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Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Kawartha Lakes
City (single-tier)
City of Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes city hall in Lindsay
Kawartha Lakes city hall in Lindsay
Flag of Kawartha Lakes
Flag
Official logo of Kawartha Lakes
Logo
Motto: Catch the Kawartha Spirit.
Kawartha Lakes' location within Ontario
Kawartha Lakes' location within Ontario
Coordinates: 44°21′N 78°45′W / 44.350°N 78.750°W / 44.350; -78.750Coordinates: 44°21′N 78°45′W / 44.350°N 78.750°W / 44.350; -78.750
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County (historical) Victoria
Formed by political merger January 1, 2001
Seat Lindsay
Government
 • Mayor Andy Letham
 • Council City of Kawartha Lakes Council
 • MP Jamie Schmale (CPC)
 • MPP Laurie Scott (PC)
Area
 • Land 3,083.06 km2 (1,190.38 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 73,214
 • Density 23.7/km2 (61/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code beginning with K and L
Area code(s) 705
Website www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca

The city of Kawartha Lakes (2011 population 73,214) is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It is a municipality legally structured as a single-tier city; however, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontario county and is mostly rural. It is the second largest single-tier municipality in Ontario by land area.

The main population centres are the communities of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, Omemee and Woodville.

The city's name comes from the name of the Kawartha lakes. The term Kawartha is an anglicization of the word Ka-wa-tha (from Ka-wa-tae-gum-maug or Gaa-waategamaag, meaning), a word coined in 1895 by aboriginal Martha Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nations. The word meant "land of reflections" in the Anishinaabe language, according to Whetung. The word was later changed by tourism promoters to Kawartha, meaning "bright waters and happy lands."

Prior to its restructuring as a city, the area was known as Victoria County. The city was created in 2001, during the ruling provincial Progressive Conservative party's "Common Sense Revolution". Through provincial legislation, the former Victoria County and its constituent municipalities were amalgamated into one entity named the City of Kawartha Lakes.

This act was implemented by the Victoria County Restructuring Commission, led by commissioner Harry Kitchen. Despite a general opposition from residents of the area, the provincial government pushed forward with the amalgamation, which officially came into effect on January 1, 2001.


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