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Cambridge, Ontario Information

Cambridge (2006 population 120,371) is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.

Galt covers the largest portion of Cambridge, making up the southern half of the city. Preston and Blair are located on the western side of the city, while Hespeler is in the most north-easterly section of Cambridge.

Contents

History

History of the City of Cambridge

Census Population
Galt
1841 1,000
1871 3,827
1881 5,187
1891 7,535
1901 7,866
1911 10,299
1921 13,216
1931 14,006
1941 15,126
1951 19,207
1961 27,830
1971 38,897
Cambridge
1981 77,183
1991 92,772
2001 110,372
2006 120,371

Cambridge began as a composite city in 1973, when the City of Galt, Towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair were amalgamated.

There was considerable resistance among the local population to this "shotgun marriage" arranged by the provincial government and a healthy sense of rivalry had always governed relations among the three communities. Even today, residents will tell the outside world that they call Cambridge home, they will often identify themselves to each other as citizens of Galt or Preston or Hespeler. Each unique centre has its own history that is well documented in the Cambridge City Archives.[1]

The first mayor of Cambridge was Claudette Millar, who at the time was one of the few female mayors and, at 35, the youngest mayor, in Canada.

As Cambridge has developed and the open spaces between the original municipalities have been filled in, a fourth commercial core, entirely modern in its construction, has emerged. The Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (401) runs through its midst.[2]

On May 17, 1974, flooding on the Grand River was so intense it filled city streets with water to a depth of about four feet. Hundreds of businesses and homes were severely damaged.

Old Post Office in Galt, built in 1886

Government

Cambridge City Council consists of six councillors, each representing a ward, and a mayor. The current mayor of Cambridge is Doug Craig.

City Councillors by Ward:

The City of Cambridge also has seats on Region of Waterloo council. Cambridge is represented by 3 members.

Municipal services

The City is responsible for Community Services, Economic Development, Transportation & Public Works, Corporate Services, Fire Department and Planning Services. Many municipal services are provided through the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (often referred to as Waterloo Region or the Region of Waterloo), which consists of the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo, and the townships of Woolwich, Wilmot, Wellesley, and North Dumfries. Region of Waterloo responsibilities include Social Services, Community Health Services, Grand River Transit and Community Policing through Waterloo Regional Police Service.

Climate

The climate in Cambridge is typical of south western Ontario, with mostly moderate winters and the occasional deep freeze. In summer, the temperatures tend to be in the high twenties, and like most of southern Ontario, there can be stretches of high humidity.

The last frost date of the season is around May 11[3], though most gardeners plant on the May 24th long weekend to be safe. Environment Canada issues frost warnings for the area from May 9 through to October 30.[4][5]

Economy

In 1988, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada opened a plant in Cambridge, which employed 4,518 people as of December 2005 and is the City's largest employer. Although beneficial to the City, traffic issues caused by slow-moving and long trains passing through main traffic routes to deliver material to and from the plant have caused some frustration for residents and emergency responders. Several other industrial companies also have locations in Cambridge, including Process Group Inc., Gerdau Ameristeel, ATS Automation Tooling Systems, Loblaw Companies Limited, Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Sutherland-Schultz Inc., Canadian General-Tower Ltd., iQor, Frito-Lay Canada (formerly Hostess), Babcock and Wilcox, Northstar Aerospace, Rockwell Automation, Com Dev and Northern Dynamics

Education

Galt Collegiate Institute, the oldest public high school in Ontario.

Public English-language schooling is provided by the Waterloo Region District School Board, which operates 26 elementary and five secondary schools in Cambridge. High schools in the city include the 150-year-old Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School , Ontario's oldest continuously operating public high school. It is commonly called the Castle on the Grand because of the architecture and imposing view on the east bank of the River.

Publicly funded Catholic education is available through schools operated by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. The WCDSB runs 15 elementary and two secondary schools in the city. Cambridge is also home to the only French Catholic High School in the region; École secondaire Père-René-de-Galinée.

The University of Waterloo School of Architecture campus is located in Cambridge in the Riverside Silk Mill, also known as the “Tiger Brand” building. Inside the building there is a theatre, fitness room and the gallery “Design at Riverside,” which is one of two publicly funded galleries dedicated to architecture in Canada. The gallery is funded by the Cambridge Public Library system with art exhibition spaces at Queen's Square in Galt and in Preston. The School of Architecture is home to 380 students who live, study and learn within the Cambridge community. It’s also the only School of Architecture to have an international location – Rome is the setting for the second campus.

As of 2009, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning set up a new School of Engineering Technology specializing in advanced technology programs related to: Robotics, Process Automation, Electronics, Communications, Engineering, and Information Technology. With over 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of applied learning and research space. Click Here to see the City of Cambridge press release on this purchase.

Attractions

Historical plaque for the Mill Race, Cambridge, Ontario The new Hespeler Library was created by building a glass cube around the historic Carnegie library. The environmentally responsible building features recycled white oak floors and a ceramic treatment on the glass to reduce sunlight intensity.

Cambridge is home to many cultural events and activities, including the Mill Race Festival[6] and Rock the Mill[7] music festivals in downtown Galt. Cambridge also has the Cambridge Highland Games in Churchill Park in July. There's also the Wings of Paradise[8] butterfly conservatory, the annual dragon boat festival, the Cambridge fall fair which has been entertaining locals and visitors alike for over 100 years, and the Southworks Outlets[9] district.

The Cambridge Santa Claus Parade [2] is one of the first if not the first city parade in Ontario to go to the night-time format. Cambridge is also home to the largest Canada Day parade in the nation.

There is also the festive 'Christmas in Cambridge' winter festival at Christmas featuring events like Unsilent Night, which began in New York City by Phil Kline. The City of Cambridge's take on this event uniquely involves other aspects of the community such as Christie digital projection technology. University of Waterloo School of Architecture Cambridge students in Dr. Jeff Lederer’s Urban Revitalization and Design class designed the spectacular light installations.

The Cambridge Farmers’ Market has been in operation in the original building on the original site circa 1830; making it the third oldest market in the country. The Cambridge Farmers’ Market is now ranked as one of the top 10 markets in the country by Best Health Magazine. All the vendors come from within a 100 km radius to sell fresh fruits, cheese, vegetables, baked goods and more.

The Cambridge Centre of the Arts is a municipally operated community Arts Centre that is available to area residents, artists and organizations. The Arts Centre officially opened May 2001. Cambridge Galleries are a part of the Cambridge Public Library system with art exhibition spaces at Queen's Square, Preston and the new Design at Riverside location. Together, the three galleries host approximately 23 exhibitions per year.

In June 2008 the new Cambridge City Hall facility opened as the first city hall in Canada to achieve the ranking of gold in the LEED from the Canada Green Building Council. The $30 million project was completed ontime and on budget and financed through a settlement of a loan with the city’s hydro utility. A conservative estimate comparing a standard 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m2) building to the new City Hall LEED standard building results in a $160,000 savings on energy per year or some $1.6 Million over 10 years.

The open concept of the facility allows for greater air flow, reducing cooling costs and increasing the penetration of natural light to offset other light sources. A four-story “living wall” of tropical plants is located in the atrium and cleanses the air of pollutants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, dust and spores. Behind the living wall is a running water supply that provides humidity during the winter months and a soothing sound for employees and visitors to enjoy all year round. Additional features of the new facility include:

• A semi-intensive, 155 metre-squared green roof with plants and shrubs

• Over 3,000 plants in the building which act as a natural bio filter

• A 10,000-litre cistern collects rainfall which is recycled for toilets

• An Atria Wi-Fi hotspot enables visitors to access the Internet via laptops and other electronic communication devices

• Seventy-five percent of the building has natural light available making it easy to work without the need of supplementing lights.

• A weather station is located on the roof which sends signals about temperature, barometer, wind direction and speed

• All partitions and open office furniture are Global’s GREENGUARD certified products and do not emit harmful levels of pollutants

The Historic City Hall in Cambridge was built in 1858 for $3,650 replacing the original structure built in 1838. It was built of granite and white limestone. Locally found blue granite was used as a decorative feature. Today, the Historic City Hall and the New City Hall are connected by a hallway constructed shortly after the New City Hall was built.

In the tradition of environmental stewardship, Cambridge preserves over 365 hectares of parkland which make up more than 80 parks in the city, as well as over 140 km of bike on-road cycling lanes.

Due to the high number of families in Cambridge, the city lacks a youthful nighlife and young adults who wish to go to bars in Cambridge will most likely forsake their own city for the neighbouring cities of Kitchener, Waterloo or Guelph.

Demographics

Cambridge has been characterised by rapid growth in recent years. According to recent Economic Development estimates, the population of Cambridge for 2009 is 126,000, and the projected population for 2031 is 180,000.

According to the most recent figures, Cambridge is populated by people of a European ethnic background - 90.2%[10], mostly those of English (31,400), Scottish (20,625), Irish (19,040), German (14,110), Portuguese (10,685) and French (10,040) origins[11]. Many Newfoundlanders (mostly from the Conception Bay and Bell Island area) have migrated to Cambridge, mostly due to the closure of the iron ore mines on Bell Island.[12] There is also a significant Franco-Ontarian and Armenian population in Cambridge.

The city is largely Christian at 80.2%, followed by non-religious people who number 15%. Muslims and Hindus and other faiths make a little over 5% of the population. Over the last few years the numbers of Indians/Pakistanis and Afghanis moving in from other urban areas or immigrating from their respective countries, has doubled and tripled. Cambridge is also much younger than the national average. 21.6% of the population are under 14 years of age. Only 11% of the population is over 65, resulting in an average age of 35.2, slightly lower than the national average.

Transport

Roads

There are two main arterial roads that form an 'X' through the city. The intersecting point is colloquially referred to as the Delta. The Delta is adjacent to a Canadian Pacific Rail spur and the Babcock & Wilcox plant, and at peak rush hour times traffic will back up for miles radiating outwards from the Delta. A number of strategies were investigated to alleviate delays caused by trains and as of August 2009 plans are underway to build a bridge over Hespeler Road. Highway 8 (Ontario) travels through the city as Shantz Hill Road, King Street in Preston, Coronation Boulevard, and Dundas Street, linking Cambridge to Kitchener and Waterloo in the west, and Hamilton in the east. Highway 24 runs through Cambridge as Hespeler Road, Water Street, and Ainslie Street, connecting to Guelph in the northeast and Brantford in the south.

Bridges

Cambridge has some of the most historic bridges in Waterloo Region. The Black Bridge Road Bridge (1916) is Cambridge’s only Truss Bridge and has been designated a heritage site since 1997. It is still driven upon, though it is prone to major flooding and subsequent closure in the spring. The Main Street Bridge (1931) is a bowstring arch bridge made of concrete and is set over the Grand River. Also in Cambridge is the Park Hill Road Bridge (2002), formally known as the Queen Street Bridge (1933). This bridge was one of the three bridges credited with contributing to the development of early Galt. The bridge was reconstructed and widened to four lanes in 2002 retaining much of the original appearance. The Mill Creek Bridge (1837) in Cambridge is the oldest remaining bridge structure in Ontario[citation needed] and one of only two stone masonry arch bridges in the Region of Waterloo.

In 2007, the Region of Waterloo completed the first pedestrian/cycling bridge to cross the 401. This bridge connects Morningside Drive (Cambridge) with Doon Valley Drive (Kitchener) and is an integral part of the Grand River Trails.

Public transportation

Since 2000, public transport throughout the Region of Waterloo has been provided by Grand River Transit, which was created by a merger of the former Cambridge Transit and Kitchener Transit.

GRT operates a number of routes in Cambridge, four of which travel outside of the city: presently the 52, 61, 72, and 111 buses run to southern Kitchener, while the iXpress limited-stop express route runs from the Ainslie St. Transit Terminal through Kitchener to the north end of Waterloo.

Intercity service is served by Greyhound Lines, from a terminal near Highway 401 and Hespeler Road. Commuter service to and from Toronto is the key routing, and no local trips are permitted to or from Kitchener. On October 31, 2009, Go Transit started service with a line from Square One shopping centre in Mississauga to the University of Waterloo, therefore allowing a trip to Kitchener from a terminal outside the Wal-Mart Power Centre. Coach Canada run almost every two hours during the daytime between Hamilton and Kitchener, and connect to Niagara Falls.

Railways

Although freight trains serving the Toyota factory are a common sight in Cambridge, the city at present has no passenger rail service. The nearest VIA Rail stations in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor are Kitchener station, Guelph station, and Brantford.

Waterloo Region has recently approved a $790 million project that will bring a connecting rapid bus system to Cambridge to be implemented by 2011 and connecting light rail trains to Kitchener and Waterloo for 2014.

The most easily accessible GO Transit railway station is Milton station. GO bus service between Mississauga, Cambridge, and Kitchener was introduced in 2009 as a forerunner to GO train service to Kitchener. Greyhound Lines has been reported to be a major player in the proposed bus links between Cambridge and the GTA.

Air

The nearest airport to Cambridge is the Region of Waterloo International Airport in neighboring Breslau, Ontario. While it is a thriving general-aviation field, the airport has expanded its services to destinations all over Canada as well as international destinations.

Sports

Outstanding athletic achievement has been honored in Cambridge every November at the Cambridge Sports Awards banquet since 1974.

Cambridge is the home of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League's Cambridge Winterhawks. The Winterhawks are the winners of the 2006 and 2007 Sutherland Cup.

Cambridge also was the home of the four-time Allan Cup winning Cambridge Hornets of the Original OHA Senior A League, the last OHA Senior A Hockey League, and Major League Hockey. The team folded in 2006 after a dispute with the Ontario Hockey Association involving the use of the phrase "get the puck off the ice."

The Cambridge Turbos (Girls’ Ringette) won the 2009 Tim Hortons Canadian ringette championships held in April in Charlottetown, PEI. Currently, 7 players have been invited to try out for the 2010 Team Canada.[13]

The Cambridge Hawks Volleyball Association has competitive teams in various age groups. The Hawks U15 Girls team won Silver at the Ontario Volleyball Association's 2010 Provincial Championships at RIM Park in Waterloo. For more information visit the official website is: http://cambridgehawksvolleyball.ca/

The City of Cambridge has 6 public skating arenas:

Dickson Centre Duncan McIntosh Arena Galt Arena Gardens Hespeler Memorial Arena Karl Homuth Arena Preston Auditorium

The City of Cambridge has 2 private skating arenas:

Cambridge Ice Centre

Ice Park

The City of Cambridge has 2 Public Indoor Pools:

John Dolson Centre W.G. Johnson Centre

The City of Cambridge has 3 Public Outdoor Pools:

Edward Newland Pool George Hancock Pool Kinsmen – Soper Pool

The City of Cambridge also has 2 Indoor Pools at the Cambridge YMCA.

The City of Cambridge has two lawn bowling clubs. The Galt Lawn Bowling Club is located in Soper Park and the Preston Lawn Bowling Club is on Queenston Road in the Preston area of the city. Both these clubs are open to the public and cater to all age groups and are members of District 7 of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association.

The City of Cambridge officially completed the COM DEV Indoor Soccer Park October 24, 2008. The 2.8 million dollar project was funded by the City of Cambridge, COM DEV and the Cambridge Youth Soccer Club. This indoor park will help to accommodate the large number of kids playing soccer in the Waterloo Region.

Cambridge has 365 ha of parkland, 96 parks, over 140 sports fields and many golf courses. As well as over 50 km of urban and natural trails, 18 km of which run along the Grand and Speed Rivers.

Politics

Members of Parliament

Cambridge's current MP is Gary Goodyear (Conservative). He has been MP of this electoral district since 2004. The MPP for Cambridge is Gerry Martiniuk (Progressive Conservative).He has held this position since 1995.

Notable residents

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be and removed. (July 2010)

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ City Archives Historical Information-Evolution of Cambridge
  3. ^ Farmer's Almanac - Kitchener Last Frost Date
  4. ^ Winter Weather Fact Sheet
  5. ^ Frost Warning Southern Ontario Map
  6. ^ Mill Race Festival homepage
  7. ^ Rock the Mill music festival homepage
  8. ^ Wings of Paradise
  9. ^ Southworks Outlets
  10. ^ Cambridge ON statistical data from Statistics Canada
  11. ^ Cambridge ON ethnicity data from Statistics Canada See also Karen Dearlove, "Diaspora and Community Building: The Portuguese in Cambridge, Ontario," paper presented to the Narrating the Portuguese Diaspora International Conference on Storytelling, Lisbon University, October 2008.
  12. ^ Karen Dearlove, "(Im)migration and Community Building: Newfoundlanders in Cambridge, Ontario," paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association, York University, May 2006.
  13. ^ NRL website

14 "Hall of Fame Members | City of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada". http://www.cambridge.ca/cs_pubaccess/hall_of_fame.php Retrieved 2010-11-23.

Locations from Cambridge

Destinations from Cambridge
Kitchener, Waterloo via Highway 8 Breslau via Fountain St Guelph via Highway 24
Roseville, Ayr via Highway 401 Milton via Highway 401
Cambridge
Paris Brantford via Highway 24 Dundas via Highway 8

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ City Archives Historical Information-Evolution of Cambridge
  3. ^ Farmer's Almanac - Kitchener Last Frost Date
  4. ^ Winter Weather Fact Sheet
  5. ^ Frost Warning Southern Ontario Map
  6. ^ Mill Race Festival homepage
  7. ^ Rock the Mill music festival homepage
  8. ^ Wings of Paradise
  9. ^ Southworks Outlets
  10. ^ Cambridge ON statistical data from Statistics Canada
  11. ^ Cambridge ON ethnicity data from Statistics Canada See also Karen Dearlove, "Diaspora and Community Building: The Portuguese in Cambridge, Ontario," paper presented to the Narrating the Portuguese Diaspora International Conference on Storytelling, Lisbon University, October 2008.
  12. ^ Karen Dearlove, "(Im)migration and Community Building: Newfoundlanders in Cambridge, Ontario," paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association, York University, May 2006.
  13. ^ NRL website

External links

 ·  ·  Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Cities Cambridge · Kitchener · Waterloo
Townships North Dumfries · Wellesley · Wilmot · Woolwich
Regional services Grand River Transit · Region of Waterloo International Airport · Waterloo Regional Police
See also: Communities in Waterloo Region · Census divisions of Ontario

Categories: Cambridge, Ontario

 

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