Etobicoke, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Etobicoke (Dissolved) | |||
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| Country | Canada  |
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| Province | Ontario  |
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| Established | 1 January 1850 (township) | ||
| 1 January 1967 (borough) | |||
| Incorporated Amalgamation |
June 1983 (city) 1 January 1998 |
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| Government | |||
| - Mayor | David Miller (Toronto Mayor) | ||
| - Governing Body | Toronto City Council | ||
| - MPs | Roy Cullen, Michael Ignatieff, Borys Wrzesnewskyj | ||
| - MPPs | Shafiq Qaadri, Donna Cansfield, Laurel Broten | ||
| Area [1] | |||
| - Disolved city | 123.93 km² (47.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2001 census)[1] | |||
| - Disolved city | 338,117 | ||
| - Density | 2,728.3/km² (7,066.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Postal code span | M8V-M9C, M9P-M9R, M9V-M9W | ||
| Area code(s) | 416, 647 | ||
Etobicoke (pronounced [əˈtoʊbəˌkoʊ] listen ) is the western portion of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with an official population of 338,117 [1] as measured by the 2001 Census. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by the city of Mississauga, and on the north by the city of Vaughan.
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[edit] History
It is thought that the French explorer, Étienne Brûlé, was the first European to visit the area, circa 1615.
The name "Etobicoke" was derived from the Mississauga word wah-do-be-kang (wadoopikaang)[1], meaning "place where the black/wild alders grow", which was used to describe the area between Etobicoke Creek and the Humber River. The first provincial land surveyor, Augustus Jones, also spelled it as "ato-be-coake". Etobicoke was finally adopted as the official name in 1796.
The township of Etobicoke was incorporated in 1850. In 1954, Etobicoke Township became a part of the newly-formed regional government, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro").
In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside municipalities — Long Branch, New Toronto, and Mimico — to form the borough of Etobicoke. The borough was reincorporated as a city in 1984.
In 1998, six local municipalities (including Etobicoke) and the Metropolitan Toronto government merged to form the amalgamated city of Toronto.
[edit] Nature of the suburb
Etobicoke has the lowest population density out of the former cities and boroughs that currently make up the city of Toronto. This is mainly due to its vast expanses of industrial lands. Several major freeways are routed through the area, making the area ideal for automobile-based transportation. Public transit does not serve the area well, with few rapid transit connections.
Many exceptions to Toronto's gridded street matrix are found in Etobicoke. A number of overpasses and awkward intersections, such as Bloor/Kipling/Dundas West, have been created in an effort to reconcile the grid with these planning anomalies.
Etobicoke has numerous public parks, notable among them is James Gardens on the banks of the Humber River. The park includes seasonal flowers, walkways, a rock garden, streams, and waterfalls. It is a very popular site for taking wedding photographs. The Humber Bay park is mostly located in Etobicoke.
The central/southern areas of Etobicoke are better served by public transit and closer to the city centre. These areas, such as Markland Wood, The Kingsway and New Toronto, consist of large green spaces, numerous parks, golf courses (including St. Georges Golf & Country Club, ranked 3rd best in Canada)[2], numerous restaurants and cafes, and fine boutiques. Residential development consists primarily of single-family dwellings. Kingsway South neighbourhood has attracted many affluent individuals and families (as of 2001, over 50% of households have an income in excess of C$100,000/year)[3], and remains one of Toronto's premier neighbourhoods.
The central areas of Etobicoke, although farther from the subway line, are still well-served by public transit buses. These neighbourhoods are generally middle class.
Unfortunately, some areas in Etobicoke have become neglected, "inner-ring" suburbs, such as Rexdale. Car culture infrastructure built in the 1960s is in a state of disrepair. These areas are dominated by unadorned, single-storeyed development and treeless, tarmac-covered prairie. Deflated real estate values have made these areas concentrated areas of poverty and crime. These central and northern areas of Etobicoke contain numerous high-density apartment complexes set in the middle of sizable, open fields and parks.
Etobicoke is home to Humber College, University of Guelph-Humber, Woodbine Race Track and Slots, Woodbine Centre and Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre.
[edit] Mayors and Reeves of Etobicoke
- 1850 William Gamble, Reeve
- 1851-1854 Joseph Smith, Reeve
- 1855-1857 Alexander McFarlane, Reeve
- 1858-1864 Edward Musson, Reeve
- 1865-1870 William Wallace, Reeve
- 1873 John Clark, Reeve
- 1874-1876 William Wallace, Reeve
- 1877-1884 Matthew Canning, Reeve
- 1885-1896 John D. Evans, Reeve
- 1897-1900 David L. Streight, Reeve
- 1901 John T. Carr, Reeve
- 1902-1905 John Bryans, Reeve
- 1906 Franklin E. Shaver, Reeve
- 1907 John D. Evans, Reeve
- 1908 John Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1909 Russell S. Warner, Reeve
- 1910-1912 John Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1913-1917 Charles Silverthorn, Reeve
- 1918 James Dandridge, Reeve
- 1919-1920 William G. Jackson, Reeve
- 1921-1924 William J. Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1925-1926 T.A.C. Tier, Reeve
- 1927-1929 J. Ray Price, Reeve
- 1930-1931 Robert Marshall, Reeve
- 1932 William J. Gardhouse, Reeve
- 1934-1936 William A. Armstrong, Reeve
- 1937 William L. Stephens, Reeve
- 1938-1943 William A. Armstrong, (resigned Feb. 1943) Reeve
- 1943-1946 F.A.C. Butler, Reeve
- 1947-1952 Clive M. Sinclair, K.C., Reeve
- 1953-1956 W. Beverley Lewis, Reeve
- 1957-1962 H.O. Waffle, Reeve
- 1963-1966 John P. MacBeth, Reeve
- 1967-1972 Edward A. Horton, Mayor
- 1973-1983 C. Dennis Flynn, Mayor
- 1984-1993 Bruce Sinclair, (effective September 4, 1984), Mayor
- 1994-1998 Doug Holyday, Mayor
[edit] Education
Public schools in Etobicoke are overseen by the Toronto District School Board. High schools include Central Etobicoke High School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, founded in 1928, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, North Albion Collegiate Institute, Richview Collegiate Institute, founded in 1958, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Thistletown Collegiate Institute, West Humber Collegiate Institute, founded in 1966, and the specialist Etobicoke School of the Arts, founded in 1983, Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy.
In addition to the public school system, Etobicoke is home to several Catholic schools, overseen by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. These include Michael Power/St. Joseph High School, Bishop Allen Academy, Don Bosco High School, Father John Redmond High School, and Father Henry Carr in Rexdale.
[edit] Sport
The area is also home to the local Etobicoke & District Cricket League. Etobicoke has a local soccer team known as the Etobicoke Football Club. It is also home to the Etobicoke Kangaroos Australian rules football club, participating in the Ontario Australian Football League. In addition it is home to the Etobicoke Ringette Association, competing in the Central Ontario Ringette League. Etobicoke Canucks is in Greater Toronto Hockey League.
[edit] Notable residents / natives of Etobicoke
- Michael Seater, actor
- Mike Bullard, talk show host
- Manny Fernandez, professional hockey player
- Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
- J.S. Woodsworth, social activist and founding leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the precursor to the New Democratic Party
- Dave Foley, actor
- Dan Redican, actor/writer
- Brendan Shanahan, professional hockey player
- Catherine O'Hara, actress.
- Robin Duke, actress.
- June Callwood, social activist
- Allan Rock, former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
- Keanu Reeves, actor ("The Matrix")
- Mark Napier - professional hockey player
- David Bolland - hockey player, London Knights, member of the National Canadian Junior Hockey Team
- Paul Stalteri - professional soccer player
- Dave Bidini - musician, the Rheostatics, author "On a Cold Road"; "Tropic of Hockey"
- Martin Tielli - musician, the Rheostatics
- Tim Vesely - musician, the Rheostatics
- Dave Clark - musician, the Rheostatics and the dinner is ruined band
- Ghetto Concept - hip-hop artists. Pioneers in Toronto's hip-hop scene 1993-2003 (Rexdale)
- Kiefer Sutherland - main actor for TV series, 24. Attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute.
- Nandeep Bamrah - youngest recipient of an MBA at age 17 [4]
- Mike Lobel - actor. Attended Etobicoke School of the Arts.
- Nicole Stamp - host of Reach For The Top. Attended Richview Collegiate Institute.
- Emily Haines - singer. Attended Etobicoke School of the Arts.
- Chris Buck - portrait & advertising photographer, grew up in Etobicoke.
- Estella Warren - model/actress. Attended Silverthorn Collegiate Institute.
- Douglas Wright - model/musician. Attended Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
- Ken Dryden - politician and former NHL goaltender. Attended Etobicoke Collegiate Institute.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Nichols, John D. and Earl Nyholm. 1994. A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
[edit] References
- Community Profile: Etobicoke city (dissolved), Ontario; Statistics Canada
- Inside Toronto - The Weekender; March 27, 2005
- New Toronto Historical Society
- Photographs of Etobicoke
- Etobicoke Ethnocultural Profile
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|---|---|---|
| Municipalities amalgamated in... | ||
| 1998 | East York · Etobicoke · North York · Scarborough · Toronto · York · Metropolitan Toronto |  |
| 1967 | Forest Hill · Leaside · Long Branch · Mimico · New Toronto · Swansea · Weston | |
| 1883– 1912 |
1912: Dovercourt · Earlscourt 1910: Moore Park · North Toronto 1909: Bracondale · Midway · West Toronto · Wychwood 1908: Deer Park · East Toronto 1905: Rosedale 1890: Bedford Park · Davisville · Eglinton 1889: Parkdale 1888: Seaton Village 1884: Brockton · Riverdale 1883: Yorkville | |
