It's all down hill from here!
Residents of Mono can be excused for using that time worn cliché when describing the importance of Mono for its contribution to the network of streams and rivers of Southern Ontario. The hills, forests and wetlands of Mono comprise the headwaters of four Southern Ontario river systems feeding three great lakes.
The Nottawasaga River has its headwaters streams throughout Mono with its main branch extending through the Hockley Valley to finally find its outlet into Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. The Credit River source is in the region of Mono surrounding Orangeville; while the Humber River begins just a little farther to the east. Both of these historic rivers find their separate way to Lake Ontario. Lake Erie, not wanting to be left out of the headwater hall of fame in Mono, has a small part of its watershed for the Grand River clinging to the west boundary of Mono.
In the early 1990’s Mono raised the profile of this region as a headwaters area of significance to all of southern Ontario, by holding two Headwaters Conferences, entitled “There’s Always Someone Downstream” and “No More Flush and Forget”. Following from these informative events was a greater understanding of how to protect the area as a natural resource. This prominence has served to ensure that the area is respected for its natural heritage in Ontario.
Formed by the great flows and outwash sedimentation from the last ice age, the streams and valleys of Mono serve as an enduring testament to these natural forces of the earth. Many wells in Mono dip into this aquifer of melt-water and are enjoyed in our kitchens daily.
Town planning documents ensure this unique habitat is protected for future generations. To promote sustainable practices in the development of Headwaters countryside and urban centres through the knowledge of its stewards, the Town copyrighted the name ‘Headwaters’ and licensed its use out to the tourism organization ‘Headwaters Country’, now ‘The Hills of Headwaters’ and to the local hospital ‘Headwaters Healthcare Centre’.
A thousand shades of green invade the countryside with the coming of each spring renewal, made possible by the abundant waters many of us take for granted. Next time you enjoy a drive through Mono or a walk along one of its trails, pause to watch the trout runs in the spring or the salmon runs in the fall. Take a minute in any season to embrace this jewel of pristine environment. A Chinese saying, ‘one-generation plants the trees, the next enjoys the shade’, can’t be more true anywhere than in Mono.
Play your part and know that future generations will honour your good works.
Keith McNenly
Properties owners receive a letter when their property is added to the Heritage Properties of Interest list. Owners can object in writing to the Clerk stating their reasons. Council then makes the determination on whether to remove the property.
List of Designated Heritage Properties in Mono
- Relessey Church
- Mitchell Church
- Cobean House
- Elder Post Office
- Maguire House
- Hall House
- Currie House
- McManus House
- McBride House
- Woodland House
- St. Peter’s House
- The Globe
Relessey Church
Address: 874615 5th Line (Southeast corner of Mono Centre Road and 5th Line)
Registered Date: May 18, 1995
Bylaw: 94-5
Details: A red brick church built in 1870. The original steeple was blown off during a wind storm in 1909 and was replaced by a square ornamental tower.
Mitchell Church
Address: 873202 5th Line
Registered Date: April 26, 1995
Bylaw: 94-24
Details: The original church was built in 1868 on land donated by the Mitchell family in the 1840’s. It is a gabled brick structure, with yellow brick pilasters and tall gothic windows in each bay. The original foundations are of rubble stone. The Mitchell family owned the Mitchell Farm from 1824 to 1888. John Wendell Mitchell, the great grandson of the pioneer Peter Mitchell, was the author of the popular Mono Irish settlement story “The Yellow Briar”, written about the early pioneer life in Mono and Mono Mills.
Cobean House
Address: 953283 7th Line
Registered Date: April 26, 1995
Bylaw: 95-2
Details: A historically and architecturally significant gothic style wood frame house in excellent condition. Constructed in 1872 on a 70 acre lot.
Elder Post Office
Address: 428005 25 Sideroad
Registered Date: May 18, 1995
Bylaw: 97-5
Details: A sturdy one and a half storey log house built circa 1855. The house has two additions, one log and one frame. It is an usually tall one and a half storey structure with lovely dovetailed corners. It served as the Elder Post Office from 1864–1914.
Maguire House
Address: 955140 7th Line
Registered Date: April 27, 2009
Bylaw: 2002-34
Details: Built in 1870, this house is a fine example of a gothic Ontario homestead. Its banded brick work & Palladian fan are of note.
Hall House
Address: 506014 Highway 89
Registered Date: Feb 14, 2014
Bylaw: 2014-04
Details: This fine example of a red brick, gothic Ontario farm house is located on an original, un-severed, one hundred acre parcel of land at the extreme northwest corner of the Town of Mono and was likely built in the 1870's. Originally known as Hall’s Corners because of its position at the junction of four municipalities: Mono, Amaranth, Mulmur and Melancthon. The Hall family owned this property for approximately 100 years (from 1863 to 1961). The Goodman family has since owned it for over 50 years and has done an excellent restoration.
Currie House
Address: 794530 3rd Line
Registered Date: May 18, 1995
Bylaw: 95-1
Details: The 1870 main house is a one and a half storey rectangular split fieldstone structure with a centre gable. A frame "sun room" and cold kitchen were subsequent additions prior to 1935. Exact date of construction is unknown although assessment records suggest approximately 1870. The interior of the house has been well restored with much of the original wood work intact and a unique wood stove in the living area.
McManus House
Address: 939064 Mono-AdjalaTownline
Registered Date: April 26, 1995
Bylaw: 95-3
Details: Built in 1900 on the site of the original homestead of George McManus Esq. who served as warden of the County, reeve of the Township, and as a member of federal and provincial parliament. A log courthouse on this property was torn down in 1969.
McBride House
Address: 21 Goulding Lane
Registered Date: June 10, 1998
Bylaw: 98-13
Details: This solid one and a half storey stone structure was built in 1845, as the homestead of Robert McBride, one of the first permanent pioneer settlers in the Township. It is located in part of the Township traversed by early settler routes and Indian trails. Set upon escarpment, valley lands, and wilderness, the property may contain archaeological artifacts.
Woodland House
Address: 753174 2nd Line
Registered Date: June 6, 2008
Bylaw: 2008-07
Details: The building and property are of interest both historically and architecturally. James Woodland, one of Mono's most respected citizens (and the treasurer of the township at the time of his death), was born on this farm and died in the house in 1911. The home itself, built between 1892 and 1895 is beautifully appointed with arched windows and elaborate brickwork throughout.
St. Peter's House
Address: 953376 7th Line EHS
Registered Date: July 15, 2016
Bylaw: 2016-24
Details: St. Peter’s House is a good example of an Ontario gothic revival farmhouse typical to the area, dating from the 1890’s. It is representative of farmhouses of this area and era in its design, scale, material, and construction method, but the decorative and distinctive dichromatic brickwork of alternating red and buff bricks is a pattern uncommon in Mono. Some names and designs dated 1917 can be found inscribed into the exterior brickwork. The cultural heritage value of St. Peter's House also lies in its more recent use as a monastery in direct association with the following organizations: Cistercian Monastery of Notre Dame from 1981–1999, Ukrainian Catholic Episcopal Corp. of Eastern Canada 1999–2014 Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, The Church of The Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius, 2014–present.
The Globe
Address: 995722 Mono-Adjala Townline
Registered Date: October 8, 2019
Bylaw: 2019-61
Details: Built circa 1870, The Globe is a two storey wood frame Georgian style building. It has a long history of serving travellers and locals. The exterior has been well maintained and is mostly original.
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Alzheimer Society of Dufferin
The Alzheimer Society of Dufferin County is dedicated to providing help for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their caregivers.
Choices Youth Shelter
Choices Youth Shelter is a not for profit agency that provides a wide range of services to homeless youth in Dufferin County.
Their mission is to be a safe and supportive resource within Dufferin County that offers homeless youth, 16 to 24 years of age, an alternative to living on the street and supports their transition to a more productive and brighter future.
Programs/Services
- Emergency shelter
- Targeted independent living (life skills, wellness programs, food and nutrition programs)
- Outreach services
Dufferin County Multicultural Foundation
The Dufferin County Multicultural Foundation is a registered non-profit organization that serves the Dufferin County community in promoting diversity, inclusion, equality and equity.
The focus is on building a stronger, more empowered diverse community through
- Education
- Arts
- Entertainment
- Spreading a positive message!
For more information regarding the foundation please visit the Dufferin County Multicultural Foundation's website.
Dufferin.Biz
Dufferin.Biz is a joint project between the County of Dufferin, its member municipalities and local groups designed to market the collective assets of our community. Their goal is to promote to the world the unique strengths of Dufferin County that differentiate it from other regions and that offer the best environment for businesses and families.
Dufferin.Biz is a champion of local business and local ideas that support the growth of existing business community and provide an avenue for investment from outside our community.
Dufferin County Canadian Black Association (DCCBA)
DCCBA's goal is to help develop and foster a socially and economically equitable group that will continue to contribute to the growth and development in Dufferin County and Canada. To have a strong focus on Youth Achievement and Excellence so our youth can realize and fulfill their gifts.
Their mission is to provide leadership for the continued development and enhancement of the Black community through civic engagement, education, programs and services and advocate for equity and wellbeing for the Black community in Dufferin County. To be a central hub for resources, tools and programs that are unique to the needs of the Black Community in Dufferin County.
Dufferin Farm Fresh
Linking farmers & producers with consumers & businesses.
Here in Dufferin County we are proud of our agricultural history. We have some of Ontario's best soil, now famous for our potatoes. We are a county of very large farms and very small farms, farmers who have been here for generations, and others who are coming to Dufferin to farm for the first time. Famous for potatoes, we are also large dairy farmers, cattle and calf operators and of course grow hay, corn, soy and many other market vegetables, fruits and plants.
Family Transition Place
Family Transition Place (FTP) provides critical services to women and their children who have experienced abuse and unhealthy relationships. Whether they need a safe place to live, or the services of a professional, skilled counsellor to assist them on their journey, FTP is there to help.
Through all of its measures, FTP strives to deliver services that provide safety, support and hope.
Headwaters Communities in Action
Building A Better Quality of Life Together
Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA) is a citizens group that fosters leadership and action in support of a long-term vision of community well-being for the Headwaters Region. They do this by helping to inform and engage citizens about issues affecting the well-being of our community. By hosting community conversations and encouraging people from different sectors and municipalities to work together, they help to coordinate effective responses to shared issues.
Visit HCIA for more information including:
- Local Food
- Listing of transportation options in Dufferin County
- Headwaters Community Well-Being Report
My Dufferin Service Directory
My Dufferin Service Directory includes organizations offering services to families in Orangeville, Shelburne, Grand Valley and surrounding areas in Dufferin County, with a focus on non-profit, municipal/government and other community services that support the well-being of children and families.
Further details are available on their website.
Ontario One Call
Safety Starts with You!
Call Before You Dig 24/7 for A FREE Locate 1-800-400-2255
It’s getting pretty crowded underground. There could be gas pipelines, electrical services, telephone and cable TV as well as water and sewer connections. In addition to these types of buried services to your home, there could be distribution networks for utilities that serve your neighborhood and community. In some cases, such as pipelines and fiber optic cables, they may even be part of a national feeder route.
Ontario One Call (ON1Call) was formed in 1996 to establish a call centre that receives excavation locate requests and notifies registered owners of underground facilities within the vicinity of the dig-site of the planned excavation.
PROBUS Club of Orangeville
PROBUS Club of Orangeville, serving Orangeville and area, is a not-for-profit social club open to retired and semi-retired professionals, business and like-minded people, and their spouses. No fund raising or commitments other than a low annual membership fee.
Meets at 10:00 am on the second Thursday of every month in the Orangeville Agricultural Society Event Centre to socialize, hear about club activities, enjoy refreshments, and listen to an interesting guest speaker. Various interest groups meet throughout the month to take part in activities and share their knowledge. Further details are available on their website.
Road Watch
Road Watch is a joint police and citizen program that makes it easy to report dangerous and aggressive drivers to the OPP while remaining anonymous. Forms are available at Mono Plaza, the OPP detachment in Primrose and on the Mono Community Policing web site.
Please consider making use of this program as it can, and has, saved lives.
Did you know that you can dial *OPP (*677) on your cell phone to contact the OPP for non-emergency purposes?
TeleCheck Dufferin/Torchlight
Make Contact. Build Strength
TeleCheck Dufferin is dedicated to:
- supporting seniors who wish to live independently, longer and safely, in their homes;
- offering relief to caregivers in their roles with aging loved ones;
- filling the gaps in service by providing patient and client support to service providers and health care professionals;
- supporting seniors experiencing memory issues with gentle medication and appointment reminders; and much more!
Their expanded check-in service in Dufferin and Orangeville is now providing coverage in the mornings and afternoon/evenings - 7 days a week - year round - delivered by skilled volunteers who are dedicated to serving seniors and their community.
TeleCheck Dufferin/Torchlight is reaching out to interested people of all ages to train as volunteers. This is a unique opportunity to put your years of wisdom and experience to use and to learn new skills - that are transferrable to school and studies; work; personal life, interpersonal relationships and other volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer Dufferin
Volunteer Dufferin, a Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA) project, is a web-based platform that matches volunteers with a broad range of opportunities in Dufferin County.
As one of the pillars and indicators of Community Well-Being, our mission is to strengthen the volunteer base in Dufferin and increase community involvement and connectivity by engaging and mobilizing citizens in volunteering in Dufferin.
Whether you're an organization looking for volunteers or an individual looking to contribute to the community, it is the "go to place" for volunteering in Dufferin.