Port Hope, Ontario

Port Hope
Municipality (lower-tier)
Municipality of Port Hope
Town hall
Port Hope
Coordinates: 43°57′N 78°18′W / 43.950°N 78.300°W / 43.950; -78.300Coordinates: 43°57′N 78°18′W / 43.950°N 78.300°W / 43.950; -78.300
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Northumberland
Formed	1789
Named for	Henry Hope
Government
• Type	Township
• Mayor	Bob Sanderson
• Federal riding	Northumberland—Peterborough South
• Prov. riding	Northumberland—Quinte West
Area[1][2]
• Land	279.03 km2 (107.73 sq mi)
• Urban	12.97 km2 (5.01 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1][2]
• Municipality (lower-tier)	16,214
• Density	58.1/km2 (150/sq mi)
• Urban	12,230
• Urban density	942.9/km2 (2,442/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Forward Sortation Area	L1A
Area code(s)	905, 289 and 365
Website	www.porthope.ca

Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about 109 kilometres (68 mi) east of Toronto and about 159 kilometres (99 mi) west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. Port Hope's nearest urban neighbour (7 km to the east) is the Town of Cobourg, while between them and surrounding Cobourg is the Township of Hamilton. Since 1868, the town has been home to Trinity College School (previously located in Weston, Ontario).

Communities

Besides Port Hope other communities within the municipality include: Campbellcroft, Canton, Dale, Davidson's Corners, Decker Hollow (ghost town), Elizabethville, Garden Hill, Knoxville, Morrish, Osaca, Perrytown, Port Britain, Rossmount, Thomstown, Welcome, Wesleyville (ghost town) and Zion.

History

Ganaraska was attributed to the area by the First Nations natives of the region and is what they called the river that flows through the town. The name originates from Ganaraske, the Cayuga village first located at the current townsite. The Cayuga, part of the Iroquois Confederacy, had migrated there from New York in 1779, after suffering extensive damage as British allies at their homeland in New York state during the American Revolution.

In 1793, United Empire Loyalists became the first permanent settlers of European heritage in Port Hope, which they called Smith's Creek after a former fur trader. Mills and a town plot were developing by the turn of the century. After the War of 1812, more British settlers were wanted, and a better name was required. After a brief fling with the name Toronto, the village was renamed in 1817 as Port Hope, after the Township of Hope of which it was a part, which in turn had been named for Colonel Henry Hope, lieutenant governor of the Province of Quebec.^[3] In 1834 Port Hope was incorporated as a town.

Relatively slow growth from 1881 to 1951 resulted in much of the town's original architecture not being demolished in the name of progress. Port Hope's downtown is celebrated now as the best-preserved 19th-century streetscape in Ontario. The town's local chapter of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Heritage Port Hope Advisory Committee are very active and advise on the restoration and preservation of architecturally or historically significant buildings. With over 270 heritage-designated buildings throughout the municipality, Port Hope has a higher per capita rate of preservation than any other town or city in Canada. Downtown businesses are regulated by the municipality to maintain the town's unique character.

On January 1, 2001, the original town amalgamated with Hope Township to form the Municipality of Port Hope and Hope, which was renamed to its current name in November of that same year. Prior to amalgamation, the town's census population was listed as 11,718 while the township's was 3,877.

Economy

Downtown Port Hope is well known as a shopping destination for antiques and other specialty items and is widely regarded as one of the best-preserved main streets in Ontario. Port Hope is served by a Via Rail station. It has a medical centre, a walk-in clinic, and a community health centre. It has had its own daily newspaper since 1878, the Port Hope Evening Guide, which was, until 2007, a part of the Osprey Media chain and subsequently a part of the Sun Media organization; in 2009 the newspaper was amalgamated with the Cobourg Daily Star and renamed Northumberland Today.com. Port Hope's Economic Development Strategic Plan aims to increase job growth at least as fast as population growth. The town has a variety of industries.

Radiation and cleanup

Port Hope is known for having the largest volume of historic low-level radioactive wastes in Canada. These wastes were created by Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited and its private sector predecessors, as a result of the refining process used to extract radium from uranium ore. Radium was used in "glow-in-the-dark" paint (such as aircraft dial paint during the Second World War), and in the early treatment of cancer.^[5] The Eldorado plant also produced uranium, which may have been used in the Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear weapon. It continues to produce uranium fuel for nuclear power plants, now under the ownership of Cameco.

In 2002, a large amount of contaminated soil was removed from beachfront areas.^[6] More recently, a testing program has begun of over 5,000 properties, with a plan to remove and store contaminated soil used as landfill. Well over a billion dollars is expected to be spent on the soil remediation project, the largest such cleanup in Canadian history. The effort is projected to be complete in 2022.^[7]

Ganaraska River

Ganaraska River at Port Hope

The Ganaraska River (affectionately known as "The Ganny"), is well-known to area anglers for annual salmon and trout runs. It has caused many historic floods, the most recent having been in April, 1980. Every April since, Port Hope has commemorated the flood with "Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny" ten kilometer river race.^[8][9][10] "Participants range from serious paddlers navigating the cold, fast moving water in kayaks and canoes, to the very entertaining 'crazy craft' paddlers, floating any combination of materials down the river in an attempt to reach the finish line."^[11]

Transportation

Highway 401 runs through the north end of Port Hope.

Port Hope Transit provides local bus service, and VIA Rail provides passenger service from the Port Hope railway station along the Toronto-Montreal corridor. The station was built in 1856 for the Grand Trunk Railway and later CN Rail. It was restored in 1985.

Pleasure boats dock at the foot of John Street at Hayward Street and share the facilities with Cameco, which has berths for freighters servicing their manufacturing facilities at the mouth of the Ganaraska River.

Demographics

Mother tongue spoken:^[13]

• English as first language: 94.7%
• French as first language: 1.0%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 4.3%

Attractions

The Capitol Theatre is Canada's last functioning atmospheric theatre.^[15] The theatre's main auditorium is styled after an outdoor medieval courtyard where rolling clouds are projected onto the ceiling. The town spent in excess of three million dollars renovating and upgrading the theatre in 2004-05.

The Municipality of Port Hope is home to many heritage and cultural attractions, and events, including:

• Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny - a water race commemorating the flood of the Ganaraska River in 1980^[16]
• Ganaraska Forest Centre
• Canadian Firefighters Museum
• Port Hope Yacht Club
• Port Hope Festival Theatre at the Capitol Theatre
• Port Hope and District Agricultural Fall Fair
• The All Canadian Jazz Festival
• Port Hope Farmers' Market (May to October)
• Port Hope Christmas and Santa Claus Parade (includes Festival of Trees, Candlelight Walk to Memorial Park, and Carol Singing)
• Port Hope Drive-In (Built in 1952, it is among the oldest Canadian drive-ins still operating)
• Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Annual House Tour, Garden Tour, and Antiques and Artifacts Auction
• Port Hope and District Historical Society Dorothy's House Museum
• Port Hope Archives
• Friends of Wesleyville Village

Education

• St. Anthony's Elementary School, Catholic JK-8
• Ganaraska Trail Public School, Public JK-6
• North Hope Central School, Public JK-6
• Beatrice Strong Public School, Public JK-6
• Dr M. S. Hawkins Senior Public School, Public Gr 7-8 (same building as Port Hope High School)
• Port Hope High School, Public Gr 9-12
• Port Hope High School Student to Work Transition Program (SWOT Campus), Public Grade 9-12
• Trinity College School, Private Gr 5-12
• École primaire Catholique St-Mary's, Maternelle-6ième année ^[17]
• Discovery Academy, International campus

Notable people

• David Blackwood, artist.^[18]
• Lew Cirne, pioneer of Application Performance Management, founder of Wily Technology and New Relic.
• Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation.^[19]
• J.J. Hagerman, Colorado railroad and mining magnate who went on to become one of founders of New Mexico.
• William Leonard Hunt ("The Great Farini"), entertainer.
• Archibald Cameron Macdonell, commander of the 1st Canadian Division during the First World War.
• Charles Vincent Massey, first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
• Claire Mowat, writer.
• Farley Mowat, conservationist and writer.
• Dennis O'Brien, NHL hockey player.
• Shane O'Brien, NHL hockey player.
• Jim Roberts, NHL hockey player.^[20]
• Wade Rowland, writer and journalist.
• Joseph M. Scriven, author of the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
• William Sims, U.S. Naval Admiral, awarded 1921 Pulitzer Prize for History.
• Paul Quantrill, Major League Baseball player.
• Ron Smith, NHL hockey player.
• Paul Terbenche, NHL hockey player.^[21]

• Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams, politician.
• Major-General Arthur Victor Seymour Williams.

See also

• List of townships in Ontario
• HMCS Port Hope

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Hope, Ontario.

• Official website
• porthopehistory.com - Port Hope and Hope Township History
• Northumberland Tourism
• Port Hope Police