Renfrew, Ontario

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For other uses, see Renfrew.
Renfrew
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Renfrew
Raglan Street in the centre of Renfrew
Raglan Street in the centre of Renfrew
Renfrew is located in Southern Ontario
Renfrew
Renfrew
Location of Renfrew in the province of Ontario
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Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Renfrew
Incorporated July 27, 1858
Government
 • Mayor Don Eady[1]
 • Reeve Peter R. Emon[1]
Area[2]
 • Land 12.77 km2 (4.93 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 8,218
 • Density 643.5/km2 (1,667/sq mi)
 • Dwellings 3,980
 • Pop. Growth 4.7% from 2,006
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA K7V
Area code(s) 613 (432, 433, 570 exchange)
Website renfrewontario.com renfrewontario.ca

Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Highway 60 and Highway 132 with the Trans-Canada Highway. Renfrew is also known historically for its role in the formation of the National Hockey League.

History

Named after the town of Renfrew in Scotland, Renfrew was settled largely in part due to logging in the area in the early 19th century, where the river was used in order to drive the lumber to locations such as Ottawa. This heritage was until recently celebrated every July with the Lumber Baron Festival.

Geography

Renfrew and the surrounding Township of Horton are at the intersection of the Bonnechere River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley. Renfrew is at the intersection of provincial Highway 17, Highway 60, and Highway 132.

Education

Renfrew County District School Board

Primary Schools (Grade K-6)

  • Admaston Public School
  • Central Public School
  • Queen Elizabeth Public School

Middle School (Grade 7-8)

  • Renfrew Collegiate Intermediate School

Secondary School (Grade 9-12)

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board

Primary Schools

  • St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic School(Grade K-8)
  • Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School(Grade K-6)

Secondary School (Grade 8-12)

Climate

Renfrew has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons, warm summers, cold snowy winters and no dry season.[3]

Demographics

Population:[8]

Historical populations
Year Pop. ±%
1991 8,134 —    
1996 8,125 −0.1%
2001 7,942 −2.3%
2006 7,846 −1.2%
2011 8,218 +4.7%

First Language:

  • English: 91.8%
  • French: 4.0%
  • English and French: 0.5%
  • Other: 3.7%

Economy

Historic Customs Building, now Renfrew's Post Office

Much of Renfrew's current prosperity can be attributed to its status as an economic centre for a surrounding rural region with a population of over 30,000. Renfrew is also an important stop for Ottawa-based cottagers and outdoor enthusiasts passing by on their way to nearby whitewater rafting, boating, camping, hunting, golfing, fishing, snowmobiling, down-hill skiing, and cross-country skiing. However, the area's largest single employers are the Renfrew Victoria Hospital and the Bonnechere Manor.[9] In addition to numerous small employers, there are also several manufacturing facilities employing several hundred people; Scapa Tapes Renfrew, formerly Renfrew Tape makes products such as hockey tape that is used across North America and the duct tape brand featured on the discontinued Red Green Show. Times Fibre Canada and Madawaska Hardwood Flooring also have manufacturing facilities in town. Renfrew is also home to many successful small businesses. Between 2000 and 2005, a major portion of Renfrew's retail business, and the associated customer services jobs, shifted from the west-end Renfrew mall (now demolished) to the east-end formally industrial park due to the opening of several major big-box such as No Frills and Walmart and smaller retail stores just off Highway 17.

Despite the apparent prosperity, Statistics Canada reported the average earnings of Renfrew residents in 2000 as $35,811, or roughly 31% lower than the provincial average and 5% lower than the county average.[10] Further, the town reports, relative to the population size and compared to the province as a whole, fewer positions in management, business, finance, administration and natural or applied sciences, while there was greater than the provincial rates of occupation in sales and service, trades, transport and equipment operators, processing, manufacturing and utilities.[10]

Culture

Hockey

One of the four original teams in the National Hockey Association, the precursor to the NHL, was based in Renfrew. The Renfrew Creamery Kings sought to be allowed to play in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association, but with no success. The team's owner, M. J. O'Brien, eventually financed and put together his own league, the NHA. The Creamery Kings played two seasons of hockey in the NHA, 1911 and 1912, until M. J. O'Brien pulled out to pursue his interests in the railroad. [1]

Media

The O'Brien Theatre was a balconied and elegantly decorated town landmark that was converted from a live theatre to a movie theatre, then upgraded in the 1990s to accommodate two screens, but maintains much of the original appeal.

Festivals

  • Renfrew was the annual host and sponsor of the Ottawa Valley Lumber Baron Festival, a celebration of the town's roots in the logging industry. The Lumber Baron Festival is now known as Valleyfest, dropping its historical roots.
  • The Renfrew Fair has been drawing mixed crowds for decades with its mid-way rides, exhibits, demolition derby, musical acts and livestock showcase. The fair takes place on the second weekend of every September and lasts from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. The rides are supplied by the company Conklin Shows.
  • There is a nearby Blue Grass music festival that takes place every year in the middle of July.
  • In recent years, local farm-owner Andy Taylor has hosted FarmJam, a twelve-hour festival featuring varying musical acts.
  • In 2008, Renfrew celebrated its sesquicentennial throughout the calendar year.

Famous residents

Renfrew's museum, the McDougall Mill Museum

The McDougall Mill Museum on the Bonnechere River

John Lorn McDougall, politician and fur trader, built the mill in 1855 by the Bonnechere River near the town landmark Swinging Bridge and overlooking natural rapids below the Renfrew Power Generation generating station. It has been converted into a museum, sometimes referred to as 'Renfrew Museum', not to be confused with museums of that name in Pennsylvania and Scotland. The McDougall Mill Museum houses pioneer tools and machinery, a military section, a doll exhibit, as well as toys, Victorian clothing and household items.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Town Council of Renfrew, Ontario
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  9. ↑ Renfrew County Fact Sheet – Renfrew
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Statistics Canada Community Profile - Renfrew - 2001
  11. ↑ 434 Squadron, Honors and Awards, citing Spence's Distinguished Flying Cross citation. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  12. ↑ Ottawa Valley Guide: McDougall Mill. Retrieved 21 August 2007.

Further reading

  • The Story of Renfrew. From the Coming of the First Settlers about 1820 to 1928. By W. E. Smallfield, Rev. Robert Campbell, D.Sc., William Smallfield, ISBN 1-894378-42-3
 Horton
Admaston/Bromley Horton
  Renfrew  
Horton
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