- Meaford, Ontario
-
Meaford — Town — 
MeafordCoordinates: 44°35′N 80°44′W / 44.583°N 80.733°WCoordinates: 44°35′N 80°44′W / 44.583°N 80.733°W Country 
CanadaProvince 
OntarioCounty Grey Settled Formed January 1, 2001 Government - Mayor Francis Richardson - Federal riding Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound - Prov. riding Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound Area[1] - Land 588.47 km2 (227.2 sq mi) Population (2006)[1] - Total 10,948 - Density 18.6/km2 (48.2/sq mi) Time zone EST (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) Postal Code N4L Area code(s) 519 and 226 Website www.meaford.ca Meaford (2006 pop.: 10,948) is a Canadian municipality in Grey County, Ontario. Meaford is located on Nottawasaga Bay, a sub-basin of Georgian Bay, in southern Ontario.
The Canadian Army maintains a training facility, LFCATC Meaford 5 km northwest of the town.
In addition to the town of Meaford itself (44°36′N 80°35′W / 44.6°N 80.583°W), the municipality also includes the communities of Annan, Bognor, Leith, and Woodford. The community of Rockford is on the western boundary along Ontario Highway 6.
Contents
2001 amalgamation
In 2001, with the amalgamation of various municipalities in Southern Ontario, the Town of Meaford, St. Vincent and Sydenham Township were amalgamated to form one municipality entity. Sydenham Township named in part for Lord Sydenham, governor of Canada from 1839 to 1841. St. Vincent Township was named after The Earl of St. Vincent and Meaford was named after his stately house. A township is an area of land (about 15 miles by 12 miles)that is divided into 100 acre farms (usually). For more than one hundred years the townships of Ontario were municipal entities with an elected council and a reeve. Sometimes a small area of a township was separated and incorporated as a town. The town was then a separate and distinct municipality. This was the case with Meaford in 1874 when it was separated from St. Vincent township. However it ceased to be a town at the time of amalgamation.
A transition team preparing for the new municipality voted in September 2000 to name it Georgian Highlands, with the name Meaford ranking second. Highland Hills, Georgian Shores, Bayview, Trillium, Big Head Valley, Georgian View, Cape Rich, Bay Shore Highlands, Georgian Bay Highlands, North Grey and Queen's Bush were other names considered.[2]
But the council of the new Georgian Highlands municipality voted 4-3 on 5 February 2001 voted to name the amalgated area Meaford, citing confusion with nearby municipalities such as Georgian Bluffs and Grey Highlands. A by-law to formalize the name change to Meaford for the amalgamated area was subsequently passed on 5 March 2001, also by a 4-3 vote.
Demographics
Population trend:[3]
- Population in 2006: 10,948 (2001 to 2006 population change: 5.5 %)
- Population in 2001: 10,381
- Population total in 1996: 10,497
- Meaford (town): 4681
- St. Vincent (township): 2610
- Sydenham (township): 3206
- Population in 1991:
- Meaford (town): 4520
- St. Vincent (township): 2340
- Sydenham (township): 2991
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 4442 (total dwellings: 5193)
Schools
Meaford has three public schools with the Bluewater District School Board:
- St.Vincent Euphrasia Elementary School (Grades JK - 5)
- Meaford Community School (Grades JK - 8)
- Georgian Bay Secondary School (Grades 9 - 12)
The closest post-secondary school is Georgian College regional campus in Collingwood, Ontario.
Politics
The former mayors of Meaford were:
- 1998-2000: Doug Grant[4]
- 2001-2003: Gerald Shortt[4] (first Mayor since 2001 amalgamation)
- 2003-2008: Wally Reif[5]
- 2008–Present: Francis Richardson
Meaford is on the eastern edge of the Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound federal and provincial electoral district.
Media
The town is served by two community newspapers, the Meaford Express and the Meaford Independent, the latter an online publication. CKNX-FM, originating from Wingham, Ontario to the south, has a low-power retransmitter on 104.9 FM to serve Centreville and Meaford. Meaford is otherwise served principally by media from nearby Owen Sound.
Transportation
Meaford is located on Ontario Highway 26, between Owen Sound and Collingwood and is the main road in and out of the town.
There is no public transit, but Greyhound Canada makes daily schedule stops at Meaford on the route from Toronto to Owen Sound. Local taxis service the area around Meaford.
The closest airport is Owen Sound Billy Bishop Regional Airport to the west along Highway 26.
Notable residents
- Beautiful Joe, a dog immortalized by the 1894 book of the same name
- Claude Bissell, author and educator
- Keith Bissell: composer, conductor, and music educator (1912–1992).
- James Conmee,[6] former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Fred S. Haines (1879–1960) artist
- Tom Harpur, Author and religious columnist
- Don Knight, former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Brent Laing, curler
- Ron Lipsett, former Member of Provincial Parliament
- Marshall Burns Lloyd,[7] inventor of Lloyd Loom, Pres. Lloyd Mfg., Menominee, MI
- Herb Mitchell, former forward for the Boston Bruins
- John Muir, naturalist, author, "Father of the (U.S.) National Parks"
- Bill Murdoch, Member of Provincial Parliament
- Darren Pang, former goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks
- Glenn Smith, former defenseman for the Toronto St.Pats
- Melville "Sparky" Vail, former defenseman for the New York Rangers
- Terry Wong, Canadian astronaut
Trivia
- Several scenes from the Disney movie One Magic Christmas were filmed in Meaford.
- Several scenes from a local Collingwood movie, "Scarce", were filmed in Meaford and at Ted's Range Road Diner.
Culture
- Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre
- Meaford Creative Arts Association
- Meaford Museum
- Meaford International Film Festival
- Architectural Conservancy - Meaford Branch
- Beautiful Joe Heritage Society
- Fred S. Haines Commemorative Exhibition
See also
- CFB Meaford is a military base located northwest of the town and home to a tank range.
References
- ^ a b "Meaford community profile". 2006 Census data. Statistics Canada. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3542047&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Meaford&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
- ^ Woodhouse, Scott (2000-09-13). "Georgian Highlands selected as new name". The Meaford Express. http://www.meaford.com/town/express94.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ a b Fell, Chris (2000-11-15). "Gerald Shortt elected first Mayor of Georgian Highlands". The Meaford Express. http://www.meaford.com/town/express100.html. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ Wally Reif resigns, effective now
- ^ "Conmee Family Photo Gallery". 2007-12-19. http://www.mlloyd.org/gen/conmee/photoalb.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ "Marshall Burns Lloyd Photo Gallery". 2007-04-09. http://www.mlloyd.org/gen/lloyd/mblphoto.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
External links
Georgian Bay Owen Sound
Georgian Bluffs
Nottawasaga Bay 
Meaford 
Chatsworth, Grey Highlands The Blue Mountains Categories:- Towns in Ontario
- Municipalities in Grey County, Ontario
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
