View from the old Government Dock looking North
View from the old Government Dock looking North
Our beautiful island is located comfortably between Manitoulin Island to the east and Drummond Island to the west. Roughly 40 km across the Lake Huron North Channel by boat.
Read important information and learn about all that's happening on Cockburn Island this year.
Download the Newsletter (PDF)Island Weather Station
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In 1881, with a growing constituency of homesteaders, fisheries workers, logging and saw mill workers, ‘Cockburn Island’ became a township. Early in the 1900’s, in its hay day, it boasted over 1000 residents. Four generations later it was considered a ghost town. (See Ghost Towns of Ontario).
When the islands remaining store shut down in the 1960’s and the ferry service stopped most of the remaining residents were leaving. The ‘Cockburn Island’ first nation residents left as well to a new reserve on Manitoulin Island. However, today they still have land and a spiritual centre on the western edge of Cockburn.
Tax Payments can be submitted by email transfer to cockburnislandclerk@gmail.com. Be sure to indicate the roll number(s) to which the payment applies -just the 4 or 5 digits in the middle of that long assessment number will suffice, (eg 3-104 or 4-0202). and include your name. IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE TAX BILL PLEASE BUNDLE YOUR PAYMENT INTO ONE TRANSFER AND LIST ALL ROLL #S IN THE MESSAGE BOX. In the rare case that you have more than 10 tax bills you can choose to send in bundles of 10 or less. Thankyou all for your cooperation as we adapt to the new banking realities.
Effective as of April 30th Brent St. Denis has retired and the new Clerk-Treasurer is Lynn Jackes of Manitoulin Island. We wish Brent the best of health and success on his future endeavours and we welcome Lynn aboard to administer the Council and business affairs of our special community. Her contact information is by phone at 519-270-5230 or at cockburnislandclerk@gmail.com or by regular mail Cockburn Island Twp, 172 Bell Rd., Evansville, ON, Canada P0P 1E0.
The township will again use a mail-in voting system for the fall municipal election. Each qualified ratepayer who wishes to vote must complete the Mail-In Ballot application and send it to the Clerk-Treasurer by email or regular mail before the deadline later this year in the fall. The downloadable application form and details are at the link here. As per past practice ballots will only be sent to those who have applied and who qualify (Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older on polling day October 26th and the owner (solely or jointly) or spouse or tenant of island property.
Download ApplicationWe are pleased to announce that Good Sense Workplace Solutions (GSWS) has been appointed as the Integrity Commissioner for Cockburn Island Township for a two-year term.
Contact Information: Good Sense can be contacted via email at integritycommissioner@gsws.ca.
More InformationOverview of Our Role as Integrity Commissioner: An Integrity Commissioner is a municipal accountability officer responsible for ensuring ethical conduct among members of municipal councils and local boards. This includes:
Our work is guided by the Municipal Act, 2001, which provides the legal framework for the appointment and operations of municipal Integrity Commissioners. As mandated, all municipalities must establish a code of conduct for their councils and boards, and appoint an independent Integrity Commissioner who reports directly to the municipal council.
Click here for more details about municipal integrity commissioners
Council has had the draft ZB on the website since late 2023 so recently incorporated some changes suggested by ratepayers and Council members. The Cockburn Island Zoning By-law (ZB) will implement the Official Plan specifically for our township. The current version has been in place since the 1980s so work on this important land-use plan may impact our community for decades. Email any questions to the Clerk at cockburnisland1@gmail.com.
Click here to downloadWe encourage land owners to drop off all compostable materials in the designated blue bin located at the end of the road leading into the landfill.The municipality does accommodate smaller recyclable metal in the designated metal bin by the township garage. Please contact Public Works to dispose of metal in the provided bin. Please read the full policy for a list of accepted and unacceptable waste.
Click here to read the full policyInterested in a Building Permit Application?
Please see the Building Permit Application Form (Editable or PDF) below. Complete the application and email it directly to the Chief Building Official for Cockburn Island Township. They can also answer questions about Building Permit fees.
Chief Building Inspector
Phone: 705-956-0472
Email: CBOwestmanitoulin@outlook.com
A Permit can usually be issued in 10 business days, provided the application is complete, the drawings are adequate, and all other required approvals have been issued. More complex projects may take more time. The Ontario Building Code stipulates the time frame to process an application for construction once all required documents have been supplied and all required fees have been paid.
Download Application (PDF) Download Application (DOC)