Springwater is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in central

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, in

Simcoe County Simcoe County is a county and census division located in the central region of Ontario, Canada. The county is located north of the Greater Toronto Area, and forms the north western edge of the Golden Horseshoe. The county seat is located in Mi ...

, near

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Simcoe County.

History

Prior to European settlement, Ossossane, the largest

Wendat The Huron-Wendat Nation (or Huron-Wendat First Nation) is an Iroquoian-speaking nation that was established in the 17th century. In the French language, used by most members of the First Nation, they are known as the . The French gave the nickn ...

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, 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 popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

star

Jason McCoy Jason Dwight Campsall (born August 27, 1970), known professionally as Jason McCoy, 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, ...

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, 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. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

; 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, approximatel ...

, a popular summer tourist attraction. Crown Hill is located at the municipal boundaries of Springwater and

Oro-Medonte Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County. The Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church School was a rural segregated Black school established in 1849 in Oro-Medonte, O ...

, just outside the northern city limits of Barrie. Prior to the provincial highway downloads of 1997,

Highway 11 Route 11, or Highway 11 can refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH11, Asian Highway 11 * European route E11 * European route E011 Argentina * Provincial Route 11 (Buenos Aires), Buenos Aires Provincial Route 11 Austr ...

left its expressway 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 language, French and English langua ...

for the remainder of its southerly route into Barrie and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. 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 Elmva ...

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 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 within 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 ''Ouentir ...

and

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () 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 its northwest is t ...

. It was the site of the Simcoe House Hotel (now abandoned). Hillsdale is home to approximately 1,000 people.

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first reco ...

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 Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central ...

of the

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

. 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, ...

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 The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

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 Met ...

and is home to

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. It has a small school known as Minesing Central Public School. The nearby Minesing Wetlands 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 (chair) and Steven Farquharson (Vice Chair). The Agricultural Advisory Committee consists of James Drury, Mark Priest (chair), Matt Ververs, and Wanda Maw-Chapman.The Corporation of the Township of Springwater By-law 2022-093
springwater.civicweb.net The Cultural and Heritage Advisory Committee consists of Hale Mahon (chair), Donna Kenwell, Greg Barker, Catherine Czajkowski, Joan Gannon, and James Crawford. The member representing Springwater on the Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee is Caleb Brohm.

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; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, 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