North Perth, Ontario

Town of Listowel

Settler John Binning arrived in 1852 and was the first to create a permanent residence in the area originally named Mapleton. The name was changed to Listowel when a post office was established in 1856. The new name was chosen by a government official and refers to Listowel, Ireland. The majority of early settlers were of Protestant Irish origin (Ulster Scots Planters, or English Planters).

Listowel was incorporated as a town in 1874. It is located at the intersection of Highway 86 and Highway 23. Its population was 7,530 at the Canada 2016 Census in a land area of 6.65 square kilometres; at the time there were 3,159 occupied dwellings.

Township of Elma

The Township of Elma was incorporated in 1857. It was named after Lady Elma Bruce, the daughter of Canada's newly arrived Governor General James Bruce better known as Lord Elgin. The earliest recorded settler in the area was John Grant in 1853.

Township of Wallace

Wallace was incorporated in 1858 and included the villages of Gowanstan and Kurtzville. It lies along the northern boundary of the current Municipality of Perth North and is bordered by Perth Lines 86 and 93, and Perth Road 140.

Municipal Restructuring

As part of provincial initiatives in the late 1990s, the Government of Ontario pursued a policy of municipal amalgamations to rationalize municipal levels of government services and "reduc[e] government entanglement and bureaucracy with an eye to eliminating waste and duplication as well as unfair downloading by the province". On June 26, 1997, an order from the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs for the amalgamation of Wallace Township, Elma Township and the Town of Listowel into the Town of North Perth received Royal assent. The amalgamation came into effect on January 1, 1998.

Ontario Provincial Police currently provides law enforcement services in the community, through a satellite station in Listowel.

Communities

Population

According to the 2011 census, the Municipality of North Perth had a population of 12,631 people, a 3.1% increase from the 2006 population of 12,254. Children aged 9 and under account for approximately 13.4% of the population, while the percentage at retirement age (65 and over) is approximately 16.5%. The median age is 38.9 years of age.

By 2016, the population had increased slightly to 13,130.

According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 6.9% of the population have immigrant status. The most common countries immigrants come from are the Netherlands (30%) followed by the United Kingdom (12%) and Mexico (11%).

The 2011 survey also indicates that the largest economic sectors by number of workers employed are manufacturing (1,190 workers); retail trade (1,005 workers); agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (890 workers); health care and social assistance (715 workers) and; construction (500 workers). Other industries in the region employing more than 200 workers are finance and insurance; professional, scientific and technical services; educational services; and transportation and warehousing. The average income reported in the 2011 National Household Survey was $37,155 with an average after-tax income of $32,131.

According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the majority of residents of North Perth are members of a Christian faith and account for 78.2% of the population. Less than 1% of the population is Muslim, and the remaining population reported no religious affiliation. Of the Christian population, the largest religious affiliation is Presbyterian (21.2%) followed by United Church (21.1%), Roman Catholic (12.5%), Lutheran (8,7%), Anglican (3.5%), Pentecostal (1.8%), Baptist (1.4%) and other Christian (29.5%).

Education

North Perth is served by the Avon Maitland District School Board or the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.

Services

Policing is done by the Ontario Provincial Police, Perth County Detachment, based in Sebringville, Ontario with a satellite station in Listowel. The North Perth Fire Department has three stations; Monkton, Atwood and Listowel. In 2015 the North Perth Fire Department responded to 206 calls. Emergency Medical and ambulance services are provided by Perth County EMS. Public Libraries are located in Listowel, Atwood and Monkton.

Medical facilities include Listowel Memorial Hospital and the Fisher Family Primary Care Centre with family physicians' offices.

Economy

North Perth is home to over 300 businesses across a variety of business and service sectors. The Municipality is served by the Perth County Economic Development Office, Stratford/Perth Centre for Business, and Listowel Retail Merchants Association. These organizations work in tandem to identify opportunities for local economic growth and to provide resources and support for local business.

North Perth includes companies such as Trillium Mutual (head office), Listowel Technologies, Erie Meats, Spinrite Yarns and large national retailers. The area's 57 acre business park is working to attract new industries from across the region.

The Campbell Soup Company, in Listowel, was a major local employer for 48 years, operating a frozen, foodservice and specialty food plant. This relationship ended abruptly with the announcement of the factory's pending closure on April 28, 2008. In 2010 the former plant was purchased by Erie Meat Products and expected to ship 50-60 million pounds of poultry to world markets on an annual basis.

Since 1996 North Perth has attracted new industries, including Listowel Technology, Inc. a manufacturer of injection-moulded automotive parts with a 240,000-square-foot facility employing 500. In 2012, EFS Plastics constructed a 40,000 square foot plant in the North Perth Industrial Park. Other businesses in the park include Vision Manufacturing Solutions, Hutchison Precision Inc., Shredall and Energrow. HLA/Horst Welding was planning to complete a new 64,000 square foot metal fabrication facility in 2016.

In addition to Listowel Technology and the Listowel Memorial Hospital, other major employers, and the number of employees, include the following according to County records:

Local Government

The Municipality of North Perth is governed by a Municipal Council composed of ten members including a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and eight Councillors. The Councillors represent Elma, Listowel and Wallace.

The Mayor for the 2014-2018 term is Julie Behrns. She has previously served as a Councillor and Deputy Mayor. She also served on Perth County Council for 12 years including three years as County Warden.

The Municipality's operations are overseen by the Chief Administrator's Office and include building & planning, Clerk's Office, Finance, Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works.

County Government

Because the Municipality of North Perth is part of the upper-tier municipality Perth County, Ontario, it has representation on the County Council. The Perth County Council is determined by a restructuring order that came into force on January 1, 1998. Under this order, the Municipality of North Perth has three members appointed to the County Council. North Perth Mayor Julie Behrns, Deputy Mayor Doug Kellum, and Councillor Meredith (Mert) Schneider serve as North Perth's representatives on County Council.

Provincial Government

Perth—Wellington is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2007 provincial election. It was created in 2003 from parts of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey,Perth—Middlesex and Waterloo—Wellington ridings. It consists of the County of Perth, and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. As of October 6, 2011, the MPP for the riding is Randy Pettapiece.

Federal Government

Perth—Wellington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. The riding was created in 2003 from parts of Perth—Middlesex (76%), Waterloo—Wellington (17%) and Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey (7%) ridings. It did not undergo any boundary changes in the 2012 electoral redistribution.

It consists of the County of Perth, the City of Stratford, the Town of St. Mary's and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington.

Since 2015, the MP for this riding has been John Nater (PC).