East Gwillimbury, Ontario
Encyclopedia
East Gwillimbury is a town on the East Holland River
East Holland River
The East Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada that is part of the Holland River watershed that empties into Cook's Bay in Lake Simcoe. The headwaters of the East Holland River rise in the Oak Ridges Moraine...
in the Regional Municipality of York. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
of south-central Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was formed by the amalgamation of the Township of East Gwillimbury with all the previously incorporated villages and hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
within the township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
. The main centres in East Gwillimbury are the villages of Holland Landing
Holland Landing, Ontario
Holland Landing is a village in the town of East Gwillimbury, located in the northern part of the Regional Municipality of York, in south-central Ontario, Canada. Its major road is Yonge Street and the village has bus service by GO Transit and York Region Transit...
, Queensville
Queensville, Ontario
Queensville is a village within the Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada.Among the private homes, the village proper contains the Queensville Cemetery, a post office, a United Church of Canada, and a complex containing a fire hall, a community centre, a public park with softball diamond,...
, Sharon
Sharon, Ontario
Sharon is a former village which has been incorporated into the municipality of the Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada, formerly the Township of East Gwillimbury...
, and Mount Albert
Mount Albert, Ontario
Mount Albert is an exurban community located within the Town of East Gwillimbury and is part of northern York Region. It is located about 65 km N of Toronto, about 15 km NE of Newmarket, about 15 km S of Sutton, W SW of Beaverton and N of Markham...
. The town hall and municipal offices are located in Sharon. The northernmost interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
of Highway 404 is at the south edge of East Gwillimbury.
East Gwillimbury takes its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe
Elizabeth Simcoe
Elizabeth Simcoe was an artist and diarist in colonial Canada. She was the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.-Biography:...
, née Gwillim.
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 12,565 |
| 1991 | 18,367 |
| 2001 | 20,555 |
| 2006 | 21,069 |
According to the 2006 Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
Census:
- Population: 21,069
- % Change (2001–2006): 2.5
- Dwellings: 6,887
- Area (km².): 245.06
- Density (persons per km².): 86
- Latitude: 44.1013
- Longitude: -79.4419
The estimated population in 2011 was 32,000.
Government
The Municipal Council comprises the Mayor and four Councillors elected at large, with the Mayor also representing the Town at the regional level of government. The current and recent mayors are:http://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/governmt/ChainofOffice.htm| Mayor | Overall Term |
|---|---|
| Virginia Hackson | 2010 to present |
| James Young | 2000 to 2010 |
| Jim Mortson | 1991 to 2000 |
| Robert Featherstonhaugh | 1985 to 1991 |
| Angus Morton | 1977 to 1985 |
| Gladys Rolling | 1970 to 1976 |
In the 2010 election
Ontario municipal elections, 2010
The 2010 municipal elections in Ontario were held on October 25, 2010.Voters in the province of Ontario elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of the province's municipalities....
, Virginia Hackson was elected mayor, Cathy Morton, Marlene Johnston were re-elected to council, and were joined by Tara Roy-DiClemente and John Eaton.
The Federal Member of Parliament is Peter Van Loan
Peter Van Loan
Peter Van Loan, PC MP is a Canadian politician who is the Member of Parliament for the electoral district of York—Simcoe. He has been the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons since May 18, 2011, a role he previously held from 2007 to 2008.-Biography:Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Van...
, a member of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, representing the riding of York-Simcoe.
The Member of Provincial Parliament is Julia Munro
Julia Munro
Julia Munro is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Greater Toronto Area riding of York—Simcoe for the Progressive Conservative Party....
, a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
, representing the riding of York North
York North
York North was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from Confederation in 1867 until 2004. It is also an electoral district that was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 2007...
.
Emergency services
The town operates three fire and emergency services locations, in Holland Landing, Mount Albert and Queensville. They are each staffed by a District Fire Chief and volunteer firefighters.Police services are provided by the York Regional Police
York Regional Police
York Regional Police is a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto...
.
Education
Schools in East Gwillimbury are governed by the York Region District School BoardYork Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board, also known as YRDSB, is the English-language public school board for York Regional Municipality located in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is currently the province's third largest school board, with an enrollment of over 115,000 students...
and the York Catholic District School Board
York Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board is the publicly funded English-language Catholic school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Its head office is in Aurora....
. There are several elementary schools in the town but no secondary schools or post-secondary school campuses.
Transportation
Local public transportation is provided by York Region TransitYork Region Transit
York Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
, who operate bus services to Sharon, Holland Landing and Mount Albert. GO Transit
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
also offers commuter train and bus services to Toronto through its East Gwillimbury Station.
Ontario Highway 404 will be extended to Keswick in the Town of Georgina
Georgina, Ontario
Georgina is a town in south-central Ontario, and the northernmost municipality in the Regional Municipality of York. It forms part of the northern boundary of the Greater Toronto Area and is situated on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe...
, passing through East Gwillimbury.
Planning
In March, 2006 the town council passed a policy during the Committee of the Whole Council Meeting which requires all residential developments of at least ten units to comply with Energy StarEnergy Star
Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
qualifications. The town's mayor described potential benefits of the program: "Energy efficient housing is the best way to ensure that East Gwillimbury's residents are insulated against rising energy costs and won't have to make costly energy efficiency upgrade retrofits in the future." The program was developed in conjunction with the development community, and stipulates "that homes in new subdivisions must — emphasis here on must — have some of the most efficient hot water, heating and air conditioning systems, be upgraded with top-rated insulation, and have draft-proof windows."
The town could not impose the requirements on single homes, because according to Peter Love, a provincial energy conservation officer, "that's clearly under (the jurisdiction of) the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. So what they did is regulate any subdivision over 10 units."
East Gwillimbury is the first jurisdiction in Canada to require Energy Star certification for residential units.