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London, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City – Windsor corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census.

London is the seat of Middlesex County, at the forks of the non-navigable Thames ricer, halfway between Toronto and Detroit, Michigan. London and the surrounding area (roughly, the territory between Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor) is collectively known as Southwestern Ontario. The City of London is a single-tier municipality, politically separate from Middlesex County though it remains the official county seat.

London was first settled by Europeans in 1826 and was incorporated as a city on January 1, 1855. Since then, London has grown into the largest Southwestern Ontario municipality and the city has developed a strong focus towards education, health care, tourism, manufacturing, economic leadership and prosperity.

History

Prior to European contact in the 18th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous Algonquin and Iroquois villages; the Algonquin village at the forks of Askunessippi (now called the Thames River) was called Kotequogong.

This location was selected to be the site of the future capital of Upper Canada in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. It was Simcoe who named the settlement after London, England and also renamed the river; however, his choice was initially rejected by Guy Carleton, (Governor Dorchester), who made the comment that "access to London would be limited to hot-air balloons".

In 1814, there was a skirmish during the War of 1812 in what is now southwest London at Reservoir Hill, formerly Hungerford Hill.

The village itself was not founded until 1826 and never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel Thomas Talbot, who oversaw the surveying of the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of Southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement, it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario).

In 1832, the new settlement suffered an outbreak of cholera. London remained a centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although there was a brief rebellion led by Dr. Charles Duncombe, who was forced to flee to the U.S.

On April 13, 1845, a large fire destroyed much of London, which was at the time filled with mostly wooden buildings. One of the first casualties of the fire was the town's only fire engine. In the 1860s, sulphur hot springs were discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for oil. The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the 20th century when a textile factory was built at the site, replacing the spa.

In 1875, London's first iron bridge, the Blackfriars Street Bridge, was constructed. A rare example of a bowstring through truss bridge, it remains open to vehicular traffic today. The bridge was produced by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio; however, a local contractor, Isaac Crouse (1825–1915), was the contractor who undertook the actual erection of the bridge. Isaac Crouse was responsible for portions of the construction of many bridges in London. Although many repairs and modifications have been made to the Blackfriars Bridge, the structure remains an historic relic designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, still serving its original purpose.

While other Protestant cities in Ontario (notably Toronto) remained under the sway of the Orange Order well into the 20th Century, London abandoned sectarianism in the 19th Century. In 1877, Catholic and Protestant Irish in London formed the Irish Benevolent Society, which was open to both Catholics and Protestants and forbade the discussion of Irish politics. The influence of the Orange Order (and of Catholic organizations) quickly waned. The Society survives to this day.

On May 24, 1881, the ferry SS Victoria capsized in the Thames River, drowning approximately 200 passengers, the worst disaster in London's history. Two years later, on July 12, 1883, the first of the two most devastating floods in London's history killed 17 people. The second major flood occurred on April 26, 1937, which destroyed more than 1000 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages, particularly in West London. After repeated floods the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority built Fanshawe Dam to control the level of the Thames; it opened in 1952. Financing came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Other natural disasters include a 1984 tornado that led to damage on several streets in the White Oaks area of South London.

London's role as a military centre continued into the 20th Century during the two World Wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active garrison support unit in the city at Wolseley Barracks.

London annexed many of the surrounding communities in 1961, including Byron and Masonville, adding 60,000 people and more than doubling its area. After this amalgamation, suburban growth accelerated as London grew outward in all directions, creating expansive new subdivisions such as Westmount, Oakridge, Whitehills, Pond Mills and White Oaks.

In 1993, London annexed nearly the entire Town of Westminster, a large, primarily rural municipality directly south of the city. With this massive annexation, London almost doubled in area again, adding several thousand more residents. London now stretches south to the boundary with Elgin County.

The 1993 annexation has made London one of the largest urban municipalities in Ontario. Intense commercial/residential development is presently occurring in the southwest and northwest areas of the city. Opponents of this development cite urban sprawl and transportation concerns as major issues facing London. The City of London is currently the fifteenth-largest city in Canada and the sixth-largest city in Ontario.

Law and government

London's municipal government is split between fourteen councillors (one representing each of London's fourteen wards) and a Board of Control, consisting of four controllers and the mayor. London's current mayor is Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, re-elected in 2006.

Historically, the Board of Control was introduced during a period of expansion so the ward councillors could deal with ward issues while the board dealt with problems affecting the entire city. Although London has many ties to Middlesex County, it is now "separated" and the two have no jurisdictional overlap. Exception here is granted to the Middlesex County courthouse and former jail as the judiciary is administered directly by the province.

The composition of the city council was challenged by two ballot questions during the civic election of 2003 on whether city council should be reduced in size and whether the Board of Control should be eliminated. Councillor Fred Tranquilli, Ward 3, was responsible for these ballot initiatives. He presented a re-designed form of local government entitled 'A Better Way', which was a modification of a similar proposal presented by the Urban League of London after the City's last annexation in 1996. Both would have seen the council reduced to ten wards and Board of Control eliminated. The council could not come to a determination and as a result decided to put two questions on the ballot for the fall 2003 election.

While the "yes" votes prevailed in both instances, the voter turnout failed to exceed 50 per cent and was therefore insufficient to make the decisions binding under the Municipal Act. When the council voted to retain the status quo Imagine London, a citizens group, petitioned the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to change the ward composition of the city from seven wards in a roughly radial pattern from the downtown core to 14 wards defined by communities of interest in the city which includes a separate ward for the core.

The OMB ruled for the petitioners in December, 2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision via the courts, leave was denied on February 28, 2006 in a decision of Superior Court's Justice McDermid.

In response, the city conceded to the governance change, but asked for special legislation from the province to ensure that there will only be one councilor in each of the 14 new wards, not two. On June 1, 2006 the Ontario bill received royal assent which guarantees that London will have one councillor per ward.

Civic initiatives

Special City of London initiatives in Old East London, such as the creation of the Old East Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, special Building Code policies and Facade Restoration Programs, are helping to create a renewed sense of vigor in the East London Business District.

Geography

The area was formed during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age, which produced areas of marshland, notably the Sifton Bog (which is actually a fen), as well as some of the most productive areas of farmland in Ontario. The eastern half of the city is generally flat, with the exception being around the five neighboring ponds in the south, with gently rolling hills in the west and north.

The Thames River dominates London's geography, with the North Thames River and Thames River meeting at the centre of the city known as "The Forks" or "The Fork of the Thames." The North Thames runs through the man-made Fanshawe Lake, located in northeast London. Fanshawe Lake was created by Fanshawe Dam, which was constructed to protect the areas down river from catastrophic flooding which affected the city on two occasions in the past (1883 and 1937).

Climate

Because of its location in the continent and proximity to the great lakes, London experiences very contrasting seasons. The summers are usually hot and muggy, while the winters are normally quite cold but with frequent thaws. London has the most thunder and lightning storms of any area in Canada. For its southerly location within Canada, it does receive quite a lot of snow, averaging slightly over 200cm (80 in.) per year. The majority of this is lake effect snow originating from Lake Huron, some 60km (40 mi.) to the northwest which occurs when strong, cold winds blow from that direction.

Major parks

Victoria Park, in downtown London

Labatt Memorial Park, in central London at the river forks

Harris Park, in central London

Gibbons Park, in north-central London

Fanshawe Conservation Area, in northeast London

Springbank Park, in southwest London

Westminister Ponds, in south London

Byron Bog

Economy and industry

London's economy is dominated by locomotive and military vehicle production, insurance, and information technology; the London Life insurance company was founded there, and Electro-Motive Diesels, Inc. (formerly General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division) now builds all its locomotives in London. General Dynamics Land Systems also builds armoured personnel carriers there. London also is a source of life sciences and biotechnology related research; much of this is spurred on by the University of Western Ontario. The headquarters of the Canadian division of 3M are located in London and both the Labatt and Carling breweries were founded here. Kellogg’s also has a major factory in London. Thanks to a $223 million expansion that started in 1984, Kellogg Canada's 106,000 m² London plant is one of the most technologically advanced cereal manufacturing facilities within the Kellogg Company. A portion of the population of the city work in factories outside of the city limits, including Ford and the joint General Motors Suzuki automotive plant CAMI, with further potential in a future Toyota plant in Woodstock.

In 1999 the Western Fair Association introduced slot machines. Currently, 750 slot machines operate at the fair grounds year-round.

For many years, London has been deemed a "test market" for Canada. International companies have used London to introduce their products and companies into Canada. They use London because it is considered the average Canadian city.

Education

Elementary and Secondary

London elementary and secondary schools are under the control of two school boards, the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.

Post-secondary

London is the home to three post-secondary institutions: the University of Western Ontario (UWO), Westervelt College and Fanshawe College.

UWO was founded in 1878 and has 1,164 faculty members and almost 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It has consistently placed in the top five in the annual Maclean’s magazine rankings of Canadian universities. The Richard Ivey School of Business, part of UWO, was formed in 1922 and has been ranked among the best business schools in the world. UWO has three affiliated colleges: Brescia University College, founded in 1919, Canada's only university-level women's college; Huron University College, founded in 1863 (thus pre-dating UWO itself) and King’s University College, founded in 1954. The affiliated colleges are liberal-arts colleges with religious affiliations, Huron with the Anglican Church of Canada and King's and Brescia with the Roman Catholic Church.

Fanshawe College has an enrolment of approximately 13,000 students, including 3,500 apprentices and more than 200 international students from over 80 countries, as well as almost 40,000 registrants in part-time continuing education courses. Fanshawe's Key Performance Indicators (KPI) has been over the provincial average for many years now, with increasing percentages year by year. [3]

The Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) is also in London.

Sports

London is currently home to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, who play at the John Labatt Centre, the host arena of the 2005 Memorial Cup. The Knights were both 2004-2005 OHL and Memorial Cup Champions. They are by far the most popular sports team in the city. During the summer months, the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League play at historic Labatt Park.

The University of Western Ontario teams play under the name Mustangs. The university's football team plays at TD Waterhouse Stadium. Western's Baseball Club (defending OUA champions) plays all their home games at Labatt Park.

Labatt Park, which opened in 1877, is the world's oldest operating baseball grounds still in its original location.

The Forest City Velodrome, located at the former London Ice House, is the only indoor cycling facility in Ontario and the third built in North America. It opened in 2005.

Arts and culture

London's diverse cultural offering boosts its tourism industry. The city is home to many festivals throughout the summer including the London International Children's Festival, the Home County Folk Festival, the Taste of London festival, London Ribfest which is the second largest rib festival in North America and Sunfest, a World music and culture festival — the second biggest in Canada after Caribana in Toronto.

Musically, London is home to Orchestra London, a professional symphony orchestra, the London Youth Symphony, the Amabile Choirs of London, Canada and also the Guy Lombardo Museum. There are several museums and theatrical facilities including Museum London, which is located at the Forks of the Thames. Museum London exhibits art by a wide variety of local, regional and national artists including Paul Peel and Greg Curnoe. London is also home to the Museum of Archaeology, owned by the University of Western Ontario (UWO), with a reconstructed Iroquois village, the McIntosh Gallery which is an art gallery on the UWO campus and The Grand Theatre which is a professional theatre with a secondary stage named the McManus Studio. Other places and events of artistic and cultural interest include:

Forest City Gallery, an artist-run centre, founded in 1973

Fanshawe Pioneer Village, a reconstructed 19th century village

Storybook Gardens, an amusement park/zoo for children

Home County Folk Festival, a folk music festival

London Fringe Festival

London Balloon Festival, displays of hot air balloons

Hawk Rocks the Park an annual Classic Rock music festival held in Harris Park by Radio Station the Hawk.

Western Fair, an annual agricultural fair and midway in September.

Western Fair Raceway, a half-mile (802 m) harness racing track and simulcast centre; despite its name, it operates year-round. The grounds include a coin slot casino and Sports and Agri-plex.

John Labatt Centre, sports-entertainment complex

London Rib-Fest, currently the second largest rib-fest in North America.

TD Waterhouse Stadium, an all-purpose stadium at the University of Western Ontario

Forest City Velodrome, an indoor bicycle track at the former London Ice House

Spriet Children's Theatre, used primarily by The Original Kids theatrical company

The Arts Project, an art gallery, workshop and theatre.

The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum, Wolseley Barracks

Transportation

Rail

London is on the Canadian National Railway main line between Toronto and Chicago (with a secondary main line to Windsor) and the Canadian Pacific Railway main line between Toronto and Detroit. VIA Rail operates passenger service through London station as part of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, with connections to the United States.

Bus

London is also an important destination for inter-city bus travellers. The Greyhound Canada express services to and from Toronto are heavily travelled, and connecting services radiate from London throughout southwestern Ontario and through to the American cities of Detroit, Michigan and Chicago.

Air

London International Airport (YXU) is served by airlines including Air Canada Jazz, WestJet, SkyService and Northwest Airlink, and provides direct flights to popular national and international destinations. Many flights to nearby major airports Toronto and Detroit are flown daily, as well as a daily non-stop to Ottawa.

Miscellaneous

Like most cities of its size or larger, London has several taxi and for-hire limousine services and the London Transit Commission has 38 bus routes throughout the city. London is believed to be the only jurisdiction in North America where executive-class, sedan limousines can accept street-flags and wait for walk-on customers outside bars and restaurants, a popular by-product of the city's controversial and on-going taxi wars. Recently, London has constructed cycleways along some of its major arteries in order to encourage a reduction in automobile use.

Miscellaneous

Contrary to popular belief, London did not take on the name "Forest City" due to the number of trees in the city. In its early days, London was an isolated destination and one would have to walk through a forest to get there. So it can be said that London was a "city within a forest" and as such earned the nickname "The Forest City." In modern times, however, Londoners have become protective of the trees in the city, protesting "unnecessary" removal of trees. The City Council and tourist industry have created projects to replant trees throughout the city.