From the Office of the Mayor

A two to three hour drive from either Toronto or Ottawa, the Township of North Kawartha offers endless opportunities for everyone to connect with our natural heritage.  We are located on the northern edge of Peterborough County in the heart of the Kawartha Lakes region.  North Kawartha encompasses the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and Petroglyphs Provincial Park.  The Kawartha Highlands is Ontario’s largest park south of Algonquin and the Petroglyphs are the largest concentration of native rock carvings in Canada.  Along with these provincial parks North Kawartha is also home to the Peterborough Crown Game Preserve which boasts the Kawartha Nordic Ski Club.  In fact nearly 60% of the township’s geographic area is protected.

Tourism and recreational activities are North Kawartha’s main attractions, with thousands of seasonal residents and visitors flocking to our community each year.  The Trent Severn Waterway passes through our southern region while the north has numerous large lakes and streams that replenish this waterway each year. Interspersed with all this fresh, clean water are vast tracts of forested lands and Canadian Shield outcroppings which supports an incredible variety of wildlife.  These natural features offer numerous recreational opportunities like snowmobiling, cross country skiing, hiking, camping, boating, canoeing, ATVing, hunting and fishing.

Located along provincial highway 28, an hour northeast of Peterborough, North Kawartha is a vibrant and welcoming community, which prides itself on being self-sufficient and resilient.  Comprised of several hamlets including Big Cedar and Woodview, the heart of North Kawartha’s infrastructure, services and the seat of local government is the village of Apsley.  We often say that one can live in the village and access every necessary amenity and service without a vehicle.  It not only serves the local year round population but the thousands of cottagers and tourists that visit each summer.

Since 2006, nearly our entire municipal infrastructure has been expanded and renewed. This infrastructure includes (but is not limited to) the following

• A public school with licensed childcare facility.
• Award-winning community complex with state-of-art-fitness centre and NHL size arena.
• Year-round library service with 2 branches.
• Newly expanded health care centre with a family physician, nurse practitioner, dentist and chiropractor.
• New public works and municipal office along with emergency services facilities.  

Our complete community also includes a grocery store, LCBO, post office, pharmacy, hardware and lumber store, restaurants, motel, gas station, several real estate agencies and a variety of marinas, retail shops and more than a hundred small business owners to meet the needs of our permanent and seasonal population. Since 2006, almost $30 million dollars has been invested in our community’s infrastructure.

In addition to all the amazing facilities and services North Kawartha has a number of community groups, organizations and variety of festivals and events.  We have a winter carnival, a Trappers festival, an autumn studio tour, the North Kawartha Knights, our Junior C hockey team, a newly created music festival and a number of regatta and water based events in the summer.

Abundant natural resources, a comprehensive community infrastructure, and a community of hard-working, cooperative and deeply rooted people; North Kawartha has so much to offer whether you are here for a day, a season or forever.  We welcome all to our incredible municipality.