Brantford

Brantford
—  Independent city  —
Logo
Nickname(s): The Telephone City
Brantford
Coordinates: 43°10′N 80°15′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Brant (independent)
Established	May 31, 1877
Government
• Mayor	Chris Friel
• Governing Body	Brantford City Council
• MP	Phil McColeman (Conservative)
• MPP	Dave Levac (Liberal)
Area
• Land	72.47 km2 (27.98 sq mi)
• Metro	1,073.11 km2 (414.33 sq mi)
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)
Population (2011)
• Independent city	93,650 (54th)
• Density	1,292.3/km2 (3,347/sq mi)
• Metro	135,501 (30th)
• Metro density	126.3/km2 (327/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code span	N3P, N3R, N3S, N3T, N3V
Area code(s)	519/226
Website	www.brantford.ca

Brantford (2011 population 93,650 CMA population 135,510), is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent. However Brantford and the County of Brant are grouped in the same census division.

Brantford is connected to Woodstock in the west and Hamilton in the east by Highway 403 and to Cambridge to the north and Simcoe to the south by Highway 24.

Brantford is sometimes known by its style The Telephone City, as a former city resident, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone on the community's outskirts and conducted the first distant telephone call from the Brantford to Paris, Ontario in 1876. It is also the birthplace of hockey player Wayne Gretzky, comedian Phil Hartman, as well as Group of Seven member Lawren Harris.

History

Brant County Courthouse in Brantford

The Attawandaron, or Neutral Nation, lived in the Grand River valley area before the 17th century; their main village and seat of the chief, Kandoucho, was identified by 19th-century historians as having been located on the Grand River where Brantford lies today. This town, like the rest of their settlements, was destroyed when the Iroquois declared war in 1650 and exterminated the Neutral nation.

In 1784, Captain Joseph Brant and the Six Nations Indians left New York State for Canada. As a reward for their loyalty to the British Crown, they were given a large land grant, referred to as the Haldimand Tract, on the Grand River. The original Mohawk settlement was on the south edge of the present-day city at a location favourable for landing canoes. Brant's crossing of the river gave the original name to the area: Brant's ford. By 1847, European settlers began to settle further up the river at a ford in the Grand River and named the village Brantford. The Mohawk Chapel, part of the original Mohawk settlement, is Ontario's oldest Protestant church. Brantford was incorporated as a city in 1877.

The history of the Brantford region from 1793 to 1920 is described at length in the book At The Forks of The Grand.

Historic sites

Brantford's history traces its roots to the 18th century with the arrival of the Six Nations tribes from New York State, and the later arrival of Colonialists and European immigrants. A number of historic monuments have been erected within the city marking those events and Brantford's contributions to the Commonwealth's defense of the realm.

Additionally, Alexander Graham Bell's family's first home in North America was a farmhouse on Tutelo Heights (named after the First Nations tribe which settled the area, and later absorbed into Brantford) where Bell invented the electric telephone in July, 1874—although he built his first working model in Boston—and then developed early improvements to it in 1876. As part of the invention and development of the telephone, along with Canada's first telephone factory, the city earned the style of Brantford, The Telephone City. Associated with those events in the present day are the Bell Family's museum home on Tutela Heights Road, now called the Bell Homestead National Historic Site, and the Bell Telephone Memorial (below), dedicated by the Governor General of Canada in 1917 to mark the invention of the telephone in Brantford.

The Bell Telephone Memorial, commemorating the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. The monument, paid by public subscription and sculpted by W.S. Allward, was dedicated by the Governor General of Canada, Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire with Dr. Bell in The Telephone City's Alexander Graham Bell Gardens in 1917. Included on the main tableau are figures representing Man, the Inventor, Inspiration whispering to Man, his power to transmit sound through space, as well as Knowledge, Joy, Sorrow. (Courtesy: Brantford Heritage Inventory, City of Brantford, Ontario, Canada)

Economy

Brantford's early history included the invention of the electric telephone which led to Canada's first telephone factory within the city in the 19th century. Brantford was also an important Canadian industrial centre for the first half of the 20th century, and was once the third busiest Canadian city in terms of cash-value of manufactured goods exported.

The city is at the deepest navigable point of the Grand River, and was once a railroad hub of Southern Ontario. The combination of water and rail helped Brantford develop from a farming community into a blue collar industrial city based on the agriculture implement industry centred around companies such as Massey-Harris, Verity Plow and the Cockshutt Plow Company. This industry, more than any other, provided the well-paying and steady employment that allowed Brantford to sustain economic growth through most of the 20th century.

By the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of Brantford was in steady decline as a result of the bankruptcies of White Farm Equipment, Massey-Ferguson (and its successor, Massey Combines Corporation), Koering-Waterous, Harding Carpets, and other manufacturers. The bankruptcies and closures of the businesses left thousands of people unemployed and created one of the most economically depressed areas in the country. With a recent influx of new companies moving to the area, the unemployment rate of 7.4% stands below the national rate.

The completion of the Brantford to Ancaster section of Highway 403 in 1997, was intended to provide an increased incentive for business to locate in Brantford because of easy access to Hamilton and Toronto, as well as being along the quickest route through southern Ontario between Detroit and Buffalo. In 2004 Procter & Gamble and Ferrero SpA chose to locate in the city. Though Wescast Industries, Inc. recently closed their local foundry, their corporate headquarters will remain in Brantford. SC Johnson Canada has their headquarters and a manufacturing plant in Brantford, connected to the Canadian National network. On February 16, 2005, Brant, including Brantford, was added to the Greater Golden Horseshoe along with Haldimand and Northumberland counties.

Climate

Climate data for Brantford
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.5 (59.9)	16.5 (61.7)	25.5 (77.9)	30.5 (86.9)	33 (91)	35.5 (95.9)	38.5 (101.3)	36.5 (97.7)	34.4 (93.9)	30 (86)	25 (77)	20.5 (68.9)	38.5 (101.3)
Average high °C (°F)	−1.8 (28.8)	−0.6 (30.9)	4.8 (40.6)	11.9 (53.4)	19.4 (66.9)	24.4 (75.9)	27 (81)	25.6 (78.1)	21.3 (70.3)	14.4 (57.9)	7.5 (45.5)	1 (34)	12.9 (55.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−5.9 (21.4)	−4.9 (23.2)	0.4 (32.7)	6.8 (44.2)	13.6 (56.5)	18.6 (65.5)	21.2 (70.2)	20.1 (68.2)	15.8 (60.4)	9.4 (48.9)	3.6 (38.5)	−2.7 (27.1)	8 (46)
Average low °C (°F)	−10 (14)	−9.1 (15.6)	−4 (25)	1.6 (34.9)	7.8 (46.0)	12.7 (54.9)	15.4 (59.7)	14.6 (58.3)	10.3 (50.5)	4.3 (39.7)	−0.2 (31.6)	−6.3 (20.7)	3.1 (37.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−30 (−22)	−30.5 (−22.9)	−22 (−8)	−12.8 (9.0)	−2.8 (27.0)	1.1 (34.0)	5.6 (42.1)	1.1 (34.0)	−4.5 (23.9)	−7 (19)	−16 (3)	−27 (−17)	−30.5 (−22.9)
Precipitation mm (inches)	60.4 (2.378)	51.9 (2.043)	71.5 (2.815)	71.5 (2.815)	77.6 (3.055)	82 (3.23)	85.4 (3.362)	80.8 (3.181)	86.5 (3.406)	70 (2.76)	79.5 (3.13)	75.1 (2.957)	892.3 (35.13)
Rainfall mm (inches)	29.8 (1.173)	28.3 (1.114)	55.3 (2.177)	67.6 (2.661)	77.6 (3.055)	82 (3.23)	85.4 (3.362)	80.8 (3.181)	86.5 (3.406)	70 (2.76)	71.9 (2.831)	44.6 (1.756)	779.6 (30.693)
Snowfall cm (inches)	30.7 (12.09)	24.3 (9.57)	16.3 (6.42)	3.9 (1.54)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	7.7 (3.03)	30.4 (11.97)	113.3 (44.61)
Source: Environment Canada

Demographics

Brantford had a population of 90,192 people in 2006, which was an increase of 4.4% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Brantford was $52,330. Based on the 2006 census, Brantford had an average property value of $200,319. The median mortgage payment was $933. The median rent for Brantford in 2006 was $700.

Census Population 1841 2,000 1871 8,107 1881 9,616 1891 12,753 1901 16,619 1911 23,132 1921 29,440 1931 30,107 1941 31,622 1951 36,727 1961 55,201 1971 64,421 1981 74,315 1986 t.b.d. 1991 81,997 1996 t.b.d. 2001 86,417 2006 90,192 2011 93,650

City of Brantford 2006 Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Population  % of Total Population Visible minority group Chinese 650 0.73 South Asian 1660 2.0 Filipino 625 0.8 Black 1580 1.9 Arabs 190 0.2 Latino 360 0.4 Southeast Asian 570 0.7 Korean 200 0.2 Japanese 90 0.1 Mixed Race 190 0.2 Other 180 0.2 Total Visible Minorities 6,200 6.8 Total Aboriginal Identity Population 3440 4.0 White/Caucasian 79,205 89.2 Total population 88,845 100

Culture

Brantford is known for celebrating local cultures every July during the Brantford International Villages Festival event.

Education

• Statistics from the Federal 2006 Census indicated that 72% of Brantford's adult residents had earned either a certificate, diploma, or university degree.
• The W. Ross Macdonald School for blind and deafblind students is located in Brantford.

Universities and colleges

Brantford campus of Nipissing University

• Mohawk College, has a satellite campus in Brantford, and offers programs such as Advanced Police Studies, Police Foundations and Law & Security
• Laurier Brantford, a campus of Wilfrid Laurier University, offers undergraduate degrees in their downtown facilities. They include degrees in Contemporary Studies, Criminology, Leadership, Journalism, and a joint program in education offered in partnership with Nipissing University.
• Nipissing University, joint program with Wilfrid Laurier.

Secondary schools

• Assumption College School
• Brantford Collegiate Institute
• North Park Collegiate & Vocational School
• Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School
• St. John's College
• Tollgate Technological Skills Centre (formerly known as Herman E. Fawcett)
• Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA)

Politics

Brantford City Hall

The current Brantford City Council was elected in the 2010 municipal election and is headed by Mayor Chris Friel, who previously served as mayor from 1994 to 2003. The council, in addition to Friel, includes Larry Kings and Jan Vander Stelt (Ward 1), Vince Bucci and John Utley (Ward 2), Debi Dignan-Rumble and Dan McCreary (Ward 3), Richard Carpenter and Dave Wrobel (Ward 4), and David Neumann and Marguerite Ceschi-Smith (Ward 5).

At the federal and provincial levels of government, Brantford is part of the Brant riding.

Media

Print

The Brantford Expositor, which started printing in 1852, is published six times a week (everyday excluding Sunday), and is published by Osprey Media.

The Brant News is a weekly paper (delivered Thursday) that also carries breaking news online on their website, and is published by Metroland Publishing Group.

Radio

• AM 1380 - CKPC (AM), oldies
• FM 92.1 - CKPC-FM, adult contemporary
• FM 93.9 - CFWC-FM, religious

Television

Brantford's only local television service comes from Rogers TV (cable 20), a local community channel on Rogers Cable. Otherwise, Brantford is served by stations from Toronto, Hamilton and Kitchener.

Film

Several movies have had scenes shot in Brantford, including Welcome to Mooseport and Where the Truth Lies, which were filmed at the Brantford Airport. An episode of Due South, "Dr. Long Ball", was filmed at Arnold Anderson Stadium in Cockshutt Park. A more recent filming was Weirdsville, which was filmed downtown in 2006. "Silent Hill" was filmed in the downtown in 2005. Many Brantfordians observed in jest that very little work needed to be done to make downtown look decayed and haunted. Brantford's Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts was used as "The Rose" mainstage theatre of the "New Burbage Festival" in the series Slings & Arrows.

Transportation

Highway 403 connects Brantford with London and Hamilton. Seen here is the 403 eastbound near the Grand River bridge.

Air

Brantford Municipal Airport is located west of the city. It hosts an annual air show, featuring the Snowbirds. The John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton is located about 35 km east of Brantford. Toronto Pearson International Airport is located in Mississauga, about 100 km northeast of Brantford.

Rail

The train station is located just north of downtown Brantford. Via Rail has daily passenger trains on the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Trains travel between Windsor and Union Station in Toronto. Street rail began in Brantford in 1886 with emission free carriages which by 1893 had been converted to electric. The City of Brantford took over these operations in 1914. Around 1936 buses began to replace street cars and by the end of 1939 the change over was complete.

Bus

• Brantford Transit services the city with nine regular routes operating on a half-hour schedule from the downtown Transit Terminal on Darling Street, with additional school service.
• Greyhound Canada has intercity service to Toronto, Hamilton, London, Windsor and other cities.
• All Around Transportation operates a Paris–Brantford shuttle bus.

Provincial Highways

• Highway 403, East Hamilton, West Woodstock.
• Highway 24, North Cambridge, South Simcoe.

Entertainment and attractions

The Armoury

Brantford is home to the [[OLG Casino Brantford|Brantford OLG Casino], and the Sanderson Centre, a venue for of musicals, operas, concerts, and other performing arts.

The Kinsmen Club of Brantford offers entertainment throughout the year, including a weekly Bingo game which runs every Thursday evening at the Bellview Community Center in Eagle Place and Brantford Kinsmen Annual Ribfest held in August which has featured the musical artists Green River Revival (a tribute band to Creedence Clearwater Revival) and Practically Hip (tribute band of Tragically Hip).

The Ford Plant, which opened in 2002, was an independent, not-for-profit music venue that hosted all-ages concerts by many musical artists, including Arcade Fire, Wintersleep, Blue Rodeo, and more. In October 2010, the venue closed its doors for good, following its final Murdered City Music Festival.

Brantford's Canada Day Festival

Brantford hosts the region’s largest Canada Day Festival each July 1. A grassroots, not-for-profit, organization was formed in the fall of 2004 after a call from the Mayor to re-establish the event when nobody was able to organize one in 2004. Since then Brantford’s Canada Day Festival has presented family events and Canadian Juno Award winning entertainment. A 2006 and 2009 Shining Stars Tourism Awards winner and with a budget of nearly $250,000.00, this one day festival draws an estimated crowd of 35,000 or more people.

Past main stage headliners have included:

2005 – Jeff Healey

2005 – Lighthouse

2007 – The Trews

2008 – Theory of a Deadman

2009 – Theory of a Deadman

Sports teams and tournaments

Current intercounty or major teams

• Brantford Red Sox of the Intercounty Baseball League who play at Arnold Anderson Stadium
• Brantford Braves of the Junior Intercounty Baseball League who also play at Arnold Anderson Stadium
• Brantford Blast of the Major League Hockey who play at the Brantford Civic Centre
• Brantford Galaxy SC of the Canadian Soccer League who play at Lion's Park.
• Brantford Golden Eagles of the Ontario Hockey Association who play at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre
• Brantford Harlequins of the Ontario Rugby Union

Defunct teams

• Brantford Alexanders (1978 to 1984), a former team of the Ontario Hockey League who played at the Brantford Civic Centre. They are now the Erie Otters.
• Brantford Smoke (1991–1998) of the CoHL, Colonial Hockey League who played at the Brantford Civic Centre. The team moved to Asheville until 2002.
• Brantford Blaze of the Canadian National Basketball League.

Tournaments

• The Wayne Gretzky International Hockey Tournament is held in Brantford annually
• The Walter Gretzky House League Tournament is a tournament that is held yearly
• Swim International is held annually in November
• The Walter Gretzky Hockey fest

Other

• Brantford hosted and won the 2008 Allan Cup, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the event.
• The Brantford Golf & Country Club was founded in 1879. It is the fourth oldest golf club in North America. It is ranked 29th on Score Golf's "Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada" 2006 list.
• The city served as the pre-season camp and facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the late 1960's, hosting the franchise's first preseason training camp and its first preseason exhibition game.

People

Main article: List of people from Brantford

Service clubs

• Kinsmen Club of Brantford
• Kiwanis Club of Brantford
• Kiwanis Club of Grand River
• Rotary Club of Brantford
• Rotary Club of Brantford Sunrise
• Brantford Lions Club
• North Brantford Lions Club
• Brant County Free Masons

Religion

Brantford is home to a number of churches and religious temples of various faiths, including a mosque and a Sikh temple. Its estimated there at over 35 churches in in the city, including Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Pentecostal, Salvation Army, Presbyterian, United, Christadelphian, and Mormon. Brantford is also home to the national headquarters of the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada.

Twin city

Brantford is twinned with:

Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland

See also

• Alexander Graham Bell
• Brant (electoral district)
• Brantford City Council
• List of mayors of Brantford, Ontario

External links

• City of Brantford
• Brantford Heritage Inventory
• Brant Museum and Archives
• Brantford Public Library
• Laurier Brantford
• Kinsmen Club of Brantford
• The Brantford Expositor
• Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre
• The Brantford Album
• Brantford "The Telephone City"
• Views of Brantford, Canada
• Remember: Brantford 1877-1977
• Album of Honour for Brant County
• Brantford & Area Sports Hall of Recognition
• The Sanderson Centre