Meaford, Ontario
Meaford | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Meaford | |
| Motto: "The Other Big Apple" | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| County | Grey |
| Formed | January 1, 2001 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Barb Clumpus |
| • Federal riding | Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound |
| • Prov. riding | Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound |
| Area | |
| • Land | 588.61 km2 (227.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 11,100 |
| • Density | 18.9/km2 (49/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Postal Code | N4L |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| Website | www |
Meaford is a Canadian municipality in Grey County, Ontario. Meaford is located on Nottawasaga Bay, a sub-basin of Georgian Bay and Owen Sound Bay, in southern Ontario. The municipality's seal and motto reflect its heritage as a place of apple orchards, but in the 21st century the area has partly switched to weekend homes, seasonal homes, and lakeside tourism.
The Canadian Army maintains a training facility, 4th Canadian Division Training Centre Meaford (also 4 CDTC), 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northwest of the Town of Meaford.
Communities
In addition to the communities of Annan, Bognor, Leith and Woodford, the municipality also includes town of Meaford itself (44°36′N 80°35′W).
2001 amalgamation
In 2001, with the amalgamation of various municipalities in Southern Ontario, St. Vincent Township, Sydenham Township and the Town of Meaford, were amalgamated to form one municipality entity. Sydenham Township named in part for Lord Sydenham, governor of Canada from 1839 to 1841. St. Vincent Township was named after the Earl of St. Vincent and Meaford was named after his stately house. A township is an area of land (about 15 miles by 12 miles)that is divided into 100 acre farms (usually). For more than one hundred years the townships of Ontario were municipal entities with an elected council and a reeve. Sometimes a small area of a township was separated and incorporated as a town. The town was then a separate and distinct municipality. This was the case with Meaford in 1874 when it was separated from St. Vincent township. However it ceased to be a town at the time of amalgamation.
A transition team preparing for the new municipality voted in September 2000 to name it Georgian Highlands, with the name Meaford ranking second. Highland Hills, Georgian Shores, Bayview, Trillium, Big Head Valley, Georgian View, Cape Rich, Bay Shore Highlands, Georgian Bay Highlands, North Grey and Queen's Bush were other names considered.[2]
But the council of the new Georgian Highlands municipality voted 4-3 on 5 February 2001 voted to name the amalgamated area Meaford, citing confusion with nearby municipalities such as Georgian Bluffs and Grey Highlands. A by-law to formalize the name change to Meaford for the amalgamated area was subsequently passed on 5 March 2001, also by a 4-3 vote. Since that time confusion has continued in the use of the name "Meaford". At present the name "Meaford" is commonly used in reference to the urban area formerly known as the Town of Meaford, while the name "Municipality of Meaford" is commonly used in reference to the merged region resulting from amalgamation in 2001.
Demographics
| 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,100 (1.4% from 2006) |
| Land area | 588.61 km2 (227.26 sq mi) |
| Population density | 18.9/km2 (49/sq mi) |
| Median age | |
| Private dwellings | 5327 (total) |
| Median household income |
Population trend:[5]
- Population in 2011: 11,100
- Population in 2006: 10,948
- Population in 2001: 10,381
- Population total in 1996: 10,497
- Meaford (town): 4681
- St. Vincent (township): 2610
- Sydenham (township): 3206
- Population in 1991:
- Meaford (town): 4520
- St. Vincent (township): 2340
- Sydenham (township): 2991
Politics
The former mayors of Meaford were:
- 1998-2000: Doug Grant[6]
- 2001-2003: Gerald Shortt[6] (first Mayor since 2001 amalgamation)
- 2003-2008: Wally Reif[7]
- 2008–2014: Francis Richardson
- 2014-present: Barb Clumpus
Meaford is on the eastern edge of the Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound federal and provincial electoral district.
Media
The town is served by two community newspapers, the Meaford Express and the Meaford Independent, the latter originally an online only publication, however as of May 31, 2013, is available both online and in print. CKNX-FM, originating from Wingham, Ontario to the south, has a low-power retransmitter on 104.9 FM to serve Centreville and Meaford. Meaford is otherwise served principally by media from nearby Owen Sound. Rogers cable is available in the Town of Meaford while residents in the former St. Vincent and Sydenham have access only to Satellite TV.
Transportation
The town of Meaford is located on Ontario Highway 26 between Owen Sound and Collingwood on Highway 26.
There is no public transit, but Greyhound Canada makes daily schedule stops at the town of Meaford on the route from Toronto to Owen Sound. Local taxis service the area around the town of Meaford.
Billy Bishop Regional Airport is located in the municipality on Highway 26 between the Town of Meaford and Owen Sound.
Education
Meaford has two public schools with the Bluewater District School Board;
- St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School (Grades JK - 3)
- Georgian Bay Community School (Grades 4 - 12)
The closest post-secondary school is the Georgian College regional campus in Owen Sound, Ontario.
Culture
- The Historic Leith Church
- Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre
- Meaford Creative Arts Association
- Meaford Museum
- Meaford International Film Festival
- Heritage Meaford - Architectural Conservancy - Meaford Branch
- Beautiful Joe Heritage Society
- Fred S. Haines Commemorative Exhibition
Trivia
- Several scenes from the Disney movie One Magic Christmas were filmed in Meaford.
- Several scenes from a local Collingwood movie, "Scarce", were filmed in Meaford and at Ted's Range Road Diner.
Notable residents
- Beautiful Joe, a dog immortalized by the 1894 book of the same name
- Claude Bissell, author and educator
- Keith Bissell: composer, conductor, and music educator (1912–1992).
- James Conmee,[8] former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Fred S. Haines (1879–1960) artist
- Tom Harpur, Author and religious columnist
- Don Knight, former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Brent Laing, curler
- Ron Lipsett, former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Marshall B. Lloyd,[9] inventor of Lloyd Loom, Pres. Lloyd Mfg., Menominee, MI
- Herb Mitchell, former forward for the Boston Bruins
- John Muir, naturalist, author, "Father of the (U.S.) National Parks"
- Bill Murdoch, Member of Provincial Parliament
- Darren Pang, former goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks and current NHL analyst
- Glenn Smith, former defenseman for the Toronto St. Patricks
- Tom Thomson, influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century
- Melville "Sparky" Vail, former defenseman for the New York Rangers
- Terry Wong, Canadian astronaut
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Meaford census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-08-09. Cite error: The named reference "cp2011" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Woodhouse, Scott (2000-09-13). "Georgian Highlands selected as new name". The Meaford Express. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ a b Fell, Chris (2000-11-15). "Gerald Shortt elected first Mayor of Georgian Highlands". The Meaford Express. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ Wally Reif resigns, effective now
- ^ "Conmee Family Photo Gallery". 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ "Biographies: Lloyd, Marshall Burns". mlloyd.org, sourced from Who's Who in America, 1926-27. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
External links
Places adjacent to Meaford, Ontario | |
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