A&E

Smallest Villages in Canada: Thornloe, Ontario

Note: This article is hosted here for archival purposes only. It does not necessarily represent the values of the Iron Warrior or Waterloo Engineering Society in the present day.

Having lived in heavily populated urban areas my entire life, moving to Waterloo was the closest thing I have experienced to small town living. The idea of living in a small town with less than a thousand people is completely foreign to me, so the best way to get to know small village living would be to live in a small village. Unfortunately, being a student at the University of Waterloo restricts how much time I can actually spend in these small communities. So the second best thing is Googling the “Smallest Villages in Canada” and writing about things from their Wikipedia page. This week’s smallest village in Canada is Thornloe, Ontario.

Thornloe, Ontario, a small village in the Timiskaming District of Ontario, is situated on 6.49 km2 of land with a population of 123 according to the Canada 2011 Census. To get to Thornloe from the University of Waterloo you would have to drive 6 and a half hours north, past North Bay. First drive out of the Kitchener-Waterloo Area on to the 401 East towards Toronto. Eventually transfer off onto Highway 400 and Highway 11 past Barrie, Orillia, and Gravenhurst. You are almost there, you just need to continue driving north for another 4 hours past Hunstville and Sudbury. This small village is situated between the towns of Englehart, with a population of  1519 and Timiskaming Shores, with a population of 13 556. Thornloe is 5 kilometres north of Highway 65 and 17 kilometres northeast from the town of New Liskeard. The community of Thornloe was named in 1909 after a visit from the Reverend George Thorneloe, an Anglican bishop of Algoma. The incorrect spelling of the Reverand’s name was never corrected. The Canada Census has shown that the population of Thornloe has been increasing from 105 people in 2006 to 123 people in 2011; that is a 17% increase in 5 years. Any administrative, public works and fire services needed in Thornloe have been contracted out to the Corporation of the Township of Armstrong.

The main employer of the village is the Thornloe Cheese factory, employing nearly one sixth of the population of the village in full and part time positions. The Thornloe Cheese factory opened in 1940 using locally-sourced milk to produce a quality Northern Heritage Cheese. The factory and retail store can be found on Highway 11. Thornloe Cheese has become a popular tourist attraction, offering cheese, cheese curds and ice cream to the hungry travelers and using over 3 million litres of milk a year.

Next week, we will continue this exciting journey around the most sparsely populated areas of Canada by taking a look at Tiverton, Ontario. Tiverton, Ontario is located on the shores of Lake Huron, between Kincardine and Saugeen Shores. Bruce Power, a nuclear power company that hires electrical, mechanical and civil engineering students for co-op positions, is located in Tiverton. This village has a population of 743 and is home to the Bruce Power Nuclear Generating Station, Ontario’s first wind farm and an East Indian restaurant.

 

Leave a Reply