Georgina, Ontario

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Town of Georgina
Official logo of Town of Georgina
Logo
Georgina location within York Region, Ontario.
Georgina location within York Region, Ontario.
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Regional Municipality York
Named late 1790s
Amalgamated (township) 1971[1]
Incorporated (town) 1986
Named for George III
Government
 - Type Municipality
 - Mayor Robert Grossi
 - Deputy Mayor Danny Wheeler
 - Councillor Margaret Jordan, Ross Jamieson, Dave Szollosy, Ken Hackenbrook, Brad Smockum
Area
 - Total 287.72 km² (111.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 - Total 42,346
 - Density 147.2/km² (381.2/sq mi)
 - Population growth (2001-2006) +7.9%
  Source: Statistics Canada
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA Georgina: L0E
Keswick: L4P
Area code(s) 905, 289, 705
Website: www.town.georgina.on.ca
Georgina and other communities on Lake Simcoe, Ontario
Georgina and other communities on Lake Simcoe, Ontario
York Region, Ontario Portal

Georgina (2006 Population 42,346) is a town in south-central Ontario, and the northernmost municipality in the Regional Municipality of York. It forms part of the northern boundary of the Greater Toronto Area and is situated on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe. It is not so much one cohesive town as a large area containing three primary subsections: the community of Keswick, the communities of Sutton and Jackson's Point, and the smallest main subsection of Pefferlaw.

The town was incorporated in 1986 and was formed by the merger of the Village of Sutton, the Township of Georgina and the Township of North Gwillimbury in 1971, but the area's history dates back to the 1700s. North Gwillimbury took its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, nee Gwillim.

Georgina has recently been in the media spotlight for verbal and physical assaults on Asian Canadian anglers by local residents. Some of these assaults involved pushing the person into the water, a practice dubbed "nipper-tipping" by Georgina locals.[2] Following public outcry over these racist attacks, the Ontario Human Rights Commission released a report in May 2008 condemning the assaults as "racial profiling" because they concluded the incidents stemmed from "stereotyping Asian Canadians as more likely than others to engage in unlawful fishing".[3]

Another incident occurred more recently when local residents lynched a skeleton painted black on a flagpole flying the Confederate flag.[4] This act was labelled a hate crime by local authorities and the people responsible were arrested and charged.[4]

Contents

[edit] Municipal composition

The main centres in Georgina are the communities of:

  • Keswick
  • Sutton founded as Bouchier Mills in 1831, name changed in 1864
  • Jackson's Point
  • Baldwin
  • Virginia
  • Pefferlaw - founded by Captain William Johnson in 1819
  • Port Bolster
  • Udora
  • Willow Beach

The following is a listing of localities and communities within the Town of Georgina which over the years have merged with the larger communities but still remain distinct landmarks, and retain their unique and interesting history.

Baldwin, Balfour Beach, Belhaven, Beverly Hills, Beverly Isles, Briar's Park, Brighton Beach, Brown Hill. Cedarbrae, Claredon Beach, Craigmawr Beach, Crescent Beach, Cryderman, Doyle Beach, Duclos Point, Eastbourne, Egypt, Elmhurst Beach, Elmgrove, Franklin Beach, Filey Beach, Glenwood Beach, Holmes Point, Indianola Beach, Island Grove, Islandview Beach, Jackson's Point, Jersey, Keswick Beach, Maskinonge Park, McCrae Beach, Miami Beach, Moore's Beach, Mossington Park, Mossington Point, Mount Pleasant, North Gwillimbury, Orchard Beach, Paradise Beach, Pefferlaw, Pine Beach, Port Bolster, Port Bolster Beach, Roche's Point, Riverview Beach, Royal Beach, Sibbald Point, Sunkist Beach, Sunset Beach, Vachell, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Willow Beach, Wynhurst Beach, Udora, and Young's Harbour.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census:[5]

  • Population: 42,346
  • % Change (2001-2006): 7.9%
  • Dwellings: 15,518 (2001)
  • Area (km².): 287.72
  • Density (persons per km².): 136.5 (2001)

The town of Georgina is growing at a fast rate mostly due to beach lovers leaving the hustle and bustle of Toronto to relax. It has been a favourite for retirees.

Racial profile

Religions

[edit] Government

The Town of Georgina operates under a ward system, and its Municipal Council consists of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and a Councillor for each of the five wards. The current council consists of:

  • Mayor: Robert Grossi
  • Deputy Mayor: Danny Wheeler
  • Councillor Ward 1: Margaret Jordan
  • Councillor Ward 2: Ross Jamieson
  • Councillor Ward 3: Dave Szollosy
  • Councillor Ward 4: Ken Hackenbrook
  • Councillor Ward 5: Brad Smockum

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor represent Georgina at meetings of York Region Council.

Georgina is part of the Federal riding of York—Simcoe, represented by Peter Van Loan of the Conservative Party, elected in 2006.

Provincially, it is part of the riding of York North, represented by Julia Munro of the Progressive Conservative Party, who was first elected in 1995.

[edit] Location

  • Latitude: 44.2963
  • Longitude: -79.4362

[edit] Notable residents

  • Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame member Whipper Billy Watson was a life-long resident, and he spearheaded the campaign to build the Georgina Cultural Centre in the 1980s, which also houses the Stephen Leacock Theatre.
  • Jim Carrey also once resided for a time near Keswick at Jackson's Point.

[edit] Attractions

  • Canadian Ice Fishing Championships Annual Ice Fishing Championships.
  • Captain William Johnson's Old Mill[6]
  • St. George's Anglican Church, built in 1877 by the pioneering Sibbald family and burial place of Stephen Leacock and Mazo de la Roche[6]
  • Roche's Point Anglican Church, built in 1862[6]
  • Red Barn Theatre, Canada's oldest summer stock theatre. [6]
  • Stephen Leacock Theatre
  • Duclos Point Nature Reserve
  • Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery
  • Georgina Pioneer Village & Museum
  • The Peter Gzowski Festival of Stories [7]
  • Georgina Public Libraries
  • Georgina Skate Park
  • Georgina Studio Tour
  • York Regional Forests
  • Sibbald Point Provincial Park
  • Sutton Fair and Horse Show
  • Walking Trails
  • The Briars Resort and Golf Club, built and owned by the Sibbald family
  • Ice Fishing, Georgina was proclaimed the Ice Fishing Capital of North America in the 1990s
  • Willow Beach Conservation Area

[edit] Local clubs and associations

[edit] References

  1. ^ Some sources say 1971 Welch, Deborah, and Michael Payne. Georgina. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-01-02., some say 1970 York County Maps and Facts. York Region Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.History of the Town of Georgina. Georgina Village Museum. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  2. ^ Small Town Turmoil. The National Post (2007-10-06).
  3. ^ Commission reports on inquiry into assaults against Asian Canadian anglers. Ontario Human Rights Commission (2008-05-13). Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  4. ^ a b Georgina faces some ugly truths. The Toronto Star (2008-06-07).
  5. ^ 2006 Community Profiles
  6. ^ a b c d Town of Georgina Historical Sites.
  7. ^ Peter Gzowski Festival of Stories.

[edit] External links

North: Lake Simcoe Northeast: Beaverton
West: Cook's Bay, Lake Simcoe Georgina East: Brock
South: East Gwillimbury, Uxbridge
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