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Etobicoke, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Etobicoke (Dissolved) | |||
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| Country | Canada  |
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| Province | Ontario  |
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| Established | 1 January 1850 (township) | ||
| 1 January 1967 (borough) | |||
| Incorporated Amalgamation |
June 1983 (city) 1 January 1998 |
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| Government | |||
| - Mayor | David Miller (Toronto Mayor) | ||
| - Governing Body | Toronto City Council | ||
| - MPs | Roy Cullen, Michael Ignatieff, Borys Wrzesnewskyj | ||
| - MPPs | Shafiq Qaadri, Donna Cansfield, Laurel Broten | ||
| Area [1] | |||
| - Total | 123.93 km² (47.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2001 census)[1] | |||
| - Total | 338,117 | ||
| - Density | 2,728.3/km² (7,066.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Postal code span | M8V-M9C, M9P-M9R, M9V-M9W | ||
| Area code(s) | 416, 647 | ||
Etobicoke (pronounced /ɛˈtoʊbɨkoʊ/ listen ) is the western portion of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with an official population of 338,117 [1] as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by the city of Mississauga, and on the north by the city of Vaughan.
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Different groups of First Nations peoples used the land that is now Etobicoke at different times. As the Algonquins gradually moved west from the Atlantic to Lake Erie, it is almost certain that they would have occupied this land at some point. By the time they were mostly settled on the shores of Georgian Bay, The Huron-Wendat were the primary residents of the north shore of Lake Ontario and, somewhere in the 1600s, they were pushed out by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people. After continued harassment from the south, a coalition of the Ojibway, Odawa and Potawatomi Algonquin nations, known as the Three Fires, gradually pushed the Haudenosaunee off this land and the Mississaugas settled there by 1695, fishing and growing crops more locally in the summer and hunting further afield in the winter.[1]
It is thought that the French explorer, Étienne Brûlé, was the first European to visit the area, circa 1615.
The name "Etobicoke" was derived from the Mississauga word wah-do-be-kang (wadoopikaang)[2], meaning "place where the black/wild alders grow", which was used to describe the area between Etobicoke Creek and the Humber River.
Etobicoke was intended by the British to be included in the Toronto Purchase of 1787.[3] However, whether the western boundary of the purchase was the Humber River or Etobicoke Creek was disputed. The Mississauga Indians allowed British surveyor Alexander Atkins to survey the disputed land, and eventually the dispute was settled, with the Mississauga recognising the purchase as extending to Etobicoke Creek, and the British paying an additional 10 shillings for the purchase.
The first provincial land surveyor, Augustus Jones, also spelled it as "ato-be-coake". Etobicoke was finally adopted as the official name in 1795 on the direction of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe.[3]
Settlers began to move in from Britain. Early settlers of Etobicoke included many of the Queen's Rangers, who were given land in the area by Lieutenant Governor Simcoe to help protect the new capital of Upper Canada. In 1795 the Honourable Samuel Bois Smith, a captain in the Queen's Rangers, received a grant of 1530 acres, extending from Kipling Avenue to Etobicoke Creek, and north to Bloor Street.[4] The first land patent was issued to Sergeant Patrick Mealey on March 18, 1797 for a plot on the west side of Royal York Road on Lake Ontario.[5] More land was given to the members of the Queen's Rangers between Royal York Road and Kipling Road south of Bloor Road.
The census of 1805 counted 84 people living in the township of Etobicoke. In 1806 William Cooper built a grist mill and saw mill on the west bank of the Humber river, just south of Dundas Street. The 1809 census counted 137 residents.[3] The Dundas Street bridge opened in 1816, making the township more accessible.
On May 18, 1846 the Albion Road Company was incorporated. Its purpose was to build and maintain a road to the north-west corner of Etobicoke, where a new community was planned. At the same time, John Grubb, who had already founded Thistletown, hired land surveyor John Stughton Dennis to plan a community at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Albion Road, to be named Saint Andrew's. Plan 6 for this community was registered on October 15, 1847. The French master of Upper Canada College, Jean du Petit Pont de la Haye, contracted land surveyor James McCallum Jr to create a plan for the community planned by the Albion Road Company, and Plan 28 was registered for Claireville on October 12, 1849.[5]
The township of Etobicoke was incorporated on January 1, 1850.[6] The first meeting of the town council was held on January 21st. Present at the meeting were reeve William Gamble, vice-reeve W. B. Wadsworth and aldermen Moses Appleby, Thomas Fisher and John Geddes.[7] The council convened monthly meetings at a variety of places. In 1850, the population of the township was 2904.
In 1881, the population of Etobicoke township was 2976.[7]
In 1911, the community of Mimico was incorporated on land taken from Etobicoke township.[8] New Toronto was incorporated on January 1, 1913[3]. Early on there was talk of merging Mimico and New Toronto. A 1916 referendum on amalgamating the two communities was approved by the residents of Mimico, but rejected by residents of New Toronto.[4] In 1920, the village of New Toronto became the town of New Toronto. Long Branch was incorporated in 1931.
In 1954, Etobicoke Township became a part of the newly-formed regional government, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro").
In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside municipalities — Long Branch, New Toronto, and Mimico — to form the borough of Etobicoke. The borough was reincorporated as a city in 1984.
In 1998, six local municipalities (including Etobicoke) and the Metropolitan Toronto government merged to form the amalgamated city of Toronto.
In 2001, Etobicoke was 65% White, 12% South Asian, 9% Black, 3% Chinese, 2% Latin American, 2% Filipino, 1% Korean, 1% West Asian, 1% Arab, and 4% Other. [2]
Etobicoke has the lowest population density out of the former cities and boroughs that currently make up the city of Toronto. This is mainly due to its vast expanses of industrial lands. Several major freeways are routed through the area, making the area ideal for automobile-based transportation. Public transit does not serve the area well, with few rapid transit connections.
Many exceptions to Toronto's gridded street matrix are found in Etobicoke. A number of overpasses and awkward intersections, such as Bloor/Kipling/Dundas West, have been created in an effort to reconcile the grid with these planning anomalies.
Etobicoke has numerous public parks, notable among them is James Gardens on the banks of the Humber River. The park includes seasonal flowers, walkways, a rock garden, streams, and waterfalls. It is a very popular site for taking wedding photographs. The Humber Bay park is mostly located in Etobicoke.
The central/southern areas of Etobicoke are better served by public transit and closer to the city centre. These areas, such as Markland Wood, The Kingsway and New Toronto, consist of large green spaces, numerous parks, golf courses (including St. Georges Golf & Country Club, ranked 3rd best in Canada)[3], numerous restaurants and cafes, and fine boutiques. Residential development consists primarily of single-family dwellings. Kingsway South neighbourhood has attracted many affluent individuals and families (as of 2001, over 50% of households have an income in excess of C$100,000/year)[4], and remains one of Toronto's more prominent neighbourhoods.
The central areas of Etobicoke, although farther from the subway line, are still well-served by public transit buses. These neighbourhoods are generally middle class.
Unfortunately, some areas in Etobicoke have become neglected, "inner-ring" suburbs, such as Rexdale. Car culture infrastructure built in the 1960s is in a state of disrepair. These areas are dominated by unadorned, single-story development and treeless, tarmac-covered prairie. Deflated real estate values have made these areas concentrated areas of poverty and crime. These central and northern areas of Etobicoke contain numerous high-density apartment complexes set in the middle of sizable, open fields and parks.
Etobicoke is home to Humber College, University of Guelph-Humber, Woodbine Race Track and Slots, Woodbine Centre and Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre.
- 1850 William Gamble, Reeve
- 1851-1854 Joseph Smith, Reeve
- 1855-1857 Alexander McFarlane, Reeve
- 1858-1864 Edward Musson, Reeve
- 1865-1870 William Wallace, Reeve
- 1873 John Clark, Reeve
- 1874-1876 William Wallace, Reeve
- 1877-1884 Matthew Canning, Reeve
- 1885-1896 John D. Evans, Reeve
- 1897-1900 David L. Streight, Reeve
- 1901 John T. Carr, Reeve
- 1902-1905 John Bryans, Reeve
- 1906 Franklin E. Shaver, Reeve
- 1907 John D. Evans, Reeve
- 1908 John Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1909 Russell S. Warner, Reeve
- 1910-1912 John Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1913-1917 Charles Silverthorn, Reeve
- 1918 James Dandridge, Reeve
- 1919-1920 William G. Jackson, Reeve
- 1921-1924 William J. Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1925-1926 T.A.C. Tier, Reeve
- 1927-1929 J. Ray Price, Reeve
- 1930-1931 Robert Marshall, Reeve
- 1932 William J. Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1934-1936 William A. Armstrong, Reeve
- 1937 William L. Stephens, Reeve
- 1938-1943 William A. Armstrong, (resigned Feb. 1943) Reeve
- 1943-1946 F.A.C. Butler, Reeve
- 1947-1952 Clive M. Sinclair, K.C., Reeve
- 1953-1956 W. Beverley Lewis, Reeve
- 1957-1962 H.O. Waffle, Reeve
- 1963-1966 John P. MacBeth, Reeve
- 1967-1972 Edward A. Horton, Mayor
- 1973-1983 C. Dennis Flynn, Mayor
- 1984-1993 Bruce Sinclair, (effective September 4, 1984), Mayor
- 1994-1998 Doug Holyday, Mayor
Public schools in Etobicoke are overseen by the Toronto District School Board. High schools include Central Etobicoke High School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, founded in 1928, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, North Albion Collegiate Institute, Richview Collegiate Institute, founded in 1958, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Thistletown Collegiate Institute, West Humber Collegiate Institute, founded in 1966, Etobicoke School of the Arts, founded in 1981, Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy, and the School of Experiential Education, an alternative school founded in 1971.
In addition to the public school system, Etobicoke is home to several Catholic schools, overseen by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. These include Michael Power/St. Joseph, Bishop Allen Academy, Don Bosco, Father John Redmond, Father Henry Carr,Holy Child, and Monsignor Percy Johnson.
Other school include: Humberwood Downs J.M.A., West Humber Junior, Smithfield, Elmbank,Humbercrest, Missisauga private school, and many more.
The area is also home to the local Etobicoke & District Cricket League. Etobicoke has a local soccer team known as the Etobicoke Football Club. It is also home to the Etobicoke Kangaroos Australian rules football club, participating in the Ontario Australian Football League. In addition it is home to the Etobicoke Ringette Association, competing in the Central Ontario Ringette League. Etobicoke Canucks is in Greater Toronto Hockey League.
- Jane Siberry, singer/songwriter/poet
- Michael Seater, actor
- Mike Bullard, talk show host
- Manny Fernandez, professional hockey player
- Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
- J.S. Woodsworth, social activist and founding leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the precursor to the New Democratic Party
- Dave Foley, actor
- Dan Redican, actor/writer
- Brendan Shanahan, professional hockey player
- Catherine O'Hara, actress.
- Robin Duke, actress.
- June Callwood, social activist
- Allan Rock, former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
- Keanu Reeves, actor ("The Matrix")
- Mark Napier - professional hockey player
- David Bolland - hockey player, London Knights, member of the National Canadian Junior Hockey Team
- Paul Stalteri - professional soccer player
- Dave Bidini - musician, the Rheostatics, author "On a Cold Road"; "Tropic of Hockey"
- Martin Tielli - musician, the Rheostatics
- Tim Vesely - musician, the Rheostatics
- Dave Clark - musician, the Rheostatics and The Dinner Is Ruined band
- Ghetto Concept - hip-hop artists. Pioneers in Toronto's hip-hop scene (Rexdale)
- Kiefer Sutherland - main actor for TV series, 24. Attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute.
- Mike Lobel - actor. Attended Etobicoke School of the Arts.
- Nicole Stamp - host of Reach For The Top. Attended Richview Collegiate Institute.
- Emily Haines - singer. Attended Etobicoke School of the Arts.
- Chris Buck - portrait & advertising photographer, grew up in Etobicoke.
- Estella Warren - model/actress. Attended Silverthorn Collegiate Institute.
- Douglas Wright - model/musician. Attended Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
- Ken Dryden - politician and former NHL goaltender. Attended Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
- Tim Bardsley - ex-politician, now lawyer
- Seth Bullock - well known U.S Marshal. Also portrayed in HBO's series Deadwood.
- Jerry Howarth - Toronto Blue Jays radio announcer since 1981. Coaches boys basketball at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
- Katheryn Winnick - actress
- Jeff Healey, rock musician
- ^ Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and Praxis Research Associates. Date unknown. The History of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. Hagersville, ON: Author.
- ^ Nichols, John D. and Earl Nyholm. 1994. A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
- ^ a b c d A Brief History of Etobicoke.
- ^ a b Early History. New Toronto Historical Society.
- ^ a b Bob Given. Beginnings!. Etobicoke Historical Society.
- ^ Etobicoke Records. City of Toronto.
- ^ a b Robert A Given. Our Municipal Government. Etobicoke Historical Society.
- ^ Toronto Chronology.
- Community Profile: Etobicoke city (dissolved), Ontario; Statistics Canada
- Inside Toronto - The Weekender; March 27, 2005
- New Toronto Historical Society
- Photographs of Etobicoke
- Etobicoke Ethnocultural Profile
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| Municipalities amalgamated in... | ||
| 1998 | East York · Etobicoke · North York · Scarborough · (Old) Toronto · York · Metropolitan Toronto |  |
| 1967 | Forest Hill · Leaside · Long Branch · Mimico · New Toronto · Swansea · Weston | |
| 1883– 1912 |
1912: Dovercourt · Earlscourt 1910: Moore Park · North Toronto 1909: Bracondale · Midway · West Toronto · Wychwood 1908: Deer Park · East Toronto 1905: Rosedale 1890: Bedford Park · Davisville · Eglinton 1889: Parkdale 1888: Seaton Village 1884: Brockton · Riverdale 1883: Yorkville | |