Wheatley is a community in Southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...

, 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...

, within the municipality of Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Chatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of...

. It lies about 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Leamington

Leamington, Ontario

Leamington is a municipality in Essex County, southern Ontario, Canada, and has a population of 31,113. It includes Point Pelee, the southernmost point of mainland Canada. It has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the...

. Nearby parks include Two Creeks Conservation Area, which has 15 km of hiking and bicycling paths, Kopegaron Woods Conservation Area, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area and Point Pelee National Park

Point Pelee National Park

-See also:*National Parks of Canada*List of National Parks of Canada*Long Point-External links:**...

. Rondeau Provincial Park

Rondeau Provincial Park

Rondeau Provincial Park is a provincial park in southwestern Ontario, Canada, located on an 8 km long crescentic sand spit extending into Lake Erie. There are only two sand spits like this one in all of North America, one in Rondeau and one in Florida. Rondeau was established in 1894 as a response...

 is only a forty-five minute drive to the east. It also boasts Wheatley Provincial Park

Wheatley Provincial Park

Wheatley Provincial Park is a protected area in the municipality of Chatham–Kent in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Erie near the community of Wheatley and occupies an area of...

, home to the endangered Blue Racer snake, which can only be found in the park as well as the Point Pelee National Park

Point Pelee National Park

-See also:*National Parks of Canada*List of National Parks of Canada*Long Point-External links:**...

 and on Pelee Island.

The town has a few beaches, and the Camper's Cove Campsite and beach, as well as Holiday Harbour. It lies on former Highway 3

Highway 3 (Ontario)

King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...

. The town's population before merging with Chatham-Kent in 1998 was roughly 1,500. It is now about 1,700.

Wheatley is the primary community of licence for CHWI

CHWI-TV

CHWI-DT is a Canadian television station owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Two system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham....

, a television station more popularly associated with the city 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...

.

Wheatley's sign proclaims it as the "Freshwater Fish Capital of the World" and as a large fishing port located on Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

. It has been home to many fisheries.

Hike Metal Products

Hike Metal Products

Hike Metail Products is a Wheatley, Ontario based manufacturer of small to mid sized boats used for firefighting, lifeboats, research vessels, law enforcement and other rescue and patrol operations. The company also performs ship refitting and metal fabricating....

, a shipbuilding/refitting/fabricating company based at the harbour, is the builder of the Maid of the Mist

Maid of the Mist

The Maid of the Mist is a boat tour of Niagara Falls. The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe...

, the vessel used at Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

 for the tours under the great Canadian waterfall. It also built the 141-foot Copasetic, a research vessel, as well as a ferry for the Toronto Island Airport, to take passengers and vehicles from downtown Toronto

Downtown Toronto

Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...

 to the Toronto Islands

Toronto Islands

The Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands in the city of Toronto, Ontario. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the city centre, and provide shelter for Toronto Harbour...

.

The town celebrates an annual Fish Festival the first weekend of August, St. John the Baptist celebration in June, outdoor summer concerts, Two Creeks Conservation Area events, and other community events. It is on the flight path for migratory birds and monarch butterflies and annually attracts birders from around the world.

Wheatley has an elementary public school, which hosts many different activities and sports. Wheatley has minor and senior soccer, sponsored by the Chatham-Kent Police.

Wheatley's arena, home to the Sharks hockey team, lies directly behind the public school and is NHL-approved. Wheatley's skating lessons are highly acclaimed.

Wheatley's downtown is home to restaurants. Other buildings include Royal Canadian Legion Branch 324, with its collection of militaria, a pharmacy, The Wheatley Journal, post office, library and bank. Wheatley's Remembrance Day events take place on the library grounds, as do other ceremonies.

External links

• Wheatley at Geographical Names of Canada