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McIntyre Ward Coordinates: 48°27′N 89°16′W / 48.45, -89.27
Dawson Road
Population 16,200 (2006)	Councillor Trevor Giertuga
Location in Thunder Bay

McIntyre ward is an electoral ward in Thunder Bay, comprising the northwest portion of the former city of Port Arthur. It had a population of approximately 16,200 in 2006,^[1] and is represented on Thunder Bay City Council by Trevor Giertuga.^[2] It is the largest ward in Thunder Bay covering in area in excess of 150 square kilometres. Much of the ward is undeveloped rural land, but it has a large and growing urban area contiguous with Port Arthur.

Contents 1 History 2 Neighbourhoods 2.1 County Park 2.2 Dawson Heights 2.3 Jumbo Gardens 2.4 Northwest community 2.5 North McIntyre 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Transportation 6 Education 7 Recreation 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

McIntyre ward was originally McIntyre township, located within the Municipality of Shuniah. The Dawson Road to the Red River settlement went through McIntyre when it was laid out in 1870s and shortly thereafter small settlements appeared in the township.

Plans to develop land into the McIntyre area came about as early as 1914. A map of Port Arthur from that era includes a large area labelled "Prince Arthur's Heights", and covers much of what is today County Park and Grandview Heights. Located north of that were two more neighbourhoods, "Lancaster Heights" and "Superior Heights", located approximately five kilometres from Port Arthur's central business district, a considerable distance for a city of only 20,000 people at the time. While some streets were laid out in those areas, the large scale development proposed on that map never came to fruition, and much of that land remains undeveloped.^[3]

Neighbourhoods did eventually appear in McIntyre, however. The first significant settlement began in the 1920s in the Jumbo Gardens area, along the boundary with the city of Port Arthur. It was built on a grid plan located four kilometres from Downtown Port Arthur, and at the time was separated from the urban community by undeveloped land. When modern subdivisions were being built between Jumbo Gardens and Port Arthur after World War II, the amount of development that had taken place in Jumbo Gardens prevented developers from converting that neighbourhood into a modern subdivision. Regardless, the area had many vacant lots well into the 1980s which were developed in lieu of a modern subdivision and as a result Jumbo Gardens has a wide variety of building styles spanning more than three quarters of a century.^[4]

McIntyre became part of Thunder Bay on January 1, 1970 when it was amalgamated with the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William and the township of Neebing, and since the amalgamation and the introduction of urban infrastructure such as municipal water and sewers, the development of modern subdivisions became a common occurrence in the ward. Today McIntyre is the fastest growing ward in Thunder Bay and that trend is expected to continue. The city's official plan lays out a basic blueprint for the area that will see its growth continue for the near future.^[5]

[edit] Neighbourhoods

[edit] County Park

County Park is the urban area located north of Dawson Road and west of the Thunder Bay Expressway. Growth in County Park began in the 1970s, and is made up of several subdivisions, in which most streets are named after counties in Southern Ontario and England.

The older eastern part of County Park is characterized by multiple five- to ten-unit townhouses surrounding County Park, a large flat parkland along McVicar Creek, with single family bungalows lining County Boulevard, the main roadway in the neighbourhood. Much of the multi-unit housing is geared to low-income families. Slightly further east is the Castlegreen Co-operative, which is separated by Shuniah Park, a largely wooded area. Pedestrian foot paths link the entire eastern portion of the neighbourhood.

The newer western half of County Park is located on hilly terrain and is characterized by newer single family homes on cul-de-sacs and crescent streets. Many of the homes are on high enough ground to afford views of Lake Superior, and as a result are more expensive than the dwellings in the eastern part of the neighbourhood. Residents in this area are typically middle and upper-middle income families.

[edit] Dawson Heights

West of County Park is the Dawson Heights area. Thunder Bay's official plan identifies Dawson Heights as a future growth area,^[5] and much of the area remains undeveloped. The only subdivision built thus far is Gemstone Place, in which all streets are named after gemstones. It is the location of Hilldale Lutheran Church and several condominium buildings aimed toward seniors. Like the western portion of County Park, Dawson Heights is located on hilly terrain and most dwellings are single family homes.

[edit] Jumbo Gardens

Jumbo Gardens is the urban area located south of Dawson Road and west of the Thunder Bay Expressway. It consists of the original Jumbo Gardens area which has existed for over 80 years, and the newer subdivisions to the west and south, such as Sherwood Estates and Cherry Ridge.

Jumbo Gardens is the main urban area in McIntyre. Development began there as early as the 1920s but the neighbourhood wasn't filled in until the 1990s, and as a result has an erratic mix of building styles spanning the much of the 20th century on a seemingly out of place grid plan surrounded by modern subdivisions. Most of the streets in Jumbo Gardens are named after the people and places in the life of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, a naming scheme which continues on the other side of the Thunder Bay Expressway in the West end of Port Arthur.

[edit] Northwest community

The Northwest Community area is the newer area surrounding Jumbo Gardens, identified by Thunder Bay's official plan as a growth area.^[5] The older area northwest of Jumbo Gardens loosely continues the grid plan design of Jumbo Gardens with some crescents and cul-de-sacs in the area between the two neighbourhoods. Like Jumbo Gardens, homes were developed in this area since before World War II and it has a diverse mixture of building styles spanning more than 80 years. This area is on higher ground than Jumbo Gardens and many homes have views of the lake.

Areas west of Jumbo Gardens are located along John Street Road and Pioneer Road, and like Jumbo Gardens, this area has had grid streets with homes on them since the 1930s, but the grid was much more spread out and the area was less dense, making it easier for modern subdivisions to be developed there. The areas north of John Street Road is Sherwood Estates. Largely developed within the last decade, the neighbourhood is a typical modern suburb centred on some medium density residential developments and an elementary school. Streets in Sherwood Estates are named with a Robin Hood theme, examples including Canterbury Crescent and Crossbow Street. A five-storey condominium building called King Arthur Court continues that trend. To the south of John Street Road is Cherry Ridge, a subdivision located between John Street Road and the Thunder Bay Expressway. It is a small subdivision constructed mainly in the 1980s.

[edit] North McIntyre

North McIntyre is located 10km from Port Arthur's central business district, and is a small community centred on the intersections of Dawson Road and Government Road. It is the location of the Emerald Greens Golf Course, at the corner of Dog Lake Road, and the location of Five Mile Public School, so named for its location, five miles from Port Arthur's downtown core.

[edit] Geography

The geography of McIntyre is typical of the Canadian Shield, with many muskegs and rocky outcrops. Located in the centre of the ward is Rabbitt Mountain, once part of the shore of Lake Minong, on top of which is several broadcasting antennas.

Three significant waterways make their course though the ward. The McIntyre and Neebing rivers are located in the western portion of the ward and both have numerous tributaries, while the smaller McVicar Creek and its tributaries flow through County Park. The Current River forms the ward's northeast boundary. There are several small lakes in McIntyre, but most of them are seasonal. The most notable is Shuniah Lake, which is located in the far northeast of the ward and feeds McVicar Creek.

[edit] Economy

A commercial strip along Dawson Road. The strip is the location of County Fair Plaza, one of the largest shopping malls in Thunder Bay with 30 stores, a hotel, a gas station, and a branch of the Thunder Bay Public Library.^[6] There is also some commercial activity along John Street Road, Oliver Road, and in the community of North McIntyre.

Most residents of McIntyre commute into the city for work.

[edit] Transportation

The most important road in McIntyre is Highway 102, which is also known as Dawson Road. Other important roads include Oliver Road, John Street, Mapleward Road, Wardrope Avenue, and Government Road. McIntyre is separated from Red River and Current River wards by the Thunder Bay Expressway and from Neebing Ward by the Shabaqua Extension.

Thunder Bay Transit operates two bus routes in McIntyre Ward. Jumbo Gardens is served by route 3 Memorial - Jumbo Gardens in the day and route 11 John - Jumbo Gardens on evenings and Sundays. County Park is served by route 3 Memorial - County Park.^[7] In a 2006 survey, residents of North McIntyre turned down a proposal to introduce public transit service to their area.^[8]

[edit] Education

McIntyre has four elementary schools, two from each school board. The Lakehead District School Board operates Five Mile School located in the community of North McIntyre,^[9] and Woodcrest School, Thunder Bay's newest public school, in Sherwood Estates.^[10] The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board operates the recently expanded Holy Cross school in Jumbo Gardens,^[11] and Our Lady of Charity School in the eastern part of County Park.^[12]

Jumbo Gardens Public School was located at the corner of Dawson Road and Hilldale Road. Built in 1945 and closed in 1978,^[13] it housed a day care facility until 2007 and today sits vacant.^[14] Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head Start - Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimiwedoon is a two day per week pre-school facility run by and for Native Canadians.^[15]

[edit] Recreation

McIntyre ward has several parks and a considerable amount of walking trails. County Park and Cherry Ridge are connected to other neighbourhoods by walking trails, and the Trans Canada Trail runs along the Thunder Bay Expressway. Community Centres are located on Toivo Street in Sherwood Heights, Pinto Street in North McIntyre and Jackpine Road off of Oliver Road. There are three golf courses located in the ward. Dragon Hills Golf Course on Onion Lake Road, Emerald Greens Golf Course at the intersection of Dawson Road and Dog Lake Road, and Centennial Golf Course at the end of Thompson Road. The Mills Block Forest is a conservation area located off John Street Road, and has hiking trails throughout.

County Park has a skate park. Ice rinks in the winter; soccer area at Toivo.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Thunder Bay Unknown, a street tour of the Dawson Road area.

Category:Neighbourhoods in Thunder Bay, Ontario