Wainfleet is the largest township in the Region of Niagara. This rural community, which turned 150 in the year 2000, is bordered by Lake Erie on the south and the Welland River on the north. Because of its location, it has miles of beaches for great fishing and boating. Conservation areas, excellent campgrounds and scenery, which include wide vistas, invite the traveler to linger. A feeder canal, no longer in use, hosts various species of birds, plants and other wildlife. Golf courses, cross country ski and hiking trails are scattered throughout the township.

Many of the area's 6,200 residents live in the Village of Wainfleet. Once known as Marshville, the hamlet was established in the 1820's when a tavern and hotel where built at the intersection of what is now Highway #3 and a feeder canal. It later developed into an agricultural collecting centre for products, which were then shipped out of the township to markets via the feeder canal. The shipping services curtailed, when the canal was closed upon completion of an extension of the Welland Canal to Port Colborne in 1890. The modern village features vibrant businesses, an excellent school system, and a host of amenities. The area serves as a bedroom community for people who work in nearby Welland, Port Colborne and St. Catharines.

While other rural communities have given in to development, Wainfleet has managed to remain rural. Agriculture is still Wainfleet's largest industry. Historic signposts remain, including the hamlet of Winger, which was first established on what is now Highway #3 as a collection point for produce from the surrounding dairy and mixed farms. It once featured a creamery and grist mill, powered by a wood burning steam engine. Burnaby in the south half of Wainfleet maintained the tiny size it had in the early days of settlement. Its general store and post office served the local farmers.
Wainfleet's lake shore has seen tourist development, with cottages lining the entire lake shore from Sugar Loaf Hill to Long Beach. In the summer months the lake shore has become a major vacation destination for beach goers and cottagers.

Attractions include the Long Beach Provincial Park, with camping and swimming areas along a half-mile long sandy beach; Chippawa Creek Conservation Area on the shores of the Welland River, offering camping, fishing, swimming and a picnic area; the Wainfleet Fall Fair running in mid-September; and the Marshville Heritage Festival & Craft Show at the Wainfleet Sports Complex during the Labour Day Weekend.

Visit the Township of Wainfleet's Web Site at http://www.township.wainfleet.on.ca