Haldimand County is a rural city-status

single-tier municipality A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

on the Niagara Peninsula in

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

, Canada, on the north shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

, and on the Grand River. Despite its name, it is no longer a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

by definition, as all municipal services are handled by a single level of government. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga. The county is adjacent to Norfolk County, the

County of Brant The County of Brant ( 2021 population 39,474) is a single-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains the word "county" in its name, the municipality is a single-tier municipal government and has no upper tier. The ...

, the City of Hamilton, and the

Regional Municipality of Niagara The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the souther ...

History

Haldimand's history has been closely associated with that of neighbouring Norfolk County.

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...

was created in 1791 by being separated from the old Province of Quebec, Haldimand was created in 1798 as part of the

Niagara District The Niagara District was a historic district in Upper Canada. Created in 1798 from the Home District, it existed until 1849. Historic evolution The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of Upper Canada in 1798, and was described as cons ...

. It was named after Sir

Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. From 1778 to 1786, he serve ...

, the governor of the

Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

from 1778 to 1785. In 1844, the land was surrendered by the Six Nations to the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

in an agreement that was signed by the vast majority of Chiefs in the Haldimand tract. From 1974 to 2000, Haldimand County and Norfolk County were merged to form the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk. See

Regional Municipality of Haldimand–Norfolk The Regional Municipality of Haldimand–Norfolk was a Regional municipality, Regional Municipality that was proclaimed on January 1, 1974 in the province of Ontario, Canada, on the advice of a report by Milt Farrow, a "special advisor" appoint ...

and Norfolk County History for the period when Haldimand and Norfolk were governed as a single unit. Beginning in February 2006, a land dispute by native protesters began near Caledonia over a housing development being built on the outskirts of town, which members of the nearby Mohawk Six Nations people claim is rightfully their land.

Communities

The population centres in Haldimand are Caledonia,

Dunnville Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada near the historic Talbot Trail. It was formerly an incorporated town encompassing the surrounding area with a total populat ...

, Hagersville, Jarvis and Cayuga. Part of the

Six Nations Reserve Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...

is within the geographic area of Haldimand County, but is independent of the county. Most of Haldimand is agricultural land, although some heavy industry, including the former Nanticoke Generating Station, is located here. Smaller communities within the municipality are Attercliffe Station, Balmoral, Bodri Bay, Brookers Bay, Byng, Canborough, Canfield, Cheapside, Clanbrassil, Crescent Bay, Decewsville, Empire Corners, Featherstone Point, Fisherville, Garnet, Hoover Point, Kohler, Little Buffalo, Lowbanks, Moulton Station, Mount Carmel, Mount Healy,

Nanticoke Nanticoke may refer to: * Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States * Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language * Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey Place names Canada * Nanticoke, Ontario ** Nanticoke Generating S ...

, Nelles Corners, Peacock Point, Port Maitland, Rainham Centre, Selkirk, Sims Lock, South Cayuga, Springvale, Stromness, Sweets Corners,

Townsend Townsend (pronounced tounʹ-zənd) or Townshend may refer to: Places United States *Camp Townsend, National Guard training base in Peekskill, New York *Townsend, Delaware *Townsend, Georgia *Townsend, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Townsend ...

, Willow Grove, Woodlawn Park and York. The ghost towns of Cook's Station, Cranston, Dufferin, Erie,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, Lambs Corners, Lythmore, Sandusk, Upper, and Varency are also located within Haldimand.

Historic townships

Haldimand County's area of 309,300 acres was formed from part of the land grant to the Six Nations in 1783. The County was purchased by treaty and opened for general settlement in 1832. It was first settled by white veterans of

Butler's Rangers Butler's Rangers (1777–1784) was a Loyalist provincial military unit of the American Revolutionary War, raised by American loyalist John Butler. Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania. Th ...

established there by Joseph Brant. A large number of Germans were among the first settlers. *Canborough, area . Granted in 1794 by Joseph Brant to John Dochstader of Butler's Rangers. Purchased by Benjamin Canby in 1810 for £5,000, he named the village-site "Canborough. Community centre: Canborough, Darling and it touches Dunnville *Dunn, area . Opened for settlement in 1833. Community centre: Dunnville *Moulton, area . Landowner Henry John Boulton named the township from the Boulton family seat in England. *North Cayuga, area . *Oneida, area . Joseph Brant granted a 999 year lease of part of Oneida and Seneca townships to Henry Nelles, of Butler's Rangers and his sons, Robert, Abraham, William, Warner and John. Community centres were: Caledonia, Dufferin and Hagersville. *Rainham, area Community centres: Balmoral, Selkirk, Rainham Centre and Fisherville. *Seneca, area . Community centres: York and Caledonia *Sherbrooke, area , the smallest township in Ontario. Opened in 1825 and named from Sir

John Coape Sherbrooke General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, (29 April 1764 – 14 February 1830) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean (including Sicily), and Spa ...

, a Governor-General of Canada. The Township was granted by the Indians to William Dickson (a lawyer) as a professional fee. Community centres: Stromness and Port Maitland. *South Cayuga, area . *Walpole, area . Community centres were: Hagersville, Jarvis, Selkirk, Cheapside and Nanticoke. Source: ''Province of Ontario – A History 1615 to 1927'' by Jesse Edgar Middleton & Fred Landon, copyright 1927, Dominion Publishing Company, Toronto

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, Haldimand County 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.

Ethnocultural statistics

Only ethnic groups that comprise greater than 1% of the population are included. Note that a person can report more than one group. *English: 37.4% *"Canadian": 32.7% *Scottish: 24.9% *Irish: 20.1% *German: 18.4% *Dutch: 13.4% *French: 8.6% *Italian: 4.4% *Aboriginal: 3.3% *Ukrainian: 2.7% *Polish: 2.7% *Hungarian: 2.4% *Welsh: 2.0% *British Isles (other): 1.7% *Portuguese: 1.3%

Local government

The city is within the federal electoral riding of

Haldimand—Norfolk Haldimand—Norfolk is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1997, and since 2004. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Conservative Leslyn Lewis. Geogr ...

and within provincial electoral riding of

. Current Mayor: Ken Hewitt Previous Mayors: * 2004–2010:

Marie Trainer Marie Trainer, born circa 1946 , is the former mayor of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada after having been defeated on October, 25th 2010 by Mayor Elect Ken Hewitt. Hewitt finished with 6,984 votes, Trainer 5,748 and third-place finisher Buck Sloa ...

* 2000–2004: Lorraine Bergstrand

Policing

Policing in the county is provided by the Haldimand detachment of the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorp ...

located in Cayuga.

Fire services

Fire services in the county is provided by the Haldimand County Fire Department which was created in 2001 following the separation of Haldimand and Norfolk. The department currently consists of 11 stations located strategically throughout the county. With almost 300 firefighters and 40 fire apparatuses, it is one of the largest volunteer fire departments in Ontario. The department consists of: * Station 1 – Caledonia * Station 2 – Hagersville * Station 3 – Jarvis * Station 4 – Cayuga (Headquarters) * Station 5 – Canfield * Station 6 – Canborough * Station 7 – Lowbanks * Station 9 – Dunnville * Station 11 – South Haldimand * Station 12 – Fisherville * Station 13 – Selkirk

Transportation

The

Southern Ontario Railway The Southern Ontario Railway is a shortline railroad in the province of Ontario, owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operated of track from Brantford to Nanticoke, Ontario, ...

operates in southwestern Haldimand. Highways that travel through Haldimand include

Ontario Highway 3 King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the northern shoreline of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which travels from ...

and

Ontario Highway 6 King's Highway 6, commonly referred to as Highway 6, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It crosses a distance of between Port Dover, on the northern shore of Lake Erie, and Espanola, on the northern shor ...

Protected areas

*Haldimand Conservation Area *Selkirk Provincial Park *Taquanyah Conservation Area *Hedley Forest Conservation Area *Canborough Conservation Area *Ruigrok Tract Conservation Area *Oswego Conservation Area *Byng Island Conservation Area *

Rock Point Provincial Park Rock Point Provincial Park is a park located on the north shore of Lake Erie near the mouth of the Grand River in the Carolinian zone of southwestern Ontario. It occupies an area of . Habitats within the park include wetlands, forests and dunes ...

* Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area

Attractions

*Port Maitland Outer Range Lighthouse and Pier *Canadian Heritage Grand River *Grand Valley Trail * Toronto Motorsports Park (Dragway Park)
Indiana Ghost Town
*Ruthven Park National Historic Site Mansion and Park * Haldimand County Museum & Archives (Cayuga) *

Jukasa Motor Speedway The Jukasa Motor Speedway (formerly known as Cayuga Speedway and the Cayuga 2000 Speedway) was an auto racing track located near Cayuga in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. Famous stock car drivers including Dale Earnhardt, Matt Kenseth, Bob ...

*Grand River Dinner Cruises * Edinburgh Square Heritage Centre (Caledonia) * Killman Zoo *Cottonwood Mansion *Caledonia Grand Trunk Station *The Wilson Pugsley MacDonald Museum (c. 1872) is a National Historic Site of Canada on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The Museum was named in honour of

Wilson MacDonald Wilson Pugsley MacDonald (May 5, 1880 – April 8, 1967) was a popular Canadian poet who "was known mainly in his own time for his considerable platform abilities" as a reader of his poetry. By reading fees, and by selling his books at readings, ...

*No. 6 RCAF Dunnville Museum *Canadian Drilling Rig Museum *Caledonia Old Mill *Byng Island Conservation Area and Pool *

Mohawk Island Mohawk Island is a small ("Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area."
''Environmen ...

Lighthouse (abandoned) * Townsend Planned Community (1970) * Nanticoke Generating Station

Notable people

* Birthplace of Canadian Olympic high jump medalist

Ethel Catherwood Ethel Hannah Catherwood (April 28, 1908 – September 26, 1987) was a Canadian athlete. Born in Hannah, North Dakota, United States, Ethel Catherwood was raised and educated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, where she excelled at baseball ...

. * Birthplace of Canadian Women's Hockey Gold Medalist

Becky Kellar-Duke Rebecca "Becky" Kellar (born January 1, 1975) is a women's ice hockey player. She played for Burlington Barracudas in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. Kellar played defence for the Canadian women's team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. S ...

* Birthplace of

Spud Johnson James Ralph "Spud" Johnson (December 1856 – February 1928) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player for three seasons, two for the Columbus Solons of the American Association and one season for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League ...

Major League Baseball player * Boston Bruins'

Nathan Horton Nathan Russell Horton (born May 29, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his career, Horton played for the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets. He was drafted third overall by the Panthers in the ...

, who won the Stanley Cup in 2011 * San Jose Sharks Head Coach

Peter DeBoer George Peter DeBoer (born June 13, 1968) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also a co-owner of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Ho ...

* Edmonton Oilers goaltender

Cam Talbot Cameron Talbot (born July 5, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He had also played for the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Philadelp ...

* Chicago Blackhawks goaltender

Ray Emery Raymond Robert Emery (''né'' Nichols; September 28, 1982 – July 15, 2018) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eleven seasons, between 2003 and 2015. Emery was chosen 99th over ...

, who won Stanley Cup in 2013 *

Marty McSorley Martin James McSorley (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 until 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. A for ...

, retired NHL player * Peter Robertson, inventor of the Robertson screw

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Ontario Cities in Ontario Former counties in Ontario Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Populated places disestablished in 1974 Southwestern Ontario Populated places on Lake Erie in Canada