Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Maple Ridge, British Columbia
—  District Municipality  —
Maple Ridge looking north; Fraser River and Derby (Old Fort Langley) in foreground, Pitt Meadows at left
Motto: "Rivers of bounty, Peaks of gold" or "Deep Roots, Greater Heights"
Location of Maple Ridge within the Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates: 49°13′N 122°36′W / 49.217°N 122.6°W / 49.217; -122.6Coordinates: 49°13′N 122°36′W / 49.217°N 122.6°W / 49.217; -122.6
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Metro Vancouver
Incorporated	1874
Government
– Mayor	Ernie Daykin
Area
– Total	265.79 km2 (102.6 sq mi)
Population (2006)
– Total	68,949
– Density	259.4/km2 (671.8/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
Postal code span	V2X, V2W, V3Z, V4R
Area code(s)	604, 778
Website	District of Maple Ridge

Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.

History

The District of Maple Ridge was incorporated September 12, 1874. It covered an area of 33,000 acres (130 km²) yet only had approximately 50 families living in the town. Maple Ridge is British Columbia's sixth-oldest municipality (after New Westminster, Victoria, Langley, Lake Cowichan, and Chilliwack). Until the expansion of Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) it was part of the now-defunct Dewdney-Alouette Regional District with the city of Pitt Meadows and District of Mission and other north-side communities east to Chehalis.

Communities

Maple Ridge is made up of several different historical areas, they are;

• Haney
• Albion
• Port Hammond
• Whonnock
• Webster's Corners
• Ruskin
• Iron Mountain
• Yennadon
• Silver Valley
• Thornhill
• Kanaka Creek

These areas are often identified with a cultural group. For instance, Webster's Corner and Albion are represented by the many Finnish families that settled in the area. While Port Hammond is known for its small cottage like mill houses originally built by the local mill to house its workers. Ruskin is the location of a community hall of the Sons of Norway, while Kanaka Creek originally was a village for Kanaka employees of Fort Langley.

Port Haney, located adjacent to the Fraser River to the southwest of downtown Haney, and the site of the West Coast Express commuter rail station, is a heritage district created to protect some of the remaining buildings from earlier times. In addition to buildings already on-site when this was the steamboat landing as well as the CPR station, other heritage buildings from around the District of Maple Ridge were relocated to Port Haney to preserve them and enhance the heritage flavour of the location.^[1]

Recent growth

In the past 20 years, Maple Ridge has grown very rapidly, with a 12.5% population increase between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. The construction of new residential subdivisions has threatened many sensitive wildlife habitats as well as the District's limited agricultural land. About two-thirds of those who work outside the home commute into other suburbs or Downtown Vancouver. Because of burgeoning growth connected to the expansion of the Vancouver metropolitan area, Maple Ridge joined the Greater Vancouver Regional District in 1995 (now renamed Metro Vancouver), having historically been a member of the now-rescinded Dewdney-Alouette Regional District (DARD) (Mission and other eastern parts of that regional district are now in the Fraser Valley Regional District). The completion of the Golden Ears Bridge and the construction of the new high level Pitt River bridge span also signal increased growth in coming years.

Transportation

Translink provides public transit services to Maple Ridge, including buses and the West Coast Express. Haney Place Exchange is the main bus exchange, with every bus line in Maple Ridge stopping here at some point along its route.^[2]

Maple Ridge is connected via Highway 7 to Pitt Meadows in the west and Mission in the east.

The Golden Ears Bridge connects Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to Langley.

Industry

The early settlers in Maple Ridge engaged in forestry and agriculture. Forestry companies continue to be the largest private-sector employers in the district. They include Interfor and companies that manufacture building materials, yachts and poles. The soil and climate are not well-suited to the production of traditional food crops, but the Maple Ridge agriculture sector generates upwards of $40 million annually (2001), largely from berry crops, nurseries and horse breeding.^{[citation needed]} The biggest challenge for the district is to attract commercial and industrial investment while trying to preserve the "close to nature" feel that is Maple Ridge's biggest asset.^{[citation needed]}

Maple Ridge hosted the only North American high volume manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, E-One Moli Energy.^[3] However, the factory suffered major layoffs due to the 2008 recession and now only hosts a small product testing team.

Demographics

Demographics according to Statistics Canada 2006 census.

Population:	68,949
2001 to 2006 population change:	9.2%
Area:	265.79 km (165.15 mi)
Density:	259.4 /km2 (672 /sq mi)

Government

Maple Ridge is governed at the municipal level by a seven-member council made up of six councilors and the Mayor. Five of the seven school trustees elected to the School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Board of Education are chosen by Maple Ridge voters. School trustees, councilors and the Mayor are elected on the same ballot for three-year terms. The most recent term for both the board of education and council began in December 2008. In addition, residents of Maple Ridge vote for representatives to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and the Canadian House of Commons.

Ernie Daykin is the current Mayor of Maple Ridge and was first elected Mayor on November 15, 2008 and again on November 19, 2011. He served two previous terms as a Maple Ridge councilor.

Maple Ridge has a history of electing Mayors by a landslide vote and then throwing them out of office after one term. Previous Mayors include Gordon Robson, Kathy Morse, Al Hogarth, Bill Hartley, Belle Morse and Carl Durkson.

In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Maple Ridge has two constituencies: In the 2005 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party and the BC New Democratic Party each won a seat. Liberal MLA Randy Hawes holds the seat to the east and NDP MLA Michael Sather holds the seat to the west. There will be a general provincial election on May 12, 2009.

In the Canadian House of Commons, Maple Ridge has one constituency: in the 2006 federal elections, the Conservative Party of Canada won the seat. The MP is Randy Kamp.

Education

Public schools are administered by School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. The school district welcomes residents of Maple Ridge and neighbouring Pitt Meadows, along with students transferred in from other British Columbia School Districts. The district also accepts tuition paying international students.

The school district operates eighteen elementary schools, 5 secondary schools, an adult learning centre, a community college, and several other educational facilities in Maple Ridge. (The school district also includes Pitt Meadows, with four elementary schools and a high school there.) ^[4]

Several of the five secondary schools have 'specialized' in certain areas and/or started 'academy' programs to attract more students and better prepare them for the 'real world'.

Thomas Haney Secondary School operates on a "self-directed" learning system that is designed to allow students to plot their own paths toward fulfilling Ministry Learning Outcomes. The school also operates an Equestrian Academy for all abilities and "no horse required", and Music, Theatre and athletic programs.

Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School opened in 2005 and, as the name suggests, was designed to allow students to experience various technologies as well as their traditional education. The school offers various trades programs in partnership with local trade schools and colleges.

Garibaldi Secondary School offers the International Baccalaureate program and DigiPen Technology Academy.

Westview Secondary School and Maple Ridge Secondary School are the other two high schools in Maple Ridge.

Several of the elementary schools also offer non-traditional systems. These include: Kanaka Creek Elementary, which operates a 'year-round' schooling system, exchanging a long summer break for shorter breaks throughout the year, and Yennadon Elementary School, which operates a 'cyberschool' program, enabling some students to work from home on a computer on certain days.

Several private schools are located in Maple Ridge. These include Meadowridge School, MRCS, a K-12 independent Christian school, and St. Patrick's, a Catholic school. These are not operated by the school district, but must still meet British Columbia Ministry of Education standards.

Sprott-Shaw Community College, a private post-secondary institution, also has a campus in the city.

Sports

Maple Ridge is known for being the hometown of several high-profile athletes, such as baseball player Larry Walker, deceased race-car driver Greg Moore, and hockey players Cam Neely, Brendan Morrison and Andrew Ladd. These professional athletes are the product of very well organized youth sports programs, including a baseball program which has produced three Midget AAA Western Canadian Championship teams since 2001, including back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Arts and culture

A few venues for performing arts exist in Maple Ridge. These include the Arts Centre & Theatre (ACT), the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park, and various theatres in local secondary schools.

The ACT contains a main-stage theatre capable of seating 500 for musical and dramatic performances as well as the more versatile Gemstar Studio Theatre used for other performances as well as classes and special events. The ACT is also home to many smaller classrooms for everything from pottery to painting and a conference room. It is a non-profit public resource.

Also inside the ACT building is the Maple Ridge Art Gallery, focusing on local artists and art students.

Maple Ridge also has several large festivals and parades occurring yearly, including the Rogers Santa Clause Parade, the Jazz and Blues Festival, and the Caribbean Festival.

Notable people from Maple Ridge

• Linda Chung, actress in TVB, singer, 2004 Miss Chinese International Pageant winner^{[citation needed]}
• Brent Hayden, swimmer, won gold medal at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships^{[citation needed]}
• Susan Jacks, singer/songwriter, award winning entertainer, former lead singer of the Poppy Family
• Leslie Stein, Morning Radio Personality up! 97.7 Calgary
• Alexz Johnson, Music Artist/Vocalist, Actress in Instant Star, So Weird, Final Destination, Stranger With My Face ^[5]
• Tyler Labine, Actor in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Reaper and Mad Love
• Andrew Ladd, NHL hockey player for the Winnipeg Jets, won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with The Carolina Hurricanes and again in 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
• Greg Moore, race-winning Champ Car driver, formerly of Forsythe Racing^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Mundell, Nobel Prize-winning economist^{[citation needed]}
• Helen Mussallem, nurse, awarded Companion of the Order of Canada^{[citation needed]}
• Cam Neely, President of the NHL team the Boston Bruins, elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005^{[citation needed]}
• Molly Parker, Genie Award-winning actress^{[citation needed]}
• Aaron Pritchett, CCMA award-winning country music artist^{[citation needed]}
• Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, domestic murder victim, subject of documentaries and a made-for-television movie^{[citation needed]}
• Rick Tippe, CCMA award-winning country music artist^[6]
• Larry Walker, All-Star Major League Baseball player, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Montreal Expos^[7]

Surrounding municipalities

References

1. ^ Port Haney page, Maple Ridge Museum website
2. ^ http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Maps/Transit%20System%20Maps/sys_Pitt_Maple_Langley.ashx
3. ^ "Molicel - Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries". http://www.molicel.com/ca/. Retrieved 2010-12-25. 
4. ^ http://www.sd42.ca/schools
5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLHjGWAWy20
6. ^ Rick Tippe Is Singin' A Different Tune
7. ^ Sporthaven.com - Larry Walker bio

External links

• District of Maple Ridge Local government home page
• History of Maple Ridge A variety of information on the history of Maple Ridge, including historical images, information on heritage buildings, and more.
• History of Maple Ridge on the towns website.
• Maple Ridge Museum Community history on the Maple Ridge Museum & Community Archives website.