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Russell, Ontario

Coordinates: 45°15′25″N 75°21′30″W / 45.25694°N 75.35833°W / 45.25694; -75.35833
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Russell
Municipalité de Russell Township
Russell
Russell
Motto: 
Pax et prosperitas
Map of Russell Township
Map of Russell Township
Russell is located in United Counties of Prescott and Russell
Russell
Russell
Location in Prescott and Russell
Russell is located in Southern Ontario
Russell
Russell
Location in Ontario
Coordinates: 45°15′25″N 75°21′30″W / 45.25694°N 75.35833°W / 45.25694; -75.35833
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
CountyPrescott and Russell
Government
 • MayorMike Tarnowski
 • Council
Councillors
Area
 • Land199.11 km2 (76.88 sq mi)
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total19,598
 • Density83.0/km2 (215/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal Code
K0A1W0 & K0A1W1 (eastern portion), K4R (western portion)
Area code(s)613, 343
Websitewww.russell.ca Edit this at Wikidata

The Township of Russell is a municipal township, located south-east of Canada's capital of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, on the Castor River.

The township had a population of 19,598 in the 2021 Canadian Census.

Communities

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The primary communities are Embrun and Russell. The township administrative offices are located in Embrun.

Smaller communities listed in the official Ontario place names database are Felton, Forget, Marionville, North Russell and Pana. Both the municipal government and Canada Post consider Brisson and Forget to be part of Embrun, and Felton, North Russell, and Pana as part of Russell. Canada Post also considers Marionville to be part of Russell, although the municipality considers Marionville to be separate. As Marionville is on the border of the township, parts of it fall into the neighbouring jurisdictions of North Dundas Township and the City of Ottawa.

History

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The Township of Russell and the Village of Russell were all named in relation to Peter Russell more than 200 years ago. Peter Russell was known to be a slave owner and believed to be an active participant in delaying legislation that would put an end to slavery in this region. The ideals of Peter Russell do not reflect the values of our Township residents and being named after this individual can be hurtful and disrespectful to our residents. At the May 2, 2022 Council Meeting, Council received a letter from the Russell Namesake Rededication Committee on the outcome of submissions and decided to remove Peter Russell as namesake and instead move forward with honouring all "Russells" who would have helped develop our community into the jewel we love today.

At one time the township was named Elmsley, it was officially named Russell in 1797.

  • 1791: The Parliament of Upper Canada (Ontario) divided the territory into four districts.
  • 1792: The four districts were divided into 19 counties. The territory that is now known as the Township of Russell, was in Stormont County.
  • January 1, 1800: the subdivision of Stormont County created the County of Russell, which included the Townships of Clarence, Cambridge, Cumberland, Gloucester, Osgoode and Russell.
  • 1838: the Townships of Gloucester and Osgoode are annexed to the Carleton County.
  • 1841: a municipal law inaugurated the councils of the districts composed of representatives from the townships.
  • January 1, 1850: under the Municipal Corporation Act (also known as the Baldwin Act) adopted in 1849, the districts councils were abolished and replaced by the township councils which become the only recognized administrative units. Thus townships and municipalities are born that they delegated representatives to the Counties Councils. When the number of male owners was less than 100, a township must unite to another to send a representative to the Counties. This is the case of the four townships in Russell County (Cambridge, Clarence, Cumberland and Russell) before December 28, 1850. With the increase in population, each township eventually delegated its own representative. Thus we witness the creation of the municipalities of Cumberland in 1850, Clarence and Cambridge in 1854 and Russell January 1, 1857.
  • 2022: the town announces that, due to Peter Russell having been a practitioner of slavery, the town would no longer be named for him, and would instead be named for "all people named Russell who have had a positive impact".[2]

The Great Fire in Russell

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On June 6, 1915, fire started in Murray's Tinsmith Shop and quickly spread from building to building in Russell. Many residents tried to put out the fire with buckets of water, but it was evident they needed more help. Calls were made to the Ottawa Fire Department who came running faster than ever on the New York Central Railroad. They say it was the fastest a train ever went on that track. A total of twenty-five buildings were destroyed. The old land registry building lost its roof in the fire but all the records were saved. The oldest records of the building go back to 1852. The building is still standing today.

The New York Central Railway

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The New York Central Railway was an essential part of Russell's development. In 1884, the Township's council knew that they needed transportation if they wanted the community to grow. There were a few train stations in the surrounding towns like South Indian (today Limoges), Osgood and Morewood, but to get there they needed to pay extra fare to take a stage. In June 1897, the council passed a by-law to raise $10,000 to aid the Ontario Pacific Railway Company to build the railway. In exchange, the railway company had to have at least two passenger trains that would stop for all the passengers each way at all the stations including Russell. The Ontario Pacific Railway Company changed its name to The Ottawa and New York Railway Company in 1898 then the line was leased to the New York Central Railway Company. With the building of the station, Russell Village became the commercial centre for the Township and also for the eastern part of Osgoode and the northern part of Winchester. The hotels were filled with travellers and settlers, new shops were opening and loads of farm animals passed through the stockyards. It became a livestock sales centre. Around 1940 the passenger traffic began diminishing, people had their own cars. In 1954 the passenger train service to Russell was abandoned. On February 14, 1957, the last train ran on the New York Central System.

Demographics

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Historical census populations
YearPop.±%
1986 7,772—    
1991 10,659+37.1%
1996 11,877+11.4%
2001 12,412+4.5%
2006 13,883+11.9%
2011 15,247+9.8%
2016 16,520+8.3%
2021 19,598+18.6%

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Russell had a population of 19,598 living in 7,226 of its 7,335 total private dwellings, a change of 18.6% from its 2016 population of 16,520. With a land area of 198.78 km2 (76.75 sq mi), it had a population density of 98.6/km2 (255.4/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

Canada census – Russell community profile
202120162011
Population19,598 (+18.6% from 2016)16,520 (8.36% from 2011)15,247 (9.8% from 2006)
Land area198.78 km2 (76.75 sq mi)199.11 km2 (76.88 sq mi)199.06 km2 (76.86 sq mi)
Population density98.6/km2 (255/sq mi)83.0/km2 (215/sq mi)76.6/km2 (198/sq mi)
Median age39.6 (M: 39.2, F: 40.4)40.6 (M: 40.0, F: 41.2)39.1 (M: 38.7, F: 39.4)
Private dwellings7,225 (total)  6,008 (total)  5,345 (total) 
Median household income$102,488$99,646
References: 2021[4] 2016[5] 2011[6] earlier[7][8]

Languages

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The township is predominantly English-speaking with a significant French-speaking minority. 61% of the population speaks English most often at home, while 36% speaks French most often at home.[1] The remaining 3% speak either both languages equally, or speak a non-official language most often. The different parts of the township have different distributions of language, however. Embrun has a slight francophone majority, with 50% French-speaking and 46% English-speaking.[9] Russell, on the other hand, has a stronger anglophone majority, with 86% English-speaking and 12% French-speaking.[10]

In terms of mother tongue, however, the statistics differ. Because it is more common for Francophone Canadians to switch to using English as their main language later in life, than it is for Anglophone Canadians to switch to French, the percentage of the population that has French as a mother tongue is higher than the percentage of the population that uses French as their main language at home. With the mother tongue statistic, the township is 52% anglophone and 43% francophone.[1] In Embrun, 58% have French mother tongue and 38% have English mother tongue.[9] In Russell, 75% have English mother tongue and 19% have French mother tongue.[10]

The most commonly spoken minority languages in the township are Dutch, German, Spanish, and Italian. 280 people across the township have one of these four languages as their mother tongue.

Language spoken most often at home Entire township (number) Entire township (percentage) Embrun (number)[9] Embrun (percentage) Russell (number)[10] Russell (percentage)
English 10,050 61.2% 2,735 43.4% 3,815 85.5%
French 5,830 35.5% 3,405 54.0% 520 11.7%
English and French equally 325 2.0% 110 1.7% 70 1.6%
Other 205 1.2% 55 0.9% 55 1.2%
Mother tongue language Entire township (number)[1] Entire township (percentage) Embrun (number)[9] Embrun (percentage) Russell (number)[10] Russell (percentage)
English 8,550 52.1% 2,610 38.1% 3,330 74.7%
French 7,010 42.7% 3,935 57.5% 865 19.4%
English and French equally 250 1.5% 110 1.6% 65 1.5%
Dutch 105 0.6% 15 0.2% 45 1.0%
German 95 0.6% 5 0.1% 25 0.6%
Spanish 40 0.2% 15 0.2% 10 0.2%
Italian 40 0.2% 20 0.2% 10 0.2%
Others 320 2.0% 135 2.0% 110 2.5%

Ethnocultural ancestries

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The township's population is 93.1% white, 3.1% Aboriginal, 1.2% Black, 0.8% Arab, and 1.7% other visible minority.[1]

The main ethnic ancestries among the white population are French, English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Dutch.

In data:

Single responses: 27.2% of respondents gave a single response of Canadian, while a further 23.6% identified with both Canadian, and one or more other ancestries. 9.7% of respondents gave a single response of French, 3.5% gave a single response of English, 3.1% gave a single response of Dutch, and 2.5% gave a single response of Irish.

Multiple responses: Counting both single and multiple responses, the most commonly identified ethnocultural ancestries were:

Canadian 50.8%
French 34.9%
English 20.1%
Irish 18.0%
Scottish 13.7%
German 7.6%
Dutch 5.2%
North American Indian 3.1%
Italian 2.0%

Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents and may total more than 100% due to dual responses.
All ethnocultural ancestries of more than 2% are listed in the table above according to the exact terminology used by Statistics Canada.
[11]

Organisations

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The Russell Agricultural Society

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The Russell Agricultural Society remains a vital community resource. According to the legislatures journals, the Agricultural Society for the County of Russell began as an offshoot of the Agricultural Society for the District of Ottawa in 1845. Funds were set aside to judge crops. Records are scant till the first Russell Fair was chartered in 1858. The organization's mandate to promote agricultural heritage and the rural lifestyle is still strongly supported today (2014) with the Russell Fair traditionally held each year in September, on the first weekend after Labour Day. The community grounds are also used to celebrate other events such as Canada Day.

The Russell and District Horticultural Society

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The Russell and District Horticultural Society brought neighbors together then and now. It began with the need for a community spring clean up in 1918. By January 1919 the Society was officially organized to encourage the care of lawns and shrubs and the growing of flowers and trees. Today the group has become dedicated to horticultural education and protection of the natural environment, as it continues to encourage the beautification of the community.

The Russell Lions Club

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The Russell Lions Club grew from a need to fund the non-governmental needs of society. In 1947 the Ottawa Central Lions Club presented a charter to form a Lions Club in Russell. The first activity of the club was to sponsor the Russell Students Band, which then became the Russell Lions Band. The club has continued to grow, holding community dances and fundraisers to provide assistance for the less fortunate in the community. Thanks to the support of the community, the Lions Club of Russell continues today (2014) to contribute effective community service.

The Russell Historical Society and the Keith M. Boyd Museum

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The Russell Historical Society and the Keith M. Boyd Museum preserve rural heritage. With the museum bearing his name, Mr. Boyd was an avid collector of historical artifacts and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with area residents through his articles in the Russell Villager. Donations from others wishing to preserve local history caused his collection to expand, requiring a home of its own. The old Baptist Church became the museum and was officially named after Mr. Boyd and opened in 1989. The Russell Historical Society maintains the buildings and the collections they house.[12]

The Kin Club of Russell

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Chartered October 1, 2011, the Kin Club of Russell is part of Kin Canada. The club has been very active in a relatively short period of time and has completed the following projects; Russell Winter Carnival, Poutmasters (a local fishing derby for mudpout), Reality Tour (drug awareness program for high schools), RocKIN' Away With Diamonds (a '50s and '60s dance), Marchons Pour Jonathan Pitre Butterfly Mile, Catch the Ace lottery and Trivia Nights. Its biggest contribution so far has been consulting and fundraising for the new Russell Township 4.8 million dollar Sports Dome, opened January 8, 2018. The Club meets once a month and consists of both men and women.

Climate

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Climate data for Russell
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.5
(56.3)
14.0
(57.2)
23.5
(74.3)
31.5
(88.7)
32.8
(91.0)
34.5
(94.1)
36.1
(97.0)
36.5
(97.7)
34.0
(93.2)
28.0
(82.4)
22.8
(73.0)
17.5
(63.5)
36.5
(97.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −5.3
(22.5)
−2.7
(27.1)
2.9
(37.2)
11.9
(53.4)
19.4
(66.9)
24.2
(75.6)
26.6
(79.9)
25.3
(77.5)
20.4
(68.7)
13.1
(55.6)
5.9
(42.6)
−1.5
(29.3)
11.7
(53.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −10.2
(13.6)
−8.0
(17.6)
−2.2
(28.0)
6.4
(43.5)
13.3
(55.9)
18.4
(65.1)
20.8
(69.4)
19.5
(67.1)
14.8
(58.6)
8.2
(46.8)
1.9
(35.4)
−5.6
(21.9)
6.5
(43.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −14.9
(5.2)
−13.1
(8.4)
−7.3
(18.9)
0.9
(33.6)
7.2
(45.0)
12.5
(54.5)
14.9
(58.8)
13.6
(56.5)
9.1
(48.4)
3.2
(37.8)
−2.1
(28.2)
−9.7
(14.5)
1.2
(34.2)
Record low °C (°F) −40.0
(−40.0)
−38.9
(−38.0)
−32.5
(−26.5)
−16.1
(3.0)
−4.4
(24.1)
−1.0
(30.2)
4.0
(39.2)
1.1
(34.0)
−5.5
(22.1)
−8.5
(16.7)
−23.5
(−10.3)
−33.5
(−28.3)
−40.0
(−40.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 75.0
(2.95)
61.1
(2.41)
67.6
(2.66)
75.6
(2.98)
84.5
(3.33)
97.0
(3.82)
94.1
(3.70)
83.9
(3.30)
94.4
(3.72)
86.1
(3.39)
86.9
(3.42)
74.8
(2.94)
981.0
(38.62)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 26.9
(1.06)
23.0
(0.91)
31.6
(1.24)
64.9
(2.56)
84.1
(3.31)
97.0
(3.82)
94.1
(3.70)
83.9
(3.30)
94.4
(3.72)
82.8
(3.26)
70.3
(2.77)
36.4
(1.43)
789.2
(31.07)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 48.2
(19.0)
38.1
(15.0)
36.0
(14.2)
10.7
(4.2)
0.4
(0.2)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
3.3
(1.3)
16.7
(6.6)
38.5
(15.2)
191.8
(75.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 14.6 11.8 12.5 14.4 15.1 14.0 13.7 13.0 14.1 15.5 16.0 14.2 169.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.4 4.5 7.5 12.6 15 14 13.7 13 14.1 15 12.7 6.6 133.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 11.8 8.7 6.6 2.9 0.12 0 0 0 0 0.81 4.5 9.6 45
Source: Environment Canada[13]

Politics

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Township Council

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The current council of Russell Township was elected on October 24, 2022 in the 2022 Ontario municipal elections.

  • Mayor: Pierre Leroux
  • Councillors:
  • Lisa Deacon
  • Mark Lalonde
  • Jamie Laurin
  • Mike Tarnowsksi

Source:[14]

The municipal offices are located at 717 Notre-Dame St. in Embrun.[15]

Federal and provincial representation

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Russell federal election results[16]
Year Liberal Conservative New Democratic Green
2021 42% 4,791 38% 4,355 12% 1,430 2% 226
2019 43% 4,710 40% 4,474 12% 1,306 3% 328
Russell provincial election results[17]
Year PC New Democratic Liberal Green
2022 42% 3,326 9% 756 39% 3,125 4% 335
2018 47% 3,932 18% 1,495 31% 2,620 3% 241

The township is located within the federal electoral district of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. It is represented by Francis Drouin (Liberal). The provincial electoral district, also named Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, is represented by Amanda Simard (Independent).

List of former reeves and mayors

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All reeves and mayors
1 William Craig 1864–1867
2 William Z. Helmer 1870–1871
3 Arthur Carscadden 1872
4 William Z. Helmer 1879
5 W.R. Petrie 1883–1884
6 Peter Bolton 1885–1886
7 William Z. Helmer 1887
8 Peter Bolton 1888–1889
9 Antoine Paquet 1890
10 Duncan McDiarmid 1891–1895
11 Cyprien St-Onge 1896–1897
12 Duncan McDiarmid 1898–1900
13 Antoine Paquet 1901–1903
14 Trefflé Émard 1904–1905
15 William Argue 1906
16 Cyprien St-Onge 1907
17 Ovila Duford 1908
18 H.A. Dupuis 1908
19 Antoine Paquet 1909–1910
20 Cyprien St-Onge 1911–1913
21 Émile-Joseph Ménard 1914–1915
22 Trefflé Émard 1916–1918
23 Émile-Joseph Ménard 1919
24 Félix A. Dignard 1920–1921
25 Trefflé Émard 1922
26 Félix A. Dignard 1923–1927
27 Adrien L’Ériger 1928–1937
28 Médéric Bouchard 1938–1940
29 Guillaume Émard 1941–1943
30 Médéric Bouchard 1944–1949
31 Émile B. Brisson 1950–1951
32 Anastase Grégoire 1952–1961
33 Lionel Brisson 1962–1963
34 W.E. Burton 1964–1972
35 Bernard Pelot 1973v1974
36 Gaston Patenaude 1975–1993
37 Roger Pharand 1994–1996
38 Gaston Patenaude 1997–2002
39 Michael McHugh 2003–2005
40 Ken Hill 2006–2009
41 Jean-Paul St-Pierre 2010–2014
42 Pierre Leroux 2015––present

Notable people

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See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Statistics Canada (2016). "Census Profile - Russell, Township [Census subdivision], Ontario, and Prescott and Russell, United Counties [Census division], Ontario". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  2. ^ Township of Russell, Ont., now named after 'all Russells,' not slave owner, by Sara Frizzell, at CBC.ca; published May 20, 2022; retrieved May 20, 2022
  3. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  5. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  6. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  7. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Statistics Canada (2016). "Census Profile - Embrun [Population Centre], Ontario, and Ontario [Province]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  10. ^ a b c d Statistics Canada (2016). "Census Profile - Russell [Population Centre], Ontario, and Ontario [Province]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  11. ^ "Russell, TP". Ethnic Origin (247), Generation Status (4), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  12. ^ Stanley, Wendell, From Swamp and Shanty, Ottawa Ontario, The Runge Press Limited, 1987
  13. ^ "Russell, Ontario Station Data". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "Council". Municipality of Russell Township. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  15. ^ "Contact Us". Municipality of Russell Township. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Voting Results Raw Data (poll by poll results in Russell)". Elections Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Official Voting Results by polling station (poll by poll results in Russell)". Election Ontario. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
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