Maple Ridge, British Columbia

History

Maple Ridge was incorporated as a district municipality on September 12, 1874. It covered an area of 33,000 acres (130 km²) yet was home to only approximately 50 families. Maple Ridge is British Columbia's fifth-oldest municipality (after New Westminster, Victoria, Langley, and Chilliwack). Until the expansion of Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) it was part of the now-defunct Dewdney-Alouette Regional District with the City of Pitt Meadows and District of Mission and other north-side communities east to Chehalis.

On March 26, 2014, Maple Ridge residents voted to change the community's status from district municipality to city. Subsequently, Maple Ridge Council submitted its request for status change to the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. The status change became official on September 12, 2014, which coincided with Maple Ridge's 140th anniversary of municipal incorporation.

Communities

Maple Ridge is made up of several different historical areas including:

Some of these areas are identified with a cultural group. For instance, Albion and Webster's Corner are represented by the many Finnish families that settled in the area. While Port Hammond is known for its small cottage-like mill houses originally built by the local mill to house its workers. Ruskin is the location of a community hall of the Sons of Norway, although the area was founded by English followers of John Ruskin. Kanaka Creek originally was a community for Kanaka employees of Fort Langley.

Port Haney, located adjacent to the Fraser River to the southwest of downtown Haney, and the site of the West Coast Express commuter rail station, is a heritage district created to protect some of the remaining buildings from earlier times. In addition to buildings already on-site when this was the steamboat landing as well as the CPR station, other heritage buildings from around the City of Maple Ridge were relocated to Port Haney to preserve them and enhance the heritage flavour of the location.

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the City of Maple Ridge had a population of 76,052 living in 28,044 of its 29,158 total dwellings, a 7001103000000000000♠10.3% change from its 2006 population of 68,949. With a land area of 266.78 km² (103.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 285.1/km² (738.3/sq mi) in 2011.

Economy

Early settlers in Maple Ridge engaged in forestry and agriculture. Forestry companies continue to be the largest private-sector employers in the district. They include Interfor and companies that manufacture building materials, yachts and poles. The soil and climate are not well-suited to the production of traditional food crops, but the Maple Ridge agriculture sector generates upwards of $40 million annually (2001), largely from berry crops, nurseries and horse breeding.

Maple Ridge hosted the only North American high volume manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, E-One Moli Energy. However, the factory suffered major layoffs due to the 2008 recession and now only hosts a small product testing team.

Arts and culture

Venues for performing arts in Maple Ridge include the Arts Centre and Theatre (ACT), the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park, and various theatres in local secondary schools.

The ACT contains a main stage theatre capable of seating 486 for musical and dramatic performances as well as a studio theatre used for other performances, classes and special events. The ACT is also home to a conference room and smaller classrooms for activities such as pottery and painting. The ACT is a non-profit public resource. The Maple Ridge Art Gallery is also located in the ACT, focusing on local artists and art students.

Maple Ridge also has several festivals and annual parades, including the Rogers Santa Claus Parade, the Jazz and Blues Festival, and the Caribbean Festival.

Maple Ridge is the home of the Maple Ridge Concert Band, a community concert band that has been in existence for over 50 years.

Sports

Maple Ridge is the hometown of several athletes such as baseball player Larry Walker, deceased race-car driver Greg Moore, and hockey players Cam Neely, Brendan Morrison and Andrew Ladd.

Government

Maple Ridge is governed at the municipal level by a seven-member council made up of six councilors and a mayor. Five of the seven school trustees elected to the School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Board of Education are chosen by Maple Ridge voters. School trustees, councilors and the mayor are elected on the same ballot for three-year terms. In addition, residents of Maple Ridge vote for representatives to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and the Canadian House of Commons.

Nicole Read is the current mayor of Maple Ridge. She was first elected mayor on November 15, 2014. Previous mayors include Gordon Robson, Kathy Morse, Al Hogarth, Bill Hartley, Belle Morse, Carl Durkson, and Ernie Daykin.

Maple Ridge has two constituencies in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In the 2013 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party won both of Maple Ridge's two seats. Liberal MLAs Marc Dalton holds the seat to the east (Maple Ridge-Mission) while MLA Doug Bing holds the seat to the west (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows).

Maple Ridge has one constituency in the Canadian House of Commons. In the 2015 federal election, the Liberal Party of Canada won the seat. The MP is Dan Ruimy.

Transportation

Translink provides public transit services to Maple Ridge, including buses and the West Coast Express. Haney Place Exchange is the main bus exchange, with every bus line in Maple Ridge stopping here at some point along its route.

Maple Ridge is connected via Highway 7 to Pitt Meadows in the west and Mission in the east, and also by the Dewdney Trunk Road, a more northerly route which crosses into Mission via the community of Stave Falls.

The Golden Ears Bridge, a toll bridge, connects Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to Langley.

The Pitt Meadows Regional Airport is the only Fraser Valley airport (other than water airports) located on the Fraser River's north side. It is located 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east of the confluence of the Pitt and Fraser rivers, and serves the area north of the Fraser River from Mission up to and including Vancouver.

Abbotsford International Airport, which is situated 40 km (25 mi) away in Abbotsford, offers flights daily throughout Canada and to the Caribbean and the United States.

Education

Public schools are administered by School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. The school district serves residents of Maple Ridge and neighbouring Pitt Meadows, along with students transferred in from other British Columbia school districts. The district also accepts international students.

The school district operates eighteen elementary schools, five secondary schools, an adult learning centre, a community college, and several other educational facilities in Maple Ridge.

Several of the five public secondary schools have specialized in certain areas and/or started academy programs to attract more students.

Thomas Haney Secondary School operates on a self-directed learning system that is designed to allow students to plot their own paths toward fulfilling ministry learning outcomes. The school also operates an equestrian academy for all abilities, and music, theatre and athletic programs.

Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School, opened in 2005, was designed to allow students to experience various technologies as well as their traditional education. The school offers various trades programs in partnership with local trade schools and colleges.

Garibaldi Secondary School offers the International Baccalaureate program and DigiPen Technology Academy.

Westview Secondary School and Maple Ridge Secondary School are the other two public high schools in Maple Ridge.

Several of the elementary schools also offer non-traditional systems. These include: Kanaka Creek Elementary, which operates a year-round schooling system, exchanging a long summer break for shorter breaks throughout the year; and Yennadon Elementary School, which operates a cyberschool program, enabling some students to work from home on a computer on certain days.

Several private schools are located in Maple Ridge. These include: Meadowridge School, a K-12 independent Christian school; James Cameron School a school for children in Grades 2-7 with learning disabilities; and St. Patrick's, a Catholic school. These are not operated by the school district, but must still meet British Columbia Ministry of Education standards.

Post-secondary education in Maple Ridge is available through:

Notable residents