Guelph, Ontario

The City of Guelph (IPA: gwelf) is a city located in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Guelph has a population of 127,009 as of 2006, a 7.0 percent increase from 2001. [1] The metropolitan population is 200,425, which includes Wellington County. [2]

Guelph is roughly 100 kilometres (60 mi) west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Ontario provincial highway 6 and Ontario provincial highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County but is, in many respects, politically autonomous from the county itself.

[edit] History

One of the first planned communities in Canada, Guelph was founded on St. George's Day, April 23, 1827, thus emphasising its English origins (as opposed to Scottish or Irish), as that saint is the patron of England. It was selected as the headquarters of the Canada Company, a British development firm, by its Canadian superintendent John Galt. Galt, who was also a novelist, designed the town to resemble a European city centre and chose the name "Guelph" after the House of Guelph, the ancestral family of George IV, the reigning British monarch, thus the nickname The Royal City. The directors of the Canada Company, Galt's employers, had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, but reluctantly accepted the fait accompli.

Early settlement was destroyed when a large tornado hit Guelph on June 2, 1829, which delayed development of the town for some time after. More recently, two F2 tornadoes touched down in the city on July 17, 2000, causing some property damage but no injuries.

It was not until the Grand Trunk Railway connected the town to Toronto in 1856, and several buildings were erected in the late 19th century, that Galt's grandiose plan for Guelph was fully realized. It became a city in 1879.

The city is home to the University of Guelph and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of University of Guelph, began in 1873 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto.

Music has always played a large part in the lives of people living in Guelph. From a Bell Organ factory to the opera singer Edward Johnson, Guelph has been a source of musical contribution. Today, Guelph is notable for its indie rock scene, which has spawned some of Canada's most important indie bands, including King Cobb Steelie, Royal City, The Constantines and the kramdens. Guelph is also home to the Hillside Festival, an indie music festival held at Guelph Lake during the summer, and CFRU 93.3 FM, a campus radio station at the University of Guelph.

[edit] Geography and climate

Guelph is roughly 100 kilometres (60 mi) west of downtown Toronto. The city is 86.66 km² (33.46 sq mi) in area and located at an elevation of 334 meters above mean sea level. Guelph is at Latitude 43°33'N Longitude 80°15'W.

[edit] Topography

The city is intersected by two rivers and numerous tributaries: the Speed River enters from the north end and the Eramosa River enters from the east; the two rivers meet downtown and continue southwest. There are also many creeks and rivers that create large tracts of densely-forested ravines, and provide ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. Guelph has 2 rivers that intersect in the downtown area. The city is also built on many drumlins.

[edit] Climate

The weather and climate of that region of Ontario is moderate in both summer and winter. There are no considerable extremes in either temperature or the type of weather that might be associated with locations that are in close proximity to a landmass such as a body of water or a mountain range. However, due to its location close to other moderate or major cities (Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Toronto and the GTA) Guelph experiences the highest percentage of acid rain downfall in all of Ontario.

Weather averages for Guelph in the Annual Temperatures and Annual Precipitation & Sunshine Report

[edit] Economy

Manufacturing is the major industry, accounting for 18 per cent of employment.[3]

The Guelph area has not only attracted manufacturing companies. Recently, Guelph has expanded into bringing life science, agri-food and biotechnology firms and environmental management and technology companies. Guelph's Economic Development Strategy says these are the three facets of the local economy that have been identified as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities. 2

[edit] Demographics

Ethnic Origin	Population	Percent
English	36,975	31.93%
Canadian	36,845	31.82%
Scottish	27,875	24.07%
Irish	24,445	21.11%
German	14,505	12.52%
Italian	11,135	9.61%

Guelph is the 5th fastest growing mid-size city (population 100,000 to 200,000) in Ontario with a population growth rate of about 2% per year. Guelph's current population is estimated to be around 125,872 and is projected to have a population around 153,000 by the year 2027. Population varies throughout the year because of variations in the University of Guelph student population. [4]

The 2001 census indicates 117,344 people residing in Guelph, of whom 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 6.2% of the resident population of Guelph, whereas 12.2% of the resident population in Guelph were of retirement age. The average age is 35.7 years of age. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Guelph grew by 10.7%. Population density of Guelph averaged 310.1 people per square kilometre.

Some 10 percent of the resident population described themselves as visible minorities, predominantly South Asian (mostly East Indian): 2.43%, Chinese: 2.42%, Black Canadian: 1.25%, and many others including Filipino and Arab. The city is mostly Christian: 74.17%, almost evenly split among Protestants and Roman Catholics. The largest non-Christian religion is Buddhism: 1.45%, followed by Islam, and Hinduism.[5]

[edit] Education

Guelph has two major school boards that operate inside the city at a public level. The Wellington Catholic District School Board administers a Catholic education in Guelph and Wellington County, while the Upper Grand District School Board administers to the area surrounding the upper Grand River.

[edit] Secondary schools

Due to the two different school boards, there are several elementary schools within the city and seven secondary schools. The secondary schools are as follows:

Bishop Macdonell C.H.S. (Catholic) - Sports: Celtics
Centennial C.V.I. (Public) - Sports: Spartans
College Heights C.V.I. (Public) - Sports: Crusaders
Guelph C.V.I. (Public) - Sports: Gaels
John F. Ross C.V.I. (Public) - Sports: Royals
Our Lady of Lourdes C.H.S. (Catholic) - Sports: Crusaders
Saint James C.H.S. (Catholic) - Sports: Lions

[edit] Universities/Colleges

University of Guelph is one of Canada's comprehensive universities. It is acclaimed for its focus on life sciences such as agriculture and food science.
Conestoga College has a small campus in Guelph.

[edit] Public library system

Guelph is served by a growing library system composed of a main branch located in the downtown core, four branches and a bookmobile. It holds a membership of over 85,000, the Guelph Public Library system's goals include preserving and indexing public materials relating to the history of Guelph.

The Guelph Public Library seeks to provide and promote to the citizens of Guelph friendly, efficient public library service. It provides appropriately selected and catalogued collections of materials, both print and non-print, properly designed and maintained facilities, and well-trained staff.

[edit] Politics

[edit] City Hall

Guelph City Hall

See also: Guelph municipal election, 2006
See also: Guelph City Council

The City is governed by a Council comprised of 12 councillors and a mayor, with 2 councillors representing each of the six wards. City elections take place every 4 years with the next election in November 2010.

Guelph City Council is responsible for policy and decision making, monitoring the operation and performance of the city, analyzing and approving budgets and determining spending priorities.

The year 2003 saw Kate Quarrie defeat incumbent mayor Karen Farbridge, 53% to 40%. 37% of the city's eligible population voted in the 2003 municipal election.

Most recently, in November 2006, Quarrie was defeated by Farbridge, 51% to 35%. As well, many long-time council members were also defeated.

[edit] Members of Provincial Parliament

The Ontario riding of Guelph is currenty represented by Liz Sandals, a member of the ruling Liberal Party of Ontario.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Party		Member of Parliament	From	To	District
1.	Liberal	David Stirton	1867	1876	Wellington South
2.	Liberal	Donald Guthrie	1876	1882	Wellington South
3.	Liberal	James Innes	1882	1896	Wellington South
4.	Conservative	Christian Kloepfer	1896	1900	Wellington South
5.	Liberal	Hugh Guthrie	1900	1917	Wellington South
-	Unionist/ Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	1917	1935	Wellington South
6.	Liberal	Robert W. Gladstone	1935	1949	Wellington South
7.	Liberal	Henry Alfred Hosking	1949	1957	Wellington South
8.	Progressive Conservative	Alfred Dryden Hales	1957	1974	Wellington South/ Wellington
9.	Liberal	Frank W. Maine	1974	1979	Wellington
10.	Progressive Conservative	Albert Fish	1979	1980	Guelph
11.	Liberal	Jim Schroder	1980	1984	Guelph
12.	Progressive Conservative	Bill Winegard	1984	1993	Guelph/ Guelph—Wellington
13.	Liberal	Brenda Chamberlain	1993	present	Guelph—Wellington/ Guelph

[edit] Media

Guelph is served by two main newspapers, two radio stations and a community channel. All other media is regional based, usually from Kitchener, Ontario as well as Toronto.

[edit] Print

Guelph Mercury Guelph's daily newspaper.
Guelph Tribune Twice-weekly community newspaper.
The Ontarion The University of Guelph's student newspaper is published weekly and distributed throughout the city.
Echo Weekly Regional alternative newspaper serving Guelph and area.
The Record Kitchener-Waterloo newspaper that also covers Guelph.

The four major Toronto-based daily newspapers, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun and National Post are also available.

[edit] Radio

CJOY 1460 broadcasts a mix of music from the 1960s to the '80s
Magic 106.1 FM plays mainly a mix of '90s and current hits.
CFRU 93.3 FM is the University of Guelph's campus radio station.-

[edit] Television

Rogers Television Channel 20 community station with Guelph programs.
CKCO Broadcasts out of Kitchener and serves Guelph as well.

[edit] Online

The Fountain Pen - Guelph's Online Newspaper
Inside Guelph - Guelph News and Opinions

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Bus

Guelph Transit - provides local transportation around the city. Except a couple of routes, the frequency of coming buses to Downtown and Stone Road stations is each half an hour.
Greyhound Lines of Canada - provides daily service to Toronto, Kitchener and Owen Sound. Connections made in Toronto for all points in Canada.
Coach Canada - provides service to Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
GO Transit - has bus connections to the Georgetown (GO Transit) Train as well as connecting buses to Brampton and into Union Station and York Mills.

[edit] Rail

Via Rail - provides daily rail service to Toronto and other points in Canada.

[edit] Highways

Highway 401 to Toronto and London.
Highway 7 to Kitchener.
Highway 6 to Hamilton and Owen sound. This highway is known as the Hanlon Pkwy inside the city.

[edit] Sports teams

Sports teams of Guelph
Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
Guelph Storm	OHL	Hockey	Guelph Sports and Entertainment Centre	1991	2
Guelph Royals	IBL	Baseball	David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park	1919	8
Guelph Gryphons	CIS	University	W.F. Mitchell Centre and Alumni Stadium	1874	0
Guelph Regals	Ontario Lacrosse Association	Lacrosse	Victoria Road Recreation Centre	1992	1
Guelph Oaks	Kitchener District Soccer League	Soccer	Centennial Park and Guelph Lake Sports Fields	1995	0
Guelph Dominators	Midwestern Junior B Hockey League	Hockey	Victoria Road Recreation Centre	1963	0
Guelph Bears	Ontario Varsity Football League	Football	John Ross High School and University of Guelph's Alumni Stadium	1997	0
Guelph Gargoyles	Ontario Australian Football League	Australian Football	Magaret Green Park	2001	0

[edit] Guelph attractions

Church of our Lady

Guelph is famous for its natural attractions and environment as well as historic limestone buildings in its downtown.

[edit] Shopping

Downtown Guelph The historic core of the city, full of unique and independent shops and fantastic restaurants. Downtown boasts several popular events such as art on the street', *'[6]Dig-In Downtown restaurant tour in April and Winter Lights & Music.
Stone Road Mall: The largest shopping center of Guelph is located beside Stone Road and Edinburgh Road.
Willow West Mall

[edit] Cultural attractions

Downtown Guelph: Many downtown streets are lined with many old buildings, some of which are over a century old
Church of our Lady': Roman Catholic Church, located downtown, is one of Guelph's major landmarks, and is designated as a National Historic Site in Canada.
McCrae House: Guelph is the birthplace of John McCrae and his home is a museum.
Guelph Civic Museum: Guelph Civic Museum is another museum located at the Downtown of Guelph. At Guelph Civic Museum one can find pictures, films and other antique materials related to the historic development of the City of Guelph at a 1850- three-story Guelph limestone building.
City Hall
River Run Centre
Guelph, Ontario railway station
Old Quebec Street (Mall): The former Eaton Centre was renovated to look somewhat like an historic street and was named 'Old Quebec Street' which is located at the heart of downtown and it is not open to the cars.
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre:The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre serves the community by providing a balanced program of temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art, craft and design drawn from regional, national and international sources. As the major public collection in this area, the collection is presented through specialized exhibitions.

[edit] Outdoor attractions

Most of the natural attractions of Guelph are located beside the two rivers which pass inside the city, Speed River and Eramosa River.

Guelph Lake
University of Guelph Arboretum [7]
Riverside Park: Located beside the Speed River at north of Guelph
York Road Park (beside the former Correctional Centre)
Hanlon Creek Park (Preservation Park)
Royal City Park and Wellington Street nature sites.

[edit] People

[edit] Notable people associated with the arts

Neve Campbell - actress, attended John F. Ross CVI
A. J. Casson - member of the Group of Seven artists.
Elinor Glyn - Edwardian writer of erotic novels; silent film screenwriter.
Jean Little - novelist.
John Kenneth Galbraith - economist, attended college in Guelph.
John McCrae - First World War poet.
Richard McDonald[8] - writer.
Robert Munsch - children's author
Sue Richards - artist
Seth - cartoonist
Jane Siberry - singer-songwriter
Luke Kirby - actor, attended GCVI
Werner Zimmermann - writer and illustrator

Also See:

People from Guelph

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

	Fergus, Elora
Kitchener, Waterloo, Breslau	Guelph	Rockwood, Ontario
	Cambridge, Puslinch Township, Hamilton

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