Ford City, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Ford City was a community in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, located within the municipal boundaries of Windsor
. The community was founded by the Ford Motor Company
in the early 1900s as a separate company town where Ford had a big plant at the corner of Riverside Drive and Drouillard Road, which at one point employed 14,000 people.
The boundaries east to west were Pillette Ave to Walker Road, and the north and south boundaries were Riverside Drive to Grand Marais Boulevard. Ford City's downtown main street was Drouillard Ave. The last remaining building of Ford is the engine plant. In 1935, Ford City merged with the City of Windsor, along with the towns of Sandwich and Walkerville.
The area is also famous for the historic 99 day 1945 Ford Strike during which the workers fought to be unionized, and set up a blockade around the plant. The Rand Formula
was created at the end of the strike where workers would have to pay union dues for having a union in their workplaces, which set the standard for all unions in Canada. Ford left Windsor for Oakville
in 1953, closing the Riverside Dr. plant and leaving thousands unemployed as only the casting and engine plants remained.
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...
province of 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....
, located within the municipal boundaries of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
. The community was founded by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in the early 1900s as a separate company town where Ford had a big plant at the corner of Riverside Drive and Drouillard Road, which at one point employed 14,000 people.
The boundaries east to west were Pillette Ave to Walker Road, and the north and south boundaries were Riverside Drive to Grand Marais Boulevard. Ford City's downtown main street was Drouillard Ave. The last remaining building of Ford is the engine plant. In 1935, Ford City merged with the City of Windsor, along with the towns of Sandwich and Walkerville.
The area is also famous for the historic 99 day 1945 Ford Strike during which the workers fought to be unionized, and set up a blockade around the plant. The Rand Formula
Rand formula
In Canadian labour law, the Rand formula is a workplace situation where the payment of trade union dues is mandatory regardless of the worker's union status...
was created at the end of the strike where workers would have to pay union dues for having a union in their workplaces, which set the standard for all unions in Canada. Ford left Windsor for Oakville
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
in 1953, closing the Riverside Dr. plant and leaving thousands unemployed as only the casting and engine plants remained.