The Township ofPerth South is a lower-tier municipality in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in Perth County at the confluence of the River Thames and the Avon River. The Township was created on January 1, 1998 from the amalgamation of the former Township of Blanshard and the former Township of Downie. The land area of Perth South is 393.14 square kilometers. The population in 2016 was 3,810. Canada's ninth Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen, was born in Anderson, a community in Perth South.
Communities
The township encompasses the Villages of Sebringville and Kirkton. There are smaller settlement areas known as Hamlets that include: Avonbank, Avonton, Conroy, Harmony, Prospect Hill, Rannoch, St. Pauls, Whalen Corners and Woodham. The Township is composed predominantly of a mix of rural agricultural land and hamlet residential uses with a total land area of 39,202 hectares. The 2016 population was 3810 persons in a land ara of 393.14 square kilometers. Agricultural uses represent one of the Township's most significant economic and cultural assets.
Economy
Perth South is served by the Stratford & District Chamber of Commerce whose mandate is to maintain and improve trade and commerce and to provide the economic, commercial, tourist, agricultural and environmental welfare of the region. Perth South is also a part of the Southwest Economic Alliance: an organization covering much of southwestern Ontario and designed to create partnerships between local government, educational institutions, the broader public sector, and the private sector. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the largest economic sectors by number employed are manufacturing ; agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ; construction and health care and social assistance. Other industries employing 100 or more workers include wholesale trade; retail trade; finance and insurance; educational services; and health care and social assistance. All of Perth County is an agricultural area; mixed farming is the primary category while pork production is second. Food processing industries operate here, with 20 such companies. Other businesses in Perth South include Maple Leaf Foods, Klomps Nursery, McCully’s Hill Farms, C’est Bon Cheese, McLean Taylor Construction and Hoffmeyers Mill. There are also smaller companies that make products such cheeses and biofuels.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the Township of Perth South had a population of 3,993 people, a 3.4% decrease from the 2006 population of 4,132. Another slight reduction occurred in the subsequent years; the population in 2016 was 3,810. Children aged 9 and under account for approximately 10% of the population, while the percentage at retirement age is approximately 12%. The median age is 41.7 years of age. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, only 6% of the population have immigrant status. The most common countries immigrants come from are the Netherlands followed by the United Kingdom and Germany. The Survey indicated that the majority of residents of Perth South are members of a Christian faith and account for 81.6% of the population with the remaining population reporting no religious affiliation. Of the religious population, the largest religious affiliation is Roman Catholic followed by United Church, Presbyterian, Lutheran and other Christian. While this part of Perth County has the lowest population, it has the highest average household income.
Government
Local government
Perth South is governed by a Township Council composed of seven members, including a mayor and deputy mayor. Council positions are held for a four-year term. The Township's services include Public Works, Building & Bylaw Enforcement, Recreation & Leisure, Drainage, Environmental, Planning, Fire, Economic Development, and Emergency Management. Police services were provided by the Ontario Provincial Police from the Perth headquarters in Sebringville, Ontario until November 5th 2018 when Stratford Police Service assumed responsibility.
The Township also has representation on the Perth County Council, with two members. That Council is made up of representatives from the four Perth Townships. The head of County Council is elected from among the council members annually, by a vote at council and is known as the Warden. For 2018-2019, the Perth County Warden is Walter McKenzie. The 2018-2022 Perth County Council includes Robert Wilhelm and James Aitcheson from Perth South.
Perth—Wellington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. The riding was created in 2003 from parts of Perth—Middlesex, Waterloo—Wellington and Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey ridings. It did not undergo any boundary changes in the 2012 electoral redistribution. It consists of the County of Perth, the City of Stratford, the Town of St. Mary's and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. Since 2015, the MP for this riding has been John Nater.
