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Following is an outline is for the history of Brampton, the fourth largest city in Ontario, Canada. European settlers arrived began to settle the area in the early 19th century, with Brampton being formally incorporated into a village in 1853.
The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation held 648,000 acres of land north of the Head of the Lake Purchase lands and extending to the unceded territory of the Chippewa of Lakes Huron and Simcoe. The area of present-day Brampton was covered by the Ajetance Purchase of 1818 between James Ajetance, the chief of the Mississaugas of Credit, and the United Kingdom. [1] [2] [3]
Prior to 1834, the only building of consequence at the corner of Hurontario Street and the 5th Sideroad (now Main and Queen Streets in the centre of Brampton), was William Buffy's tavern. In fact, at the time, the area was referred to as "Buffy's Corners". Most business in Chinguacousy Township took place one mile distant at Martin Salisbury's tavern. By 1834, John Elliott laid out the area in lots for sale applied the name "Brampton" to the area, which was soon adopted by others. [4]
In 1853, a small agricultural fair was set up by the then-new County Agricultural Society of the County of Peel, and was held at the corner of Main and Queen streets. Grains, produce, roots, and dairy products were up for sale, a precursor of today's Brampton Farmers' Market. Horses and cattle, along with other lesser livestock, were sold at market. This agricultural fair eventually became the modern Brampton Fall Fair. In that same year Brampton was incorporated as a village. [4] In 1856, a terminal and railroad line were developed in Brampton by the Grand Trunk Railway. [5]
In January 1867, Peel County separated from the County of York, a union which had existed since 1851. [6] In 1884 a group of mechanics of the Haggert Foundry of Brampton formed what is now known as the Brampton Concert Band, one of Canada's oldest community concert bands. By 1869, Brampton had a population of 1,800. [7]
In 1902, Sir William J. Gage (owner of Gage Publishing, a publishing house specializing in school text books) purchased a 3.25 acres (1.3 hectares) part of the gardens and lawns of the Alder Lea estate (now called Alderlea) that had been built on Main Street by Kenneth Chisolm in 1867 to 1870. (Chisholm, a merchant and founding father of Brampton, had been the Town reeve, then warden of Peel County, then MPP for Brampton and eventually, Registrar of Peel County.) [8] Sir William donated 1.7 acres (0.7 hectares) of the property to the town, with a specific condition that it be made into a park. Citizens donated $1,054 and the town used the funds to purchase extra land to ensure a larger park. [9] [10]
In 1922, when the town's population had reached 8,000, the Capitol Theatre was built in downtown Brampton. Its schedule consisted of primarily of vaudeville and silent movies.A group of regional farmers in Brampton had trouble getting insurance from city-based companies. After several meetings in Clairville Hall, it was decided that they should found the County of Peel Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In 1955, the company moved to its third and current location, 103 Queen Street West, and renamed itself Peel Mutual Insurance Company. It reigns as the longest running company in modern Brampton. Harmsworth Decorating Centre was established in 1890, as Harmsworth and Son, operated out of the family's house on Queen Street West. The store purchased its current location on September 1, 1904, after a fire destroyed their original store. Purchased for $1400, the 24 Main Street South location is the longest operating retail business in what is now Brampton.
The Brampton Mall was built in 1960 on Main Street, near Peel Village, marking the community's first mall.
Bramalea was developed as an innovative "new town". A separate community, approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Toronto. It is located in the former Chinguacousy Township, it was Canada's first satellite community developed by one of the country's largest real estate developers, Bramalea Limited, formerly known as Brampton Leasing. The name "Bramalea" was created by the farmer William Sheard, who integrated the BRAM from Brampton, MAL from Malton (A neighbouring region), and the EA from his own farm; SunnymEAd Farms. He sold the land to Brampton Leasing developers and built one of Bramalea's first houses on Dixie road across from the former headquarters of Nortel. The community had an extensive Master Plan, which included provisions for a parkland trail system and a "downtown," which would include essential services and a shopping centre. The downtown area's centrepiece was the Civic Centre, which included the city hall and library. Directly across Team Canada Drive from the Civic Centre, Bramalea Limited built a shopping centre named Bramalea City Centre. The two centrepieces were connected by a long tunnel, which has long since been closed due to safety issues. Other features included a police station, fire hall, bus terminal, and a collection of seniors' retirement homes. [11] [12]
Each phase of the new city was built with progressing first letters of street names. Development started with the "A" section, with street names like Argyle, Avondale, and Aloma. Developer then created a "B" section, "C" section, and so forth. Children on the boundaries of these divisions would regularly compete in street hockey games, pitting, for example, the "D" section versus the "E" section.
The community was also initially developed with a large number of recreational facilities, including tennis courts, playgrounds, hockey/lacrosse rinks and swimming pools. An extensive parkland trail and sidewalk system that connects the entire city, amplifying what Brampton already had in a smaller scale.
On July 5, 1970 Air Canada Flight 621 crashed into the Toronto Pearson International Airport located in what was then known as Toronto Gore Township killing all 109 passengers and crew on board. It is known that the tragedy was the second-deadliest aviation incident in Canadian history. The plane was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 that had 100 passengers and 9 crew flying from Montreal to Los Angeles via Toronto. [13]
A memorial park named "Purple Lilac Memorial Park" was officially dedicated in memory of the incident on July 4, 2013. [14] At the memorial, lilac trees are in bloom, and 109 markers made of pink polished granite are set in a mosaic along the path to represent each victim. They are arranged in groups to symbolise the family members travelling on the same plane. [15]
In 1974, the Ontario government decided to update Peel County's structure. Along with amalgamating several towns and villages into the new City of Mississauga, the present City of Brampton was created out of the town and the greater portion of the Townships of Chinguacousy and Toronto Gore, and the northern extremity of Mississauga south of Steeles Avenue, including Bramalea, Churchville, and the other communities in those municipalities. The province restructured Peel County into Peel Region. Brampton retained its role as the administrative centre of Peel Region, which it already had as county seat. The regional council chamber, the Peel Regional Police force, the public health department, and the region's only major museum, the Peel Heritage Complex, are all located in Brampton.
In 1972, a new civic centre for Chinguacousy Township was opened in Bramalea. Two years after it was built, when Brampton and Chinguacousy merged, the new city's council chambers and other facilities were created in the building, moving from the old Town of Brampton's modest downtown locale. The library systems of Brampton and Chinguacousy became one, creating a system of four locations.
The future of Peel Region as encompassing Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, has been called into question by some. Mississauga council, led by Mayor Hazel McCallion, voted in favour of becoming a single tier municipality and asked the provincial government to be separated from Peel Region, arguing that the city has outgrown the need for a regional layer of government and that Mississauga is now being held back by supporting Brampton and Caledon with its municipal taxes.
In the 1980s, the Capitol Theatre, then owned by Odeon, closed its doors. The City bought the facility in 1981, under the spearhead of then-councillor Diane Sutter, turning the former movie house and vaudevillian stage into a theatre for the musical and performing arts. It was renamed the Heritage Theatre. In 1983, Toronto consultants Woods Gordon reported to the City that, rather than continue "pouring money" into the Heritage, a new 750-seat facility should be built. The 2005/06 season was designated as the theatre's "grand finale" season.
Carabram was founded in 1982, after volunteers from different ethnic communities wanted to organize a festival celebrating diversity and cross-cultural friendship. With a name based on Toronto like-event, Caravan Festival of Cultures, Carabram's first event included Italian, Scottish, Ukrainian, and West Indian pavilions. By 2003, forty-five-thousand visitors visited 18 pavilions. Canada itself had an anchor pavilion in the late-1980s, early-1990s, but ceased when it failed to get sponsorship.
The early 1990s brought a new city hall to Brampton's downtown. The facility was designed by Robert J. Posliff Architect and constructed by Inzola Construction.
The Brampton Fair Grounds were sold in 1992 to the City of Brampton, leading the Agricultural Society to relocate to Heart Lake Road and Old School Road in 1997.
The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) decided in 1997 that Georgetown and District Memorial Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and Peel Memorial Hospital amalgamate into the William Osler Health Centre, becoming what now is the province's 6th largest hospital corporation. In early 2006, the Brampton campus of the William Osler Health Centre was renamed back to Peel Memorial Hospital, as residents continued to use the old name, a cause of much confusion.
on 24 June 2002, the City Council established the "Flower City Strategy", [17] [18] to promote a connection to its flower-growing heritage. [19] The intention was to inspire design projects and community landscaping to beautify the city, adopt a sustainable environmental approach, and to protect its natural and cultural heritage. [19] The Rose Theatre was named in keeping with this vision and is to serve as a cultural institution in the city. [20] In addition, the city participates in the national Communities in Bloom competition as part of that strategy.
The Rose Theatre (originally the Brampton Performing Arts Centre), billed as "a cultural and tourist destination that will attract significant new business to surrounding restaurants, shops and services," opened in September 2006. The City says that the facilities are expected to generate $2.7 million in economic activity the first year and grow to $19.8 million by the fifth year. This is predicted to attract more than 55,000 visitors annually who will spend about $275,000 on before and after-show entertainment, creating close to 300 permanent jobs. Despite the great promises, this project is the source of much cynicism among the community. Many have questioned the need for a larger facility, as the current Heritage Theatre rarely reaches capacity, and a great deal of residents don't meet the prime theatre going audience profile.
A new hospital was built in north Brampton, to supplement the Peel Memorial Hospital. The Brampton Civic Hospital established in 2007 to serve Brampton in place of the Peel Memorial Hospital that had previously existed. [21] [22]
Brampton's 2003 Sesquicentennial celebrations were a booster to community spirit, restarting the tradition of a summer parade (with 100 floats), and creating other initiatives. To commemorate the Flowertown history, the City under Mayor Fennell reintroduced floral projects to the community, including more plantings around town, the restart of the Flowercity Parade in 2005, and participation for the last few years in the Canada Communities in Bloom project.
Brampton also embraces its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, with Mayor Susan Fennell proclaiming Gay Pride Day in 2004 and 2005, and a Gay Pride Week in 2006. [23]
The city's mascot is "Sassy the Sesqui Squirrel", [24] a character that replaced "Millie the Millennium Techno Bug", now the HACE mascot. [25]
With a growing multicultural population, the Peel Board of Education introduced evening English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at high schools. Originally taught by volunteers, the classes eventually became daytime courses taught by paid instructors. In the 1980s, the public and Catholic board expanded its languages programs, offering night classes in 23 languages. These were introduced by the urging of parents who wanted their children to learn their ancestral heritage and language.
Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ninth most populous municipality in Canada and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban area, behind Toronto and Mississauga.
Mississauga, historically known as Toronto Township, is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario, situated on the western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a population of 717,961 as of 2021, Mississauga is the seventh-most populous municipality in Canada, third-most in Ontario, and second-most in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) after Toronto itself. However, for the first time in its history, the city's population declined according to the 2021 census, from a 2016 population of 721,599 to 717,961, a 0.5 per cent decrease.
Caledon is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. The name comes from a shortened form of Caledonia, the Roman name for what is now Scotland. Caledon is primarily rural with a number of hamlets and small villages, but also contains the larger community of Bolton in its southeastern quadrant, adjacent to York Region. Some spillover urbanization also occurs in the south bordering the City of Brampton.
The Regional Municipality of Peel is a regional municipality in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest of the city of Toronto: the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the town of Caledon, each of which spans its full east–west width. The regional seat is in Brampton.
The Bramalea City Centre is a large shopping mall located in the city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. With over a 1.5 million square feet of retail space and more than 300 outlets, it is one of Canada's largest shopping malls. Regarded as a super regional mall, the Bramalea City Centre has a market of more than 500,000 residents and attracts 16 million visitors annually. The Bramalea City Centre is located near the intersection of Queen Street and Dixie Road, just east of Highway 410.
Bramalea (Bram-a-lee) is a large suburban district in the City of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Bramalea was created as an innovative "new town", and developed as a separate community from the city. Located in the former Chinguacousy Township, it was Canada's first satellite community developed by one of the country's largest real estate developers, Bramalea Consolidated Developments.
Brampton Transit (BT) is a public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 49,200,800, or about 219,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Brampton Library is a system of public libraries in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Chinguacousy Township is a former municipality and present-day geographic township in the Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario, Canada. In 1974, when Peel County became the Region of Peel, the township was split in half, with the northern half becoming part of the town of Caledon, and the southern half, along with the township of Toronto Gore, joining the Town of Brampton, which was then promoted to a city.
Toronto Gore is a former incorporated and now geographic township in Ontario, Canada. It is today split between Mississauga and Brampton.
Brampton City Hall is home to Brampton City Council and the departments of the city. It is located at the intersection of Wellington Street and Main Street in downtown Brampton.
Springdale is a large suburban district in Brampton, Ontario, Canada covering 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) in the northern part of the city. It is generally bounded by Countryside Drive to the north, Bovaird Drive to the south, Heart Lake Road to the west, and Airport Road to the east. Springdale is sometimes jocularly referred to as Singhdale due to its large population of Sikh Canadians, who make up 39.6% of the community's population and often have the last name Singh.
Bramalea Terminal is a Brampton Transit bus station serving the community of Bramalea in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the south west corner of Peel Centre Drive and Central Park Drive on the north side of the Brampton Civic Centre. The customer service centre building is situated in the northerly of two island platform areas, which are accessed by pedestrian cross walks. Within the building are service counters, washrooms, snack vending machines and a heated waiting area with screens displaying current bus route information.
Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park, colloquially known as Chinguacousy Park, is a large 40-hectare (100-acre) park in the Bramalea section of Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by Queen Street East on the southeast, Bramalea Road on the northeast, and Central Park Drive on the north and west sides. Terry Fox Stadium (Brampton) in the north of the park, sometimes called Terry Fox Track and Field Stadium, has a track and field oval surrounding an artificial turf field with Canadian Football markings and stands for about 1000 spectators. It is used for various Canadian football and soccer matches as well as track and field competitions.
Kwakiutl is a totem sculpture by Aboriginal Canadian artist Simon Charlie, which has caused controversy for its nudity over multiple decades of display in Chinguacousy Township, and later Brampton, both near Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Charlie, also known as Hwunumetse', later received the Order of Canada. The 9-foot-tall cedar wood sculpture is best known for its exposed male genitals.
Peter Robertson was mayor of Brampton, Ontario from 1991 to 2000. In 2000, he was defeated in the municipal election by then-councillor Susan Fennell.
511 Zum Steeles is a bus rapid transit route in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The final corridor outlined in Phase 1 started service on November 26, 2012.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. As part of the larger closure decisions in Ontario, a stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)On June 24, 2002, Council received and approved the "Flower City Strategy", with the expressed purpose of recapturing of Brampton's Floral heritage.
The City is taking steps to reclaim our "flower town" roots through the Flower City Strategy, a multifaceted approach that strives to beautify Brampton, preserve its natural and cultural heritage and protect the environment. An important part of this strategy is adopting a sustainable environmental approach that combines conservation with urban development and design, naturalisation and community landscaping.
O'Hara tells the story of how the Dale Estate joined with the town to market the town as the "Flower Town of Canada" by instituting in 1963, The Flower Festival of Brampton, patterned after the great Rose Festival parade of Portland, Oregon.[ permanent dead link ]
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