Pickering, Ontario

Pickering (2011 population 88,721[1]) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It was settled by primarily ethnic British colonists, starting in the 1770s. Most of its growth has come since the end of World War II, and it has received immigrants from around the globe.

Contents
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 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Early period
 * 1.2 European settlement
 * 1.3 Twentieth century
 * 2 Demographics
 * 3 Communities
 * 4 Economy
 * 5 Transportation
 * 6 Malls
 * 6.1 Nautical Village
 * 6.2 Restaurants
 * 7 Government
 * 8 Emergency services
 * 9 Education
 * 10 Notable natives and residents
 * 11 In film
 * 12 See also
 * 13 Notes
 * 14 References
 * 15 Art
 * 16 External links

Early period[edit]
This was Aboriginal territory for thousands of years. The Wyandot (called the Huron by Europeans) spoke an Iroquoian language and were the historic people living here in the 15th century. Archeological remains of a large village have been found here, known as the Draper Site.[2] Later, the Wyandot moved west to Georgian Bay, where they occupied their historic homeland. There they encountered French explorers in the early 17th century.

The first recorded history of this area was made in 1669, when French Jesuit missionary M. Fenelon noted reaching what he called the Seneca (more likelyOnondaga) village of Gandatsetiagon, on the shores of Frenchman's Bay. The Onondaga were another of the Five Tribes of the Iroquois and occupied territory on the south side of Lake Ontario in present-day New York. (The Seneca were located farther west, near Seneca Lake among the Finger Lakes. Fenelon wintered here, and started missionary work with this people.[3])

European settlement[edit]
The British took over Canada following defeat of the French in the Seven Years' War, known in the North American front as the French and Indian War. They likely completed survey of the township about 1776; British settlers were steadily migrating into the area from eastern areas of Canada.[4]

In the 1813 census, Pickering had 180 residents —40 more than neighbouring Scarborough. A large influx of Quaker immigrants from the eastern United States arrived in the early 1810s.[5] The main thoroughfare at this time was the Kingston Road, which cut through the south of the township on its way from York (nowToronto) to Kingston.

Pickering was represented in the Mackenzie Rebellion of 1837. One of the leaders, Peter Matthews, had formerly been one of the most prominent members of the community.[6]

Twentieth century[edit]
In 1941, the southeastern portion of the township became the independent town of Ajax. Ontario County, Ontario became Durham Region in 1974, and some of the town lines were modified. As a result, one of the population centres of the original township, Pickering Village, became part of Ajax, along with its secondary school.

Demographics[edit]
Pickering has experienced rapid growth in the post-war period in the second half of the twentieth century. Toronto's continuing growth led to more people moving into Pickering. Between 1996 and 2001, the municipality experienced a growth rate of 10.3 percent (78,989 people to 87,139). Population growth has slowed considerably in recent years, growing only slightly between the 2001 and 2011 census.

The low population growth is mainly due to the city's development restrictions on land in the northern portion of its area, as they tried to contain sprawl. Negotiations are ongoing to permit development in this area. Consequently, the city has estimated that by 2031, Pickering will be home to 190,000 residents.[7] The province of Ontario has designated Pickering as one of two municipalities in Durham Region that are urban growth centres, planned to receive more development and population.

According to the 2011 Census, English is the mother tongue of 78.6% of the population, followed by Urdu (1.5%), Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) (1.5%) and Italian (1.4%), reflecting 20th century and later immigration.

Communities[edit]
The southern part of the city is mainly suburban, with industrial areas restricted to the area around Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. Most of the suburban areas were built as subdivisions after World War II, starting in the area around Frenchman's Bay. Prior to the war, the few suburban areas in the township were the communities of Dunbarton, Fairport Beach, Liverpool Market, and Rouge Hill. Squires Beach, located by the lakeshore in the southeast part of the city, is now a ghost town.

The northern part of the municipality is mainly rural, primarily used for agricultural purposes. However, a number of residential developments are found in this area, and the locally controversial Seaton area also falls within this part of the city. The primary rural communities in Pickering are Claremont, Brougham, and Whitevale; a number of smaller communities exist throughout northern Pickering. The abandoned ghost town ofAltona is located there.

Economy[edit]
Traffic congestion on Highway 401in Pickering.

Pickering is home to the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, an eight-reactor facility with a capacity of 4,120 megawatts. The first station, Pickering A, opened with four reactors in 1971. Ontario Power Generation, the plants' operator, is the largest single employer in the city. In 2001, the wind-powered OPG 7 Commemorative Turbine was opened on the generating station site.

A number of manufacturers are also located in the city. Major employers include Yorkville Sound (audio equipment), the Canadian headquarters of Purdue Pharma(pharmaceuticals and health & beauty products), Hubbell Canada (electrical equipment), PSB Speakers - Lenbrook (stereo equipment) and Eco-Tec Inc. (industrial water purification and chemical recovery systems).

Pickering is a founding member of the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance or DSEA. The nucleus of the DSEA is primarily Pickering businesses, such as Ontario Power Generation, Veridian, Siemens/Trench, Tetra Tech WEI, AECL, Intellimeter, Areva and Eco-Tec Inc.

The city is the location of the head office of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. MPAC performs value assessment for property tax purposes for all municipalities in Ontario. In 2012 Search Engine People, Canada's largest Internet-marketing company, moved to Pickering's downtown.

In 2006, Profit magazine recognized Pickering as one of the top 10 cities in Canada for growing a business.

In 2013, the Region of Durham released its Business Count (Employment Survey), which indicated that Pickering has the most jobs amongst Durham Region municipalities, with 29,000+ positions. This figure represents a near 1/3 ratio of jobs to residents.

With the implementation of Seaton and downtown intensification, the Province of Ontario's planning sees the additional creation of 40,000 new jobs for Pickering over the next two decades.

Transportation[edit]
Transit service began in Pickering with the Bay Shores dial-a-bus, which began in 1970-1973. In 2001 Pickering Transit merged with former Ajax Transit to form the Ajax-Pickering Transit Authority (APTA). In 2006, the regional transit system Durham Region Transit took over operations in the Durham Regional Municipality.

The Pickering GO station offers public rail transit on an east-west axis. In 2012, Pickering's landmark bridge opened - connecting the Pickering GO station to the City's downtown core.

Durham Regional Roads serve the city, north and south. To find more about Durham Regional Roads, go to this link: Durham Regional Roads . Ontario Highway 401 runs near the south end of Pickering.

A new airport is scheduled to be built and be operational by 2027. It will be built alongside lands for the future Rouge National Park.[11]

Malls[edit]

 * Pickering Town Centre - A two storey mall located at Kingston Road and Liverpool Road.

Nautical Village[edit]
This picturesque popular summer tourist destination by the lake and Frenchman's Bay features free musical entertainment at Millennium Square, a playground and waterfeature for children, a great boardwalk along the waterfront as well as cafes, restaurants, shops and an art gallery. Part of the Waterfront Trail in Pickering, on weekends between May and September, it features visual and performing artists in "Sunday on the Porch" series at the SilverStone Gallery.

Restaurants[edit]
Pickering has several popular and unique restaurants, including Kobo Sushi,[12] Massey's, Crabby Joe's, PORT Restaurant and Big M, a burger joint. Bars and restaurants such as The Harp, Fox Goes Free, and The Bear and Firkin offer bar grub and often provide nightly entertaining environments.

Boats and benches by Frenchman's Bay by Millennium Square

Trees in blossom in the springtime in the Nautical Village

Boats docked by the Waterfront Trail in Frenchman's Bay, Pickering

OPG 7 Wind Turbine & Pickering Nuclear Plant from Beachfront Park

St. Isaac Jogues Church on Finch Avenue

Government[edit]
Pickering City Hall Clock Tower from Glenanna Rd. entrance

The city council consists of a mayor, three regional councillors, and three city councillors. The mayor and regional councillors sit on the council and also represent the city at Durham Regional Council. The city councillors sit on city council only. Pickering is divided into three wards, with one city councillor and one regional councillor representing each ward.

The current mayor, Dave Ryan, has held the mayoralty since 2003.

Emergency services[edit]
Police services in Pickering are provided by the Durham Regional Police from a division office located in the eastern section of the city. Officers from this location also patrol Ajax. Pickering Fire Services operates from four stations with a force of all full-time firefighters. Claremont Fire Hall is now fully staffed by full-time firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ambulance/emergency medical services are provided by Durham Region.

Education[edit]
Pickering is served by the Durham District School Board, the Durham Catholic District School Board, the Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud. As of early 2007, the public board operates 17 elementary schools and two secondary schools, Dunbarton High School and Pine Ridge Secondary School (Pickering High School was previously located in Pickering, but was transferred to Ajax when the city boundaries were changed). The Catholic board runs eight elementary schools and one secondary school, Saint Mary Catholic Secondary School. The French public school board operates École Ronald-Marion, which serves both elementary and secondary students.

Blaisdale Montessori School, a private school chain, has several locations throughout Pickering serving children from preschool age to grade 8. There is also a private elementary and junior high school there called Montessori Learning Centre. Also serving the Durham Region is Durham Secondary Academy & Middle School, an inspected private high school and middle school for grades 5 to 12.

In September 2012, the Durham College/Centennial College Joint Learning Site opened at the north terminus of the pedestrian bridge. The Joint Learning Site offers primarily graduate certificate programs, with a number of complementary courses and classes. At the time of its opening, it was the only public post-secondary institution in the Province of Ontario with a direct connection to public transit.

Notable natives and residents[edit]

 * Sean Avery, former NHL forward
 * Shelley-Ann Brown, Olympic silver-medallist bobsledder
 * Tom Brown, Weather Anchor of CTV
 * Yannick Carter, Canadian Football League linebacker and special teamer for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * Glenn Clark, former National Lacrosse League player and former head coach of the Toronto Rock
 * Ernie Coombs, singer better known as Mr. Dressup
 * Laura Creavalle, IFBB professional bodybuilder
 * Ilona Duczynska, Polish-Hungarian communist revolutionary, active in Hungary, Austria, England and Canada
 * Perdita Felicien, Olympic track and field athlete
 * Dale Goldhawk, journalist and consumer rights advocate
 * Alan Haskvitz, National Teacher's Hall of Fame educator
 * Glenn Healy, former NHL goalie, member of 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers
 * Kristen Holden-Ried, actor
 * Nikkita Holder, Olympic track and field athlete
 * Craig Hutchison, Olympic swimmer
 * Mark Jackson, musician
 * Spider Jones, former professional boxer, media/radio personality, currently with CFRB radio
 * Cory Joseph, NBA player for the San Antonio Spurs
 * Andrea Lewis, singer, actor and songwriter
 * Denis T. O'Connor, former Roman Catholic archbishop of Toronto
 * Jennifer Pappas, an actress on Family Channel's The Next Step, portraying Chloe.
 * Paul Peschisolido, professional soccer player who played in England as a striker and was the Manager of Burton Albion F.C.
 * Jaime Peters, professional soccer player who plays midfield for Ipswich Town in the United Kingdom
 * Karl Polanyi, professor of economics at Columbia University and author of The Great Transformation
 * Sarah Slean, singer
 * Tyler Stewart, Barenaked Ladies drummer/singer
 * Beverly Thomson, co-host of CTV's Canada AM
 * Chris Van Vliet, entertainment reporter for CBS Cleveland affiliate, WOIO
 * Neil Young, rock singer-songwriter, spent part of his early years in Pickering, living on Brock Road
 * Shawn Mendes, singer-songwriter who gained popularity through Vine, and was part of the magcon tour.
 * Bree Williamson, actress best known for her role as Jessica Buchanan on soap opera One Life to Live.

In film[edit]

 * The 1957 CBC/Hollywood production of the classic television show Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans was filmed in Pickering. A farm at the corner of Valley Farm Rd. and 3rd Concession, owned by Arthur Gottlieb, was the setting for the 25-episode series.
 * The 1979 film The Black Stallion (film) was partially filmed at a refurbished barn located on Sideline 24 near Claremont.
 * The Canadian television show  Paradise Falls'  first season was filmed in the village of Whitevale, as was David Cronenberg's film The Dead Zone.
 * The 1994 comedy The Ref with Dennis Leary and Kevin Spacey was filmed in part at Port Pickering Marina, on Frenchman's Bay.
 * The 1995 family/adventure film Salt Water Moose, starring Timothy Dalton and Lolita Davidovitch, was filmed in and around Frenchman's Bay.
 * The 1998 comedy/action film The Big Hit with Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Avery Brooks, Christina Applegate and Elliott Gould, was filmed in part in Pickering near Petticoat Creek.
 * The 2008-09 comedy/family soap Jimmy was filmed in Pickering near Dunbarton High School.[citation needed]
 * The 2003 two-part mini-series Lives of the Saints, based on Nino Ricci's award-winning trilogy co-starring Sophia Loren, filmed scenes on a farm just north of Pickering.
 * Pickering Museum Village has been used as a setting in Road to Avonlea, Little Men, and the films Anne of Green Gables and Lantern Hill.
 * The final scene in Boondock Saints 2: All Saints' Day was filmed in Pickering.