Renfrew County is a county and census division in the Canadian province of Ontario. It straddles the west bank of the Ottawa River. There are 17 municipalities in the county. Its county seat is Pembroke, which is geographically within the county but administered independently.

History

Bathurst District

When Carleton County was withdrawn from Bathurst District in 1838, Renfrew County was severed from part of the remaining Lanark County, but the two remained united for electoral purposes. By 1845, all lands in the District had been surveyed into the following townships:

United Counties of Lanark and Renfrew

Effective January 1, 1850, Bathurst District was abolished, and the "United Counties of Lanark and Renfrew" replaced it for municipal and judicial purposes. The counties remained united for electoral purposes in the Parliament of the Province of Canada, referred to as the County of Lanark, until Renfrew gained its own seat in 1853. The separation of Renfrew from Lanark began in 1861, with the creation of a Provisional Municipal Council that held its first meeting in June 1861. The United Counties were dissolved in August 1866.

Geographical evolution

The territory was originally described in 1838 as consisting of: "...the Townships of Packenham, McNab, Horton, Ross, Westmeath and Pembroke, together with the unsurveyed lands within the District of Bathurst, and all the islands in the Ottawa River, wholly or in greater part opposite to the said Townships and unsurveyed lands..." In 1851, Pakenham was transferred to Lanark, while Renfrew was expanded through the addition of: "...all that tract of land lying between the Western Boundaries of the Townships of Lavant, Blithfield, Admaston, Bromley, Stafford and Pembroke and the Ottawa River, and a line drawn parallel to the general course of the said Boundaries of the said Townships from the western corner of the Township of Clarendon to the Ottawa River." In 1860, the newly surveyed townships of Miller and Canonto were transferred to Frontenac County, while the townships of Raglan, Lyndoch, Radcliffe and Brudenell were added to Renfrew. The final expansion of the County occurred in 1877-1878, with the transfer of the United Townships of Hagarty, Sherwood, Jones, Richards and Burns, and the United Townships of Head, Clara and Maria, from Nipissing District. Once all lands had been surveyed in 1878, the County consisted of the following geographic townships:

Municipal reorganization (2001)

The county seat, Pembroke, is a separated municipality.

Geography

Renfrew County is known for its lakeside cottages and white-water rafting along the Ottawa River, and has more than 900 lakes. It is located in the primary region of Southern Ontario and the secondary region Eastern or Southeastern Ontario. Renfrew County is also the largest county in terms of area in Ontario, ahead of Hastings County.

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Renfrew County had a population of 106,365 living in 44,952 of its 51,134 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 102,394. With a land area of 7357.94 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Arts and culture

At Wilno, Ontario Canada's Kashubian community celebrates their heritage.

Military

The county is home to CFB Petawawa and gives its name to The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment.

Notable people