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Wiarton, Ontario, population centre, population 1,996 (2021 census), 1,989 (2016 census). Wiarton lies at the head of Colpoys Bay on Georgian Bay, 225 km northwest of Toronto.
History
Located at the narrowing of the Bruce Peninsula, the site of Wiarton was first a landing stage for Indigenous peoples and voyageurs who would portage across the peninsula to Lake Huron. The site of 17th-century French missions, Wiarton was first settled in 1866. It was named for Wiarton Place, near Maidstone, England, birthplace of Sir Edmund Head, governor general when the area was surveyed. Logging predominated until World War I.
Wiarton was a town from 1894 to 1998 until it was merged into the new town of South Bruce Peninsula (incorporated 1999) along with the townships of Albemarle and Amabel and the village of Hepworth. Nestled at the base of the ruggedly picturesque Bruce Peninsula, it is now a service centre for the tourist industry and the site of major airport facilities. The administrative functions of South Bruce Peninsula are centered in Wiarton.
