Port Colborne, Ontario

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Location of Port Colborne in the Niagara Region

Port Colborne (2001 population 18,450) is a city on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario, Canada near Niagara Falls. The city is named after Sir John Colborne, a British war hero and the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at the time of the opening of the First Welland Canal.

The city grew up around the canal, and is home to one of the world's longest canal locks at 1,380 ft (420 m). The lock is very flat at an elevation of one to four ft depending on the water level in lake Erie. The Welland Canal joins lake Erie shortly south of the lock and is crossed by one of very few remaining lift bridges on the canal. The annual Canal Days festival with live music, an antique car show, food from around the globe and other attractions attracts large numbers of visitors.

A curiosity in town is the "incredible shrinking mill". When travelling east on Lakeshore road, the mill at the horizon seems close, but seems to move farther away as one drives closer to it.

To the east of downtown lies Sherkston Shores resort, offering over 2 miles of sandy beach, a privately held campground, minigolf, horseback riding and other attractions.

Golf enthusiasts can choose from 3 golf courses open from April until late fall.

One of the city's main employers until the 1990's used to be Inco, operating a nickel refinery on the east side of town. Today this refinery is partially shut down and only a fraction of people are employed by INCO.

There are two high schools in Port Colborne, the Port Colborne High School and the Lakeshore Catholic High School.

Recently, the Port Colborne Nautical Heritage Museum opened up the "Marie Semley Research Wing", commemorating the long-standing efforts of a local resident who devoted hours to the museum.