Constance Bay, Ottawa

Constance Bay
—  Community  —
Constance Bay
Coordinates: 45°29′11″N 76°04′23″W / 45.48636°N 76.07316°W / 45.48636; -76.07316Coordinates: 45°29′11″N 76°04′23″W / 45.48636°N 76.07316°W / 45.48636; -76.07316
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Municipality	Ottawa
Government
– MPs	Gordon O'Connor
– MPPs	Norm Sterling
– Councillors	Eli El-Chantiry
Population (2006)
– Total	2,402
Time zone	EST

Constance Bay, Ontario is a village of approximately 3,000, part of the municipality of Ottawa and is situated 20 minutes from Kanata. As of 2005, the village consisted of 30% cottage/seasonal housing; 70% year round. The community surrounds the Torbolton Forest (a protected and managed green-space) and Constance and Buckham's Bay along the Ottawa River.

The village has services of a gas station; a (licensed) general store, 2 restaurants, a bar/lounge, and a chapel. The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 616 is also located in the village.

During the summer months the bustling village offers all the fun in the sun activities - Recreational Boating, Water Skiing, Canoeing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, and Cycling . The beach is beautiful and for use by all.

During the winter months there is Ice Fishing, Snowmobiling, Cross-Country skiing, Ice Skating and Horseback riding.

A Community Centre is located in the centre of the village, the Centre's operation is overseen by the Constance & Buckham's Bay Community Association. The Community Centre includes a free skateboard park along with 2 baseball diamonds (both fully illuminated for night play), soccer fields (full and mini), play-structure, outdoor ice rink, and a concession stand operated by community volunteers.

History

The actual bay was named by French Fur Traders after Simon Constant who was a member of the Algonquin First Nation and who was in the area before white settlers arrived.

T.W. Edwin Sowter, a hobby archaeologist from Aylmer, Quebec, first identified the presence of archaeological sites at Constance Bay in the late 1800s. However, details of these sites were not available until Gordon Watson excavated a site in his Constance Bay cottage yard in the early 1970s. Mr. Watson's documented his findings in "A Woodland Indian Site at Constance Bay" available from the Ontario Archaeological Society. One item in the Watson collection is a large reconstructed ceramic vessel dating to about 2,500 years ago.

In 1946 St. Gabriel's first chapel opened for services. Father J. Lorne Reynolds appointed parish priest.

Hydro (electric service) was brought into the community in the summer of 1951.

In the spring/summer of 2005, Enbridge Gas Distribution brought Natural Gas to the community.

An indepth history of Constance Bay is available here.

Torbolton Forest

The 147 Hectare Torbolton Forest is a managed greenspace and home to rare plant life, animals and birds. The forest has been designated by the Province of Ontario as a Provincially Significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (Life Science).

Bird-life

• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Eastern Bluebird
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Golden Oriole
• Blue Jay
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Phalarope
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Carolina Wren
• Black-legged Kittiwake
• Boreal Owl
• Cattle Egret
• Blue Heron
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• American Crow

Mammals

• Raccoon
• Skunk
• Porcupine
• Black Bear
• White-tailed Deer
• Red Fox
• Coyote
• Fisher

See also

• "A Woodland Indian Site at Constance Bay", Ontario 1 - 24 by Gordon D. Watson
• "St. Gabriels's Chapel, Constance Bay, 1946-1996" by Anna May McCart and Louise Estabrooks.
• "Constance Bay: Early French fur traders named bay after chief. What's in a name?" by Bobby Turcotte.

External links

• Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee (OFGAC)
• Constance & Buckham's Bay Community Association
• Kichi Sibi (Great River) Tracing Our Region's Ancient History
• NeilyWorld Birding Ottawa - Southwest - Ottawa River West: Ontario, Constance Bay
• Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC)
• Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 616
• Local Village History, by Mike Demers