History

Since 1926 the Rural Municipality of Orkney has had a joint administration with the neighboring rural municipality of Wallace. There are 2 communities in the rural municipality, Orcadia, a stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway line and White Spruce.
 
Orkney, Sask, incorporated as a rural municipality in 1913, population 1860 (2011c), 1748 (2006c). The Rural Municipality of Orkney surrounds the city of YORKTON on three sides to the north, south and west. The name was given to the area by early settlers, who were Scottish immigrants from the Orkney Islands. The first settlers in the area were part of the York Farmers Colonization Company, which was a block settlement group from York County in Ontario. They arrived between 1882 and 1890.
 
A log school house was built in 1887 and was replaced by a stone building in 1897. The Orkney Presbyterian Church was built of local stone in 1894. Both the school and the church are now historic sites.
 
Since 1926 the Rural Municipality of Orkney has had a joint administration with the neighboring rural municipality of Wallace. There are 2 communities in the rural municipality, Orcadia, a stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway line and White Spruce.
 
  • The Rural Municipality of Orkney No. 244 (2016 population: 1,875) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 9 and SARM Division No. 4. It is located in the southeast portion of the province.
  • The RM of Orkney No. 244 incorporated as a rural municipality on January 1, 1913. · The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the RM: Yorkton (city), Springside (town), Ebenezer (village). The following unincorporated communities are within the RM: Orcadia & Willowbrook
  • The RM of Orkney No. 244 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed Administrator that meets on the second Thursday of every month.

 

Demographics
Population history (1981–2016)

Year Pop. ±%
1981  2,254 —
1986 2,094 −7.1%
1991 1,899 −9.3%
1996 1,810 −4.7%
2001 1,728 −4.5%
2006 1,721 −0.4%
2011 1,860 +8.1%
2016 1,875 +0.8%

Source: Statistics Canada via Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics

  • In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the RM of Orkney No. 244 had a population of 1,883 living in 756 of its 810 total private dwellings, a change of 0.4% from its 2016 population of 1,875. With a land area of 770.05 km2 (297.32 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.4/km2 (6.3/sq mi) in 2021.
  • In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Orkney No. 244 recorded a population of 1,875 living in 734 of its 796 total private dwellings, a 0.8% change from its 2011 population of 1,860. With a land area of 806.99 km2 (311.58 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.3/km2 (6.0/sq mi) in 2016.

Rich Heritage and History
The city of Yorkton is surrounded on three sides by the Rural Municipality of Orkney: north, south, and west. Early residents, who were Scottish immigrants from the Orkney Islands gave the area the name. The York Farmers Colonization Company, a block settlement group from York County, Ontario, was among the earliest settlers in the area. Between 1882 and 1890, they came. In 1887, a log schoolhouse was constructed, which was later replaced with a stone one in 1897. In 1891, Orkney School and Orkney United Church were restored and preserved by the Orkney Historical Society. Both the school and the church are now designated as historic landmarks.