Rayside-Balfour (1996 census population 16,050) was a town in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000. It is now part of the city of

Greater Sudbury Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and to ...

. The town was created as part of the

Regional Municipality of Sudbury The Regional Municipality of Sudbury was a Regional Municipality that existed in Ontario, Canada, from 1973 to 2000, and was primarily centred on the city of Sudbury. It served as an upper-tier level of municipal government, aggregating municipal ...

and took its name from the

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

of Rayside and Balfour, which fell within the boundaries of the new town; prior to the town's creation in 1973, Rayside and Balfour were separately incorporated as township municipalities.History of Rayside-Balfour
at

Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums The Greater Sudbury Museums are a network of four small community history museums in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Three of the four are located on heritage properties in different neighbourhoods within the city, and the fourth is located in ...

. Although the Regional Municipality of Sudbury was a very important centre of

Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians (french: Franco-Ontariens or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2016, the Government of On ...

population and culture, Rayside-Balfour was the only town in the regional municipality which had a majority

francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

population. It remains as such still today. On January 1, 2001, the town and the Regional Municipality were dissolved and amalgamated into the city of

. The Rayside-Balfour area is now divided between Wards 3 and 4 on

Greater Sudbury City Council Greater Sudbury City Council (french: Conseil municipal du Grand Sudbury) is the governing body of the City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The council consists of the mayor plus a twelve-person council. The city is divided into twelve wards; ...

, and is represented by councillors Gerry Montpellier and Geoff McCausland. In 2006, there was interest in the deamalgamation of the former town of Rayside-Balfour from the City of Greater Sudbury. However, as any referendum on the matter would require the consent of the provincial government, any such move is not likely to take place. In the Canada 2011 Census, the entire main populated core of Rayside-Balfour was counted as part of the ''population centre'' (or

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

) of Sudbury, with no separate population statistics published for the Rayside-Balfour area alone. However, the four census tracts corresponding to the former Rayside-Balfour had a total population of 14,557. For the

Canada 2016 Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census ...

, Chelmsford and Azilda were removed from the Sudbury population centre and each aggregated as their own new population centres, with Azilda having a population of 4,663 and Chelmsford having a population of 6,215. The latest population trend is increasing in Azilda, but relatively stable in Chelmsford.

Communities

Azilda

Azilda gets its name from Azilda Bélanger (née Brisebois), the first female pioneer of the area and wife of Joseph Bélanger, mayor of Rayside from 1899–1900 and again in 1905. She was well-known in the town, especially for her healing abilities. The town had originally applied for the name Ste-Azilda until it was realized that there was no saint with that name. The community borders the shores of

Whitewater Lake Whitewater Lake is a lake in the city of Sudbury, Ontario. The community of Azilda borders its eastern shore. The lake is host to a number of amateur fishing tournaments, and it was the site of an annual powerboat racing championship. It is the s ...

, except for its most western portion. Municipal Road 35, linking Azilda to downtown Sudbury, has been increased from two lanes to four lanes, which has improved the commute for Azilda's workers, who are mostly employed in the city's urban core. In addition, it shortens the travel time for tourists hoping to visit

Sudbury Downs Sudbury Downs was a harness racing track located in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, on Bonin Road between the communities of Azilda and Chelmsford. Sudbury Downs held its last day of live racing on October 30, 2013. The site is now home to Ga ...

, which is located in the outskirts of Azilda. There are plans to complete the widening of Municipal Road 35 between Azilda and

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, on which construction began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in 2020. On September 12, 1906, Azilda was the site of a train wreck. While the population is still growing, there are no industries other than basic agriculture (corn, potatoes, beans) and horticulture. Much of the workforce travels to Sudbury to make their living, oftentimes in the primary industries such as mining. Azilda's telephone and postal service also includes the smaller local neighbourhood of Bélangerville. Azilda has its own flag that was revealed in 2021. ‘Dream project’: Azilda now has its own flag
''sudbury.com'', January 16, 2021 Their offices are in the Former Ecole Secondaire Rayside building

Chelmsford

Founded in 1868, Chelmsford started out as an outpost on the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

. Some say Chelmsford was named by a Canadian Pacific Railway engineer from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. As with many communities in

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and

fur trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

were the first industries. Having depleted the lumber in the early 1900s, Chelmsford turned to mining and agriculture to support the town's economy. Errington Mine and Nickel Offset mine were two of the largest mines in Chelmsford and both closed in the 1930s. In 1909, Chelmsford was separately incorporated as a town. It retained this status until 1968, when it was reamalgamated with the township of Balfour. Today, Chelmsford has no major industries and is mostly a residential community. Although there are still some farms producing mostly

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, small

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s and

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, it is mostly supported by the mining activities in the nearby communities of

Onaping Falls Onaping Falls (1996 census population 5,277) was a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, which existed from 1973 to 2000. It was created as part of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury, and took its name from the waterfalls (High Falls) on th ...

and

Copper Cliff This is a list of neighbourhoods in the urban core of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. This list includes only those neighbourhoods that fall within the pre-2001 city limits of Sudbury — for communities within the former suburban municipalities, see t ...

. Postal delivery and telephone service in Chelmsford also includes the smaller neighbourhoods of Boninville and Larchwood. Chelmsford is host to an annual fiddle festival, Fiddle Works, in May. Their offices are on Highway 144 beside Petro-Canada

Boninville

Boninville is located on the border with Valley-East in the Rayside Township. The name was created from two prominent farming families in the area: Bonin and Rainville. The main intersection is at Montée Rouleau and Rue St-Laurent. The area is known for potato farming. The families are French-Canadian and worship at the Roman Catholic Church Notre-Dame-du-Très-Saint-Rosaire in Blezard Valley. Their offices are located between Val Caron and Chelmsford

Languages

the towns have different languages However chelmsford has a stronger francophone population with 53% speaking french at home and the 47% remaining speaking english at home and Azilda on the other hand has a slight anglophone population with 52% speaking and 48% french speaking

Politics

Rayside-Balfour had two mayors prior to the amalgamation of Greater Sudbury: Gilles Pelland (1972-1988) and Lionel Lalonde (1988-2000). As part of the city, it is divided between Ward 3 (Chelmsford and the former town of

) and Ward 4 (Azilda and the northwestern portion of the former city of Sudbury) on

, represented by city councillors Gerry Montpellier and Geoff McCausland since October 2018 respectively. The Rayside-Balfour area is in the federal riding of

Nickel Belt Nickel Belt is one of two federal electoral districts serving the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1953. Geography It consists of: * the part of the Territorial District ...

, represented in the Canadian House of Commons by

Marc Serré Marc G. Serré (born January 28, 1967) is a Canadian Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Nickel Belt in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. He is the son of Gaetan Serré, who represented Nic ...

of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

, and in the provincial riding of

, represented by

France Gélinas France Gélinas is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2007. She represents the riding of Nickel Belt. Background Gélinas was born and raised in Shawinigan ...

of the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...

. As tradition goes, the area itself generally votes NDP both provincially and federally.

Transportation

Chelmsford and Azilda are served by

Greater Sudbury Transit GOVA, formerly known as Greater Sudbury Transit, is a public transport authority that is responsible for serving bus routes in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada and area. The network is the largest in Northern Ontario, comprising 41 routes operati ...

'
702 Azilda/Chelmsford
bus, which departs approximately every 2 hours. Both communities are also connection points for Greater Sudbury Transit's transcab service, which connects passengers along Municipal Road 15 to Blezard Valley at Azilda, and Dowling, Onaping, and Levack at Chelmsford respectively. For intercity transit, both communities are

flag stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

s for

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

's Sudbury–White River route, as well as

Ontario Northland The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...

's coach service.

Education

Azilda Students: those in the English catholic stream attend st Charles school in the neighbouring community of Chelmsford and bishop carter Alexander secondary school in Hanmer for boys and Marymount Academy for girls in nearby downtown Sudbury those in the English public stream attend Chelmsford public school and Chelmsford valley district composite high school both of these schools are in the neighbouring community of Chelmsford those in the French catholic stream attend Ste-Marie in Azilda and Champlain in the neighbouring community of Chelmsford those in the French public stream attend Franco Nord and Macdonald-Cartier Chelmsford Students: those in the English catholic stream attend St Charles school and Bishop Carter for boys and Marymount for girls both of those schools in the neighbouring communities of Hanmer and Downtown Sudbury those in the English public stream attend Chelmsford public and Chelmsford high school those in the French catholic stream attend Alliance-St Joseph and Champlain those in the French public stream attend Pavilion de L'Avenir and Macdonald-Cartier

Notable people

Robert Campeau Robert Joseph Antoine Campeau (August 3, 1923 June 12, 2017) was a Canadian financier and real estate developer. Starting from a single house constructed in 1940 in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Campeau built a large land dev ...

, financier *

Randy Carlyle Randolph Robert Carlyle (born April 19, 1956) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Stanl ...

, NHL hockey player *

Chuck Labelle Jean-Guy (Chuck) Labelle (born 18 March 1954) is a Franco-Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who performs francophone New Country-Rock music. He is from Mattawa, Ontario. His first album, ''Chuck'', reached Gold status after two years and hi ...

, musician * Stéphane Paquette, musician and actor

References

External links

www.azilda.ca
- Azilda Community Action Network
Hello Chelmsford
- Chelmsford Community Action Network {{authority control Neighbourhoods in Greater Sudbury Populated places established in 1973 Former towns in Ontario Populated places disestablished in 2000