Port Colborne | |
---|---|
City of Port Colborne | |
Motto: "Gateway to Navigation" [3] | |
Coordinates: 42°53′N79°15′W / 42.883°N 79.250°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Region | Niagara |
Settled | 1830s |
Incorporated | 1870 (village) |
1966 (city) | |
Government | |
• Mayor | William Steele |
• MP | Vance Badawey (Liberal) |
• MPP | Jeff Burch (NDP) |
Area | |
• Land | 121.96 km2 (47.09 sq mi) |
Elevation | 175.30 m (575.13 ft) |
Population (2021) [5] | |
• Total | 20,033 |
• Density | 164.2/km2 (425/sq mi) |
Demonym | Port Colbornite |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Forward Sortation Area | |
Area code(s) | 905, 289, 365, and 742 |
GNBC Code | FCHYP [7] |
Website | portcolborne |
Port Colborne is a city in Ontario, Canada that is located on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 [8] and was renamed after Sir John Colborne, a British war hero and the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at the time of the opening of the (new) southern terminus of the First Welland Canal in 1833. The city's population in 2021 was 20,033.
In pre-colonial times, Indigenous people of the Onguiaahra (Neutral Iroquois) lived in the area, due in part to the ready availability of flint and chert from outcroppings on the Onondaga Escarpment. [9] [10] This advantage was diminished by the introduction of firearms by European traders, and they were driven out by the Six Nations of the Iroquois around 1650 as part of the Beaver Wars.
Originally called Gravelly Bay, after the shallow, bedrock-floored bay upon which it sits, today's City of Port Colborne traces its roots back to the United Empire Loyalist settlements that grew up in the area following the American Revolution. Growth became focused around the southern terminus of the Welland Canal after it reached Lake Erie in 1833. The town was the location of the Port Colborne explosion, a grain elevator explosion in 1919 that killed 10 and injured 16.
As the population rose, Welland County was formed in 1845 from Lincoln County and Port Colborne was incorporated as a village in 1870, became a town in 1918, merged with the neighbouring Village of Humberstone in 1952, and was re-incorporated as a city in 1966. In 1970, Niagara Region municipal restructuring added Humberstone Township, further expanding the city. [11] [12]
In the year 1888, American tourists from the Southern states began building vacation homes on the lakeshore of the Western edge of the town. By 1890, an entire gated community of vacationers from the US South called Port Colborne their home during the summer months, naming the community The Humberstone Club. Over 30 grand summer homes, along with a variety of clubhouses and service buildings, were built along the lake in the following years, many of which still stand today on historic Tennessee Avenue. The southern architecture and style of these buildings would influence the design and construction of other historic buildings in the area. During the American Civil War, Varina Davis, wife of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, spent three years in the relative comfort and safety of the community. [12] [13]
Port Colborne was one of the hardest hit communities during the Blizzard of 1977. Thousands of people were stranded when the city was paralyzed during the storm, and the incident remains one of significance to the local population. [14]
Emissions from Inco's base metal refinery, closed in 1984, resulted in soils contaminated with concentrations of nickel, copper and cobalt above the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's "soil remediation criteria." [15] However, two studies, one in 1997 and another in 1999 found "[no] adverse health effects which may have resulted from environmental exposures." [15] After a series of public meetings between the City, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and Inco, it was decided to perform a Community-Based Risk Assessment, a process designed to determine whether the contamination poses a threat to the current, past, or future residents of Port Colborne, and what Inco must do to clean up the contaminated areas. [16]
Some residents launched a Class-Action Lawsuit against Inco in 2001 [17] [18] seeking $750 million in damages to health, property value, and quality-of-life. Although this suit failed to be certified in 2002, [19] [20] it was subsequently modified to limit the class, and focus solely on devaluation of property [21] and was certified on appeal on November 18, 2005. [22] [23] A timeline of the case has been written from the point of view of the plaintiffs. [24]
On July 6, 2010, the Ontario Supreme Court sided with the residents and awarded more than 7,000 households in Port Colborne a total of $36 million. Households in the Rodney Street area, in the shadow of the nickel refinery, were each awarded $23,000 while those living on the east and west sides of Port Colborne were each awarded $9,000 and $2,500 respectively. [25] Vale[ who? ] appealed the ruling to the Ontario Court of Appeal, which found in 2010 that the plaintiff had not provided sufficient evidence of economic harm, raising the legal burden of proof but not invalidating Rylands v Fletcher as precedent law. [26] [27] [28] In April 2012 the Supreme Court of Canada sided with Vale and denied the residents the awarded compensation. [29] [30] Court costs in the amount of CAD$1,766,000 were awarded the defendant by Henderson, J. [24]
Climate data for Port Colborne (1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 24.0 (75.2) | 32.5 (90.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 33.5 (92.3) | 35.0 (95.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 18.0 (64.4) | 35.0 (95.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.6 (33.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 11.5 (52.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 23.1 (73.6) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.4 (77.7) | 21.3 (70.3) | 14.8 (58.6) | 8.7 (47.7) | 2.7 (36.9) | 13.0 (55.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.7 (25.3) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.8 (33.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 13.2 (55.8) | 18.7 (65.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.3 (70.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 5.5 (41.9) | −0.4 (31.3) | 9.2 (48.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) | −6.5 (20.3) | −3.2 (26.2) | 2.4 (36.3) | 8.5 (47.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 13.4 (56.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | −3.4 (25.9) | 5.3 (41.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −26 (−15) | −25 (−13) | −24 (−11) | −11.5 (11.3) | −3.5 (25.7) | 2.2 (36.0) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.0 (41.0) | −0.5 (31.1) | −6.1 (21.0) | −11.5 (11.3) | −26 (−15) | −26 (−15) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73.1 (2.88) | 57.0 (2.24) | 66.8 (2.63) | 76.1 (3.00) | 89.7 (3.53) | 78.9 (3.11) | 82.2 (3.24) | 82.5 (3.25) | 98.0 (3.86) | 90.4 (3.56) | 100.9 (3.97) | 88.8 (3.50) | 984.6 (38.76) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 32.5 (1.28) | 26.9 (1.06) | 46.6 (1.83) | 71.9 (2.83) | 89.1 (3.51) | 78.9 (3.11) | 82.2 (3.24) | 82.5 (3.25) | 98.0 (3.86) | 89.7 (3.53) | 95.2 (3.75) | 53.2 (2.09) | 846.8 (33.34) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 40.5 (15.9) | 30.1 (11.9) | 20.2 (8.0) | 4.2 (1.7) | 0.6 (0.2) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.8 (0.3) | 5.8 (2.3) | 35.6 (14.0) | 137.7 (54.2) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.2 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 13.8 | 13.3 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 153.2 |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.2 | 5.3 | 8.7 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 13.9 | 9.0 | 127.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 9.6 | 6.6 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 0.08 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.12 | 1.9 | 7.1 | 31.3 |
Source: Environment Canada. [6] |
Communities within the city include:
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1871 | 1,500 | — |
1901 | 1,253 | −16.5% |
1911 | 1,624 | +29.6% |
1921 | 3,415 | +110.3% |
1931 | 6,503 | +90.4% |
1941 | 6,928 | +6.5% |
1951 | 8,275 | +19.4% |
1961 | 14,886 | +79.9% |
1971 | 21,420 | +43.9% |
1981 | 19,225 | −10.2% |
1991 | 18,766 | −2.4% |
2001 | 18,450 | −1.7% |
2006 | 18,599 | +0.8% |
2011 | 18,424 | −0.9% |
2016 | 18,306 | −0.6% |
2021 | 20,033 | +9.4% |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Colborne had a population of 20,033 living in 8,710 of its 10,219 total private dwellings, a change of 9.4% from its 2016 population of 18,306. With a land area of 121.99 km2 (47.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 164.2/km2 (425.3/sq mi) in 2021. [31]
2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 20,033 (+9.4% from 2016) | 18,306 (-0.6% from 2011) | 18,424 (-0.9% from 2006) |
Land area | 121.99 km2 (47.10 sq mi) | 121.96 km2 (47.09 sq mi) | 121.97 km2 (47.09 sq mi) |
Population density | 164.2/km2 (425/sq mi) | 150.1/km2 (389/sq mi) | 151.1/km2 (391/sq mi) |
Median age | 50.4 (M: 48.8, F: 52) | 50.0 (M: 48.8, F: 51.1) | 47.5 (M: 46.4, F: 48.6) |
Private dwellings | 10,219 (total) | 9,825 (total) | 10,083 (total) |
Median household income | $57,244 |
Maritime commerce, including supplying goods to the camps for the labourers who worked on the first canal, ship repair and the provisioning trade, was, and still is, an important part of Port Colborne's economy. Like other cities in the region, Port Colborne was a heavily industrial city throughout most of the early 20th century because of its proximity to the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls. A grain elevator, two modern flour mills, [35] [36] a nickel refinery, [37] a cement plant operated by Port Colborne Canada Cement, and a blast furnace operated by Algoma Steel were all major employers.
As recently as 2017, Port Colborne has been successful attracting new industry, such as the agro-business operations of Casco Inc. [38] and Jungbunzlauer, [39] which process corn into products such as sweeteners and citric acid.
The International Nickel Company (now Vale) has long been one of the city's main employers, since a World War I scandal prompted the opening of a refinery in 1918. [40] Taking advantage of inexpensive hydroelectricity from generating stations at nearby Niagara Falls, from 1922 the refinery produced electrolytic nickel and Platinum group metals. [41] It grew to employ over 2,000 workers by the 1950s. Cutbacks in operations and increasing factory automation have reduced the workforce to its present-day (2018) total of 170. [37]
Marine Recycling Corporation is a ship recycling firm, boasting of Green (environmentally friendly) services, located next to the Welland Canal at Gravelly Bay and operating since the 1970s. [42]
A 2012 report indicates the following as the largest private sector employers, with a staff of over 50, in Port Colborne at that time: [43]
Port Colborne hosts the annual Canal Days festival in recognition of the important role played by the Welland Canal in the history of the city. Originating as a small fair held at the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, it has grown to feature live music, an antique car show, fireworks, tall ships, a kite festival, and international foods. The festival also highlights Lock 8, which at 420 m (1,380 ft), is one of the world's longest canal locks. [44] Lock 8 keeps the water level on the Welland Canal constant independent of weather on Lake Erie. Hence the ships are only raised or lowered one to four feet depending on the current water level in Lake Erie. Much of the festival centres around West St., which runs parallel to the canal, and offers a view of the Clarence St. Bridge, built in 1929, it is one of only three remaining lift bridges on the canal today.[ citation needed ]
The Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, located near the centre of town, is a resource for local history and archival research. In addition to a collection of historic buildings and artifacts, it opened the "Marie Semley Research Wing" to foster research into local history, named to commemorate the long-standing efforts of a local resident who devoted hours to the museum.[ citation needed ]
The community features theatre venues with the professional Lighthouse Festival Theatre (formerly Showboat) and the amateur Port Colborne Operatic Society. [45] The company has been presenting annual productions since its inception in 1945.
The Port Colborne Lions Club, chartered in 1922, is one of the world's oldest Lions Clubs, and one of Canada's oldest service clubs in continuous operation. [46] The club is still active within the community, hosting many yearly events including an annual Lions Club Carnival in the summer. [47]
Kinnear House is a local heritage property associated with the jurist Helen Kinnear, the first woman in Canada to be appointed judge by the federal government, or to appear as counsel before the Supreme Court. [48]
The "incredible shrinking mill" is an optical illusion produced when viewing the federal grain elevator in Port Colborne. When travelling east on Lakeshore Road, the mill appears to move farther away as one drives closer. [49]
Tourism is important to the Port Colborne's economy, aided by the city's proximity to Lake Erie beaches and marinas, and to Niagara Falls. In 2015, Port Colborne formed The Tourism and Marketing Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations for increasing this aspect of the economy. [50] Described by the city as "Niagara's South Coast", Port Colborne features live theatre, golfing, multi-use trails, fishing, beaches, restaurants, recreation, a marina, and shopping districts along the Welland Canal. [51]
Notable sites in Port Colborne include: [52]
There are two high schools in Port Colborne, Port Colborne High School (commonly called Port High) and the Lakeshore Catholic High School (formerly a public high school called Lockview Park Secondary School). Lockview closed in 1987.
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The Welland Canal passes through the city, featuring lock 7 and the Twin Flight Locks.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened.
The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario, in the west. The peninsula is located in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, and has a population of roughly 1,000,000 residents. The region directly across the Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York State is known as the Niagara Frontier.
King's Highway 58, commonly referred to as Highway 58, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The route is divided into two segments with a combined length of 15.5 km (9.6 mi). The southern segment travels from Niagara Regional Road 3, formerly Highway 3, in Port Colborne, to the Highway 58A junction in the southern end of Welland, a distance of 7.2 km (4.5 mi). The northern segment begins at Highway 20 near Allanburg and travels north and west to a large junction with Highway 406 at the St. Catharines – Thorold boundary, a distance of 8.3 km (5.2 mi). An 18.1 km (11.2 mi) gap separates the two segments within Welland and Pelham. The entire route is located within the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
Chippawa is a community located within the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario.
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the northern shoreline of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which travels from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor to Highway 77 in Leamington. The second portion begins at Talbotville Royal outside of St. Thomas at Highway 4, and travels to the western city limits of Port Colborne. The road is regionally maintained within Port Colborne as Niagara Regional Road 3, but regains its provincial designation at Highway 140. Its third and final terminus is at Edgewood Park, within the Fort Erie town limits. From there, the road continues as Niagara Regional Road 3 to the Peace Bridge, where drivers can cross to the United States. The total length of Highway 3 is 248.9 or 258.2 km, consisting of 49.2 km (30.6 mi) from Windsor to Leamington, 187.9 km (116.8 mi) from Talbotville Royal to Port Colborne and 21.1 km (13.1 mi) from Port Colborne to Edgewood Park.
Welland County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.
King's Highway 406, commonly referred to as Highway 406, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The primary north–south route through the central portion of the Niagara Peninsula, Highway 406 connects Welland, Thorold and downtown St. Catharines to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW).
Dain City is a small suburb at the southernmost part of Welland, Ontario, Canada. At one time, it was a mostly self-contained rural community at the junction of two significant rail lines, part of the Township of Humberstone, and was called Welland Junction. The name was changed to Dain City after it was annexed to the city of Welland in the mid-1950s. Dain City was built for, and by, the Marshall Dain Manufacturing Company, the area's main employer, as a "company town".
Erie was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1976 from parts of Lincoln and Welland ridings.
Niagara Centre is a federal electoral district in the Niagara Region of Ontario that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1988 and since 1997.
King's Highway 140, commonly referred to as Highway 140, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway connects Port Colborne near Lake Erie with Highway 406 in Welland, via the Main Street Tunnel. It was constructed in the early 1970s as part of the Welland Bypass project of the Welland Canal, which resulted in the severance of several highways and rail lines. Opened to traffic in late 1972, several months following the tunnel, Highway 140 has remained unchanged since, despite growing calls to resign it as an extension of Highway 406.
The Trillium Railway is a Canadian short-line railroad operating in the province of Ontario. Much of its right-of-way in the Niagara area was formerly part of the "Welland Canal Railway" that closely followed the route of the second Welland Canal.
The Welland Canal has gone through many incarnations in its history. Today, five distinct canal-construction efforts are recognized. The retronym First Welland Canal is applied to the original canal, constructed from 1824 to 1829 and 1831 to 1833.
The Niagara Parkway, formerly known as Niagara Boulevard and historically as the Niagara Road, is a scenic road in the province of Ontario that travels on the Canadian side of the Niagara River from the town of Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The portion north of Table Rock in the city of Niagara Falls is designated as an Ontario Scenic Highway. Niagara Boulevard originally referred only to the section from Fort Erie to Chippawa.
Canal Days is a marine heritage festival held in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. The festival has been held annually since it was started in 1979 by the Port Colborne Historical & Marine Museum.
Welland Transit was a public transportation agency in Welland, Ontario, Canada from 1977 to 2022. Upon its inception in 1973 the bus service was operated by a private company, known as "Metro Niagara Transit," funded by the city of Welland, which assumed full operation of the transit system in 1977. On January 1, 2023, it was merged with St. Catharines Transit and Niagara Falls Transit to form Niagara Region Transit.
Port Colborne High School, commonly known as Port High, is a high school in Port Colborne, just north of the eastern edge of Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the District School Board of Niagara and has been serving the communities of Wainfleet and Port Colborne since the 1920s. The school serves students from communities in Wainfleet, Dunnville, Dain City, and Port Colborne.
The Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway was a street railway in Welland, Ontario, which operated from 1912 until 1930.
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