Brock, Ontario
| Township of Brock | ||
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| Township | ||
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| Coordinates: 44°19′N 79°05′W / 44.317°N 79.083°WCoordinates: 44°19′N 79°05′W / 44.317°N 79.083°W | ||
| Country |
 Canada | |
| Province |
 Ontario | |
| Region | Durham | |
| Incorporated | 1974 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Terry Clayton | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 423.73 km2 (163.60 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 11,341 | |
| • Density | 27/km2 (69/sq mi) | |
| Website | www.townshipofbrock.ca | |
Brock is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. Brock Township is also a former municipality and geographic township prior to the amalgamation that formed the current municipality.
The Trent-Severn Waterway forms part of the northern border of the municipality, which enters Lake Simcoe through Ramara Township. There are five locks in Brock. Thorah Island in Lake Simcoe is within the municipal boundaries of Brock.
History
The original Brock Township was surveyed in 1817 as part of York County and the first meetings were held in 1833. The township was originally named for Major General Sir Isaac Brock (1769–1812) whose estate received free land here for his service in the War of 1812. William Bagshaw became Brock's first Postmaster and Justice of the Peace in 1819 when he owned property on Lot 5 Concession 9. Other early, settler ancestors included names like: Acton, Charters, Dusto, Purvis, Rundle, Bagshaw, Doble, Phair, St. John, Umphrey, Brethour, Doyle, Fallowdown, Ruddy and Vrooman (for whom the semi-ghost town of Vroomanton was named).
In 1852, the Township became part of the newly created Ontario County. In 1878, Cannington was incorporated as a village and was no longer part of the Township for municipal purposes.
In 1974, as part of the municipal restructuring around the creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham, Brock was amalgamated with Thorah Township and the villages of Beaverton and Cannington to form the new Township of Brock.
Communities
Beaverton is the largest community and commercial centre of the township, while Cannington is home to the municipal administration and local high school.
Beaverton fronts as the commercial and financial centre for the township. Beaverton's bordering of Highway 12 has led to the development of many chain corporations such as Mcdonald's, No Frills and Tim Hortons. Beaverton's downtown core also sports many stores and services including two bars which can lure youth from around the local area. It is noted that many students from the Lakehead University Orillia Campus will participate in the Beaverton night life for its unique dynamic.
Smaller communities in the township include Ball Subdivision, Blackwater, Cedar Beach, Creightons Corners, Derryville, Gamebridge, Layton, Maple Beach, Pinedale, Saginaw, Sunderland, Thorah Beach, Vallentyne, Vroomanton, Wick and Wilfrid.
Municipal politics
The township's current mayor is Terry Clayton, who also previously served as mayor from 2000 to 2003.
The township faced controversy following the 2010 municipal election, in which then-incumbent mayor Larry O'Connor was reelected by a margin of just 13 votes over Clayton. The narrow margin resulted in an ongoing judicial recount battle, and O'Connor resigned as mayor on March 28, 2011.[1] The municipal council subsequently appointed Clayton as mayor.[2]
Demographics
According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census, the municipality has a population of 11,979 over an area of 423.31 km². This represents a slight (1.1%) drop from the 2001 census, when the township had a population of 12,110.
2011 Census data[3] show that 94.2% of Brock residents have English as their mother tongue (one of the highest percentages in the GTA). Of all other languages, only German exceeds the 1% mark (1.1%).
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1991 | 11,057 | — |
| 1996 | 11,705 | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 12,110 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 11,979 | −1.1% |
| 2011 | 11,341 | −5.3% |
| Racial makeup | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada 2006 Census | Population | % of Total Population | |
| Visible minority group Source:[4] | South Asian | 55 | 0.5 |
| Chinese | 10 | 0.1 | |
| Black | 25 | 0.2 | |
| Filipino | 45 | 0.4 | |
| Latin American | 15 | 0.1 | |
| Southeast Asian | 0 | 0 | |
| Arab | 10 | 0.1 | |
| West Asian | 15 | 0.1 | |
| Korean | 0 | 0 | |
| Japanese | 0 | 0 | |
| Mixed visible minority | 10 | 0.1 | |
| Other visible minority | 0 | 0 | |
| Total visible minority population | 190 | 1.6 | |
| Aboriginal group Source:[5] | First Nations | 15 | 0.1 |
| Métis | 110 | 0.9 | |
| Inuit | 0 | 0 | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 125 | 1.1 | |
| White | 11,445 | 97.3 | |
| Total population | 11,760 | 100 | |
Notable residents
- Rick MacLeish- retired, all-star NHL hockey player of the Philadelphia Flyers
- George Ernest Bott- humanitarian and missionary whose life was chronicled in the film The Quest for the Samurai Saint
- George Arthur Welsh- decorated WWI and WWII flying ace hero
- Maude Davison- famed WWII nurse
- Elizabeth Bagshaw- practiced Medicine and received the Order of Canada
- Don Ross- guitarist
- Timothy Findley- author
- Rex Harrington- dancer
- Duncan Macpherson- editorial cartoonist
- Foster Hewitt- NHL broadcaster who was the voice of the 1972 Summit Series
- Basil McRae and Chris McRae- former NHLers
- Stanley St. John- Big band orchestra leader of the 1930s and 1940s
- Colonel James Vrooman- fought in the War of 1812 and founded Vroomanton
See also
References
- ↑ "Mayor Larry O'Connor resigns". mykawartha.com, March 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Clayton appointed mayor". mykawartha.com, May 2, 2011.
- ↑
- ↑ , Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
- ↑ , Aboriginal Peoples - Data table
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brock, Ontario. |
- Township of Brock
- Downloadable 1:50 000 topographical map of Brock (map 31D06), by the Ministry of Natural Resources
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Lake Simcoe | Ramara | | |
| Georgina |  |
Kawartha Lakes | ||
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| Uxbridge | Scugog |
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