Incorporation of the Village of Watford

Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Watford!

The regulations around creating cities, towns, and villages in Canada originated with the Baldwin Act of 1849. This set of rules laid out the qualifications required for each type of municipality as well as the powers that would be granted to each.

At the time, the County of Lambton held responsibility for making decisions about its territory and the people that lived in it based on recommendations and reports submitted by officials and committees. It then enacted these decisions by creating by-laws, so that their decisions would be clear and easily referenced.

In order to be incorporated into a village, a survey was taken of Watford to show that there were more than 750 inhabitants within a 500-acre area, and that the inhabitants lived relatively near to each other within that area. The final step was to have 100 residents, of whom no fewer than 50 were freeholders, submit a petition to the county council in order to incorporate the village.

On June 25, 1873, by-law no. 314 was passed by the County of Lambton officially acknowledging the Village of Watford as independent from the Township of Warwick.

Happy Birthday Watford!