The Township of Georgian Bay is an area municipality of the

District Municipality of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching ...

, in south-central

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. It is located on the Severn River, where it empties into the eponymous

Georgian Bay Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...

. The municipal offices are at

Port Severn Severn is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, located between Lake Couchiching, and the Severn River (both are part of the Trent–Severn Waterway) in Simcoe County. Communities The township comprises the communities of Amigo Beach, Ar ...

. This township is the administrative centre of the Moose Deer Point

Ojibway The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

Local Government

Georgian Bay is governed by a mayor, two district councillors and four councillors, with each councillor representing each of the four municipal wards. The Mayor of Georgian Bay represents the town on the Muskoka County Council. As of the 2022 election, the elected council members are: Mayor: Peter Koetsier District Councillors: * Wards 1 & 3: Brian Bochek * Wards 2 & 4: Peter Cooper Councillors: * Ward 1: Steven Predko * Ward 2: Stephen Jarvis * Ward 3: Kristian Graziano * Ward 4: Allan Hazelton

Communities

The township contains the communities of Bayview Park, Big Chute, Cedar Nook, Crooked Bay, Franceville, Go Home, Honey Harbour, Macey Bay, MacTier, Moon River, Potters Landing, South Bay, Wolverine Beach and Wood Landing. Honey Harbour serves as a launching point to the "30,000 Islands" that make up the Georgian Bay geography. The islands, that are accessible from Honey Harbour, are dotted with hundreds to thousands of cottages. The cottages serve mostly as summer residences. Many very large cottages have been built recently, which has resulted in an increase in property values. The economic cycle of Honey Harbour is tied to the cycle of the cottagers. Honey Harbour has a small grocery store ("Towne Centre" and Picnic Island Resort, which features its own general store and gas bar), a post office, a liquor store, a bakery, a Catholic church and school, a public elementary school, several small craft stores, a large resort (the "

Delawana Resort The Delawana Inn was a family hotel/resort in Honey Harbour on Georgian Bay, Ontario and now called Delawana Resort. History The evolution of the tourism industry in Simcoe County Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ont ...

"), and several marinas. In addition to cottages, there are multiple waterfront trailer park resorts. There are also numerous clean beaches lining both the shore and islands, inhabited by the diverse Ontario wildlife. The double H's of Honey Harbour are a play on founder's name Harvey Hewitt of Pasadena, California. Hewitt was also the original pioneer and co-developer of

Woolite Woolite is an American brand of laundry detergent and cleaning products owned by the British multinational company Reckitt. The company acquired the Woolite brand when it bought Boyle-Midway from American Home Products / Wyeth in 1990. The comp ...

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Georgian Bay had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Water bodies

* Gibson Lake *

Gloucester Pool Gloucester Pool is a lake in Georgian Bay Township, District of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 5 kms northeast of the town of Port Severn. See also *List of lakes in Ontario This is an incomplete list of lakes in Ontario, a pro ...

Go Home Lake Go Home Lake is a lake in west central Ontario in the Township of Georgian Bay, District of Muskoka. Go Home Lake is a natural lake which is actually part of the Musquash River system (also spelled as "Musquosh" on some maps). It was opened up ...

* Six Mile Lake * Severn River *

* Stewart Lake * Bear Lake

Culture

Library

There are library branches in Honey Harbour and MacTier, and a satellite library branch in the new Township Community Services Building in Port Severn. These libraries are popular destinations for recreational reading materials, DVDs, and tourist information. Services include information and reference services, access to full text databases, community information; internet access, reader's advisory services, programs for children, youth and adults, delivery to homebound individuals, interlibrary loan, and free downloadable audiobooks. Items within the libraries' collection are business directories, phone books, maps, government publications, books, periodicals, genealogy, local history.

Transportation

Intercity motor coach service to MacTier is available through

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 ...

along its Toronto–Barrie–Parry Sound–Sudbury route's local schedule; it is bypassed by express schedules, but still receives twice-daily service northbound and southbound.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Township municipalities in Ontario Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in the District Municipality of Muskoka