Tay is a township in Simcoe County in the southern Georgian Bay region. 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, Tiny and Flos (now Springwater Township). In 1994, under countywide municipal restructuring, the Villages of Port McNicoll and Victoria Harbour were amalgamated with Tay. The community of Port McNicoll was established in 1908 as a Great Lakes port on the southern shores of Georgian Bay. Now, it is a quiet town, whose population increases some, due to cottagers, during the summer months. Most cottages are located near the many beaches on the shores of Georgian Bay.