Ballantrae, Ontario
| Ballantrae | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 44°2′17″N 79°17′51″W / 44.03806°N 79.2975°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | York Region |
| Town | Whitchurch–Stouffville |
| Amalgamation | (With Town of Stouffville) 1 January 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Wayne Emmerson |
| • Councillor | Phil Bannon (Ward 2) |
| Area[1] | |
| • Land | 2.15 km2 (0.83 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 334 m (1,096 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,382 |
| • Density | 643.6/km2 (1,667/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| Forward sortation area | L4A |
| Area code(s) | 905 and 289 |
| NTS Map | 031D03 |
| GNBC Code | FAENL |
Ballantrae, Ontario (2011 population 1,382) is a hamlet in the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. Named for the village of Ballantrae in South Ayrshire, Scotland, the community is centred around the intersection of Aurora Road (York Regional Road 15) and Highway 48. The hamlet was first settled in the early 19th century, and by 1895 it had a population of 300.[3] The town was located on the edge of the vast lumber industry centred in the hamlet of Vivian; a spur-line of the Toronto and Nipissing Railway built in 1877 ran through Ballantrae from Stouffville to Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe. In the early 20th century, Ballantrae's population declined dramatically due to large-scale deforestation and the erosion of the thin soil of northern Whitchurch Township into virtual sand deserts.[4] With the passage of the Reforestation Act (1911), the process of reclaiming these areas slowly began. The Vivian Forest, a large conservation area on the edge of Ballantrae, was established in 1924 for this purpose.
In early 21st century, Ballantrae experienced tremendous new growth. According to Statistics Canada, the Ballantrae community in Whitchurch–Stouffville was the fastest growing community in Canada, with 300% growth between 2001 and 2006.[5] Most of this growth happened in the Ballantrae Golf and Country Club and Savoia subdivisions.[6] Ballantrae has one public school of the same name (Ballantrae Public School), with approximately 259 pupils.[7]
A significant issue facing Ballantrae in the coming years is the federal government's proposed development of an international airport directly south-east of Whitchurch-Stouffville (the Pickering Airport lands); under the current plan, an approach for one of the three landing strips would be directly above the communities of Ballantrae and Musselman's Lake, with planes descending (or ascending) from 535 to 500 metres. The 2004 plan calls for 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032.[8] A "Needs Assessment Study" was completed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for the federal government in May 2010. After a "due diligence review," Transport Canada released the report in July 2011.[9]
Managing growth will also be a key issue for this area of Whitchurch-Stouffville in the future. In 2010 Ballantrae experienced a significant rise in the water table level—a normal result of deforestation on small watersheds[10]--and residents were expressing concerns about wet basements and the frequent operation of their sump pumps.[11] Already in 1993, the Whitchurch Historical Committee warned a new generation of "Whitchurch-Stouffville residents" to be ever "vigilant to treat trees and forests with respect ... . In the 1990s care must be taken so that urbanization and concrete road-building do not repeat the destruction to our forest heritage."[12]
[edit] References
- "(Code 1370) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=POPC&Code1=1370&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Statistics Canada: 2012
- ^ Statistics Canada: 2012
- ^ Cf. a thorough account of Ballantrae's history in Jean Barkey et al., Whitchurch Township (Erin, ON: Boston Mills, 1993), 87-90. See also the detailed 1878 map, Township of Whitchurch, Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont. (Toronto: Miles & Co., 1878).
- ^ Barkey et al., Whitchurch Township, 89; 30f.
- ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts of Urban Areas 2006, listed according to the amount of growth". Statistics Canada. March 2007. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=801&PR=0&SR=1&S=5&O=D. Retrieved 2008-02-17..
- ^ H. Volpe, Growing Pains for Stouffville?, Whitchurch-Stouffville Sun Tribune, Feb. 1, 2007; also Warren Smith, Ballantrae Golf and Country Club - Not always thus ....
- ^ York Region District School Board, Ballantrae Public School.
- ^ Cf. Transport Canada, Plan Showing Pickering Airport Site; also Pickering Airport Draft Plan Report, 6.3.
- ^ Transport Canada, News Release: "Transport Canada releases findings of the 2010 Pickering Lands Needs Assessment Study," July 11, 2011.
- ^ Trees both transpire water and their deep-root system draws down water levels (biodrainage); cf., for example, A. Heuperman et al., Biodrainage: principles, experiences and applications (Rome: UN Food and Agriculture, 2002), 12ff.; Mingteh Chang, Forest hydrology: an introduction to water and forests (CRC, 2003), 193, 203; also Peter E. Black Watershed hydrology (CRC, 1996), 161.
- ^ Cf. Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ballantrae High Water Table Investigation.
- ^ Barkey et al, Whitchurch Township, 33; 30f.
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