Wainfleet, Ontario


Wainfleet is a rural township in southern Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada.
There is a small and growing tourist industry, near and on Lake Erie at the southern area of Wainfleet called Long Beach. Wainfleet is also the home of the Marshville Heritage Village, a living history museum, recreating life in Ontario c. 1850-1910.

Communities

The township includes the communities of Attercliffe, Beckett's Bridge, Belleview Beach, Burnaby, Camelot Beach, Chambers Corners, Long Beach, Morgan's Point, O'Reilly's Bridge, Ostryhon Corners, Perry, Wainfleet, Wellandport, Willow Bay and Winger. Wainfleet is near Willow Bay. The administrative offices of the township are located in Wainfleet.

Coat of arms

Wainfleet Township's Coat of Arms consists of a white shield depicting a red cross, which symbolizes the arms of Lincoln, England, with a maple leaf in its centre. The maple leaf represents Canada and divides the shield into four quarters. Two of the quarters are filled with blue wavy lines symbolizing water. A third section contains a wagon wheel, and the other a harrow. The Harrow represents development of agriculture in the area. A cranberry bush crown on the Coat of Arms is indicative of the natural flora in Wainfleet.
Anglo-Saxon meaning of Wain "a wagon" and Fleet "a creek - a river" is "a creek through which a wagon can pass."
Two men stand on either side of the coat of arms: a Mississauga native who represents the tribe that settled a long Lake Ontario and a Franciscan Priest who represents Father Daillon, the first European among the priests that established the settlement in 1626-1678.

Demographics

The township's 2016 population of 6,372 was an increase of 0.3 per cent compared to its population of 6,356 in the Canada 2011 Census. There were 2,413 private dwellings occupied by usual residents, out of a total of 2,977 dwellings.
There are approximately 29 people per square km dwelling in Wainfleet, as opposed to the 232 people per square km in the Niagara Region
This population is diverse in age: the largest population bracket is the 45-49 age range with 595 residents, and the smallest is 85 and older with only 65 residents.

People

, singer/songwriter/guitarist for indie folk band Great Lake Swimmers, grew up on a farm in Wainfleet. A&E Network personality Tanya Memme is also a native of Wainfleet.