History

In 1963 the Cumberland Community Association was born. One of the first initiatives was to fight to be part of the Ottawa-Carleton Region rather than be absorbed by Prescott Russell.

At that time, zoning and planning for Cumberland Township was conducted in municipal offices in L’Orignal, forty miles east. Taxes were higher here than anywhere else in the municipality, but most of the tax money was spent elsewhere. The majority of residents worked, shopped and socialized in Cumberland or Ottawa. Rarely did they travel east to L’Orignal, so it seemed more logical and convenient to be affiliated to the newly proposed Ottawa-Carleton Region.

As a result, in 1964 the executive wrote letters and presented briefs to the new regional committee. After much time and effort, the Township was included in the Ottawa-Carleton Region in 1969.

They formed a tennis club, built tennis courts, established Centennial Park, looked after the outdoor rink, sent representatives to regional government, amalgamated schools into the Carleton Board, started a Lions Club, renovated Maple Hall, created a ball diamond and park. 

In 1972 members of the community led by Redmond Paquette gathered $25,000 in pledges from villagers to build the new arena. Cumberland boasted a volunteer fire department, a curling rink, two stores, three gas stations, a small restaurant, and great community spirit. 

In 1980 villagers rallied to oppose the construction of a new wharf on land east of St. Margaret Mary’s church. More dwellings were being constructed along the Ferry Road and residents complained about increased noise and traffic on Cameron Street. This almost split the community. The existing wharf was refurbished and the ferries were required to improve their muffler system. Up until the late seventies, only one ferry ran from April to November, from 7 am to 11am, later on weekends. 

In the 1990s Cumberland experienced a boom in housing, with many country estate developments.

Today, the Cumberland Community Association continues to protect our quality of life and rural heritage and provides a voice for residents on local and city-wide issues.