Sables-Spanish Rivers is a township in Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Georgian Bay. It is located in the Sudbury District, approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Sudbury.
The township was created in 1998 by amalgamating the former towns of Massey and Webbwood with the township of Spanish River and the unorganized geographic townships of May and Shakespeare, and was named for Massey's location at the junction of the Spanish and Aux Sables rivers.
The township's population was 3,214 in the Canada 2016 Census. The municipal offices are located in Massey.
The hamlet of Lee Valley is divided between the municipalities of Sables-Spanish Rivers and Espanola.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sables-Spanish Rivers had a population of 3,237 living in 1,386 of its 1,718 total private dwellings, a change of 1.5% from its 2016 population of 3,188. With a land area of 801.04 km2 (309.28 sq mi), it had a population density of 4.0/km2 (10.5/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
Canada census – Sables-Spanish Rivers community profile
The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, a part of the Trans Canada Trail, passes through the township.[12][13] Travelling from Spanish in the west, the trail enters the township following DeClerk Road and Menard Crescent on gravel before following the route of Highway 17 along a paved shoulder. At Walford, it dips south to follow the gravel route of River Road parallel and to the north of the Spanish River. Upon reaching Massey, it passes through the south of the town before continuing along Lee Valley Road toward Lee Valley.[13]
In 1995, The Canadian Wildlife Experience Inc. received a licence to operate a new low-power tourist information radio station to serve Massey, Walford and Spanish, Ontario at 98.5 MHz, during the spring, summer and fall seasons. The call letters were CJWE-FM. It is uncertain if the station is still currently in operation.[14]
Culture
The community hosts an annual fair in late August, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
Massey holds a fall fair every year at the fairgrounds. There are rides, contests, prizes, many games and even more vendors. A crash-up car derby has been recently been added along with a four-wheeler mud bog competition. In 2008, the classic car show at the fair was very small compared to the years before so it may be cancelled. There are motocross races, horse pulls, and horse shows there as well.
Famous people
The citizens of Webbwood elected Canada's first female mayor, Barbara Hanley, in 1936.[15]
The Massey District Community Centre and Arena is located in Massey, and plays host to the Massey Predators Minor Hockey Association and the Massey and District Figure Skating Club. The Massey Marathon is held annually using the arena as a centre for registration and award ceremony. The marathon is now in its 33rd year and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. The township is also the home of Chutes Provincial Park.