Grimsby, Ontario

History

The town of Grimsby was founded in 1790 (originally named Township Number 6 and then 'The Forty'), after a group of United Empire Loyalists settled at the mouth of 40 Mile Creek in 1787. Robert Nelles, a politician and later lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812, was one of the main founders of the town. His home, located on Main Street West, was used for many planning sessions during the war. In 1816 the village became known as Grimsby, the name of the surrounding township. Canada's first Chautauqua was established in 1859 in Grimsby Park and Beach but by 1900 interest had declined and by 1909 it had ceased. The Village of Grimsby was officially incorporated in 1876 and became a town in 1922. The town has gone through numerous changes, being first a small rural village; then a centre for the manufacture of farm machinery, hospital furniture, furnaces and other metal products; and later the hub of the Niagara Peninsula's fruit-growing industry. For many years, Grimsby also had a successful fishing industry which lasted until the 1960s. The Town of Grimsby and the Township of North Grimsby were amalgamated in 1970 with the formation of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. With a number of wineries and distilleries, Grimsby now serves as the starting point for touring the Niagara wine region.

Grimsby is also the birthplace of a now forgotten Hollywood director, Del Lord. He rose to acclaim as the director of most of the Three Stooges short vaudeville comedies. Later, under Columbia Pictures, he also directed nearly 200 feature films.

Grimsby Beach was once a major holiday resort. Grimsby Park started in 1846 as a park for the Hamilton district of the Methodist Church. In 1910, the park's new owner, Harry Wylie, modernized the park with carousels, a motion picture theater, and a "Figure 8" roller coaster. Canada Steamship Lines bought out the park in 1916, but the park declined through the 1920s, mainly due to multiple fires that consumed many of the wooden buildings. Operations continued until 1949, with attractions gradually closing and developers buying land to build houses.

Local government

The council is composed of a mayor and eight aldermen who serve for a term of four years. The mayor is elected at large and the aldermen are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two aldermen elected in each ward. It is the role of council to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality; to develop and evaluate policies and programs; to determine which services the municipality provides; to ensure that administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council; and to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality. The council generally meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. All meetings are open to the public and are also televised live on the local Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel.

The mayor (currently Bob Bentley) is elected at large and the aldermen are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two aldermen elected in each ward.

Standing committees

Council has appointed four standing committees as follows:

Transportation

Bisecting the town is the Queen Elizabeth Way, one of the 400-series highways. It has three exchanges in the town, with Casablanca Boulevard in the west, a central exchange for three roads (Christie Street, Ontario Street, and Maple Avenue), and Bartlett Avenue in the east.

The Grimsby railway station, located on the south side of the railroad tracks west of Ontario Street and south of Queen Elizabeth Way, is served by the Maple Leaf train jointly operated by Via Rail and Amtrak. A GO Transit train station is planned for operation on the Lakeshore West line and is expected to open in 2021. Of three sites for the Grimsby GO Station evaluated by Metrolinx, the Crown agency that operates GO Transit, the preferred site for the proposed future station is west of and adjacent to Casablanca Boulevard.

Secondary schools

Primary schools

Churches

Demographics

From Statcan

Religion

Notable people

The unofficial demonym for a person from Grimsby is "Grimsbonian" (possibly in imitation of "Torontonian", for a person from Toronto, the largest nearby metropolitan centre to Grimsby). There are many notable Grimsbonians.

Climate

Grimsby's climate varies throughout the year; 12 °C – 15 °C in the spring, 21 °C – 33 °C in the summer, and 10 °C – 17 °C in the fall. Temperatures in the winter months are around 4 °C to −16 °C, with about 190 cm of snow per year.