United Counties of Prescott and Russell

The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (French: Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell) are consolidated counties located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is L'Orignal.[2] It was created as a result of a merger between Russell County and Prescott County in 1820. It is located in Eastern Ontario, in the wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River, approximately 55 km east of the City of Ottawa.

For the former Ontario electoral district, see Prescott and Russell (provincial electoral district).
Prescott and Russell
United counties (upper-tier)
United Counties of Prescott and Russell
Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell  (French)
Motto(s): 
Sic Dat Diligentia Terra
("He who works hard reaps a good harvest")
Location of Prescott & Russell counties
Coordinates: 45°28′N 74°50′W
Country Canada
Province Ontario
RegionEastern Ontario
Established1820
County seatL'Orignal
Municipalities
Government
 • WardenRobert Kirby
 • Governing bodyPrescott and Russell County Council
 • MPsFrancis Drouin
 • MPPsAmanda Simard
Area
 • Land2,004.47 km2 (773.93 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total89,333
 • Density44.6/km2 (116/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitewww.prescott-russell.on.ca/

Geography and nature

According to Statistics Canada, the county has a total area of 2,004.44 square kilometres (773.92 sq mi).[3]

The United Counties are bordered by the Ontario/Quebec border to the east, and the Ottawa River to the north. It is crossed by the South Nation River that connects the Larose Forest and Alfred Bog. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has designated the Alfred Bog "a provincially significant wetland and an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest." Species of interest include the palm warbler, northern pitcher-plant, pink lady's-slipper, cottongrass, bog elfin and bog copper butterflies, and ebony boghaunter dragonfly. It also hosts one of the most southerly herds of moose. The bog is open to the public with a 272-metre boardwalk for nature walks.[4]

Subdivisions

Municipalities and townships with major unincorporated communities:

Historical townships

Demographics
United Counties of Prescott and Russell historical populations
YearPop.±%
198657,620—    
199167,183+16.6%
199674,013+10.2%
200176,446+3.3%
200680,184+4.9%
201185,381+6.5%
201689,333+4.6%
[5][6][1]
Canada census – United Counties of Prescott and Russell community profile
2016 2011 2006
Population: 89,333 (4.6% from 2011) 85,381 (6.5% from 2006) 80,184 (4.9% from 2001)
Land area: 2,004.47 km2 (773.93 sq mi) 2,004.44 km2 (773.92 sq mi) 2,001.18 km2 (772.66 sq mi)
Population density: 44.6/km2 (116/sq mi) 42.6/km2 (110/sq mi) 40.1/km2 (104/sq mi)
Median age: 44.3 (M: 43.7, F: 44.9) 40.5 (M: 40.1, F: 40.9)
Total private dwellings: 36,783 34,400 31,310
Median household income: $78,748
References: 2016[7] 2011[8] 2006[9] earlier[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $78,748 and the median income for a family is $94,067. Males had an average income of $44,781 versus $33,240 for females.[1]

Languages

Prescott and Russell has a large Franco-Ontarian population, and is (by percentage) the most francophone census division in Canada west of Quebec. In 2011 French was the sole mother tongue of 64.2% of its residents, and an additional 1.7% reported being natively bilingual in French and English.[11]

Mother tongue Population Percentage
French 55,615 62.3%
English 27,975 31.3%
English and French 1,630 1.8%

Services
County Court in L'Orignal

Responsibilities of the county government include social services (social assistance, child care, housing), county roads, paramedic / ambulance services and land-use planning. The County also operates the Prescott-Russell Residence, a home for the aged in Hawkesbury.

Libraries

There are many public libraries located in the county. The largest is the Hawkesbury Public Library, which is located in Hawkesbury.

Health

There are two hospitals in Prescott-Russell: Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, in Hawkesbury, and the Glengarry Memorial Hospital, a rural hospital in Alexandria, Ontario. Also, there is a medevac helicopter, in Ottawa, Ontario. The two hospitals have seen an increase in wait times due to an influx of patients from Quebec.[12] The Government of Quebec has stalled efforts to build a second hospital in Western Quebec and it is not known when funding will be made available.

Transit
See also: OC Transpo routes § Rural partner routes (500-series)

The counties are served by numerous commuter bus lines running to Ottawa, which are mainly operated by private contractors. The route numbers are part of the Rural Partners Transit Service of OC Transpo. Communities served include Rockland (with 10-12 trips in rush hour), Hawkesbury, Bourget, Casselman, Russell, and Embrun.

Greyhound Canada buses between Ottawa and Montreal and Ottawa and Cornwall also service communities in the counties.

Police

The county is policed by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). There are two main police stations in Prescott and Russell; one in Embrun and one in Hawkesbury. In addition, there is a police station in Rockland that acts as a satellite to the one in Embrun.[13] The OPP is also in charge of patrolling Highway 417.

See also

References
  1. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Prescott and Russell". Statistics Canada. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Community highlights for Prescott and Russell". 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  4. The Alfred Bog, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
  5. Statistics Canada: 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  6. "Prescott and Russell United counties census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  7. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 21, 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  8. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  9. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  10. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  11. Canada, Gouvernement du Canada, Statistique. "Statistique Canada : Profil du Recensement de 2011". 12.statcan.ca. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  12. Lahaie, Lianne. "Wait times at Hawkesbury hospital are on the rise". Hawkesbury Review.
  13. Ontario Provincial Police Website Archived July 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
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