Springwater is a

township 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 ...

in 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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, in

Simcoe County Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...

, near

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Simcoe County.

History

Prior to European settlement, Ossossane, the largest Wendat settlement and capital of the confederacy was located near modern day Elmvale. Springwater was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of Flos and Vespra Townships, together with the Village of Elmvale and a portion of the former Medonte Township.

Communities

Anten Mills is centred on the intersection of Horseshoe Valley Road West (formally County Road 22) and Wilson Drive (formally the 7th Concession of Vespra), northwest of Barrie. The community derived its name from a well-known mill operating in the area in the late 1800s. The first syllables of this firm's name, Anderson & Tennant, after its owners Charles Anderson and a Mr. Tennant, were merged to create the word Anten.

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

star

Jason McCoy Jason McCoy (born Jason Dwight Campsall on August 27, 1970) is a Canadian country singer-songwriter. He has won the 2001 Male Vocalist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards, 3 SOCAN Song of the Year awards, 19 CCMA nominations and ...

grew up in Anten Mills. Most of the workforce living in Anten Mills are employed in nearby Barrie. The area surrounding Anten Mills is predominantly either farm or

crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

; however, golf courses, ski resorts and hiking trails also dot the landscape. Some 25 km northwest of Anten Mills is

Wasaga Beach Wasaga Beach (or simply Wasaga) is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Situated along the longest freshwater beach in the world, it is a popular summer tourist destination. It is located along the southern end of Georgian Bay, approximate ...

, a popular summer tourist attraction. Crown Hill is located at the municipal boundaries of Springwater and Oro-Medonte, just outside the northern city limits of Barrie. Prior to the provincial highway downloads of 1997, Highway 11 left its

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

route through Oro-Medonte at Crown Hill, transferring onto

Penetanguishene Road Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...

for the remainder of its southerly route into Barrie and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Highway 11 now continues past the Penetanguishene Road interchange along the former route of Highway 400A, ending at Highway 400 1.1 kilometres further southwest.

Elmvale Elmvale is a rural town in Springwater Township, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of County Road 27 and County Road 92 (Queen Street), 20 minutes north of Barrie. Elmvale is home to 2,314 people, as of 2016. History Elmval ...

is located at the intersection of County Road 27 and County Road 92 (Queen Street). The Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival, established in 1966, draws thousands of visitors each year. Elmvale was home to 2,369 people in 2011. It is the site of the

Elmvale Jungle Zoo The Elmvale Jungle Zoo is a zoo in Springwater, Ontario, Canada. It is a seasonal business open from Victoria Day weekend until Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. It was founded in 1967. It is run by Sam Persi, whose family purchased the zoo in 1972 ...

Hillsdale is located on

Highway 93 Route 93 or Highway 93 can refer to: International * European route E93 Australia - Victoria Canada * Alberta Highway 93 * British Columbia Highway 93 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 93 * Ontario Highway 93 China * G93 Chengyu Ring Expr ...

at its intersection with Mill Street, just north of Highway 400. It was founded as the half-way point between

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called ''Ouentironk'' ...

and

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 ...

. It was the site of the Simcoe House Hotel (now abandoned) and Rumble's Gristmill on Sturgeon River. Hillsdale is home to approximately 1,000 people.

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...

is the largest population centre in the township. It is home to the

Barrie Baycats The Barrie Baycats are an independent, minor league baseball team of the semi-pro Intercounty Baseball League based in Barrie, Ontario. They play their home games at Vintage Throne Stadium at the Barrie Community Sports Complex Barrie Communi ...

of the

Intercounty Baseball League The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian amateur baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario. The league was formed in 1919 and ...

. A tree nursery operated here that supplied trees for the province. Minesing is a community near the

Nottawasaga River The Nottawasaga River is a river in Simcoe County and Dufferin County in Central Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin, and is a tributary of Lake Huron. The river flows from the Orangeville Reservoir in the town of Orangeville, Du ...

on Highway 26, northwest of Barrie. The community holds two major events every year, one in the late winter called Mini-fest, and a slow-pitch tournament that falls on Labour Day weekend. The community is the birthplace of

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

Frank Foyston Frank Corbett "Flash" Foyston (February 2, 1891 – January 19, 1966) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Foyston was a member of Stanley Cup championship teams three times: with the Toronto Blueshirts in 1914, the Seattle M ...

and is home to

star

. It has a small school known as Minesing Central Public School. The nearby

Minesing Wetlands Minesing Wetlands, previously known as Minesing Swamp, is a Ramsar boreal wetland in central Ontario, Canada stretching from the western periphery of Barrie to Georgian Bay. It was identified and classified through the International Biological Prog ...

is an internationally recognized wetland of significant biological importance. Along with the main centres of Anten Hills, Crown Hill, Elmvale, Hillsdale, Midhurst and Minesing, the township contains the communities of Allenwood, Apto, Craighurst, Crossland, Dalston, Edenvale, Fergusonvale, Grenfel, Hendrie, Langman, New Flos, Orr Lake, Phelpston, Sandy Beach, Saurin, Snow Valley, Vespra Village, Strongville and Vigo. Two former ghost communities, called Josephine and McKinnon, existed in the Minesing Swamp within the township's borders.

Government

Council Springwater is governed by a seven-person elected Council; a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and five Ward Councillors. The Council is currently comprised by: * Mayor: Jennifer Coughlin * Deputy Mayor: George Cabral * Ward 1 Councillor: Matt Garwood * Ward 2 Councillor: Danielle Alexander * Ward 3 Councillor: Brad Thompson * Ward 4 Councillor: Anita Moore * Ward 5 Councillor: Phil Fisher Committees Springwater also has a number of committees that advise Council on more specific issues. The Springwater Public Library Board consists of Jane Cocking, Jennifer St-Onge, Evan Chen Adrian Graham, Robert Sturgess, and Stephen Ouderkirk. The Committee of Adjustment consists of Henry Vander Wielen, Brad Sokach, Michael Douglas, Wanda Maw-Chapman, and Steven Farquharson. The Agricultural Advisory Committee consists of James Drury, Mark Priest, Matt Ververs, and Wanda Maw-Chapman. The Cultural and Heritage Advisory Committee consists of Hale Mahon, Donna Kenwell, Greg Barker, Doug Kirton, Catherine Czajkowski, and Teresa Lapierre. The member representing Springwater on the Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee is Caleb Brohm.https://springwater.civicweb.net/FileStorage/350B123AAEA04DC3B968D44A496D9D57-2022-093.pdf

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, Springwater 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.

References

External links