Port Colborne, Ontario

Infobox Settlement
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map_caption = Location of Port Colborne in the Niagara Region of Ontario.


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Ontario
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Niagara
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leader_title =Mayor
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leader_name2 =John Maloney Liberal Party of Canada
leader_title3 =MPP
leader_name3 =Peter Kormos New Democratic Party of Ontario
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footnotes = Port Colborne (2006 population 18,599) is a city on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario, Canada near Niagara Falls. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/470848/Port-Colborne#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Port%20Colborne%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia Port Colborne - Britannica Online Encyclopedia ] ] and was re-named after Sir John Colborne, a British war hero and the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada at the time of the opening of the southern terminus of the First Welland Canal in 1833.

History

In pre-colonial times, the Neutral Indians lived in the area, due in part to the ready availability of flint and chert from outcroppings on the Onondaga Escarpment. This advantage was diminished by the introduction of firearms by European traders, and they were gradually driven out by the Five (later Six) Nations (Iroquois) who were allied with the British against the Huron and their French allies. [ [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07565a.htm Catholic Ecyclopedia, "The Hurons"] ]

The city grew up around the southern terminus of the Welland Canal, which was extended to reach Lake Erie in 1833. Originally called Gravelly Bay, after the large, shallow, and bedrock-floored bay upon which it sits. Port Colborne was incorporated as a village in 1870, became a town in 1917, and was re-incorporated as a city in 1966, merging with neighbouring Humberstone soon after. [http://www.keithoverend.com/Intro/heritage/History/history.HTM]

From supplying the original camps for the labourers who worked on the canal, martime commerce has been an important part of Port Colborne's economy to the present day. Port Colborne was a heavily industrial city throughout most of the 20th century, hosting a grain elevator, two modern flour mills, an INCO nickel refinery, a cement plant operated by Port Colborne Canada Cement Co. Ltd., and a blast furnace operated by Algoma Steel in addition to the ongoing ship repair and provisioning trade. In the past thirty years, some of these industries have closed, while those operations which remain now employ significantly fewer residents due to modernization and cutbacks.

Port Colborne has been successful in attracting new industry, significantly agro-business operations of Casco Inc. [ [http://www.casco.ca/ CASCO Inc.] ] and Jungbunzlauer which process corn into products such as sweeteners and citric acid. However, the economy has gradually shifted towards tourism and recreation, taking advantage of the scenic beauty of the lake shore.

There are two high schools in Port Colborne, Port Colborne High School (commonly called Port High) and the Lakeshore Catholic High School (formerly a public high school called Lockview Park Secondary School). Lockview closed in 1987.

Culture

Port Colborne hosts the annual Canal Days festival in recognition of the important role played by the Welland Canal in the history of the city. Originating as a small fair held at the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, it has grown to feature live music, an antique car show, fireworks, tall ships, a kite festival, and food from around the globe. The festival also highlights the presence of Lock 8, which at 1,380 ft (420 m), is one of the world's longest canal locks.Fact|date=August 2008 The lock is intended as a guard to keep the water level on the Welland Canal constant independent of weather on the lake. Hence the ships are only raised or lowered one to four feet depending on the current water level in Lake Erie. Much of the festival centres around West St., which runs along the side of the canal, and has an excellent view of the Clarence St. Bridge, one of very few remaining lift bridges on the canal.

The Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum, located near the centre of town, is a resource for local history and archival research. In addition to a collection of historic buildings and artifacts, it opened up the "Marie Semley Research Wing" to foster research into local history, named to commemorate the long-standing efforts of a local resident who devoted hours to the museum.

Kinnear House is a local heritage property associated with the jurist Helen Alice Kinnear, the first woman in Canada to be appointed judge by the federal government, or to appear as counsel before the Supreme Court.

A ten-minute drive to the east of Port Colborne lies Sherkston Shores [ [http://www.sherkston.com/ Vacation Home Sales, Vacation Home Rentals, RV Resort, Summer Homes, Canada. Sherkston Shores ] ] resort, offering over 2 miles of sandy beach, a privately held campground, minigolf, waterslides, SCUBA diving, and other attractions.

Golf enthusiasts can choose from 3 golf courses open from April until late fall. Port Colborne Country Club, Whisky Run Golf Club, and Coyote Golf Club.

A curiosity in town is the "incredible shrinking mill" which is an optical illusion produced when viewing the federal grain elevator. When travelling east on Lakeshore road, the mill appears to move farther away as one drives closer. [ [http://city.portcolborne.on.ca/visitinghere/attractions/the_incredible_shrinking_mill/ City Of Port Colborne - Visiting Here - The Incredible Shrinking Mill ] ]

Vale Inco

The International Nickel Company (now Vale Inco) has long been one of the city's main employers, since the opening of a refinery in 1918. Taking advantage of inexpensive hydroelectricity from generating stations at nearby Niagara Falls, the refinery produced electro-refined nickel for the war effort, and grew to employ over 2,000 workers by the 1950s. Cutbacks in operations and increasing factory automation have reduced the workforce to its present day total of 190. [ [http://www.inco.com/newscentre/mediakit/operations/default.aspx Vale Inco - Media Kit ] ]

Environmental Concerns

Emissions from Inco's base metal refinery, closed in 1984, resulted in soils contaminated with concentrations of nickel, copper and cobalt above the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's "soil remediation criteria." [http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/land/portcolborne/index.htm] However, two studies, one in 1997 and another in 1999 found " [no] adverse health effects which may have resulted from environmental exposures." [http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/land/portcolborne/index.htm] After a series of public meetings between the City, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and Inco, it was decided to perform a Community-Based Risk Assessment, a process designed to determine whether the contamination poses a threat to the current, past, or future residents of Port Colborne, and what Inco must do to clean up the contaminated areas. [http://city.portcolborne.on.ca/cityhall/committees/details.cfm?recordid=61] As of 2008, this process is only now concluding, although a few properties deemed to be at high risk have already been remediated.Fact|date=August 2008

Some residents launched a Class-Action Lawsuit against Inco in 2001 [http://www.jatam.org/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=44&PHPSESSID=b59205dabaf7435ab6163bc44aee94b0] [http://www.koskieminsky.com/client_links/Inco/home.aspx] seeking $750 million in damages to health, property value, and quality-of-life. Although this suit failed to be certified in 2002, [http://www.koskieminsky.com/client_links/Inco/docs/reasons_for_decision_jnordheimer_dated_15jul02.pdf] it was subsequently modified to limit the class, and focus solely on devaluation of property and was certified on appeal on November 18, 2005. [http://www.koskieminsky.com/client_links/Inco/docs/REASONS_NOV1805_McMURTRY_ROSENBERG_GILLESE.pdf] Often cited as the 'largest environmental lawsuit in [http://www.minesandcommunities.org/Company/inco7.htm] Dead link|date=September 2008 this suit is now expected to go to trial in 2009.

Demographics

:::N/A = Data Not available

Famous People

* Hockey Hall of Fame member and former Toronto Maple Leaf player, Ted 'Teeder' Kennedy.
* star Melissa McIntyre, who plays Ashley Kerwin on the series.
* Former CEO of BCE Inc., Chancellor of McMaster University, and Officer of the Order of Canada, Lynton 'Red' Wilson
* Tony Dekker, singer/songwriter of folk band Great Lake Swimmers
* Helen Alice Kinnear, the first women to be appointed judge by the federal government

Communities

*Bethel
*Cedar Bay
*Echo Beach
*Gasline
*Humberstone
*Lidsville
*Lorraine
*Pine Crest Point
*Pleasant Beach
*"Port Colborne"
*Sherkston
*Sherkston Beaches
*Shisler Point
*Silver Bay

References

External links

* [http://city.portcolborne.on.ca/ Port Colborne website]
* [http://www.pcetdc.ca/ Port Colborne Economic & Tourism Development Corporation website]
* [http://www.niagarapeninsula.com Niagara Peninsula Communities website]
* [http://www.portcolbornesailors.com/ Port Colborne Sailors] the Jr. B hockey team
* [http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/results.asp?action=browse&q=295&key=238 Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections at the Niagara Falls Public Library]

Canadian City Geographic Location
North=Welland, Niagara Falls
West=Wainfleet
Center=Port Colborne
East=Fort Erie
South="Lake Erie"