Grimsby, Ontario

Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is a part of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area.[2] It is named after the English fishing town of Grimsby in north-east Lincolnshire. The majority of residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. The escarpment (colloquially known as 'the mountain') is home to a section of the Bruce Trail.[3]

Grimsby
Lower-tier town
Town of Grimsby
Coat of arms
Location of Grimsby within the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Grimsby
Location of Grimsby within the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Coordinates: 43°12′N 79°33′W
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Regional Municipality Niagara
Government
 • TypeTown
 • MayorJeff A. Jordan
 • Governing BodyTown of Grimsby Council
 • MPDean Allison (CPC)
 • MPPSam Oosterhoff (PC)
Area
 • Land68.93 km2 (26.61 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total27,314
 • Density396.3/km2 (1,026/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Forward Sortation Area
L3M
Area code(s)905/289/365
Highways Queen Elizabeth Way
Websitewww.grimsby.ca

Grimsby has experienced significant growth over the past decade as the midpoint between Hamilton and St. Catharines. Growth is limited by the natural boundaries of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. Some residents feel development is detrimental to the town as orchards close to the town centre are used for residential development; however, most of the orchards in Grimsby were replaced by houses between the 1950s and 1980s and very few orchards remain.[4]

According to a late 2019 report, the town has 33 small parks, 17 larger and "many more green spaces, sport fields, parkettes, trails, and facilities".[5] Some notable attractions in Grimsby are the local skatepark, the Grimsby Museum,[6] the Grimsby Public Library,[7] the Grimsby Public Art Gallery,[8] the West Niagara YMCA, the Danish Church and the hockey arena (Peach King Centre), home of the Grimsby Peach Kings.

History

The settlement 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 town's founders. His home on Main Street West was used for many planning sessions during the war. In 1816 the settlement became known as Grimsby, the name of the surrounding township, in memory of the seaport town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England.[9]

The Village of Grimsby was officially incorporated in 1876 and became a town in 1922. The community has gone through many changes, from being a small rural village; to 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. 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.

Two of the remaining cottages in the Grimsby Park area

Canada's first Chautauqua-like organization (a Methodist camp) was established in 1859 in Grimsby Park on land donated by J.B. Bowslaugh; colourful cottages were later built and some visitors spent entire summers in the area. Two hotels and a temple were also built. Over 50,000 visited in 1884 but by 1900 interest had declined. By 1909 the Grimsby Park Company was bankrupt and the property was sold for use as an amusement park. The temple and hotels were destroyed in the 1920s. In 1910, the amusement park's first owner, Harry Wylie, added carousels, a motion picture theater, and a roller coaster. Canada Steamship Lines bought out the business in 1916, but the park declined through the 1920s, mainly due to multiple fires that consumed many of the wooden buildings. Operation had ceased by 1950 and the land was sold to developers who built cottages.[10] Many of the colourful cottages were destroyed by fire or demolished over the years but some remain to this day. [11][12] As of 2019, Grimsby Pier, where ferries and steamships had once docked, was in a state of disrepair; the mayor said he hoped that it could be restored. [13]

In 2011, Grimsby was struck by an F0 Tornado. [14]

Grimsby is also the birthplace of a 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.[15]

Local government
Grimsby Welcome Sign
Aerial view of Grimsby
The Former Grimsby Public Library

Grimsby Town Council is composed of a Mayor and eight Councillors who serve for a term of four years. The Mayor is elected at large and the Councillors are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two Councillors 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 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.[16]

The current council (2018-2022 term) was sworn in on December 3, 2018 with the following members:

Mayor
Town Council Members Ward 1
  • Councillor Reg Freake
  • Councillor Kevin Ritchie
Town Council Members Ward 2
  • Councillor Dave Kadwell
  • Councillor Lianne Vardy
Town Council Members Ward 3
  • Councillor John Dunstall
  • Councillor Randy Vaine
Town Council Members Ward 4
  • Councillor Dorothy Bothwell
  • Councillor Dave Sharpe

Source: [18]

The Regional Municipality of Niagara is an upper-tier municipality that encompasses all municipalities in Niagara Region. On Niagara Regional Council, Grimsby is represented by the Mayor and by an elected Regional Councillor, currently Wayne Fertich.[19]

Standing Committees

Council has appointed four standing Committees as follows:[20]

  • Administration and Finance Committee (4 Councillors and Mayor) - Main functions are current and capital budget preparation and administration; personnel policies and compensation plans; financial matters; general administrative matters; public relations; fire matters; cemetery administration; school crossing guards; canine control. The administration, treasury and fire departments report to council through this committee, as well as the library, art gallery and museum for budget purposes.
  • Planning and Development Committee (4 Councillors, 3 Citizen Appointees and Mayor) - Main functions are land use planning, economic development and promotion and building inspection. The planning and building departments report to council through this committee.
  • Public Works Committee (4 Councillors and Mayor) - Main functions are storm drainage, sidewalks, roads, street lighting, water distribution, sanitary sewers, solid waste management, cemetery maintenance, parking and traffic control. The public works department reports to council through this committee.
  • Recreation Services Committee (4 Councillors, 3 Citizen Appointees and mayor) - Main functions are parks, community and recreation services and programming. The recreation, facilities & culture department reports to council through this committee, as well as the art gallery, library and museum.

Transportation

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

The Grimsby railway station, on the south side of the railway 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 as part of the Lakeshore West Line. Of three sites for the Grimsby GO Station evaluated by Metrolinx, the Crown agency that operates GO Transit, the preferred site for the proposed station is west of and adjacent to Casablanca Boulevard.[21]

Schools

Secondary schools

Primary schools
  • Central Public School
  • Grand Ave. Public School[22]
  • Lakeview Public School[23]
  • Nelles Public School
  • Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
  • Park Public School
  • Smith Public School
  • St. Joseph Catholic School

Churches

Grimsby Public Library
Grimsby Public Library and Art Gallery

The first library in Grimsby was opened in 1871 in the home of Grimsby councillor Sam Mabey, housing a collection of 1,000 books.[33] Following a recommendation of the town council, the village struck a committee to approach the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to request new funds to build a new library. The foundation allocated $8,000 to build the new library building.[33] In 1975, the library was expanded to include a new building, which inaugurated a Grimsby Public Art Gallery in the basement of the library. A few years later, the Klosso Eloul sculpture 'Double is One' was installed on the grounds.[33] In 2004, a new building was constructed adjacent to the original structure to house both the library and art gallery. The original structure itself contains the Grimsby Archives.[33]

Demographics
Grimsby Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1871800—    
19011,001+25.1%
19111,669+66.7%
19212,004+20.1%
19312,198+9.7%
19412,331+6.1%
19512,773+19.0%
19615,148+85.6%
197115,770+206.3%
198115,797+0.2%
199118,520+17.2%
200121,297+15.0%
200623,937+12.4%
201125,325+5.8%
201627,314+7.9%

From Statistics Canada [1]

Age Characteristics of Grimsby (2016) Total Male Female
Total - All persons 27,315 13,315 14,000
Age 0-14 4,750 2,485 2,270
Age 15-64 17,300 8,440 8,860
Age 65-84 5,265 2,390 2,870

Religion
  • 30% Roman Catholic
  • 15% Anglican
  • 14% United Church
  • 19% No religion
  • 27% Other

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.

Climate data for Grimsby
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.4
(66.9)		 17.2
(63.0)		 26.1
(79.0)		 30.6
(87.1)		 36.1
(97.0)		 36.1
(97.0)		 40.6
(105.1)		 39.4
(102.9)		 37.8
(100.0)		 31.7
(89.1)		 26.1
(79.0)		 21.0
(69.8)		 40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1)		 −0.4
(31.3)		 4.6
(40.3)		 11.6
(52.9)		 18.3
(64.9)		 24.0
(75.2)		 26.8
(80.2)		 25.9
(78.6)		 21.2
(70.2)		 14.7
(58.5)		 8.1
(46.6)		 2.0
(35.6)		 12.9
(55.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.8
(23.4)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 0.9
(33.6)		 7.1
(44.8)		 13.1
(55.6)		 18.8
(65.8)		 21.9
(71.4)		 21.2
(70.2)		 17.0
(62.6)		 10.9
(51.6)		 5.1
(41.2)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 8.9
(48.0)
Average low °C (°F) −8.2
(17.2)		 −7.5
(18.5)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 2.5
(36.5)		 7.7
(45.9)		 13.6
(56.5)		 17.0
(62.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 12.8
(55.0)		 7.0
(44.6)		 2.0
(35.6)		 −4
(25)		 4.7
(40.5)
Record low °C (°F) −25
(−13)		 −26.1
(−15.0)		 −21.7
(−7.1)		 −16.1
(3.0)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 2.2
(36.0)		 6.7
(44.1)		 4.4
(39.9)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −13.9
(7.0)		 −27.2
(−17.0)		 −27.2
(−17.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 68.5
(2.70)		 60.3
(2.37)		 71.5
(2.81)		 77.0
(3.03)		 69.2
(2.72)		 83.0
(3.27)		 56.8
(2.24)		 86.1
(3.39)		 92.2
(3.63)		 64.6
(2.54)		 68.9
(2.71)		 82.1
(3.23)		 880.3
(34.66)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 22.3
(0.88)		 28.8
(1.13)		 53.3
(2.10)		 70.7
(2.78)		 69.2
(2.72)		 83.0
(3.27)		 56.8
(2.24)		 86.1
(3.39)		 92.2
(3.63)		 64.0
(2.52)		 64.5
(2.54)		 48.3
(1.90)		 739.2
(29.10)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 46.2
(18.2)		 32.1
(12.6)		 18.2
(7.2)		 6.3
(2.5)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.6
(0.2)		 4.4
(1.7)		 33.8
(13.3)		 141.6
(55.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 13 11 12 12 11 9 8 10 10 11 12 13 132
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4 4 8 11 11 9 8 10 10 11 10 6 102
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 9 7 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 31
Source: Environment Canada[34]

See also

References
  1. "2016 Census Profile: Grimsby, Ontario". Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  2. Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "2011 Census Profile". www12.statcan.ca. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  3. "Welcome! - Bruce Trail". The Bruce Trail Conservancy. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  4. "Grimsby Historical Society". Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  5. "Grimsby Thinking Ahead". Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  6. "Museum". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. "Grimsby Public Library". Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  8. "Art Gallery". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  9. "Grimsby Thinking Ahead". Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  10. "From Queenston to Kingston: The Hidden Heritage of Lake Ontario's Shoreline". p. 43. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  11. "Grimsby Park and the ghost ship of Jordan Harbour".
  12. "Grimsby's Chautauqua History". Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  13. "Grimsby Thinking Ahead". Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  14. "Grimsby, ON F0 Tornado of September 3, 2011". Highways & Hailstones. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  15. "Canadians in Golden Age Hollywood". Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  16. "Mayor and Council". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  17. "About the Mayor". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  18. "Town Councillors". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  19. "Regional Councillors". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  20. "Standing Committees". Town of Grimsby. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  21. "Grimsby Thinking Ahead". Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  22. "Grand Ave Public School". District School Board of Niagara. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  23. "Lakeview Public School". District School Board of Niagara. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  24. "Centennial Park Baptist Church". Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  25. "Canada: Grimsby" (in Danish). Danske Sømands- og Udlandskirker. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  26. "Lakemount Worship Centre". Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  27. "Life at Mountainview". Mountainview Christian Reformed Church. Archived from the original on 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  28. "New Life Community Church". Archived from the original on 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  29. "St. Andrew's Church". Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  30. "St. Andrew's Anglican Church". Ontario Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  31. "Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. George". Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  32. "Trinity United Church". Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  33. "How it all got started" Archived 2018-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Grimsby Public Library, retrieved on 22 August 2017.
  34. Environment Canada—Climate Normals for Grimsby 1961-1990 Archived 2012-12-16 at Archive.today. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
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