Zorra is a township in Oxford County, situated in south-western

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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, making it the world's List of coun ...

. A predominantly rural municipality, Zorra was formed in 1975 through the amalgamation of East Nissouri, West Zorra and North Oxford townships. It is best known for the Highland Games weekend held each summer in Embro, celebrating the heritage of the Scottish pioneer families which grew from the 1830s to form nearly a quarter of the county's population.

Government

The municipal government is led by a mayor and a councillor from each of the township's four geographic wards: * Ward 1: Southern portion of township, the former North Oxford township (including Banner, Golspie), excluding Thamesford * Ward 2: Thamesford * Ward 3: Northwest portion of township, the former East Nissouri township (including Kintore, Uniondale) * Ward 4: Northeast portion of township, the former West Zorra township (including Embro, Maplewood) Marcus Ryan is the current mayor, following the

2018 Ontario municipal elections The 2018 municipal elections in Ontario were held on October 22, 2018. Voters in the province of Ontario elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of the List of municipalities in Ontario, provinc ...

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Banner, Bennington, Brooksdale, Brown's Corners, Cody's Corners, Dicksons Corners, Dunn's Corner, Embro, Golspie, Granthurst, Harrington, Harrington West, Holiday, Kintore, Lakeside, Maplewood, McConkey, Medina, Rayside, Thamesford, Uniondale, Youngsville, and Zorra Station.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Zorra 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.

Cultural resources

Branches of the Oxford County Library include: Thamesford Public Library, Embro Public Library, and Harrington Community Library. *Harrington Schoolhouse (Community Centre), initially referred to as S.S. number 17, and subsequently renumbered S.S. number 4, was originally constructed of logs in the mid-1800s. An entrance was located at the north side of the school, and a box stove was used for heating. In 1869, a contract was granted to enlarge the school with a stone addition, to address seating, lighting and other requirements. Purchased by several local residents to be used as a community centre, after the formal closure of one room schools. *Thamesford District Recreation Centre includes the Haverford arena and skatepark. Schools include the

Zorra Highland Park Public School The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB; known as English-language Public District School Board No. 11 prior to 1999) is a public education, public board of education, school board in Western Ontario, southwestern Ontario, Canada. The TV ...

, Thamesford Public School, A. J. Baker Public School and St. Joseph's Catholic School.

Attractions

*Embro Highland Games, hosted annually by the Zorra Caledonian Society *Embro Truck & Tractor Pull *Wienerfest Dog Festival, celebrating the world of

Dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...

s to provide funding for pet rescue *Garagefest, an annual local music festival to raise funds for various charities *Embro Fall Fair *Calathumpian a celebration of Thamesfords heritage and history

Famous people

Henry John Cody Henry John Cody (December 6, 1868 – April 27, 1951) was a Canadian clergyman and President of the University of Toronto from 1932 to 1945 and Chancellor from 1944 to 1947. Born in Embro, Ontario, the eldest son of Elijah Cody and Margaret ...

(1868–1951), MPP and

President of the University of Toronto The University of Toronto has had 17 University president, presidents since it was founded in 1827 as King's College. List of presidents References External links University of Toronto – Office of the President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Universit ...

Ralph Connor Charles William Gordon, CMG (September 13, 1860 – October 31, 1937), also known as Ralph Connor, was a Canadian novelist, using the Connor pen name while maintaining his status as a church leader, first in the Presbyterian and later the Uni ...

(1860–1937), novelist *

Jonathan Goforth Jonathan Goforth (, February 10, 1859 – October 8, 1936) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, along with his wife, Florence Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth. Jonathan Goforth became the foremost ...

(1859–1936), missionary to China *

Mark Hominick Mark Hominick (born July 22, 1982) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he was the inaugural Featherweight title challenger, the WEC, and Affliction. ...

* Bob Hayward *

James K.A. Smith James Kenneth Alexander Smith (born 1970) is a Canadian-American philosopher who is currently Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University, holding the Gary & Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology & Worldview. He is the current edit ...

George Leslie Mackay George Leslie Mackay (偕瑞理 or 馬偕 ''Má-kai''; 21 March 1844 – 2 June 1901) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (then Formosa), serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mis ...

* Thomas Oliver * Randy Sageman *

Elizabeth Wettlaufer Elizabeth Tracy Mae "Bethe" Wettlaufer (née Parker; born June 10, 1967) is a convicted Canadian serial killer and former registered nurse who confessed to murdering eight senior citizens and attempting to murder six others in southwestern Onta ...

, convicted serial killer

References

External links

* {{Geographic location , Centre = Zorra , North =

Perth South Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act 1867, which divided the County of Perth in ...

, Northeast = Perth East , East =

East Zorra-Tavistock East Zorra-Tavistock is a township in southwestern Ontario, Canada, formed on 1 January 1975 through the amalgamation of the Township of East Zorra and the Village of Tavistock. It is part of Oxford County. The township had a population of 7,12 ...

, Southeast = , South =

South-West Oxford South-West Oxford is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Oxford County. The township had a population of 7,664 in the 2016 Canadian census. A predominantly rural municipality, South-West Oxford was formed in 1975 throu ...

Ingersoll Ingersoll may refer to: People *Ingersoll (surname) *Ingersoll Lockwood (1841–1918), American lawyer and writer Places Canada * Ingersoll, Ontario United States * Ingersoll, Oklahoma * Ingersoll, Wisconsin * Ingersoll Township, Michigan ...

, Southwest = , West = Thames Centre , Northwest = Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Oxford County, Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario