How Tiny Got its Name
The Township was named, in 1822, after a pet dog of Lady Sarah Maitland (1792-1873), wife of Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. Two other adjoining townships were also named for her pet dogs: Tay and Flos (now Springwater Township).
Incorporation Date
The Corporation of the Township of Tiny and Tay was created by the Parliament of Canada under the Baldwin Act of 1850. In 1868, Simcoe County passed a by-law that separated the United Townships into the Township of Tiny and the Township of Tay.
The history of the Township of Tiny reflects its three founding cultures: First Nation, French and British. Located within Wendake, the historical homeland of the Huron People, the region is closely tied to early missionary exploration of the region, including the Jesuit mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in nearby Midland.
In 1798, the British government purchased the land in the area and soon after established a naval base in Penetanguishene. By the mid 1800s, families from Quebec began moving to the Tiny Township area for the cheap and fertile land to farm.
Today, the Township of Tiny area is still very much a bilingual (French and English) area of Ontario, and is one of 25 municipalities in Ontario designated for bilingual government services under the French Language Services Act.