 The Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield is the largest Township in the County of Peterborough and is situated in the heart of the Kawarthas, bordered almost entirely by lakes, in Central Ontario. The Township is largely a rural community with three distinct urban centres, those being Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore.
The Village of Lakefield is a small urban community of approximately 2500 people located on the Otonabee River, part of the historic Trent Severn Waterway system, South of Katchewanooka Lake. Lakefield is primarily a residential community with historic homes and heritage sites carefully combined with modern residential areas. Lakefield has a reasonably well defined central core and a small industrial base. Lakefield offers many amenities of big city life, in a quaint small town setting.
The Hamlet of Bridgenorth is a small residential community situated on beautiful Chemung Lake amid a largely rural landscape. Bridgenorth offers a centralized destination for shopping and services, and meets the daily needs of residents and tourists.
The Hamlet of Ennismore is historically picturesque with the post office, general store, and community church centrally located as in days of old. Like Bridgenorth, the Hamlet of Ennismore is centered in a mainly rural area, and provides a focal point for community recreational and social events including hard and softball diamonds, soccer pitches, tennis and basketball courts, ice and curling rinks and reception facilities. Chemung Lake, Buckhorn Lake and Pigeon Lake border the Ennismore ward.
Thousands of tourists visit the Township each year to enjoy our beautiful lakes, parks and recreation facilities, heritage and cultural sites and events, shopping, restaurants, festivals, entertainment and accommodation facilities. Activities include fishing, camping, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, boating, golfing, art galleries, nature trails and much more.
Christ Church
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Bridgenorth Gazebo
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Library
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Memorial Hall
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Sullivans
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Trail
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Community spirit and enthusiasm is evident in the number of special events scheduled annually throughout the Township. These events are planned and operated largely by volunteers. Some of the events include Lakefield Literary Festival, Lakefield Jazz, Craft and Art Festival, Ennismore Shamrock Festival and Tractor Pull, Lakefield Agricultural Fair, Lakefield and District Horticultural Society Antique and Flower Show, Performing Arts Lakefield Productions, BEL Rotary Triathlon, and Bridgenorth Beautification Committee Holiday Pageant ? Christmas Tree Lighting.
Municipal Services
The Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield is responsible for such services as Roads, Parks & Recreation, Libraries, Landfill/Waste Management, Taxation, Licensing and Vital Statistics, Fire Services and Community Emergency Preparedness, Economic Development and Building & Planning. The Village of Lakefield and Woodland Acres is serviced by a municipally owned and publicly operated water and sewer system. Private wells and septic systems service the majority of the remainder of the Township.
The Township of the Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield falls under the jurisdiction of the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority. There are six conservation areas in the Township, offering parks, swimming, nature trails, and picnic facilities and camping. There are numerous wetlands, nature areas, rivers and lakes that make up the landscape of the Township.
There are two waste disposal sites managed by the Township. Smith Ennismore-Lakefield residents also have access to the Peterborough County City Landfill. The County of Peterborough provides recycling services for the Township. A household hazardous waste depot is accessible to Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield residents.
The Township Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance and construction of 299.52 km of Township roads.
Facts about Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield is the most populated municipality in the County of Peterborough. Major provincial highways that access Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield are:
- Highways 401 and 115
- Lindsay Road/County Road 1 (formerly Hwy 7B)
- County Road 29 (formerly Hwy 28)
- Highway 28 ( formerly Hwy 134)
- Highway 7 forms a portion of the western boundary
Full rail service is available to the adjacent City of Peterborough. The City of Peterborough also operates a municipal airport which provides regional flights accessible to township residents and businesses.
The Trent Severn Waterway has been designated as a Canadian Heritage River System. It is serviced by a system of locks connecting from Lake Ontario all the way north to Georgian Bay. The Trent Severn Waterway passes through our Township, with locks at Young's Point and Lakefield.
Walking and cycling trail networks are located in Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore. The Lakefield Trail connects to the Trans-Canada Trail network.
Trent University is one of Canada's top primarily undergraduate universities with a campus bordering the southeast boundary of the Township Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield. Sir Sanford Fleming College is located within the City of Peterborough. Lakefield College School is a private school setting founded in 1879.
There are two health clinics located in the Township. The Chemung Region Health Care Centre in Bridgenorth and the Lakefield Clinic located in Lakefield. The Peterborough Regional Health Care Centre is a full service hospital and is located within the City of Peterborough.
There is one long term care facility located in the municipality, Extendicare Lakefield.
There are several Bed & Breakfast and Resort facilities located in the Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield. The Village Inn is placed within downtown Lakefield.
There are five Canada Post facilities in the Township located in Bridgenorth, Ennismore, Lakefield, Buckhorn and Young's Point.
There is one daily newspaper that covers the region, the Peterborough Examiner. The Township receives media coverage through CHEX television. There are also 6 radio stations locally, CKPT 1420 AM, KRUZ, 980 AM, Country 105, CKSG Star 93.3 and CKWF 101.5 the Wolf all FM stations. Nexicom Communications provides cable service throughout the Township and Persona serves Ennismore.
There are three branches in the Library system located in Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Lakefield. Library membership is free to all.
Recreation and Leisure accommodates all genders and ages. Softball, Horseshoes, Lacrosse are just a sample of the many teams that participate throughout the Township. There are many facilities and venues available to the public, namely: Lakefield Marshland Centre, Neils Pind Room, Ennismore Community Centre, Cenotaph Park, Chemong Park and many more. With several outdoor recreation buildings available, we can suit anyone's needs. Lakefield Douglas Centre, Lakefield-Smith Community Centre and the Ennismore Recreation Complex are great for recreation gatherings.
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