Bruce County
| Bruce County Gaelic: Siorramachd Bhruis |
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| County (upper-tier) | |
| County of Bruce | |
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Motto: "In Deo Imperium Sed Populus Administrat" (Latin) |
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 Location of Bruce County In Ontario |
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| Coordinates: 44°30′N 81°15′W / 44.500°N 81.250°WCoordinates: 44°30′N 81°15′W / 44.500°N 81.250°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| County seat | Walkerton, Ontario |
| Subdivisions |
List
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| Government | |
| • Warden | Mitch Twolan |
| • Chief Administrative Officer | Kelley Coulter |
| Area | |
| • Land | 3,982.52 km2 (1,537.66 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 64,709[1] |
| • Density | 16.2/km2 (42/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Primary Highways | 21, 9, and 6 |
Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario.
The name of the county is linked to the Bruce Trail and the Bruce Peninsula, which the trail runs through. Bruce County is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, sixth Governor General of the Province of Canada.
The county contains the Bruce Peninsula National Park. Notable towns include Tobermory and Wiarton, home of the weather predicting groundhog Wiarton Willie.
Contents
Subdivisions[edit]
Bruce County comprises eight municipalities (in population order, largest first):
- Town of Saugeen Shores (Population centres: Port Elgin, Southampton)
- Municipality of Kincardine
- Municipality of Brockton (Population centre: Walkerton)
- Town of South Bruce Peninsula (Population centre: Wiarton)
- Municipality of Arran–Elderslie
- Township of Huron-Kinloss (Population centre: Lucknow)
- Municipality of South Bruce
- Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula
Independent of Bruce County but within the Bruce census division are two First Nations reserves:
Historic townships[edit]
- Albemarle (Hope Bay, McIver, Colpoy's Bay, Mar, Red Bay) now in South Bruce Peninsula
- Amabel (Wiarton, Oliphant, Sauble Falls, Sauble Beach, Skipness, Park Head, Allenford) now in South Bruce Peninsula
- Arran (Elsinore, Tara, Invermay, Burgoyne) now in Arran-Elderslie
- Brant (Walkerton, Maple Hill, Dunkeld, Eden Grove, Vesta, Elmwood) now in Brockton
- Bruce (Tiverton, Underwood, Inverhuron) now in the Municipality of Kincardine
- Carrick (Formosa, Ambleside, Mildmay, Deemerton, Carlsruhe) now in South Bruce
- Culross (Teeswater) now in South Bruce
- Eastnor (Spry, Lion's Head, Hopeness, Pike Bay) now in Northern Bruce Peninsula
- Elderslie (Paisley, Chesley) now in Arran-Elderslie
- Greenock (Riversdale, Greenock, Chepstow, Cargill, Pinkerton, Bradley, Lovat) now in Brockton
- Huron (Pine River, Purple Grove, Verdun, Ripley) now in Huron-Kinloss
- Kincardine (Kincardine, Inverhuron, Millarton, Bervie, Armow) now in the Municipality of Kincardine
- Kinloss (Kinloss, Kinlough, Holyrood, Langside, Lucknow) now in Huron-Kinloss
- Lindsay (Cape Chin, Dyer's Bay, Stokes Bay) now in Northern Bruce Peninsula
- Saugeen (Southampton, Port Elgin) now the Town of Saugeen Shores
- St. Edmund's (Tobermory) now in Northern Bruce Peninsula
Demographics[edit]
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This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Historic population:
- 2011: 64,709 (5-year population growth: 1.1%)
- 2006: 64,000 (5-year population growth: 2.2%)
- 2001: 62,628 (5-year population growth: -3.7%)
- 1996: 65,042
Figures below are for the Bruce census division, which consists of Bruce County and two First Nations reserves.
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| Group | 2011 Census | 2006 Census | 2001 Census | 1996 Census | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | % of total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | |
| Aboriginal | 2,185 | 3.4 | 1,820 | 2.9 | 1,220 | 1.9 | ||
| Visible Minority | 965 | 1.5 | 595 | 0.9 | 590 | 0.9 | ||
| All other | 61,405 | 95.1 | 60,520 | 96.2 | 63,120 | 97.2 | ||
| Total | 64,555 | 100.0 | 62,935 | 100.0 | 64,930 | 100.0 | ||
| Group | 2011 Census | 2006 Census | 2001 Census | 1996 Census | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | % of total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | |
| English | 59,450 | 92.2 | 58,530 | 93.1 | 60,865 | 93.9 | ||
| French | 540 | 0.8 | 585 | 0.9 | 650 | 1.0 | ||
| English and French | 50 | - | 30 | - | 90 | - | ||
| All other | 4,510 | 7.0 | 3,800 | 6.0 | 3,325 | 5.1 | ||
| Total | 64,555 | 100.0 | 62,935 | 100.0 | 64,930 | 100.0 | ||
Tourism[edit]
"Explore the Bruce[edit]
"Explore the Bruce" is an annual event, organized by Bruce County Tourism, that occurs every summer in the county.[5] It is a large-scale scavenger hunt which takes place from late spring to early fall, and begins about two hours north of Toronto and ends at Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Penninsula. Families, couples, and individuals of all ages can participate.[6]
In a combination of orienteering and geocaching, participants pick up an “Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport” at a Bruce County tourist centre or download a specially designed app.[7] The passport gives clues to the locations of hidden "punch boxes", each with a specially shaped stamp representing a point of local interest in the county. Adventurers must collect at least 7 out of the 12 stamps. After submitting a completed Adventure Passport, participants are entered in a draw for a variety of prizes.[8] The first 1500 people to submit their passports are also given a free “Explore the Bruce” t-shirt.
In 2015, the Explore the Bruce program was presented with a Tourism Marketing Campaign Award at the Ontario Tourism Summit in Toronto.[9]
Attractions[edit]
- Arabia Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Avalon Voyageur II Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Big Tub Light (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Bluewater Park, Wiarton (South Bruce Peninsula)
- Bluewater Summer Festival Theatre (Kincardine)
- Bruce County Museum (Saugeen Shores)
- Bruce Trail
- Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (Tiverton)
- Cabot Head Light and Heritage Museum (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Cascaden Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Cassel's Cove Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Chantry Island Light (Saugeen Shores)
- Charles P. Minch Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- China Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Cove Island Point (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Devil's Monument (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Flowerpot Island Light (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Flowerpot Rocks (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Forest City Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Gargantua Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Gat Point Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Gillies Hill Ghost Town (Arran-Elderslie)
- Hanover/Saugeen Airport (Brockton)
- Indian Head Cove Caves and Grotto (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- James C. King Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- John Walters Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Kincardine Airport (Kincardine)
- Kincardine Rear Range Light and Museum (Kincardine)
- Lady Dufferin Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Larkwhistle Garden (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Malcolm Ghost Town (Brockton)
- Marble bedded lake (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Marion L. Breck Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- M.S. Chi-Cheemaun (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Newaygo Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Philo Scoville Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Point Clark Lighthouse Museum (Huron-Kinloss)
- Point Clark Lighthouse National Historic Site (Huron-Kinloss)
- Points West Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Port Elgin Airport (Saugeen Shores)
- Sauble Beach Amusements (South Bruce)
- Sauble Speedway (South Bruce)
- Saugeen Amphitheatre (Saugeen 29)
- Saugeen River (canoeing)
- Saugeen Trail (Saugeen Shores)
- Sweetwater Cruise (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- The Peninsula and St. Edmunds Museum (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- The Scenic Caves (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Tobermory Airport (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
- Treasure Chest Museum (Arran-Elderslie)
- Wiarton Willie (South Bruce Peninsula)
- W.L. Wetmore Shipwreck (Northern Bruce Peninsula)
Protected areas[edit]
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- Arran Lake Conservation Area
- Black Creek Provincial Park
- Brucedale Conservation Area
- Bruce Peninsula National Park
- Cyprus Lake
- Cabot Head Provincial Nature Reserve
- Chantry Island National Migratory Bird Sanctuary
- Denny's Dam Conservation Area
- Fathom Five National Marine Park
- Flowerpot Island
- Glammis Bog Conservation Area
- Greenoch Swamp Wetland Complex Conservation Area
- Hardwood Hills Conservation Area
- Hope Bay Forest Provincial Nature Reserve
- Inverhuron Provincial Park
- Johnston Harbour Pine Tree Point Provincial Nature Reserve
- Lion's Head Provincial Nature Reserve
- Little Cove Provincial Nature Reserve
- Lockerby Conservation Area
- MacGregor Point Provincial Park
- Algonquin
- Huron
- Nipissing
- McBeath Conservation Area
- McMaster Island Provincial Nature Reserve
- Rankin Provincial Resource Management Area
- Sauble Falls Provincial Park
- Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area
- Smoky Head - White Bluff Provincial Nature Reserve
- Spirit Rock Conservation Area
- Stoney Island Conservation Area
- Tara Conservation Area
Hungerford's crawling water beetle[edit]
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Bruce County is home to one of the most critically endangered of all insects: the Hungerford's crawling water beetle. The only known population of Hungerford's crawling water beetles outside of the United States were discovered in the North Saugeen River near Scone. In 1986, 42 beetles were identified at a site downstream from a dam there. An unspecified number of beetles were last recorded in 2001, but surveys in 2002 uncovered no specimens. As a result, the status of the Bruce County population of Hungerford's crawling water beetles is uncertain at present.
Although the Hungerford's crawling water beetle was categorized as endangered on March 7, 1994, under the provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, it is currently not protected in Canada.
Highways[edit]
Highways in Bruce include:
See also[edit]
- List of municipalities in Ontario
- Bruce County municipal elections, 2010
- Ontario municipal elections, 2010
- Bruce Peninsula
- List of counties and districts of Canada
- List of townships in Ontario
- Sauble Beach
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Bruce County census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "Explore the Bruce has high hopes for 2014". Shoreline Beacon Tiffany Wilson, March 14, 2014
- ^ Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport launched | Kincardine News
- ^ "'iffy' answer to snow day questions". Owen Sound Sun-Times. By Scott Dunn, Owen Sound, January 13, 2016
- ^ "Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport prize winners named". Wiarton Echo, 2011 02 03
- ^ "Bruce County Wins Tourism Marketing Award". Blackburn News, By John Chippa November 13, 2015
- ^ Take time to explore 'The Bruce'. Niagara This Week. Aug 18, 2010
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce County, Ontario. |
- Statistics Canada 2006 Community Profile - Bruce County, Ontario
- Bruce County Official Website
- Ontario Plaques in the County of Bruce
- The Changing Shape of Ontario: Map of Bruce County in 1951
- Bruce County Tourism. "Bruce County, Ontario Vacation Website ." Bruce Peninsula, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron: Explore the Bruce. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.
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Georgian Bay | |
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