The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville is divided into six Wards. Three primarily urban wards, Four, Five and Six, generally comprising the south eastern part of the town taking up the “village” of Stouffville, and three primarily rural wards being One, Two and Three, which comprise the remainder of the Town. Ward Two is the rest of the eastern half to the north of the village, including all of Ballantrae, while the western half of the Town is divided north and south into Wards One and Three.

Ward Three is bounded on the west by the 404, on the north by Vandorf Sideroad, on the east by Highway 48, and on the south by the Whitchurch-Stouffville/Markham Townline, which is one lot (approximately 400m) north of 19th Avenue.

Ward Three, while geographically the largest ward, is home the smallest number of residents in Whitchurch-Stouffville. However, it does contain the bulk of the Town’s golf courses, is second only to the Village in Churches, contains 4 individual Hamlets, is the main transportation approach to the Town (the Hwy 404 and Stouffville Road interchange), and is home to a good portion of Whitchurch-Stouffville’s (non-retail) businesses.  

Bruces’ Mill Conservation Area, one of the jewels in the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s portfolio of properties, is also located here on Stouffville Road, just east of Warden.

The Ward contains the hamlets of Ringwood, Lemonville, Bethesda and Gormley. Or at least “old” Gormley, as the “new’ Gormley is to the west at the rail way. The town was divided by the realignment of municipal boundaries by the Provincial Government in 1971, and then physically cut off and isolated by the construction of Highway 404 in the 1980’s.

Gormley was named after James Gormley who operated a general store and Post Office to serve the growing community. The original building destroyed by fire in 1935, was replaced and is occupied today by Biz-Zone software company. The community served as a hub for local farming families including Brillingers, Clubines, Doners, Steckleys and Heises, many of which are represented by descendants still living and working in the area today.

The other hamlets share similar histories of early families who primarily arrived as loyalist families from the United States in the late 18th to early 19th centuries or from European countries to start a new life in the rich and fertile agricultural soils of the lower moraine lands that primarily make up the ward.

That rich agricultural heritage continues today with many local farmers still working lands that have been in their families for generations. Families such as Doner, Hulshof, Empringham , Paisley and others continue this proud tradition.

This rich land too supports other uses. Seven golf courses thrive here providing varying degrees of challenging and entertaining recreation for many golfers from the GTA and beyond, who come to enjoy spectacular scenery and fresh air here in our country close to the city.

The Ward is also home to many equestrian centres, where riders can enjoy rolling hills, forested trails and endless vistas of lush green countryside to enjoy their favorite pastime.

Beyond the hamlets, there are other areas of concentrated residences. The largest number being those homes surrounding Preston Lake. Other areas of prestige estate developments include Bethesda Estates, Sawmill lane, and those adjacent to the Emerald Hills Golf and Country Club.

The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville owns and operates the Lemonville Community Centre, at 13453 McCowan Rd, in the heart of that hamlet. This facility is available to be booked for activities and events by contacting the Customer Service Centre at 905-640-1900. This facility is the only town owned asset in the ward, although some thought is being given to creating a community space in the Gormley area when further development proceeds.

Please watch the “Blog” portion of this website, where I will continue to provide more information about the rich history, family and business stories, and lots of important updates and information about goings on in the Ward as well as the whole Town.

Thanks for visiting, and please feel free to reach out to me via the contact page anytime for further information, or if I can help with any concerns you have.

Or you call me directly @ 647-542-4154.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.