Perth County is a county and

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...

in the

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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 ...

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

, west of Toronto. Its population centres are

Listowel Listowel ( ; , ) is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,794 according to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the third large ...

, Mitchell and Milverton. The City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys are within the Perth census division, but are administered separately from Perth County. The 2021 population of Perth County was 38,066.

Municipalities

The county comprises four lower-tier municipalities: *Municipality of North Perth, 2016 population 13,130 *Township of Perth East, 2016 population 12,261 *Municipality of West Perth, 2016 population 8,865 *Township of Perth South, 2016 population 3,810

History

Perth County was settled primarily through the efforts of the

Canada Company The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under the ( 6 Geo. 4. c. 75) of the B ...

agency which opened a road from the site of Stratford to Goderich. The settlers were almost equal in number as to their origins: English, Irish, Scottish and German. They began arriving in the 1820s but the majority arrived in the 1830s and the 1840s. Most became farmers, and even today, the county is known for mixed farming, dairying and hog production. This area originally formed part of the Huron District, which was constituted as the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce in 1850. The County of Perth was given its own Provisional Municipal Council at that time, and was separated from the United Counties in 1853. It had 11 original townships. Eight of the townships were laid out as part of the

Huron Tract The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Pe ...

, and three more were surveyed from that part of the

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 ...

known as the Queen's Bush: The City of Stratford was formed from parts of Downie, Ellice and Easthope Townships. In 1831 William Sergeant was given a lot by the Canada Company on the condition that he open an inn. In 1832 he erected the first frame building in the region by the Avon River and called it the "Shakespeare Hotel." First purchaser of land was John Sharman (1834), a blacksmith from Bedfordshire, England. His son, Henry, was the first child born within the limits of the city. Over time, four additional towns were incorporated as urban municipalities: St. Marys, Mitchell, Listowel and Milverton. On January 1, 1998, the county was restructured by reducing fourteen municipalities to four. The City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys retained their status as separated municipalities.

Demographics

As a

in the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, Perth 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.

Government

County Council

Perth County Council is made up of representatives from the four Lower-Tier member municipalities within the county's boundaries ( Municipality of North Perth, Township of Perth South, Township of Perth East, Municipality of West Perth), not including Stratford or St. Marys which had 48.8% of the population in 2011. The head of County Council, known as the Warden, is elected annually from amongst the County council members, in December, by a vote at council.

Current Members of County Council

Source: * Warden Doug Kellum (Deputy Mayor, Municipality of North Perth) * Deputy Warden Dean Trentowsky (Deputy Mayor, Municipality of West Perth) * Councillor Todd Kasenberg (Mayor, Municipality of North Perth) * Councillor Matt Duncan (Councillor, Municipality of North Perth) * Councillor Rhonda Ehgoetz (Mayor, Township of Perth East) * Councillor Hugh McDermid (Deputy Mayor, Township of Perth East) * Councillor Jerry Smith (Councillor, Township of Perth East) * Councillor Sue Orr (Mayor, Township of Perth South) * Councillor Robert Wilhelm (Councillor, Township of Perth South) * Councillor Walter McKenzie (Mayor, Municipality of West Perth) The City of Stratford and Town of St. Marys do not have a seat on Perth County Council. The County, City and Town share a number of services (Paramedic Services, Stratford-Perth Archives, Social Services, Spruce Lodge Home for the Aged, etc.). The three municipalities form the Municipal Shared Services Committee (MSSC) for the purpose of deliberating on the shared services.

Federal Government

Perth—Wellington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. It was created in 2003 from parts of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, Perth—Middlesex and Waterloo—Wellington ridings. It consists of the County of Perth, the City of Stratford, the Town of St. Mary's and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington.

Provincial Government

Perth—Wellington is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2007 provincial election. It was created in 2003 from parts of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, Perth—Middlesex and Waterloo—Wellington ridings. It consists of the County of Perth, and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. Randy Pettapiece was elected MPP for the riding on October 6, 2011, and has been re-elected twice.

Economy

Perth County is an agricultural area; farm cash receipts for main commodities totaled $739 million in 2012. The county is home to 2,252 census farms and 506,291 acres of farmland, employing over 3,000 people (2012) in crop and animal production. Dairy farming is the primary category, with receipts of $210 million (2012) while pork production is second at $161 million. Food processing industries are also represented, with 20 such companies (2012). Manufacturing, primarily in Stratford and

Listowel, Ontario Listowel is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, located in the Municipality of North Perth. Incorporated as the Town of Listowel in 1875, it was dissolved in 1998 following amalgamation with several other communities in the northe ...

is also significant. Categories include auto parts, metal fabrication, plastic injection moulding, robotics, and building and construction as well as plastics and textile manufacturing. Stratford has been attracting an increasing number of high-tech companies. The largest employers in Perth County include Maple Leaf Foods, Listowel Technology Inc., Spinrite Inc., Cooper Standard Automotive, Erie Meat Products Ltd., Parmalat, Armtech-Durisol, Ideal Supply Company Ltd., Taylor Construction and FGC Construction. Particularly in Stratford, tourism is a major part of the economy because of the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

which runs from May to October each year. The full County has increased its efforts to boost tourism in the areas outside Stratford; it hired a full-time Tourism Coordinator in January 2017.

Transportation

The area is serviced by the Stratford Municipal Airport which can handle air traffic ranging from Dash 8s to helicopters. It services over 12,000 yearly flights: freight, corporate and recreational. Larger airports are located in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

and outside

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 ...

. Passenger rail service is offered by

VIA Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

with trains from Stratford to London, Toronto and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

daily. Three carriers provide daily freight rail service.

Health Care

Perth County has three hospitals, in Stratford, Listowel and St. Marys, with 24-hour emergency services. Large regional health care centres are located in

and Kitchener-

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto, but it is n ...

. Listowel Hospital offers comprehensive care including a breast health centre and a Family Primary Care Centre. Stratford General Hospital offers many services, including MRI. Perth County Paramedic Services has seven staffed ambulances; stations are located in Stratford, St. Marys, Listowel, Mitchell and Milverton. The Headquarters are in Stratford.

Police services

The City of Stratford has its own Police Department. The Stratford Police Service also provides service to St. Marys with a police cruiser on patrol 24/7 and an additional officer stationed at Town Hall during business hours. Other areas of the county receive services from the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...

, Perth County Detachment in Sebringville with satellite offices in Listowel, Mitchell and St. Marys

Education

Perth County is served by the Avon Maitland District School Board and the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board. Private schools are also present: Listowel Christian School, Nancy Campbell Academy, Sunshine Montessori School, Stratford & District Christian School and Stratford Middle Years School. Post-Secondary facilities include the Stratford Campuses of Conestoga College and the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

as well as Stratford Chef's School.

Media

Newspapers

* '' The Beacon Herald'' * ''Independent Plus'' * ''Listowel Banner'' * ''Mitchell Advocate''