Grimsby, Ontario

Grimsby
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Grimsby
Coat of arms
Location of Grimsby within the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Grimsby Location of Grimsby within the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Coordinates: 43°12′N 79°33′W / 43.200°N 79.550°WCoordinates: 43°12′N 79°33′W / 43.200°N 79.550°W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Regional Municipality	Niagara
Government
• Type	Town
• Mayor	Bob Bentley
• Governing Body	Town of Grimsby Council
• MP	Dean Allison (CPC)
• MPP	Tim Hudak (OPC)
Area[1]
• Land	68.96 km^2 (26.63 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	25,325
• Density	367.2/km^2 (951/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code span	L3M
Area code(s)	905/289/365
Highways	Queen Elizabeth Way
Website	www.grimsby.ca

Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is a part of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area.^[2] The majority of residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. The escarpment (colloquially known as 'the mountain') is home to a section of the Bruce Trail.^[3]

Grimsby has experienced significant growth over the past decade as the midpoint between Hamilton and St. Catharines. Growth is limited by the natural boundaries of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment and has almost come to a stop as a result of the Greenbelt Plan^[4] which has permanently frozen Grimsby's urban boundary. Some residents feel that development is detrimental to the town as orchards close to the town centre are used for residential development; however, most of the orchards in Grimsby were replaced by houses between the 1950s and 1980s and very few orchards remain.^[5]

Some notable attractions in Grimsby are the local skatepark, the Grimsby Museum,^[6] the Grimsby Public Library,^[7] the Grimsby Public Art Gallery,^[8] the West Niagara YMCA, the Danish Church and the hockey arena (Peach King Centre), home of the Grimsby Peach Kings.

History

The town of Grimsby was founded in 1790 (originally named Township Number 6 and then 'The Forty'), after a group of United Empire Loyalists settled at the mouth of 40 Mile Creek in 1787. Robert Nelles, a politician and later lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812, was one of the main founders of the town. His home, located on Main Street West, was used for many planning sessions during the war. In 1816 the village became known as Grimsby, the name of the surrounding township. Canada's first Chautauqua was established in 1859 in Grimsby Park and Beach but by 1900 interest had declined and by 1909 it had ceased. The Village of Grimsby was officially incorporated in 1876 and became a town in 1922. The town has gone through numerous changes, being first a small rural village; then a centre for the manufacture of farm machinery, hospital furniture, furnaces and other metal products; and later the hub of the Niagara Peninsula's fruit-growing industry. For many years, Grimsby also had a successful fishing industry which lasted until the 1960s. The Town of Grimsby and the Township of North Grimsby were amalgamated in 1970 with the formation of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. With a number of wineries and distilleries, Grimsby now serves as the starting point for touring the Niagara wine region.

Grimsby is also the birthplace of a now forgotten Hollywood director, Del Lord. He rose to acclaim as the director of most of the Three Stooges short vaudeville comedies. Later, under Columbia Pictures, he also directed nearly 200 feature films.

Grimsby Beach was once a major holiday resort. Grimsby Park started in 1846 as a park for the Hamilton district of the Methodist Church. In 1910, the park's new owner, Harry Wylie, modernized the park with carousels, a motion picture theater, and a "Figure 8" roller coaster. Canada Steamship Lines bought out the park in 1916, but the park declined through the 1920s, mainly due to multiple fires that consumed many of the wooden buildings. Operations continued until 1949, with attractions gradually closing and developers buying land to build houses.

Local government

Grimsby Welcome Sign

Aerial view of Grimsby

The Former Grimsby Public Library

The council is composed of a mayor and eight aldermen who serve for a term of four years. The mayor is elected at large and the aldermen are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two aldermen elected in each ward. It is the role of council to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality; to develop and evaluate policies and programs; to determine which services the municipality provides; to ensure that administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council; and to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality. The council generally meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. All meetings are open to the public and are also televised live on the local Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel.

The mayor (currently Bob Bentley) is elected at large and the aldermen are elected by ward. The town is divided into four wards with two aldermen elected in each ward.

Town Council Members Ward 1

• Alderman Steve Berry
• Alderman Dave Wilson

Town Council Members Ward 2

• Alderman Dave Kadwell
• Alderman Michelle Seaborn

Town Council Members Ward 3

• Alderman David Finch
• Alderman Joanne Johnston

Town Council Members Ward 4

• Alderman Nick DiFlavio
• Alderman Carolyn Mullins

Standing committees

Council has appointed four standing committees as follows:

• Administration and Finance Committee (4 aldermen and mayor) - Main functions are current and capital budget preparation and administration; personnel policies and compensation plans; financial matters; general administrative matters; public relations; fire matters; cemetery administration; school crossing guards; canine control. The administration, treasury and fire departments report to council through this committee, as well as the library, art gallery and museum for budget purposes.
• Planning and Development Committee (4 aldermen, 3 citizen appointees and mayor) - Main functions are land use planning, economic development and promotion and building inspection. The planning and building departments report to council through this committee.
• Public Works Committee (4 aldermen and mayor) - Main functions are storm drainage, sidewalks, roads, street lighting, water distribution, sanitary sewers, solid waste management, cemetery maintenance, parking and traffic control. The public works department reports to council through this committee.
• Recreation Services Committee (4 aldermen, 3 citizen appointees and mayor) - Main functions are parks, community and recreation services and programming. The recreation, facilities & culture department reports to council through this committee, as well as the art gallery, library and museum.

Schools

Secondary schools

• Grimsby Secondary School (operated by DSBN)
• Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School (operated by NCDSB)

Primary schools

• Central Public School
• Grand Ave. Public School
• Lakeview Public School
• Nelles Public School
• Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
• Park Public School
• Smith Public School
• St. Joseph Catholic School

Churches

• Centennial Park Baptist Church^[9]
• Christ Our Saviour Lutheran
• Church of Christ
• Covenant Canadian Reformed Church
• The Danish Lutheran Church^[10]
• Forestview Community Church
• Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall
• Lakemount Worship Centre^[11]
• Lincoln Pioneer Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Mountainview Christian Reformed Church^[12]
• New Apostolic Church
• New Life Community Church
• Park Rd. United Church
• Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Grimsby
• St. Andrew's Anglican (1825), the third church on this site, features a churchyard containing graves of many early settlers (c. 1785-) at The Forty, as Grimsby was originally called.^[13]
• St. George's Ukrainian Orthodox
• St. John's Presbyterian
• St. Joseph's Roman Catholic
• St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic
• St. Philip By-The-Lake Anglican
• Trinity United Church

Demographics

Census	Population
1871	800
1901	1,001
1911	1,669
1921	2,004
1931	2,198
1941	2,331
1951	2,773
1961	5,148
1971	15,770
1981	15,797
1991	18,520
2001	21,297
2006	23,937
2011	25,325

From Statcan ^[1]

Age Characteristics of the Population	Total	Male	Female
Total - All persons	25,325	12,350	12,975
Age 0-4	1,465	795	670
Age 5-9	1,425	745	680
Age 10-14	1,505	770	740
Age 15-19	1,735	885	850
Age 20-24	1,415	705	710
Age 25-29	1,170	575	595
Age 30-34	1,350	645	705
Age 35-39	1,610	750	860
Age 40-44	1,740	845	890
Age 45-49	2,065	1,000	1,065
Age 50-54	2,025	980	1,045
Age 55-59	1,895	935	960
Age 60-64	1,650	790	855
Age 65-69	1,305	650	655
Age 70-74	995	470	525
Age 75-79	805	385	420
Age 80-84	605	245	360
Age 85 and over	555	175	385

Religion

• 30% Roman Catholic
• 15% Anglican
• 14% United Church
• 19% No religion
• 27% Other

Notable people

The unofficial demonym for a person from Grimsby is "Grimsbonian" (possibly in imitation of "Torontonian", for a person from Toronto, the largest nearby metropolitan centre to Grimsby). There are many notable Grimsbonians.

Climate

Grimsby's climate varies throughout the year; 12 °C – 15 °C in the spring, 21 °C – 33 °C in the summer, and 10 °C – 17 °C in the fall. Temperatures in the winter months are around 4 °C to −16 °C, with about 190 cm of snow per year.

Climate data for Grimsby
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	19.4 (66.9)	17.2 (63)	26.1 (79)	30.6 (87.1)	36.1 (97)	36.1 (97)	40.6 (105.1)	39.4 (102.9)	37.8 (100)	31.7 (89.1)	26.1 (79)	21.0 (69.8)	40.6 (105.1)
Average high °C (°F)	−1.6 (29.1)	−0.4 (31.3)	4.6 (40.3)	11.6 (52.9)	18.3 (64.9)	24.0 (75.2)	26.8 (80.2)	25.9 (78.6)	21.2 (70.2)	14.7 (58.5)	8.1 (46.6)	2.0 (35.6)	12.9 (55.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−4.8 (23.4)	−3.9 (25)	0.9 (33.6)	7.1 (44.8)	13.1 (55.6)	18.8 (65.8)	21.9 (71.4)	21.2 (70.2)	17.0 (62.6)	10.9 (51.6)	5.1 (41.2)	−1.0 (30.2)	8.9 (48)
Average low °C (°F)	−8.2 (17.2)	−7.5 (18.5)	−2.8 (27)	2.5 (36.5)	7.7 (45.9)	13.6 (56.5)	17.0 (62.6)	16.5 (61.7)	12.8 (55)	7.0 (44.6)	2.0 (35.6)	−4 (25)	4.7 (40.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−25 (−13)	−26.1 (−15)	−21.7 (−7.1)	−16.1 (3)	−2.8 (27)	2.2 (36)	6.7 (44.1)	4.4 (39.9)	0.0 (32)	−7.2 (19)	−13.9 (7)	−27.2 (−17)	−27.2 (−17)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	68.5 (2.697)	60.3 (2.374)	71.5 (2.815)	77.0 (3.031)	69.2 (2.724)	83.0 (3.268)	56.8 (2.236)	86.1 (3.39)	92.2 (3.63)	64.6 (2.543)	68.9 (2.713)	82.1 (3.232)	880.3 (34.657)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	22.3 (0.878)	28.8 (1.134)	53.3 (2.098)	70.7 (2.783)	69.2 (2.724)	83.0 (3.268)	56.8 (2.236)	86.1 (3.39)	92.2 (3.63)	64.0 (2.52)	64.5 (2.539)	48.3 (1.902)	739.2 (29.102)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	46.2 (18.19)	32.1 (12.64)	18.2 (7.17)	6.3 (2.48)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.6 (0.24)	4.4 (1.73)	33.8 (13.31)	141.6 (55.75)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	13	11	12	12	11	9	8	10	10	11	12	13	132
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	4	4	8	11	11	9	8	10	10	11	10	6	102
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	9	7	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	31
Source: Environment Canada[14]

See also

• List of townships in Ontario

References

1. 2011 Census Profile
9. See http://www.grimsbybaptist.org/
10. See http://www.grimsby.folkekirken.dk
11. See http://www.lakemount.ca/
12. See
13. http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_6364_1.html St. Andrew's Anglican Church
14. Environment Canada—Climate Normals for Grimsby 1961-1990. Retrieved 18 March 2012.

External links

• Town of Grimsby