Orillia

For the former community in Washington State, see Orillia, Washington.
Orillia
City (single-tier)
City of Orillia

Waterfront of Orillia
Nickname(s): The Sunshine City
Orillia
Coordinates: 44°36′N 79°25′W / 44.600°N 79.417°W / 44.600; -79.417
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
Incorporation 1867 (Village)
Incorporation 1875 (Town)
Incorporation 1969 (City)
Government
 • Mayor Steve Clarke
Area[1][2]
 • Land 28.61 km2 (11.05 sq mi)
 • Metro 458.55 km2 (177.05 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 219.50 m (720.14 ft)
Population (2011)[1][2]
 • City (single-tier) 30,586
 • Density 1,069.2/km2 (2,769/sq mi)
 • Metro 40,731
 • Metro density 88.8/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA L3V
Area code(s) 705
Website www.city.orillia.on.ca

Orillia /əˈrɪliə/[4] is a city located in Central Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres (84 mi) north of Toronto.

Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by the Huron and Iroquois peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago as well as sites used by Native Americans for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing.

Known as the "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a good number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama, overall economic activity in Orillia is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism.

History and geography

A bronze monument featuring a Christian missionary holding a cross high over the heads of two North American aboriginal peoples sitting at his feet
The Christian missionary portion of the Samuel de Champlain monument designed by Vernon March in Orillia.
Orillia City Hall

The site of an Ojibwa reserve from 1830 to 1838, Orillia subsequently prospered as an agricultural and lumbering community. Transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as a commercial centre and summer resort.[5] The village of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birthyear as Canada), became a town in 1875, and was designated a city in 1969. The city of Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway in North America leads to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world) eventually leads to Lake Ontario. From either of these Great Lakes one can connect to the St. Lawrence and thence to the Atlantic Ocean.

The human history of the region extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, there is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weirs used by Huron and Iroquois people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in the surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Native Americans.

Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the area that would later become Orillia in the early 17th century. Ecole Samuel de Champlain, a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park, and is a National Historic Site of Canada.

In Stephen Leacock's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that the fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and the city has since the book's release attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Stephen Leacock Museum, located in Orillia, is a National Historic Site.

William E. Bell's 1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including the Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Big Chief Island in the middle of Lake Couchiching.

Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time and had the first municipal hydro electric transmission plant in North America.

Name

The first recorded use of the name to describe the region, which until then had no officially sanctioned designation, was in 1820 when the name was given in York, Upper Canada by then Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland, Maitland was a veteran of the British campaign against the French in Spain, called the Peninsular War, during the Napoleonic Wars where he served under the command of Wellington.

While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia, the most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish, "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since the word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are the names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro for gold, Mariposa for butterfly, and Mono for monkey. Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error.[6]

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1841200—    
18711,322+561.0%
18812,911+120.2%
18914,752+63.2%
19014,907+3.3%
19116,828+39.1%
19218,774+28.5%
19318,183−6.7%
19419,705+18.6%
195112,110+24.8%
196115,345+26.7%
197124,040+56.7%
198123,955−0.4%
199125,925+8.2%
199627,846+7.4%
200129,121+4.6%
200630,259+3.9%
201130,586+1.1%

According to the 2006 Canada Census, Orillia has a population of 30,259 living in an area of 28.61 square kilometres. The city has experienced moderate growth, with a population increase of over 1,000 residents (3.9 percent) since the 2001 census. The median household income in 2005 for Orillia was $46,722, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $60,455.[9]

Government

Orillia is governed by the Orillia City Council, which consists of 8 city councillors and a mayor.

There are 4 wards in the city.

From 1875 to 1969 was led by a reeve or mayor. From 1969 onwards the head of council was the Mayor.

Economy

Initial interest in Orillia came from fur traders who used the gathering place at the Narrows to do business with the many tribes that came there each spring and fall. Subsequently, Orillia's economics has ranged from farming (even downtown) to machinery, to automobiles and even one of the first "campers" (a pop-up tent in a car.

Economic activity in Orillia is a mix of manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism. The largest employer in the area is Casino Rama, located in the nearby reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), [Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation (petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin (moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for the packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining) and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people. The Central Operations Headquarters for Ontario Provincial Police is located in Orillia (Memorial Drive), as is the regional headquarters.

Heywood-Wakefield seating, which operated from the early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year.[10]

G.W.B. Rope & Twine, which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973–1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries, which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996-7. "G.W.B. Rope and Twine’s" Founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched "G&B Ropes" in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in the development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes.)

Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police, which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre, formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the areas largest employers for many decades, until the de-institutionalization movement of the 1980s and 1990s.

Recreation and culture

Orillia is known as the "Sunshine City", taking the moniker from the Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock. Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council has actively restricted the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations. However in 2012 plans were discussed to redevelop the waterfront district and other areas underdeveloped or otherwise vacant. A 3D model was developed at the local Royal Canadian Legion to reflect the possible future and is to be on display in city hall.

Stephen Leacock House museum in Orillia

Orillia's "Arts District” is located on Peter St. S., between Mississauga St. E and Colborne St. E. and is home to a variety of art galleries, fine dining and shops. At its centre is The Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH), considered the hub of art and culture for the city, playing an instrumental role in municipal cultural events.

The museum occupies all four floors of the historic Sir Sam Steele Building, a landmark destination for both residents and visitors. A collection of over 10 000 artefacts of regional historical significance features in a rotating exhibits schedule. On a separate floor is contemporary art space with exhibits featuring regional and international artists. The museum also features a designated education space and hosts activities including art-making and interpretive programming for children, artists, artisans, historians, etc.

Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka, Algonquin Provincial Park, and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's' train.

The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently 9, with 4 more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of the city's population is actually over 65 (see below).

Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival,Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival (newly added to the city in September 7)

The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes a boat decorating contest and turkey buffet, every June 24. Also, boat and cottage shows are held in June and August.

Orillia also hosts the largest Canada Day event in Central Ontario at Couchiching Beach Park. The day begins with the traditional pancake breakfast served by the Mayor and Council and ends with a large fireworks display.

Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival.

The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate.

Since 1963, the Webers hamburger restaurant has been located approximately 1 km north of Orillia,[11] next to Ontario Highway 11.[12][13]

Lake St. George Golf Club is located ten minutes north of Orillia.

Education

Both French and English public education offered in Orillia.

There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain, operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud. The school website address is: www.sdc.csdccs.edu.on.ca.

Students from this elementary school would attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance which is operated by the same Board and is located in Barrie : www.escna.csdccs.edu.on.ca.

English public education in Orillia is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board, which has nine elementary and three secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Patrick Fogarty Catholic School, Twin Lakes Secondary and the OD/Park secondary school, formerly Orillia District and Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate Institute. The schools joined together in the summer of 2013. There is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS.

Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School.

Private schools include the Orillia Christian School, and Bethel Baptist's academy.

There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College, offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1600 students. Lakehead University operates a small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened[14] in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September 2010. There is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive their high school diploma.

Health care

The Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital is a 230-bed hospital located in the city. Opened in 1908 as the 20-bed Orillia General Hospital, it took the current name in 1922 to honour those who died fighting in World War I.[15]

Transit

An Orillia Transit bus.

Orillia Transit provides service on five routes throughout the city. All of these routes run on loops which depart and end at the downtown bus terminal on the West St. and Mississaga St. intersection.

Climate

Climate data for Orillia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50)		 13.0
(55.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 29.5
(85.1)		 32.5
(90.5)		 34.0
(93.2)		 37.5
(99.5)		 34.0
(93.2)		 32.5
(90.5)		 27.0
(80.6)		 21.5
(70.7)		 17.0
(62.6)		 37.5
(99.5)
Average high °C (°F) −3.6
(25.5)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 2.9
(37.2)		 10.7
(51.3)		 18.2
(64.8)		 22.5
(72.5)		 25.7
(78.3)		 24.2
(75.6)		 19.3
(66.7)		 12.2
(54)		 5.8
(42.4)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 11.2
(52.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −8.4
(16.9)		 −7.7
(18.1)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 5.7
(42.3)		 12.9
(55.2)		 17.1
(62.8)		 20.6
(69.1)		 19.4
(66.9)		 14.8
(58.6)		 8.2
(46.8)		 2.2
(36)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 6.5
(43.7)
Average low °C (°F) −13.1
(8.4)		 −12.6
(9.3)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 0.8
(33.4)		 7.5
(45.5)		 11.5
(52.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 14.6
(58.3)		 10.2
(50.4)		 3.9
(39)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 −8.8
(16.2)		 1.8
(35.2)
Record low °C (°F) −37.0
(−34.6)		 −37.0
(−34.6)		 −30.0
(−22)		 −15.0
(5)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 0.5
(32.9)		 7.0
(44.6)		 4.0
(39.2)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −9.0
(15.8)		 −35.0
(−31)		 −37.0
(−34.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 103.1
(4.059)		 68.1
(2.681)		 71.3
(2.807)		 72.2
(2.843)		 77.6
(3.055)		 76.4
(3.008)		 77.4
(3.047)		 102.4
(4.031)		 95.5
(3.76)		 89.7
(3.531)		 102.5
(4.035)		 107.3
(4.224)		 1,043.2
(41.071)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 13.9
(0.547)		 15.4
(0.606)		 38.4
(1.512)		 60.9
(2.398)		 77.3
(3.043)		 76.4
(3.008)		 77.4
(3.047)		 102.4
(4.031)		 95.3
(3.752)		 86.5
(3.406)		 77.1
(3.035)		 29.6
(1.165)		 750.6
(29.551)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 89.2
(35.12)		 59.6
(23.46)		 32.9
(12.95)		 11.3
(4.45)		 0.4
(0.16)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 3.2
(1.26)		 25.4
(10)		 77.7
(30.59)		 292.6
(115.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.9 11.8 12.4 12.0 12.8 11.7 9.8 12.5 13.6 15.3 15.7 16.9 161.3
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 2.6 2.3 6.5 10.6 12.7 11.7 9.8 12.5 13.6 15.0 12.3 4.5 114.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 14.8 10.2 6.5 2.2 0.17 0 0 0 0 0.73 4.7 13.4 52.7
Source: Environment Canada[3]

Environmental issues

In 2012 Orillia won the highest municipal honour for its waste diversion efforts. The City of Orillia had a waste diversion rate of 61% in 2011. The Recycling Council of Ontario awarded the city its highest award, the Platinum Municipal Diversion Award.[16]

Ontario Provincial Police Headquarters

The OPP Headquarters

As part of an initiative to decentralise its services, the provincial government relocated the headquarters of the Ontario Provincial Police to Orillia. The office was initially located in the Tudhope Building downtown (part of which is currently used as the Orillia City Hall) until the new building was opened in 1995. The headquarters, known as the Lincoln M. Alexander Building, is located on Memorial Avenue near the Huronia Regional Centre. The building houses the assorted bureaus and divisions that make up the general headquarters, as well as the Provincial Police Academy, and OPP Museum.

As well, OPP Central Region Headquarters is now located on Hurtubise Road,[17] near the intersection of Hwy 12 and Memorial Avenue.

The OPP also provides municipal policing to the City of Orillia under contract from a detachment located in the downtown core. The city's police force was disbanded when the policing contract began in 1996.

Media

Radio

There are also rebroadcast transmitters for CBC Radio:

Newspapers

TV

Television stations and rebroadcasters based in the vicinity of Orillia are:

OTA virtual channel (PSIP) OTA channel Rogers Cable Call Sign Network Notes
3.1 10 (VHF) 5 CKVR-DT CTV Two Transmitted from Barrie
7.1 7 (VHF) 13 CIII-DT-7 Global Transmitted from Midland; rebroadcaster of CIII-DT-41 (Toronto)
– 21 (UHF) 8 CFTO-TV-21 CTV Rebroadcaster of CFTO-DT (Toronto)

The incumbent cable television provider in Orillia is Rogers Cable.

Residents of note

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 "Orillia census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  2. 1 2 "Orillia (Census agglomeration) census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  3. 1 2 Environment Canada — Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 15 April 2012
  4. ↑ http://www.forvo.com/word/orillia/
  5. ↑ http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_5446_1.html Founding of Orillia
  6. ↑ Why Call it That? by Ross McDonald, published by the Orillia Historical Society. Page 2
  7. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  8. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  9. ↑ "Orillia, Ontario - Detailed City Profile". 2006 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
  10. ↑ http://www.midlandmirror.com/midlandmirror/article/142346
  11. ↑ "Webers Location Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Sue Campbell & Jen McMorran. "CANADA'S 8 GREATEST BURGER RESTAURANTS". Reader's Digest. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  13. ↑ Ogilvie, Megan (3 August 2012). "The dish on cottage country’s famous foodie treats: burgers to butter tarts". Toronto Star. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  14. ↑ http://orillia.lakeheadu.ca/
  15. ↑ "Welcome to Soldiers' - Our History". Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  16. ↑ http://www.orillia.ca/en/News/index.aspx?newsId=9f3a376e-5c9d-40b5-a433-f801f84a751f
  17. ↑ http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2013/06/23/new-opp-headquarters-opens
  18. ↑ www.orilliapacket.com
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/arthur-shilling

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orillia.
 Severn
Oro-Medonte Lake Couchiching, Ramara
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Oro-Medonte Lake Simcoe

Coordinates: 44°36′N 79°25′W / 44.600°N 79.417°W / 44.600; -79.417

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