Head, Clara and Maria


Head, Clara and Maria, officially the United Townships of Head, Clara and Maria, is a municipality and incorporated township in Renfrew County in eastern Ontario, Canada, It is on the Ottawa River and on the northern edge of Algonquin Park.
Virtually all the communities and activities are along Highway 17; the rest of the township is largely crown land, which is mostly wilderness. Property taxes are the lowest in Renfrew County.

History

The township of Head was named in honour of Sir Edmund Walker Head, 8th Baronet who served as Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick 1847-1854 and Governor-General of Canada 1854-1861. The township of Maria was named in honour of his wife, Lady Anna Maria Head .

Geography

Head, Clara and Maria is bordered on the north by the Ottawa River and on the south by Algonquin Provincial Park. Trans Canada Highway 17 runs through the four hamlets which make up this municipality.
The municipality has numerous with lakes and rivers, providing fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, and snowmobiling opportunities.

Communities

The township includes the communities of Aylen, Bissett Creek, Deux-Rivières, Mackey and Stonecliffe.
Deux-Rivières provides access to Algonquin Park via Brent Road. Stonecliffe is home to the municipal office and is near Driftwood Provincial Park.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Head, Clara and Maria had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.
Mother tongue :
  • English as first language: 92.5 %
  • French as first language: 5.7 %
  • English and French as first languages: 0 %
  • Other as first language: 1.9 %

    Local government

List of former reeves:
  • Jim Donnelly
  • James Dunlop
  • W. P. Dunlop
  • Henery Beauchamp
  • J.E. Jennings
  • James E. Carey
  • D. A. Francoeur
  • George Clouthier
  • Leslie J. Donnelly
  • Art Yates
  • Loretta Boissonneault
  • Wyman Jennings
  • Grant Horricks
  • Percy Watts
  • Ernie Boudreau
  • Lita Therrien
  • Colleen Clarriere
  • William Crowshaw
  • Tammy Lea Stewart
  • Jim Gibson
  • Robert James Reid
  • Debbi Grills

    Transportation

Highway 17 is the main road connecting the community to destinations to the northwest and west. Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services operates an intercity bus route from Ottawa to Sudbury along Highway 17.

Notable people