Laurentian Hills

Laurentian Hills is a municipality in Eastern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County. It surrounds (by land) Deep River on the Ontario side of the river. The municipality was formed on January 1, 2000, when the United Townships of Rolph, Buchanan, Wylie and McKay and the Village of Chalk River were merged.^[2]

Laurentian Hills
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Laurentian Hills
Municipal offices in Point Alexander
Laurentian Hills Show map of Renfrew County Laurentian Hills Show map of Southern Ontario
Coordinates: 46°08′N 77°33′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Renfrew
Established	January 1, 2000
Government
• Mayor	Anne Giardini
• Federal riding	Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke
• Prov. riding	Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke
Area [1]
• Land	634.31 km2 (244.91 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	2,885
• Density	4.5/km2 (12/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code	K0J 1J0
Area code	613
Website	www.laurentianhills.ca

The town was home to the Nuclear Power Demonstration nuclear power plant. The prototype nuclear power plant was operational from 1962 to 1987 and has since then been shut down, awaiting permanent disposal of its radioactive nuclear components.^[3]

Communities

Main Street in Chalk River.

The town comprises the communities of Chalk River, Meilleurs Bay, Moor Lake, Point Alexander, Rolphton, and Wylie.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Laurentian Hills had a population of 2,885 living in 1,251 of its 1,393 total private dwellings, a change of -2.6% from its 2016 population of 2,961. With a land area of 634.31 km² (244.91 sq mi), it had a population density of 4.5/km² (11.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[1]

Historical census populations – Laurentian Hills

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	2,750	—
2006	2,789	+1.4%
2011	2,811	+0.8%
2016	2,961	+5.3%
2021	2,885	−2.6%
Source: Statistics Canada[4]

Historical census populations – Chalk River Village Year Pop. ±% 1956 986 —     1961 1,135 +15.1% 1966 1,086 −4.3% 1971 1,094 +0.7% 1976 1,095 +0.1% 1981 1,010 −7.8% 1986 923 −8.6% 1991 874 −5.3% 1996 974 +11.4% Source: Statistics Canada[5]

Historical census populations – Rolph, Buchanan, Wylie and McKay TP Year Pop. ±% 1956 1,780 —     1961 2,079 +16.8% 1966 2,040 −1.9% 1971 2,066 +1.3% 1976 1,836 −11.1% 1981 1,743 −5.1% 1986 1,790 +2.7% 1991 1,656 −7.5% 1996 1,810 +9.3% Source: Statistics Canada[5]

Local government

List of former mayors:

• Paul Curtis (2000)
• Vance Gutzman (2003)
• Richard Rabishaw (2010–2014)
• John Reinwald (2014–2022)
• Anne Giardini (2022–present)

Trivia

An Ontario Historical Plaque in front of the School House Museum was erected by the province to commemorate the role of steamboating on the Upper Ottawa in Ontario's heritage.^[6]

See also

• List of francophone communities in Ontario
• List of townships in Ontario

References

• Mercer, Jennifer. "Staying the Run: A History of Rolph, Buchanan, Wylie and McKay Townships."

1. "Laurentian Hills (Code 3547090) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
2. "Municipal Profiles". County of Renfrew. Archived from the original on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
3. "Nuclear Power Demonstration Closure Project".
4. 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
5. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, Part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
6. "Ontario Plaque". Archived from the original on 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2009-01-07.

External links

• Official website