Shelburne (2016 population 8,126) is a town in

Dufferin County Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Wade Mills. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard. Dufferin covers an area of ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

, is located at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 89. Shelburne hosts the Annual Canadian Championship Old Time Fiddling Contest that is held each August.

History

In the early 1860s, the founder of the town Shelburne, William Jelly, found his way through the bushes to choice lots in Melancthon and built several cabins in the area. As Melancthon began developing in the late 1840s, the construction of the Toronto-Sydenham Road (now Highway 10) began and led to settlers moving into the Shelburne area in the 1860s. In 1865, William Jelly established the British Canadian Hotel. A post office was built shortly after, named after the Earl of Shelburne. Rapid economic growth followed and the population increased from 70 villagers in 1869 to 750 villagers in 1877, due to the new railways that were built. Shelburne was incorporated as a town in 1877.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

, Shelburne had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economy

Major local employers have included automotive part manufacturers Johnson Controls (until 2009) and KTH Manufacturing. Other major companies include Ice River Springs and its Blue Mountain Plastics subsidiary. The latter manufactures water bottles from recycled plastics using 29,000 tonnes of plastic annually, obtained from municipal recycling programmes. In July 2020, the company announced that it would be buying all of the Canadian bottling operations of

Nestlé Waters Nestlé Waters is a Swiss multinational bottled water division of Nestlé it was founded in 1992. Key Facts and figures (2015) Sales: 7.625 billion CHF Nestlé Waters has roughly 31,740 employees and includes several brands such as Acqua P ...

. An industrial area has been established in the south end of town. Roads have been constructed to provide access to potential industries. The objective of this industrial area is to encourage industrial growth within the town. Shelburne is also home to a small retail sector and many residents commute to Orangeville,

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...

and other centres in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater ...

Education

Shelburne is part of the

Upper Grand District School Board The Upper Grand District School Board (known as English-language Public District School Board No. 18 prior to 1999) is a school board in Ontario, Canada. It spans an area of 4211 km² and serves approximately 35,000 students through 65 elemen ...

. The town's high school is Centre Dufferin District High School. Elementary schools include Glenbrook Elementary, Hyland Heights Elementary and Centennial Hylands Elementary.

Local government

The Town's Council includes the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and five Councillors elected on the basis of one per ward. The members of council elected as of the 2018 Municipal Election are: Mayor Acclaimed: Wade Mills Deputy Mayor: Steve Anderson Councillors: * Walter Benotto * Lindsay Wegener * Shane Hall * Kyle Fregan * Lynda Buffett

Emergency services

The residents of the town are protected by the Ontario Provincial Police. Formerly protected by members of the Shelburne Police Service now defunct. Fire protection is provided by the Shelburne and District Fire Department.

Media

The '' Shelburne Free Press'' publishes weekly in Shelburne. CFDC-FM 104.9, licensed to and based in Shelburne, broadcasts country music on 104.9, branded as ''Country 105''. The regional weekly '' Orangeville Banner'' is also distributed to Shelburne.

Sports teams

* Shelburne Muskies - WOAA Senior AA Hockey League

Notable residents

* Eric Nagler — singer, actor * Jesse Sebastiani — YouTuber (NELK) * Aaron Downey — Former NHL player * Harry Gozzard — jazz musician from big band era * Ruby Waters - singer/songwriter

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Dufferin County Towns in Ontario