Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Smith–Ennismore–Lakefield is a township
in central-eastern Ontario
, Canada
, in the County of Peterborough
.
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.
Small scale farms are a large industry, dairy and meat production are some of the notable goods.
Census:
According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census:
Population trend:
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.
'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.
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
in central-eastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the County of Peterborough
Peterborough County, Ontario
Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...
.
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
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
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 1,500 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 CanadaStatistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
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:
- 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:
- 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 SchoolLakefield College School
Lakefield College School is a coeducational boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.The school's motto is Mens Sana In Corpore Sano...
which Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
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 MasonPaul Nicholas Mason
Paul Nicholas Mason is a Canadian novelist, playwright, and occasional journalist.Born in London, England, he was raised in Rhodesia, British Columbia and Ontario...
'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 WarnerDavid Warner (actor)David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
, Honor BlackmanHonor BlackmanHonor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
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 skatingSpeed skatingSpeed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
rink.
Famous persons
- Ronnie "The Hawk" HawkinsRonnie HawkinsRonald "Ronnie" Hawkins is a Juno Award-winning rockabilly musician whose career has spanned more than half a century. Though his career began in Arkansas, USA, where he'd been born and raised, it was in Ontario, Canada where he found success and settled for most of his life...
, country musician - Margaret LaurenceMargaret LaurenceJean Margaret Laurence, CC was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, one of the major figures in Canadian literature.- Early years :...
, Canadian novelist - Leahy FamilyLeahyLeahy is the name of a Canadian folk music group. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of eleven siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been actively touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s when they were known as The Leahy Family...
, Canadian band - Susanna MoodieSusanna MoodieSusanna Moodie, born Strickland , was an English-born Canadian author who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada, which was a British colony at the time.-Biography:...
, Pioneer, Canadian writer and newspaper editor - Paul Nicholas MasonPaul Nicholas MasonPaul Nicholas Mason is a Canadian novelist, playwright, and occasional journalist.Born in London, England, he was raised in Rhodesia, British Columbia and Ontario...
, Canadian writer - Paul ReddickPaul ReddickPaul Reddick is an award-winning Canadian blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player.-History:Paul Reddick began playing the harmonica at the age of twelve. In 1990, he formed The Sidemen, a blues band based out of Toronto, which toured and recorded until the early 2000s. The Sidemen's album...
, Canadian blues-rock artist, songwriter, and harp player - Nicholas Sarbutt, Pioneer
- Bruce RidpathBruce RidpathDavid Bruce Ridpath was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and general manager. He was a member of the 1911 Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Senators before an automobile accident ended his playing career....
, 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 TraillCatharine Parr TraillCatharine Parr Traill, born Strickland was an English-Canadian author who wrote about life as a settler in Canada.-Biography:...
, pioneer, Canadian writer, naturalist (sister of Susanna Moodie) - Mike Fisher, professional hockey player for the Nashville Predators, grew up in Bridgenorth