is a deep coldwater lake deemed "at capacity" with a maximum depth of 31.1 meters (102.03 feet) and a mean depth of 9.4 meters (30.84 feet). ^[10] The five principal fish species in the lake are lake trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, and walleye. ^[11]

Seasonal cottages provide the largest part of the population on the lake, although some cottage owners have winterized cottages that they utilize year-round. The lake is serviced by two camp grounds, a public boat launch, and a public beach that is maintained by the township.

Wollaston Lake - Summer

Activities

Coe Hill Agricultural Fair

The Coe Hill Agriculture Fair was founded in 1882 and is held every year on the last weekend of August ^[12] The first year, the fair was held in Salem, but moved to Coe Hill the following year where there were exhibits in the town hall. It was not until the early 1900s that the fair was moved to its current location at the Coe Hill Agricultural Fair grounds on Township Road 620 on the east side of town. In 1920, the grandstand was built, and in 1969, the Canadian National Railway (formerly the COR) station was moved to the grounds.

Some of the activities at the fair include: a midway (carnival rides), agricultural and horticultural competitions, rodeo events, a demolition derby, live music, and of course food.

Canada Day

Every July 1, Coe Hill celebrates Canada Day with a parade through the main street and a fireworks display on nearby Wollaston Lake. For such a small village, the fireworks display is very good and is often better than those of the bigger town of Bancroft, some 30 km north.

Royal Canadian Legion

On the main street, almost in the very middle of town, lies the Royal Canadian Legion - Branch 581 building. The Legion hosts a community supper at the end of each month as well as a range of weekly activities, such as: darts, euchre, chair volleyball, fitness classes, yoga, and BINGO. There is also a fitness facility located on site, though unfortunately it is now closed.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1991	659	—
1996	719	+9.1%
2001	679	−5.6%
2006	730	+7.5%
2011	708	−3.0%
2016	670	−5.4%
[13] [14] [2]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wollaston had a population of 721 living in 352 of its 757 total private dwellings, a change of 7.6% from its 2016 population of 670. With a land area of 215.87 km² (83.35 sq mi), it had a population density of 3.3/km² (8.7/sq mi) in 2021. ^[15]

Canada census – Wollaston, Ontario community profile

	2016	2011
Population	670 (-5.4% from 2011)	708 (-3.0% from 2006)
Land area	219.14 km2 (84.61 sq mi)	220.19 km2 (85.02 sq mi)
Population density	3.1/km2 (8.0/sq mi)	3.2/km2 (8.3/sq mi)
Median age	56.2 (M: 55.8, F: 56.8)
Private dwellings	791 (total)	624 (total)
Median household income	$48,640

References: 2016 ^[16] 2011 ^[17] earlier ^{[18] [19]}

Mother tongue (per 2016 census): ^[2]

• English as first language: 94.7%
• French as first language: 0.8%
• Other as first language: 4.5%

See also

• List of townships in Ontario

References

1. "Wollaston". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2016-03-06.
2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Wollaston, Township". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
3. "2017 Approved Budget" (PDF). Township of Wollaston. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
4. "Coe Hill Downtown Revitalization" (PDF). Township of Wollaston. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
5. "Hamlet". Lexico.com. Oxford. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
6. Cameron Bevers. "History of Secondary Highway 620" . Retrieved September 23, 2020.
7. "Central Ontario Railway". canada-rail.com. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
8. "News at the Coe Hill Mine c.1884". Marmora Historical Foundation. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
9. Wollaston Township Map, http://www.wollastontownship.ca/uploads/5/3/6/8/53687315/lotcon_map_wollaston[1].pdf ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
10. "Wollaston Lake Home & Cottage Association" . Retrieved June 15, 2019.
11. "Fish ON-line". Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
12. "Coe Hill Fair". coehillworld.com.
13. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
14. "Wollaston, Ontario (Code 3512054) and Hastings, Ontario (Code 3512) (table)". 2011 Census of Population . Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
15. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
16. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
17. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
18. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
19. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.

Other map sources:

• Map 6 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
• Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #5 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Archived from the original on 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2016-03-06.

External links

• Official website