Wellington County, Ontario

Wellington County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The county consists of two towns and five townships, with its seat in the City of Guelph, which is geographically within the county but administered independently. According to the 2021 census, the population of the census division was 241,026.

Many of the residents in the southern part of the county commute to urban areas such as Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto and Hamilton for employment. The northern part of the county (comprising Minto, Mapleton, and Wellington North townships) is made up of mainly rural farming communities, except for a few larger towns such as Mount Forest and Arthur.

In 2018, the warden of the county was Kelly Linton, the mayor of Centre Wellington, and there were 14 councillors. Police services are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police. Schools are operated by the Upper Grand District School Board and by the Wellington Catholic District School Board.

Subdivisions The county is made up of seven lower-tier municipalities (in order of population):

Centre Wellington, Township of (population centres: Fergus, Elora) Guelph/Eramosa, Township of (population centre: Rockwood) Wellington North, Township of (population centres: Mount Forest, Arthur) Erin, Town of (population centres: Erin, Hillsburgh) Mapleton, Township of (population centre: Drayton) Minto, Town of (population centres: Palmerston, Harriston) Puslinch, Township of

The City of Guelph, although part of the Wellington census division, is a single-tier city; the municipality is independent of the county. The primary economy outside of the city consists of agriculture and aggregate mining. The county is a major supplier of sand and gravel for the western part of the Greater Toronto Area.

History Evolution In 1837, by an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, the District of Wellington was formed and a court house and jail in the town of Guelph were authorized. The District was named after England's Duke of Wellington and its territory formed the County of Waterloo for electoral purposes.1837 Act, s. 28 The limestone county courthouse and jail in the castellated style was built in 1842-44 and was subsequently expanded.

In 1849, Wellington District was abolished, and Waterloo County remained for municipal and judicial purposes. The territory of the Bruce Peninsula became part of Waterloo in 1849, but was later withdrawn and transferred to Bruce County in 1851.

In January 1852, Waterloo County became the United Counties of Wellington, Waterloo and Grey. The new county of Waterloo was withdrawn in January 1853, and the remainder was renamed the United Counties of Wellington and Grey.

In January 1854, the United Counties was dissolved, and Wellington and Grey were separate counties for all purposes.

Guelph was incorporated as a City in 1879 and withdrawn from the county. Amaranth, East Garafraxa, East Luther and Orangeville were transferred to Dufferin County during the period 1874–1882.

The Wellington County Jail (in Late Gothic Revival Style) and the Governor's Residence (in Georgian style) at 74 Woolwich Street were built in 1911; they were designated by the city for "historic and architectural value" and as a National Historic Site in 1983. The property is now an Ontario Court of Justice.

Historic townships By 1881, the county had settled into its present form, with the following townships and related towns and villages:

+Historic townships of Wellington County (1881)TownshipAreaDescriptionCommunity centresArthur64,494 acres (261 km2)Opened in 1835, it was named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonArthur, Kenilworth and Mount ForestEramosa44,482 acres (180 km2) Opened in 1821. The name is an attempt to render in English the Indigenous word "un-ne-mo-sa", which means dogEden Mills and RockwoodErin70,557 acres (286 km2)Opened in 1820Erin, Hillsburgh, MimosaWest Garafraxa46,950 acres (190 km2)Opened in 1821. Name is believed to be from an Indigenous word meaning "the place of panthers."Fergus (only partially in the township), Reading, Metz and GarafraxaGuelph Township35,543 acres (144 km2)Opened on April 23, 1827, by John Galt on behalf of the Canada CompanyWest Luther49,830 acres (202 km2)Opened in 1821 and named after the leader of the Reformation in Germany, Martin Luther. It was said that the surveyor, a Roman Catholic, having been embarrassed by the endless swamps he had encountered declared that this was "the meanest piece of country he had seen" and named it Luther for that reasonMonck, Stonywood, Damascus and ArthurMaryborough56,728 acres (230 km2)Opened in 1840 and named after a brother of the Duke of Wellington, Baron MaryboroughDrayton, Moorefield and RothsayMinto69,927 acres (283 km2)Opened in 1840 and named after the Earl of Minto, a famous pro-consul in India. Settled mainly between 1861 and 1875Harriston, Palmerston, and CliffordNichol26,996 acres (109 km2)One of the townships leased by Joseph Brant under power of attorney for the First Nations of the Grand River region. The Township was granted to Hon. Thomas Clark on a lease of 999 years for 3,564, but the contract was modified by the Crown. The Township was opened for settlement in 1822. Named in honour of Col Robert Nichol of Norfolk who distinguished himself in the War of 1812 and latter in political battlesElora, Fergus, Salem and BarnetPeel74,525 acres (302 km2)Opened in 1835 and named in honour of Sir Robert Peel. Settled mainly between 1850 and 1853Drayton, Glenallan, Goldstone and AlmaPilkington28,983 acres (117 km2)Named in honour of Lieutenant Robert Pilkington (later General Pilkington) who accompanied John Graves Simcoe to Upper Canada. Pilkington acquired 20,000 acres (80 km2) of land Elora in Nichol TownshipPuslinch58,291 acres (236 km2)Named after Puslinch, Devon, Lady Colborne's home before her marriageAberfoyle

In 1999, seven new municipalities (Townships) were created within Wellington County through amalgamation.

From "poorhouse" to museum In 1877, the county opened the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, or Poorhouse as it was called, on Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. Over the years, approximately 1500 deserving poor, including those who were destitute, old and infirm or suffering from disabilities were housed here. The sixty bed house for inmates was surrounded by a 30-acre "industrial" farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff and also provided work for them. Others worked in the House itself. According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work". A hospital was added in 1892. A nearby cemetery has 271 plots for those who died. In 1947 the House was converted into the Wellington County Home for the Aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

A historic plaque was erected at the museum, indicating that the "government-supported poorhouse" was "the shelter of last resort for the homeless and destitute, who traded spartan accommodations for domestic or agricultural labour".

Demographics As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wellington 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.

+ Panethnic groups in Wellington County (2001−2021)Panethnicgroup20212016201120062001 European 192,185 188,570 181,980 179,595 169,820 South Asian 12,760 7,355 5,370 4,145 3,125 Southeast Asian 7,790 5,835 5,110 3,745 2,615 African 6,870 3,280 1,975 1,790 1,965 East Asian 5,500 5,250 4,175 3,760 3,565 Middle Eastern 3,895 2,535 1,650 1,605 975 Indigenous 3,810 3,385 3,200 1,815 1,260 Latin American 2,525 1,525 1,370 1,235 795 Other 2,575 1,690 1,055 940 735 Total responses 237,930 219,415 205,885 198,635 184,840 Total population 241,026 222,726 208,360 200,425 187,313

Community involvement and awards In October 2008, the County of Wellington was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, the county was recognized as one of Waterloo Area's Top Employers and featured in the Guelph Mercury newspaper.

In 2014, the County of Wellington received Best Health and Wellness Strategy at the Canadian HR Awards. The award recognizes excellence in the area of corporate health and well-being.

In 2013 (Gold), and again in 2014 (Silver), the County of Wellington received Canada's Safest Employer in the Public Sector Award. Canada's Safest Employers Awards recognize organizations from all across Canada with outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers.

In 2014 (Gold), and again in 2016 (Silver), the County of Wellington received Canada's Psychological Safety Award. Canada's Safest Employer Awards introduced a new Psychological Safety Award in 2014 to recognize organizations that are committed to employee mental health and are working towards implementing the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.

The County of Wellington in Ontario, Canada, embarked on the BR+E journey beginning in 2013. Two years later, the county has reaped significant rewards with the candle on the cake represented by two BREI awards at the BREI Annual Conference in 2014.

The County of Wellington proudly received the 2015 Employer of Distinction Award at an Award Ceremony presented by the Guelph and District Human Resources Professionals Association in Guelph.

In early 2018, Alma resident Jim deBock received the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship for his extensive volunteer work.

Travel Region Wellington County is part of the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association and Central Counties of Ontario, two tourism related associations.

In addition to the Museum, attractions in the County recommended by users of the Tripadvisor web site include Elora Rapids, Elora Gorge Conservation Area, the Fergus Grand Theatre and the Elora Cataract Railway. Popular parks with lakes for day use include Rockwood Conservation Area and Belwood Lake.

Wellington County, Ontario

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