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===Secondary schools===
===Secondary schools===


Due to the two different school boards, there are several elementary schools within the city and seven secondary schools. The secondary schools are as follows:
Due to the presence of two different school boards, Guelph has numerous elementary and secondary schools. The secondary schools are as follows:


'''Public'''
'''Public'''

Revision as of 19:57, 15 August 2007

Guelph, Ontario
Flag of Guelph, Ontario
Flag
Coat of arms of Guelph, Ontario
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
The Royal City
Motto(s): 
Faith, Fidelity and Progress
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
CountyWellington County
City WardsThere are 6 Wards
FoundedApril 23, 1827
IncorporatedApril 23, 1879
Government
 • MayorKaren Farbridge (elected November 2006)
 • Governing BodyGuelph City Council
 • MPsBrenda Chamberlain (LPC)
 • MPPsLiz Sandals (OLP)
Area
 • City86.72 km2 (33.48 sq mi)
 • Urban
78.39 km2 (48.71 sq mi)
 • Metro
378.45 km2 (146.12 sq mi)
Elevation
334 m (1,096 ft)
Population
 (2006)[1]
 • City114,943
 • Density1,325.5/km2 (3,433.2/sq mi)
 • Urban
115,635
 • Metro
127,009
 • Demonym
Guelphite
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code span
N1C, N1E, N1G, N1H, N1K, N1L
Area code(s)(519) and (226)
WebsiteCity of Guelph website

Guelph (IPA: gwɛlf) (population 114,943[1]) is a city located in the Southwestern region of Ontario, Canada.

Known as the Royal City, Guelph is roughly 28 km east of Kitchener-Waterloo and 100 km west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County but is, in many respects, politically autonomous from the county itself. Nevertheless, Wellington County is largely influenced by Guelph and, as one entity, Guelph and Wellington County have a population of 200,425.[2]

Residents of Guelph are called Guelphities. Guelph also has a number of sister cities, which are selected based on economic, cultural and political criteria.

Because of its low crime rates, clean environment and generally high standard of living[3], Guelph is consistently rated as one of the country's most livable cities. Moneysense magazine ranked Guelph fourth in the country to live in 2007 [4], and was also rated among Canada's ten best places to live by Chatelaine magazine.

History

Guelph is considered to be one of the first planned communities in Canada, Guelph was founded on St. George’s Day, April 23rd, 1827, thus emphasizing its English origins (as opposed to Scottish or Irish), as that saint is the patron of England.

Guelph was selected as the headquarters of the Canada Company, a British development firm, by its Canadian superintendent John Galt, a popular Scottish novelist who designed the town to attract settlers to it and to the surrounding countryside.

Galt designed the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which is still in place today.

The town was named to honour Britain's royal family, the Hanoverians, who were descended from the Guelfs, one of the great political factions in late medieval Germany and Italy, and the ancestral family of George IV, the reigning British monarch, thus the nickname The Royal City The directors of the Canada Company, Galt's employers, had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, but reluctantly accepted the fait accompli.

Early settlement was destroyed when a large tornado hit Guelph on June 2, 1829, which delayed development of the town for some time after. More recently, two F2 tornadoes touched down in the city on July 17, 2000, causing some property damage but no injuries.

Incorporated as a village in 1851, the water power potential of the town site attracted a number of large mills during the 19th century; the most important of these were owned by William Allan and James Goldie. From the 1860's, several local industries established a worldwide reputation based on technological innovation; these included the Raymond Sewing Machine Co and the Bell Organ Co.

Sir John A. MacDonald owned 50 acres of land in St. Patrick's Ward in 1854. Baker Street was named after Wellington District's first inspector of weights and measures - Alfred Baker - who was a Guelph resident.[5]

It was not until the Grand Trunk Railway connected the town to Toronto in 1856, and several buildings were erected in the late 19th century, that Galt's grandiose plan for Guelph was fully realized. It became a city in 1879.

Before the colonization and development of Guelph, the area was considered by the surrounding indigenous communities to be a "neutral" zone. On selected dates members from these communities would meet and trade goods by the Speed River.

The city is home to the University of Guelph and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of University of Guelph, began in 1873 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Guelph's most famous landmark is the Church of Our Lady Immaculate.

Guelph is also unique as being the first municipality in Canada to have its own federally chartered railway and the only municipality in the British Commonwealth to own its own line, which it still does to this day. The Guelph Junction Railway is a 16 mile link to the CPR.

Innovative projects, firsts and unique history

Guelph has been home to many innovative projects, firsts and unique history. The city was the North America test site of the Mondex electronic cash system in 1997. Parking meters, buses, bank machines, and payphones were converted to accept the cards which stored 'money' on a microchip. Many local merchants also installed card readers. Ultimately, however, public reception to the program was poor, and the trial ended without further expansion.

The City developed one of the most advanced municipal waste management systems in Canada called Wet-Dry+.

In order to maximize recycling and diversion of waste from landfills, household wastes is divided into three streams: wet, dry, and clear. The wet stream, which must be placed at the curb side in translucent green bags, is composed of compost-able materials. The dry stream, which must be placed in translucent blue bags, handles recyclable materials. The clear stream, which uses transparent bags, is for non-compost-able and non-recyclable items. The city estimates compliance with the program at 98%.

The system prevents about 70% of household waste from going to landfills. The Wet-Dry+ system is controversial among some Guelph citizens although the number of residents who don't obey the system is minor and most have come to accept the system. The city has now shut down its ten-year-old composting plant because of structural and odor problems and will be shipping its Wet and Clear garbage to a New York incinerator instead. Meanwhile, residents are still being required to sort these two into their separate streams in the old system. The city is currently investigating on re-opening the composting plant.

Guelph was one of North America's first cable TV systems. Neighbourhood Television Ltd. was established in 1952, one of the first broadcasts was Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953. Fred Metcalfe later created Maclean-Hunter Television.

The term Hat-trick was invented in Guelph. The Biltmore Hat Company sponsored a Guelph hockey team called the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. When a player scored three goals, fans were encouraged to throw their hats onto the ice. This was known as the "hat trick".[1]

Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol.[2] Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking. Guelph's police force was also the first to have two-way car radios.[3] Coincidentally enough, Guelph Police was also the first in Ontario to take advantage of a new state-of-the-art province-wide police radio system.[4] The Communist Party of Canada was organized with great secrecy in a barn near the city of Guelph in May 1921.[5] Guelph had one of Canada's first militia units of gunners in 1866.[6] Guelph was also home to Canada's first army cadet corps and the year of its founding became part of their name - the 1882 Wellington.[7] Colonel John McCrae, who wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields" was born and raised in Guelph.

One of Guelph City Council's set up Canada's first city manager system.[8] The system's creator, John McVicar, later became the secretary of the League of American Municipalities. Guelph city planners conceived a way to easily convert units into condominiums. Chicago was so impressed with the system they used it as a model for their city and it has since become a North American standard.[9]

Guelph is a noted city for its resistance to Wal-Mart's protracted efforts to set up a store in the community. Community activists staunchly opposed the corporation's plans to build one of its megastores in the north end of the city, near a Jesuit retreat center. With the election of a new city council in 2003, the city supported an official plan amendment (to commercial designation from industrial) to permit Wal-Mart's application for a zoning change. The store opened on November 8, 2006.

The jock strap was invented in Guelph, On. It was created by Guelph Elastic Hosiery (now Protexion Industries) in the 1920s.[10] The company held a contest to name the product and jock strap was the winning name. The prize was five dollars.[11] The radio station, 1460 CJOY was the first Canadian radio station to have a call-in talk show. [12] The Ontario Veterinary College is the oldest school of its kind in the Western hemisphere (founded in 1862).[13] Riverside Park was named by priest William Carroll who was the winner of a contest to name the new park in 1905.[14] P.T. Barnum's circus came to Guelph in 1879.[15]

Until 1868, horses were used to operate the Guelph Mercury's printing press. In 1868 a steam engine was installed to operate the presses.[16]

Geography and climate

Guelph is roughly 100 km (60 mi) west of downtown Toronto. The city is 86.66 km² (33.46 sq mi) in area and located at an elevation of 334 meters above mean sea level. Guelph is at Latitude 43°33'N Longitude 80°15'W.

Topography

The city is intersected by two rivers and numerous tributaries: the Speed River enters from the north end and the Eramosa River enters from the east; the two rivers meet downtown and continue southwest. There are also many creeks and rivers that create large tracts of densely-forested ravines, and provide ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. The city is also built on many drumlins.

Climate

The weather and climate of that region of Ontario is moderate in both summer and winter. There are no considerable extremes in either temperature or the type of weather that might be associated with locations that are in close proximity to a landmass such as a body of water or a mountain range. However, due to its location close to other moderate or major cities (Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Toronto and the GTA) Guelph experiences the highest percentage of acid rain downfall in all of Ontario and the area is prone to severe weather causing high winds in summer, due its location on the Lake Breeze Front.

Weather averages for Guelph in the Annual Temperatures and Annual Precipitation & Sunshine Report

Economy

The leading economic sectors include Manufacturing, accounting for 18 per cent of employment.[17]. The main manufacturing sectors include transportation equipment, machinery and fabricated metal, wood, electrical and chemical products.

Guelph's Economic Development Strategy identified life science, agri-food and biotechnology firms, environmental management and technology companies as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities. [18]

The city has been a pioneer in the trend to municipal ownership of utilities. In the 1880s it built its own railway, the Guelph Junction Railway, which it still owns. After the turn of the 20th century, led by its major businessmen through the Board of Trade, the city took over the water, gas, electricity and streetcar (now Guelph Transit) systems.

Guelph's major employers include the University of Guelph, Linamar Corporation, and Sleeman Breweries among others.

Demographics

Ethnic Origin Population Percent
English 36,975 31.93%
Canadian 36,845 31.82%
Scottish 27,875 24.07%
Irish 24,445 21.11%
German 14,505 12.52%
Italian 11,135 9.61%

Guelph is the 5th fastest growing mid-size city (population 100,000 to 200,000) in Ontario with a population growth rate of about 2% per year. Guelph's current population is estimated to be around 125,872 and is projected to have a population around 153,000 by the year 2027. Population varies throughout the year because of variations in the University of Guelph student population. [19]

The 2001 census indicates 117,344 people residing in Guelph, of whom 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 6.2% of the resident population of Guelph, whereas 12.2% of the resident population in Guelph were of retirement age. The average age is 35.7 years of age. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Guelph grew by 10.7%. Population density of Guelph averaged 310.1 people per square kilometre.

Some 10 percent of the resident population described themselves as visible minorities, predominantly South Asian (mostly Afghanis): 2.43%, Chinese: 2.42%, [[Black Canadian/African Canadians]Sierra Leones]: 1.25%, and many others including Filipino, Vietnamese and Arab. Also a lot of First Nations people reside in Guelph.The city is mostly Christian: 74.17%, almost evenly split among Protestants and Roman Catholics. The largest non-Christian religion is Buddhism: 1.45%, followed by Islam, and Hinduism.[20]

Education

Guelph is home to a diverse range of public and private educational institutions. There are two major public school boards that operate inside the city. The Wellington Catholic District School Board administers a Catholic education in Guelph and Wellington County, while the Upper Grand District School Board administers to the area surrounding the upper Grand River.

Secondary schools

Due to the presence of two different school boards, Guelph has numerous elementary and secondary schools. The secondary schools are as follows:

Public

Catholic

Universities/Colleges

Public library system

In 1882, the Free Libraries Act was passed, allowing municipalities to establish libraries supported by local taxes. The City of Guelph was the first in Ontario to take advantage of this Act. The Guelph Library attempted to seek suitable quarters and moved to its current location on the corner of Norfolk and Paisley. Guelph was one of the first communities to take advantage of grants made available by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.

Guelph is served by a growing library system composed of a main branch located in the downtown core, four branches and a bookmobile. It holds a membership of over 85,000, the Guelph Public Library system's goals include preserving and indexing public materials relating to the history of Guelph. Although no formal program has been developed, the library acquires municipal records of archival value from the City of Guelph.

The Guelph Public Library seeks to provide and promote to the citizens of Guelph friendly, efficient public library service. It provides appropriately selected and catalogued collections of materials, both print and non-print, properly designed and maintained facilities, and well-trained staff. The Guelph Public Library also offers a number of programs including a book club which maintains the Book Club.

Politics

City Hall

File:Guelph night 19-05-2006 21-02-45.jpg
Guelph City Hall at Night, Guelph, ON

The city is a single-tier municipality governed by a mayor-council system. The structure of the municipal government is stipulated by the Municipal Act. There are currently 12 councillors and a mayor, with 2 councillors representing each of the six wards.

The mayor and members of the city council serve four-year terms without term limits with the next election in November 2010. Prior to the Guelph municipal election, 2006, the mayor and city councillors served three-year terms.

Guelph City Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities.

The year 2007 saw Karen Farbridge defeat incumbent mayor Kate Quarrie, 51% to 35% along with 8 new City councilors who replaced many of the long-time council members.

Members of Provincial Parliament

The Ontario riding of Guelph is currenty represented by Liz Sandals, a member of the ruling Liberal Party of Ontario.

Members of Parliament

Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row1. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row2. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row3. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row4. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row5. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row - Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row6. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row7. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row8. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row9. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row10. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row11. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Progressive Conservatives/row12. Template:Canadian politics/party colours/Liberal/row13.
Party Member of Parliament From To District
Liberal David Stirton 1867 1876 Wellington South
Liberal Donald Guthrie 1876 1882 Wellington South
Liberal James Innes 1882 1896 Wellington South
Conservative Christian Kloepfer 1896 1900 Wellington South
Liberal Hugh Guthrie 1900 1917 Wellington South
Unionist/ Conservative Hugh Guthrie 1917 1935 Wellington South
Liberal Robert W. Gladstone 1935 1949 Wellington South
Liberal Henry Alfred Hosking 1949 1957 Wellington South
Progressive Conservative Alfred Dryden Hales 1957 1974 Wellington South/ Wellington
Liberal Frank W. Maine 1974 1979 Wellington
Progressive Conservative Albert Fish 1979 1980 Guelph
Liberal Jim Schroder 1980 1984 Guelph
Progressive Conservative Bill Winegard 1984 1993 Guelph/ Guelph—Wellington
Liberal Brenda Chamberlain 1993 present Guelph—Wellington/ Guelph

Culture

Tourism

File:Guelphchurch.jpg
Church of our Lady

Guelph is famous for its natural attractions and environment as well as historic limestone buildings in its downtown.

Historic sites

Outdoor attractions

Most of the natural attractions of Guelph are located beside the two rivers which pass inside the city, Speed River and Eramosa River.

  • Guelph Lake
  • University of Guelph Arboretum [21]
  • Riverside Park: Located beside the Speed River at north of Guelph
  • York Road Park (beside the former Correctional Centre)
  • Hanlon Creek Park (Preservation Park)
  • Royal City Park and Wellington Street nature sites.

Arts facilities

  • River Run Centre
  • Macdonald Stewart Art Centre:The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre serves the community by providing a balanced program of temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art, craft and design drawn from regional, national and international sources. As the major public collection in this area, the collection is presented through specialized exhibitions.
  • The Bookshelf Ebar Art Space showcases monthly exhibits of local and regional artists. It functions as Guelph's main alternative art space located in the downtown core.

Music

Music has always played a large part in the lives of people living in Guelph. From a Bell Organ factory to the opera singer Edward Johnson, Guelph has been a source of musical contribution. Today, Guelph is notable for its indie rock scene, which has spawned some of Canada's most important indie bands, including King Cobb Steelie, Royal City, The Constantines, Flashlight Brown and the kramdens. Guelph is also home to the Hillside Festival, an indie music festival held at Guelph Lake during the summer, and CFRU 93.3 FM, a campus radio station at the University of Guelph.

The following notable music festivals take place in Guelph:

Shopping

  • Downtown Guelph The historic core of the city, full of unique and independent shops and fantastic restaurants. Downtown boasts several popular events such as art on the street', *'[22]Dig-In Downtown restaurant tour in April and Winter Lights & Music.
  • Old Quebec Street (Mall): The former Eaton Centre was renovated to look somewhat like a street in Old Quebec. It's located in the heart of downtown and it is for pedestrian traffic only.
  • Stone Road Mall: The largest shopping centre of Guelph is located beside Stone Road and Edinburgh Road.
  • Willow West Mall

Sports teams

Sports teams of Guelph
Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Guelph Storm OHL Hockey Sleeman Centre 1991
2
Guelph Royals IBL Baseball David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park (Guelph) 1919 8
Guelph Gryphons CIS University W.F. Mitchell Centre and Alumni Stadium 1874 0
Guelph Regals Ontario Lacrosse Association Lacrosse Victoria Road Recreation Centre 1992 1
Guelph Rangers Kitchener District Soccer League Soccer Centennial Park and Guelph Lake Sports Fields 1995 1
Guelph Underdogs SC Conestoga College Indoor Soccer League Soccer Conestoga College Recreational Centre 2004 0
Guelph Dominators Midwestern Junior B Hockey League Hockey Victoria Road Recreation Centre 1963 0
Guelph Bears Ontario Varsity Football League Football John Ross High School and University of Guelph's Alumni Stadium 1997 0
Guelph Gargoyles Ontario Australian Football League Australian Football Magaret Green Park 2001 0

Media

Main article: Media of Guelph

The city of Guelph is served by two main newspapers, two student newspapers, one alternative weekly, two local radio stations and a community channel. All other media, including newspapers and television stations, is regionally based, usually from Kitchener or Toronto.

Transportation

Bus

Rail

Guelph Train Station

Highways

People

Notable people associated with Guelph

Also See:

References

  1. ^ a b Statistics Canada: Community Profiles for Guelph
  2. ^ Statistics Canada: Community Profile for Wellington
  3. ^ City of Guelph Website
  4. ^ canadianbusiness.com
  5. ^ About Guelph

See also

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