Tiny, Ontario

Coordinates: 44°40′57″N 79°57′08″W / 44.682395°N 79.952131°W / 44.682395; -79.952131

Township of Tiny
Wyebridge
Township of Tiny Location of Tiny, Ontario
Coordinates: 44°41′N 79°57′W / 44.683°N 79.95°W / 44.683; -79.95
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Simcoe
Incorporated
Government
– Mayor	Peggy Breckenridge
– Governing Body
– MPs	Bruce Stanton
– MPPs	Garfield Dunlop
Area
– Land	343.20 km2 (132.5 sq mi)
Population (2006)
– Total	10,754
– Density	31.4/km2 (81.3/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code span
Area code(s)	705
Website	www.township.tiny.on.ca

Tiny is a township, part of Simcoe County in south-central Ontario, Canada. The Township of Tiny can be found in the Southern Georgian Bay region and is approximately 43 miles (69 km) long or 160 square miles (410 km²). While the regular population is fairly small, the region is a popular summer destination both for tourism and cottagers.

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Allenwood Beach, Ardmore Beach, Balm Beach, Belle-Eau-Claire Beach, Bluewater Beach, Cawaja Beach, Cedar Point, Clearwater Beach, Cove Beach, Crescent Beach, Coutenac Beach, Deanlea Beach, Dorion's Corner, East Tay Point, Edmore Beach, Georgian Bay Estates, Georgian Heights, Georgian Highlands, Georgian Sands Beach, Georgina Beach, Gibson, Ishpiming Beach, Kettle's Beach, Kingwood Acres, Lafontaine, Lafontaine Beach, Mary Grove, Mountain View Beach, Nottawaga Beach, Ossossane Beach, Perkinsfield, Rowntree Beach, Sandcastle Beach, Sandy Bay, Sawlog Bay, Silver Birch Beach, Sloane Point, Thunder Beach, Tiny Beach, Toanche, Wahnekewaning Beach, Wendake Beach, Woodland Beach, Wyebridge, Wyevale and Wymbolwood Beach.

History

The township was named, in 1822, after a pet dog of Lady Sarah Maitland (1792–1873), wife of Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. Two other adjoining townships were also named for her pet dogs, Tay and Flos (now Springwater Township).^[1]

The history of Tiny Township reflects its three founding cultures: Native, French and British. Located within Wendake, the historical homeland of the Huron people, the region is closely tied to early missionary exploration of the region, including the Jesuit mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in nearby Midland. The township is also the location of an important archaeological site, the 17th century ossuary of the community of Ossossane, the capital of the Huron Confederacy.

In 1798, the British government purchased the land in the area and soon after established a naval base at Penetanguishene. By the mid-19th century, families from Quebec began moving to the Tiny Township area for the cheap and fertile land to farm. Today, the Tiny Township area is still very much a bilingual (French and English) area of Ontario, and is one of 25 municipalities in Ontario designated for bilingual government services under the French Language Services Act. In honour of the region's French history, Lafontaine hosts the annual Le Festival du Loup, a festival of francophone music and culture which celebrates the death of a wolf that terrorised the village in the 19th century, which takes place in July.

Lafontaine was originally called Sainte-Croix (French for Holy Cross) due to many large crosses found in the area that were planted by the Jesuits. It was renamed Lafontaine to honor the politician Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, one of the early Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada.

Geography

Tiny Township is located between Severn Sound and Nottawasaga Bay at the south end of Georgian Bay, comprising the peninsula which separates them, and extending southward into the Wye River watershed. The municipality is home to Awenda Provincial Park on Georgian Bay at the north end, and the Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area, source of the Wye River, in the south.

Tiny contains an artesian well that produces some of the purest spring water in the world.^[2][3] Many residents were concerned that a proposed garbage dump over the aquifer would contaminate the water, and a series of protests achieved a one-year moratorium on the dump (which may be extended).^[4]

Services

The township's fire protection services are provided by the Township of Tiny Fire and Emergency Services. The service has a complement of 95 firefighters operating 15 pieces of fire apparatus from five stations located in Lafontaine, Wyevale, North West Basin, Wyebridge and Woodland Beach. The township falls within the jurisdiction of the Ontario Provincial Police and is policed by members of the Southern Georgian Bay detachment.

Notable people

• Damien Robitaille, Musician

References

1. ^ Rayburn, Alan (1997), Place Names of Ontario (University of Toronto Press), Toronto-Buffalo-London, ISBN 0-8020-7207-0), pp.345
2. ^ Shotyk, William (2008-05-04), "Remarkable Natural Filtration", Canadian Water Treatment, http://watertreatment.ca/2008/remarkable-natural-filtration/ 
3. ^ Mittelstaedt, Martin (2009-05-04), "The battle over the world's purest water", The Globe and Mail: A8, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090504.wwater04art2147/BNStory/National/Ontario 
4. ^ Friesen, Joe (2009-08-29), "Site 41", The Globe and Mail: M1, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/site-41/article1269368 

External links

• Township of Tiny