Orillia, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city
located in Simcoe County
in Southern
(South-Central) Ontario
, Canada
, between Lake Couchiching
and Lake Simcoe
, 135 kilometres north of Toronto
.
Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by the Huron and Iroquois
peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago as well as sites used by Native Americans
for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing.
Known as the "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a good number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama
, overall economic activity in Orillia is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism.
of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birthyear as Canada
), became a town
in 1875, and was designated a city
in 1969. The city of Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe
and Lake Couchiching
. Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway
. Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway in North America
leads to Georgian Bay
on Lake Huron
. Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world) eventually leads to Lake Ontario
. From either of these Great Lakes
one can connect to the St. Lawrence
and thence to the Atlantic Ocean
.
The human history of the region extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching
and Lake Simcoe
, there is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weir
s used by Huron and Iroquois
people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in the surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Native Americans
.
Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain
visited the area that would later become Orillia in the early 17th century. Ecole Samuel de Champlain, a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park, and is a National Historic Site of Canada.
In Stephen Leacock
's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
, Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that the fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and the city has since the book's release attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Stephen Leacock Museum, located in Orillia, is a National Historic Site.
William E. Bell's
1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including the Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain
statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Big Chief Island in the middle of Lake Couchiching
.
Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time
and had the first municipal hydro electric transmission plant in North America.
, Upper Canada
by then Lieutenant-Governor
Sir Peregrine Maitland
, Maitland was a veteran of the British
campaign against the French
in Spain
, called the Peninsular War
, during the Napoleonic Wars
where he served under the command of Wellington
.
While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia, the most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish
, "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since the word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are the names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro
for gold
, Mariposa for butterfly
, and Mono
for monkey
. Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error
.
According to the 2006 Canada Census, Orillia has a population of 30,259 living in an area of 28.61 square kilometres. The city has experienced moderate growth, with a population increase of over 1,000 residents (3.9 percent) since the 2001 census. The median household income in 2005 for Orillia was $46,722, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $60,455.
, located in the nearby reserve
land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), [Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation (petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin
(moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for the packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining) and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people.
Otaco seating, which operated from the early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year.
G.W.B. Rope & Twine, which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973–1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries, which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996-7. "G.W.B. Rope and Twine’s" Founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched "G&B Ropes" in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in the development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes.)
Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police
, which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre, formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the areas largest employers for many decades, until the de-institutionalization movement of the 1980s and 1990s.
by Stephen Leacock
. Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council actively restricts the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations.
Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka, Algonquin Provincial Park
, and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's' train.
The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently 9, with 4 more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of the city's population is actually over 65 (see below).
Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival,Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival (newly added to the city in September 7)
The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes a boat decorating contest and turkey buffet, every June 24. Also, boat and cottage shows are held in June and August.
Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival
.
The Royal Canadian Legion
sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate.
There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain, operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
. The school website address is: www.sdc.csdccs.edu.on.ca.
Students from this elementary school would attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance which is operated by the same Board and is located in Barrie : www.escna.csdccs.edu.on.ca.
English public education in Orillia is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board
, which has nine elementary and four secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Patrick Fogarty Catholic School, Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute, Twin Lakes Secondary and Park Street Collegiate
Institute. There is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS.
Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School.
Private schools include the Orillia Christian School, and Bethel Baptist's academy.
There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College
, offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1600 students. Lakehead University
operates a small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September of 2010. There is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive their high school diploma.
The Province of Ontario also operates the Huronia Regional Centre, a home for people with severe developmental disabilities. This facility is scheduled to close in 2009. The planned closure, which has attracted controversy from patient's families and public-sector unions, will see patients moved into a community setting.
provides service on five routes throughout the city every day except Sundays and statutory holidays. All of these routes run on loops which depart and end at the downtown bus terminal on the West St. and Mississaga St. intersection.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
located in Simcoe County
Simcoe County, Ontario
Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west...
in Southern
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region 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....
, 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...
, between Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
and Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, 135 kilometres north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by the Huron and Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago as well as sites used by Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing.
Known as the "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a good number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama
Casino Rama
Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel and entertainment complex located on the reserve land of Chippewas of Rama First Nation, in the town of Rama, Ontario, Canada...
, overall economic activity in Orillia is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism.
History and geography
The site of an Ojibwa reserve from 1830 to 1838, Orillia subsequently prospered as an agricultural and lumbering community. Transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as a commercial centre and summer resort. The villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birthyear as 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...
), became a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 1875, and was designated a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in 1969. The city of Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
and Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
. Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
. Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
leads to Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
on Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
. Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world) eventually leads to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. From either of these Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
one can connect to the St. Lawrence
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and thence to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
The human history of the region extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
and Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, there is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weir
Fishing weir
A fishing weir, or fish weir, is an obstruction placed in tidal waters or wholly or partially across a river, which is designed to hinder the passage of fish. Traditionally they were built from wood or stones. They can be used to trap fish...
s used by Huron and Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in the surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
visited the area that would later become Orillia in the early 17th century. Ecole Samuel de Champlain, a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park, and is a National Historic Site of Canada.
In Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912.It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature....
, Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that the fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and the city has since the book's release attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Stephen Leacock Museum, located in Orillia, is a National Historic Site.
William E. Bell's
William E. Bell (author)
William E. Bell is a Canadian Young Adult fiction author.Bell was born in Toronto in 1945. He has been a high school English teacher and department head, an instructor at the Harbin University of Science and Technology, the Foreign Affairs College , and the University of British Columbia...
1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including the Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Big Chief Island in the middle of Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching
Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...
.
Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
and had the first municipal hydro electric transmission plant in North America.
Name
The first recorded use of the name to describe the region, which until then had no officially sanctioned designation, was in 1820 when the name was given in YorkToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
by then Lieutenant-Governor
Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario
The following is a list of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Ontario. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Ontario came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1867, the post is a continuation from the first governorship of Upper...
Sir Peregrine Maitland
Peregrine Maitland
Sir Peregrine Maitland, KCB, GCB was a British soldier and colonial administrator who played first-class cricket from 1798 to 1808....
, Maitland was a veteran of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
campaign against the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, called the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
where he served under the command of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
.
While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia, the most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since the word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are the names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro
Oro-Medonte, Ontario
Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County.The two neighbouring townships of Oro and Medonte were merged together in 1994, under a restructuring of Simcoe County. It is divided into lines based on the concession system...
for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, Mariposa for butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, and Mono
Mono, Ontario
The Town of Mono is situated in south-central Ontario, Canada, at the south-east corner of County of Dufferin, just north of Caledon and northeast of Orangeville. It stretches from Highway 9 along its southern border to Highway 89 along its northern border. Its border to the west is with the...
for monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
. Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error
Clerical error
A clerical error is an error on part of an office worker, often a secretary or personal assistant. It is a phrase which can also be used as an excuse to deflect blame away from specific individuals, such as high powered executives, and instead redirect it to the more anonymous clerical staff.A...
.
Demographics
| Census | Population | Census | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841 | 200 | 1941 | 9,705 |
| 1871 | 1,322 | 1951 | 12,110 |
| 1881 | 2,911 | 1961 | 15,345 |
| 1891 | 4,752 | 1971 | 24,040 |
| 1901 | 4,907 | 1981 | 23,955 |
| 1911 | 6,828 | 1991 | 25,925 |
| 1921 | 8,774 | 2001 | 29,121 |
| 1931 | 8,183 | 2006 | 30,259 |
According to the 2006 Canada Census, Orillia has a population of 30,259 living in an area of 28.61 square kilometres. The city has experienced moderate growth, with a population increase of over 1,000 residents (3.9 percent) since the 2001 census. The median household income in 2005 for Orillia was $46,722, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $60,455.
Economy
Economic activity in Orillia is a mix of manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism. The largest employer in the area is Casino RamaCasino Rama
Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel and entertainment complex located on the reserve land of Chippewas of Rama First Nation, in the town of Rama, Ontario, Canada...
, located in the nearby reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), [Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation (petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin
Parker Hannifin
Parker Hannifin Corporation , originally Parker Appliance Company, usually referred to as just Parker, of Mayfield Heights, Ohio , is the global leader in motion and control technologies. The company was founded in 1918, and has been publicly traded on the NYSE since December 9, 1964...
(moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for the packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining) and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people.
Otaco seating, which operated from the early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year.
G.W.B. Rope & Twine, which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973–1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries, which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996-7. "G.W.B. Rope and Twine’s" Founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched "G&B Ropes" in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in the development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes.)
Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
, which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre, formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the areas largest employers for many decades, until the de-institutionalization movement of the 1980s and 1990s.
Recreation and culture
Orillia is known as the "Sunshine City", taking the moniker from the Sunshine Sketches of a Little TownSunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock, first published in 1912.It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian humorous literature....
by Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
. Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council actively restricts the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations.
Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka, Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...
, and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's' train.
The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently 9, with 4 more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of the city's population is actually over 65 (see below).
Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival,Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival (newly added to the city in September 7)
The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes a boat decorating contest and turkey buffet, every June 24. Also, boat and cottage shows are held in June and August.
Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival
Mariposa Folk Festival
The Mariposa Folk Festival was founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a few decades, it returned to Orillia in 2000. Ruth Jones, her husband Dr...
.
The Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate.
Education
Both French and English public education offered in Orillia.There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain, operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic separate, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario. It is headquartered in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. The school website address is: www.sdc.csdccs.edu.on.ca.
Students from this elementary school would attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance which is operated by the same Board and is located in Barrie : www.escna.csdccs.edu.on.ca.
English public education in Orillia is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board
Simcoe County District School Board
Simcoe County District School Board, also known as SCDSB is one of Ontario's largest public school boards, serving Simcoe County. The schools and learning centres are dotted throughout 4,800 square kilometres in Simcoe County...
, which has nine elementary and four secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Patrick Fogarty Catholic School, Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute, Twin Lakes Secondary and Park Street Collegiate
Orillia Park Street Collegiate
Park Street Collegiate Institute is a secondary school located in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1961 to help with the overflow of students from Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute...
Institute. There is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS.
Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board administers and oversees Catholic education from Kindergarten through grade 12, in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka, in Ontario, Canada. In 2009, it encompassed 44 elementary and 9 secondary school communities...
through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School.
Private schools include the Orillia Christian School, and Bethel Baptist's academy.
There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College
Georgian College
Georgian College is an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology. Its primary campus is in Barrie, Ontario, with satellite campuses in Orillia, Midland, Collingwood, Bracebridge, Port Colborne, Orangeville, and Owen Sound....
, offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1600 students. Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
operates a small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September of 2010. There is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive their high school diploma.
Health care
The Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital is a 231-bed hospital located in the city.The Province of Ontario also operates the Huronia Regional Centre, a home for people with severe developmental disabilities. This facility is scheduled to close in 2009. The planned closure, which has attracted controversy from patient's families and public-sector unions, will see patients moved into a community setting.
Transit
Orillia TransitOrillia Transit
Orillia Transit is operated by First Student Canada under contract to the City of Orillia in central Ontario, Canada. First Student Canada provides drivers, maintains the vehicles and supplies fuel. Service is provided on four routes throughout the city every day except Sundays and statutory...
provides service on five routes throughout the city every day except Sundays and statutory holidays. All of these routes run on loops which depart and end at the downtown bus terminal on the West St. and Mississaga St. intersection.
Climate
Environmental issues
In 1989, representatives of Ogden Martin Ltd., of Mississauga, approached the City of Orillia regarding the construction of a massive recycling and incinerationIncineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
facility which was to be used for handling the trash of nearby cities and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. This was to be one of three facilities used to deal with the garbage produced by 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...
.
The plan to accept the incinerator was developed by city council with no public input, citing a potentially significant boost the local economy — not only in terms of jobs, but also in the resale of recycled materials, the energy generated by the facility and the duties charged to other cities involved. Some citizens reacted negatively to the closed-doors approach to the talks. Indeed, Orillia's then-mayor, John Palmer, noted on the day of the vote on the plan that Ogden Martin "has asked council not to reveal any details until tonight."(Orillia Packet & Times, 4-9-90).
Many residents were concerned about the environmental effect this would have on the region, leading to protests and public awareness programs by a network of concerned citizens calling themselves Stop Incineration Now. At a protest by a large number of high school students led by ODCVI Student and President of the Environment Club, Chris Thomas, then-mayor John Palmer famously noted that if he had been their teacher, "I'd shoot every last one of you", a quote that was shown on televised news and reported in Orillia and Toronto newspapers.
When city council made no effort to involve the public in the discussions, anti-incineration activists polled over 2,000 residents on Ogden Martin's proposal, and found that 75% were against incineration, 10% for incineration, and 15% undecided. A petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
was circulated against the incinerator and was signed by approximately 9,000 residents (out of a total population of only 24,000).
A committee consisting of Orillia's 54 doctors generated a report, based on extensive research of published health data, that recommended a rejection of the incinerator proposal - 52 (and later, 53) of the doctors endorsed the report. Dr. Don Philpott, a member of the committee, noted that: "People can be bamboozled into thinking that acceptable risk means no additional risk, but that is just not true..." In retaliation for the call to reject the incinerator's installation, Ogden Martin threatened to sue the doctors of Orillia for defamation. The Ontario Medical Association
Ontario Medical Association
The Ontario Medical Association is a professional organization for physicians in Ontario, Canada founded in 1880. It represents and, to a certain degree, governs approximately 24,000 physicians in Ontario. The association's main office is located at 150 Bloor St. West in Toronto. The current...
(OMA) passed a resolution in support of the Orillia doctors, after which the threat of litigation was dropped.
The provincial New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) government under Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
had a strong agenda of environmental protection and quickly began to fight the initiative to build these incinerators. In September 1992, and citing a number of reasons, the Ministry of Environment under the NDP government banned the development of new municipal solid waste incinerators and enacted stricter standards for existing incinerators. The Environment Minister at the time, Ruth Grier
Ruth Grier
Ruth Anna Grier is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995, and served as a high-profile cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae....
, called incinerators "a technological quick fix which creates new environmental problems without solving old ones."
Incinerators are highly controversial generally, and are known to generate toxic emissions and to produce ash that may itself need to be quarantined as hazardous waste
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
. The energy production value is also questionable, given the expenditure required for scrubbers and detoxification mechanisms. While it was claimed that the proposed incinerator would have produced only a small amount of carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
, which would have been sent into extreme elevations and eventually fallen in northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, environmentalists' concerns were more focused on the emission of heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
, dioxins
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are by-products of various industrial processes, and are commonly regarded as highly toxic compounds that are environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants . They include:...
and other carcinogens, and other hazardous materials. Moreover, Ogden Martin's questionable environmental record suggests that the filtration of particulate matter would have been imperfect at best. Notably, in 1992 the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) cited Ogden Martin for 6,000 violations between 1989 and 1991 at its Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
incinerator alone.
The citizens' campaign ultimately led to a rejection of the plan by the city council and Toronto now ships much of its waste to the United States, although there have also been recent efforts to improve recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
and composting programs.
Unfortunately, problems remain with the city's current approach to waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
. The city's landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
site is placed near the lakeshore on what was once a bog, with a stream running through it into Lake Simcoe. This has caused the water near the site to have an unpleasant odour. Movements to shut down the dump and create a new one in another location have been rejected due to the cost of such an effort, despite the environmental cost already being paid by the region. The Orillia landfill site also contains an on-site composting, sorting and recycling programme, although it remains the case that the composting site is even closer to the Simcoe waterfront than the other waste.
Ontario Provincial Police Headquarters
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
to Orillia. The office was initially located in the Tudhope Building downtown (part of which is currently used as the Orillia City Hall) until the new building was opened in 1995. The headquarters, known as the Lincoln M. Alexander Building, is located on Memorial Avenue near the Huronia Regional Centre. The building houses the assorted bureaus and divisions that make up the general headquarters, as well as the Provincial Police Academy, OPP Museum and headquarters for the Central Region.
The OPP also provides municipal policing to the City of Orillia under contract from a detachment located in the downtown core. The city's police force was disbanded when the policing contract began in 1996.
Radio
- FM 105.9 - CICXCICX-FMCICX-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 105.9 FM in Orillia, Ontario. The station airs a country format under the KICX-FM brand.-History:...
"Kicx 106", Country MusicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music... - FM 89.1 - CISOCISO-FMCISO-FM is a new Canadian radio station, that will broadcast an adult contemporary music format at 89.1 MHz in Orillia, Ontario. The station's branding will be Sunshine 89.1....
"Sunshine 89.1 FM" Adult Contemporary - FM 98.5 - CIOACIOA-FMCIOA-FM is a new Canadian radio station, which will broadcast tourist information programming at 98.5 FM in Orillia, Ontario.Owned by Instant Information Services, the station received CRTC on June 1, 2009....
- tourist information station
There are also rebroadcast transmitters for CBC affiliates:
- FM 90.7 for CBL-FMCBL-FMCBL-FM is the CBC Radio 2 station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts at 94.1 on the FM dial, and also serves Huntsville , Orillia , Peterborough and other locations in Ontario....
- FM 91.5 (CBCO) for CBC Radio OneCBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
TV
- CFTO-TVCFTO-TVCFTO-DT, broadcast on channel 9 and cable 8, is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Currently branded as CTV Toronto, it is the flagship station of the CTV Television Network, and was one of the charter members of the network when it was launched in 1961. It...
channel 21Channel 21Channel 21 could refer to:* Channel 21 , a German television channel formerly known as "RTL Shop"TV21 could refer to:* TV Century 21Channel 21 refers to several television stations:...
(CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
repeater of CFTO-TV channel 9 Toronto)
Residents of note
- A. Charles BaillieA. Charles BaillieAlexander Charles Baillie, OC is the former CEO of TD Bank Financial Group; he served in this role until December, 2002.He served as the 12th Chancellor of Queen's University. He was appointed on July 1, 2002 and completed 2 consecutive three-year terms as Chancellor. He was succeeded by David A....
, Chancellor of Queen's UniversityQueen's UniversityQueen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England... - James K. BartlemanJames K. BartlemanJames Karl Bartleman, O.Ont is a Canadian diplomat, author, and was the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 2002 to 2007....
, diplomat and Lieutenant Governor of OntarioLieutenant Governor of OntarioThe Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United... - William E. BellWilliam E. Bell (author)William E. Bell is a Canadian Young Adult fiction author.Bell was born in Toronto in 1945. He has been a high school English teacher and department head, an instructor at the Harbin University of Science and Technology, the Foreign Affairs College , and the University of British Columbia...
, author - Franklin CarmichaelFranklin CarmichaelFranklin Carmichael was a Canadian artist. He was the youngest original member of the Group of Seven.-Biography:The youngest of the Group of Seven, Franklin Carmichael was born in 1890. His father was a carriage maker...
, one of the Group of SevenGroup of Seven (artists)The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley... - Leslie FrostLeslie FrostLeslie Miscampbell Frost, was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the 16th Premier from May 4, 1949 to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man Ontario".-Early years:...
, Premier of OntarioPremier of OntarioThe Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario... - Jake GaudaurJake GaudaurFor the former world champion sculler see Jake Gaudaur Snr.Jacob Gill "Jake" Gaudaur, Jr., OC was a Canadian Football League player, executive, and commissioner...
, football player - Jake Gaudaur Sr., champion oarsman
- Glenn GouldGlenn GouldGlenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
, pianist - Stephen LeacockStephen LeacockStephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
, humourist - Doug LewisDoug LewisDouglas Grinslade "Doug" Lewis, PC, QC, is a Canadian former politician.A chartered accountant and lawyer by training, Lewis entered the Canadian House of Commons when he won the seat of Simcoe North, Ontario, as a Progressive Conservative in the 1979 federal election...
, politician and lawyer - Rick LeyRick LeyRichard Norman Ley is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association .-Playing career:...
, hockey player - Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
, singer/songwriter of Canadian classics like: If You Could Read My Mind and Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Robert W. Mackenzie, politician
- Bob McDonald, chief science correspondent for the CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
- Ethan MoreauEthan MoreauEthan Byron Moreau is a professional ice hockey left winger who is currently playing with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Prior to this, he was a alternate captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League...
, Columbus Blue JacketsColumbus Blue JacketsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
hockey player - Brian OrserBrian OrserBrian Ernest Orser, OC is a Canadian retired competitive and professional figure skater. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion and the 1981-1988 Canadian national champion....
, figure skater - Jack Reid, artist, watercolours
- Ted RoopTed RoopThomas Edward Roop is an Canadian radio and media personality most notable for the Roop, Wix and Meg In The Morning which since March 3, 2008 has been broadcasting on 104.1 The Dock . Not only is Ted one of the hosts of the morning show on The DOCK CICZ-FM, he is also Director of Programming for...
, Morning Radio Show Host - 104.1 The DOCK - Sir Samuel SteeleSam SteeleMajor General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele, CB, KCMG, MVO was a distinguished Canadian soldier and police official...
, soldier and member of the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,... - Elizabeth Wyn WoodElizabeth Wyn WoodElizabeth Wyn Wood was a Canadian sculptor, born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Wood studied sculpture at the Ontario College of Art and at the Art Students League of New York...
, sculptor - Marnie WoodrowMarnie WoodrowMarnie Woodrow is a Canadian writer and editor. She has also worked as a researcher/writer for TV and radio.Woodrow has published two short fiction collections, Why We Close Our Eyes When We Kiss in 1991 and In the Spice House in 1996, and the novel Spelling Mississippi in 2002...
, novelist - Chief Yellowhead, aka Mesqua Ukie (where the name Muskoka derives from). He signed treaties and gave over lands in the Muskoka area to the Ontario government. They honoured him by building a home in Orillia, where he lived until his death at age 95.