| Prescott and Russell | |
| Official Name: | United Counties of Prescott and Russell |
| Settlement Type: | United counties (upper-tier) |
| Motto: | Sic Dat Diligentia Terra ("He who works hard reaps a good harvest") |
| Mapsize: | 300px |
| Coordinates: | 45.4667°N -124°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Eastern Ontario |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1820 |
| Seat Type: | County seat |
| Seat: | L'Orignal |
| Parts Type: | Municipalities |
| P1: | Alfred and Plantagenet (township) |
| Leader Title: | Warden |
| Leader Name: | Normand Riopel |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Leader Name1: | Prescott and Russell County Council |
| Area Land Km2: | 2004.47 |
| Population Total: | 89,333 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | 44.6 |
| Website: | www.prescott-russell.on.ca/ |
| P2: | Casselman (municipality) |
| P3: | Champlain (township) |
| P4: | Clarence-Rockland (city) |
| P5: | East Hawkesbury (township) |
| P6: | Hawkesbury (town) |
| P7: | Russell (township) |
| P8: | The Nation (municipality) |
| Leader Title2: | MPs |
| Leader Name2: | Francis Drouin |
| Leader Title3: | MPPs |
| Leader Name3: | Stéphane Sarrazin |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (French: Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell) is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is L'Orignal.[2] The county 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 55km (34miles) east of the City of Ottawa. Under Ontario law, the county is an Upper-tier Municipality.
According to Statistics Canada, the county has a total area of 2004.44km2.[3]
The county is bordered by the Ontario/Québec 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 boardwalk for nature walks.[4]
| Municipality | 2021 Population [5] | Sub-region | Former municipalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred and Plantagenet, Township of | 9949 | Prescott | Alfred Township, Alfred Village, North Plantagenet Township, Plantagenet Village. |
| Casselman, Village of | 3960 | Russell | |
| 8665 | Prescott | Longueuil Township, L'Orignal, Vankleek Hill, West Hawkesbury Township | |
| Clarence-Rockland, City of | 26505 | Russell | Rockland, Bourget |
| East Hawkesbury, Township of | 3418 | Prescott | Chute-à-Blondeau, Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott, Saint-Eugène |
| Hawkesbury, Town of | 10194 | Prescott | |
| Russell, Township of | 19598 | Russel | Embrun, Russell |
| The Nation, Municipality of | 13350 | Prescott, Russell | Limoges, St. Isidore |
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 2004.27km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[6]
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]
In 2016 French was the sole mother tongue of 63.0% of its residents, and an additional 1.8% reported being natively bilingual in French and English.[7]
| Mother tongue | Population | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | 55,615 | 63.0% | |
| English | 27,975 | 31.7% | |
| English and French | 1,630 | 1.8% |
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.
There are many public libraries located in the county. The largest is the Hawkesbury Public Library, which is located in Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury and District General Hospital, in Hawkesbury, Ontario is the only hospital in the county.
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.
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.[8] The OPP is also in charge of patrolling Highway 417.