selwyn township

all the wards.The ‘Sel’ in Selwyn is retained from the original first letters of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield.” A new logo, created to compliment the rebranding, reflects the Township’s natural environment symboli- cally through leaves,water, and soft earth-tone colors. Three distinct components represent the historic municipalities of Smith, Ennismore, and Lakefield, and the tag line “Naturally Great”expresses the Township’s great services and people, its natural bal- ance between rural and urban living, and its beautiful landscapes and lakes. Selwyn is one of eight lower-tier municipalities in the upper-tier County of Peterborough. Elections take place at the local level, and the upper tier is comprised of the Mayor and DeputyMayor or Deputy Reeve of all the lower-tier townships.All the small communities within Selwyn Township have kept their names, and are served by a councillor from each of the former wards,maintaining a strong tie to the original municipal boundaries. The Fire Department is mainly volunteer-based and managed at the lower-tier Township level.The County of Peterborough manages paramedic services regionally, and Selwyn provides a tax levy to support that cost. For police services, Selwyn has a contract with the Ontario Provincial Police for Ennismore and Smith wards, and a contract with Peterborough Police for Lakefield. Meaghan McGowan, Selwyn Township’s Acting Economic Development Coordinator, discusses the Township’s recent participation in a Business Reten- tion and Expansion (BR+E) initiative. She notes,“We received some funding through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for the program, and our Economic Development Coor- dinator, Kari Partridge, (now on maternity leave) did all the background work. Essentially,we surveyed 71 businesses in the retail and services sector of our Township to learn what’s working and what isn’t, and their long-term plans–whether it’s succession plan- ning, expanding their business, closing their business –so we can get a feel for what they require from us, and howwe can support them to stay.These were confidential interviews conducted by ten volunteers.” The results were compiled in a BR+E report that out- lines facts and information gleaned from the surveys, SELWYN TOWNSHIP, ONTARIO and forms the basis for future actions and initiatives. Due to its idyllic location in the Kawarthas, sur- rounded on three sides by lakes, tourism is a major economic driver for Selwyn, especially in the summer months.Half of the Township businesses are retail or service-oriented enterprises that rely heavily on tourists. Other major employers include Savage Arms and SGS in Lakefield. Regionally, the head office of the Minis- try of Natural Resources,Trent University, Sir Sandford Fleming, and the Peterborough Regional Hospital all have a lot of employees from Selwyn working for them. Transportation-wise, Selwyn Township is already accessible, and on the verge of major strides in that regard. Chittick reports,“Peterborough Airport is a re- AT A GLANCE SELWYN TOWNSHIP, ONTARIO WHAT: Scenic, cottage country municipality, Population 17,000 WHERE: Central-eastern Ontario in the County of Peterborough WEBSITE: www.selwyntownship.ca