Huron-Kinloss is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Bruce County. The township had a population of 7,069 in the Canada 2016 Census. Huron-Kinloss is located in Western Ontario, on Lake Huron. It is relatively remote, particularly by the standards of densely populated Southern Ontario and remains a primarily rural region of farmland and woodlots. The lake shore is sparsely populated with the village of Point Clark at the south end and Boiler Beach at the north end, with a mixture of seasonal and permanent cottages along the shore in between. Lucknow and Ripley are the largest towns inland. Economically, the township depends heavily on agriculture, agricultural services and tourism. A number of residents work in Kincardine or Goderich, with the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station being the largest employer in the area. With tourism and the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, the local economy is more prosperous than many similar regions. The Town of Ripley, in Huron-Kinloss is home to the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens. This public garden is the first of its kind in Canada using tourism to address the issues of food insecurity, sustainable agriculture and the plight of the small family farm. The non-profit organization is focused on rare, endangered, heirloom, and ethnocultural food plants and showcases over 250 varieties with over 10,000 plants overall in the Phase One development. The region is popular with retirees, with a lake-moderated mild climate and a reputation for a relaxed, friendly lifestyle. The boiler from the Erie Belle explosion lies on Boiler Beach at the northern end of the township.

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Amberley, Bruce Beach, Blair's Grove, Clarks Church, Clover Valley, Holyrood, Kinloss, Kinlough, Langside, Lower Langside, Lucknow, Lurgan Beach, Pine River, Point Clark, Purple Grove, Reid's Corners, Ripley, Verdun, and Whitechurch. The communities can be separated into two groups - inland communities in the rural agricultural area of the township, and lakefront communities with seasonal and full-time residents.

Inland communities

Lakefront communities

History

The area was founded as a Scottish settlement in the mid-19th century by 109 families forced to leave the Isle Of Lewis during the Highland Clearances. The first post office at Ripley opened in 1857, and many of its original settlers are buried in the local Lewis Gaelic cemetery. The Township of Huron-Kinloss was formed on January 1, 1999 through the amalgamation of the townships of Huron and Kinloss and the towns of Ripley and Lucknow.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Huron-Kinloss had a population of 7,723 living in 3,026 of its 4,107 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 7,069. With a land area of 440.73 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. Population trend:

Notable people