Jump to content

Leamington, Ontario

From Niidae Wiki
Revision as of 08:15, 20 May 2025 by imported>Nexilise (Transportation: Owen Sound Transportation Company)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Template:Wikivoyage Leamington (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a municipality in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. With a population of 29,680 in the Canada 2021 Census, it forms the second largest urban centre in Windsor-Essex County after Windsor, Ontario. It includes Point Pelee National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Canada.

Known since the 20th century as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", it is the location of a tomato processing plant owned by Highbury-Canco; founded in 1908, the plant was owned until 2014 by the H. J. Heinz Company. Due to its location in the southernmost part of Canada, Leamington uses the motto "Sun Parlour of Canada".

Communities

[edit]

Besides the town of Leamington itself, the municipality of Leamington comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Albuna, Blytheswood, Cherry Lane Estates, Elmdale, Goldsmith, Marentette Beach, Mount Carmel, Oakland, Seacliffe, Wigle, Windfall, Chalmers, Erie Curve, Hillman, Point Pelee and Sturgeon Woods.

History

[edit]

Leamington was incorporated as a village in 1874, but by 1869, the European-Canadian settlement already had a population of 350.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The community was named after Royal Leamington Spa in England, after having originally been called "Gainesville" or "Gainesborough"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for local mill owner William Gaines, and before that, Wilkinson Corners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has had a post office since June 1854.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

It was a crossroads hamlet with about 300 residents and was first known for its lumber products rather than tomatoes. There was extensive lumbering in western Ontario, as across the river in Michigan and also upper Michigan. There were several docks, and fish were plentiful in Lake Erie, so much so that sturgeon could be speared from the shore and fish was the cheapest food available.

Leamington was a "sundown town," a place where Black people would face violence or harassment if they were in public after dark.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1930, a group of Black parishioners on a visit to Seacliff Park were ordered to leave Leamington by several town administrators.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> David Suzuki attests that he was told, upon arrival in Leamington in 1946, that “no colored person has ever stayed here beyond sunset.”<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

Leamington was also one of the few Canadian municipalities included in the Negro Motorist Green Book, the American publication listing safe businesses for travelling black people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 1 January 1999, the town was amalgamated with the surrounding Township of Mersea to form an expanded Town of Leamington. Similar municipal restructuring took place throughout Essex County.

In the early hours of June 6, 2010, an F1 tornado ripped through portions of southern Essex County, stretching from Harrow, through Kingsville, to southern Leamington before dissipating near Point Pelee National Park, creating considerable damage, but no loss of life or any direct injuries.<ref name=cbcjune>Template:Cite web</ref> The tornado passed through Leamington, damaging various important landmarks and facilities in town, including the marina.<ref name=cbcjune/>

Climate

[edit]

Leamington lies on the 42nd Parallel, the same latitude as Chicago, Boston, the northern border of California, Rome, and Zaragoza. It is located on the north shore of Lake Erie, which acts to moderate its climate.

Template:Weather box

Demographics

[edit]

Template:Historical populations

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Leamington had a population of Template:Val living in Template:Val of its Template:Val total private dwellings, a change of Template:Percentage from its 2016 population of Template:Val. With a land area of Template:Convert, it had a population density of Template:Pop density in 2021.<ref name=2021census>Template:Cite web</ref>

Canada 2006 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Arab 580 Template:Percentage
Black 245 Template:Percentage
Chinese 145 Template:Percentage
Filipino 25 Template:Percentage
Japanese 40 Template:Percentage
Korean 0 Template:Percentage
Latin American 1,390 Template:Percentage
South Asian 80 Template:Percentage
Southeast Asian 275 Template:Percentage
West Asian 25 Template:Percentage
Other visible minority 80 Template:Percentage
Mixed visible minority 25 Template:Percentage
Total visible minority population 2,915 Template:Percentage
Aboriginal group
Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
First Nations 160 Template:Percentage
Inuit 0 Template:Percentage
Métis 115 Template:Percentage
Total Aboriginal population 305 Template:Percentage
White 25,055 Template:Percentage
Total population 28,275 100%

Language

[edit]

The majority of people from Leamington speak English. According to the 2016 census, 24,070 speak English only, 12,100 male and 11,970 female, 1,655 people speak both English and French, 735 male and 920 female, and 1,330 people speak neither English nor French.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Residents of Leamington include a population of Lebanese, Portuguese and Italian. Mennonite settlers, whose ancestors immigrated from Russia, have also added to the population.

Age

[edit]

According to the 2016 census, the average age of people living in Leamington is 41.3 years - for men the age was 39.7 and for women the age was 42.9 years of age. <ref name=":0" />

Immigration

[edit]

According to a 2006 survey, 7,485 are immigrants or migrants, and 19,365 people are natives of Canada. The majority of migrants come from Mexico and Jamaica, and are employed as seasonal farm workers through the Temporary foreign worker program in Canada. According to the census, Leamington had the highest percentage of Latin Americans in Canada, with 4.9%.<ref name=SC06>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

[edit]

Transportation around the city is offered by the Leamington Transit bus system. The city has a small private airport located Template:Convert to the east of town. The town is also connected to the provincial highway network by Highway 3 (to Windsor), and Highway 77 (to Highway 401).

A rail line that Heinz built from its plant to the harbour has been converted to a bicycle path going from the middle of town to the Marina. Two ferries, (MV Jiiman and MV Pelee Islander II) owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company, run on a regularly scheduled seasonal basis from Leamington to Pelee Island with continuing service on to Sandusky, Ohio.<ref name=ctvnewsapril>Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

[edit]
File:Tomatoes being transported in Leamington, Ontario.jpg
Tomatoes being transported in Leamington. The smoke stack of the former Heinz processing factory can be seen in the distance on the left.

The H. J. Heinz company established a factory in 1908 in Leamington. The Heinz products are shipped from the city with both English and French labels, mostly to the United States. Ketchup and baby food are the main products. In November 2013 Heinz announced that it would close the Leamington plant in 2014, meaning job losses for 740 employees at the plant and hundreds more support workers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Regional and local businessmen worked to save the plant. A campaign was conducted on Facebook to raise support and funds. As a 54-year-old law in Canada bans the use of tomato paste in tomato juice, thus requiring fresh tomatoes, they arranged a deal whereby Highbury Canco took over the plant in 2014.Template:Clarification needed It produces tomato juice and other products for Heinz. Around 250 workers still process canned products at the over 100-year-old factory.<ref name="Austen">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:As of when

Leamington has also been known for its greenhouses. It now has the largest concentration of commercial greenhouses in all of North America, with Template:Convert of greenhouse vegetable production in the general area.<ref>Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers 2013 Fact SheetTemplate:Dead link</ref> Major products of the greenhouse industry, in addition to tomatoes, are peppers, cannabis, cucumbers, roses, and other flowers. Hydroponic farming has been very successfully adopted by many greenhouse operators in Leamington. Historically, tobacco was an important crop in the area. Tobacco production declined in the 1960s and today is virtually nonexistent.

Migrant workers, mostly Mexican and Caribbean seasonal labourers, annually arrive in the region to work in Leamington's greenhouses and farms. Several Mexican and Jamaican shops and a Mexican consulate have opened to serve the migrants.

Leamington became a production site of Aphria, one of Canada's largest medicinal and recreational marijuana greenhouse operators. A merger in December 2020 with Nanaimo, British Columbia-based Tilray, led to the closure of Tilray's production site in Leamington and operations were consolidated at the former Aphria site under the name Tilray.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Healthcare

[edit]

Erie Shores Healthcare serves the city of Leamington, as well as Essex and Chatham Kent. Opened in 1950, Leamington District Memorial Hospital succeeded two smaller healthcare facilities: Hopewell Hospital (c. 1933) and Cottage Hospital (c. 1920). In mid-December 2016, the hospital formally submitted notice to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, it wished to change its name to Erie Shores Healthcare, and subsequently has been approved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other major healthcare needs can be undertaken in nearby Windsor, Ontario.

Education

[edit]

English-language public education for kindergarten through secondary school grades in Essex County is administered by the Greater Essex County District School Board, along with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board which oversees English-language Catholic education.

French-language public and Catholic education are overseen by the Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, respectively. The scope of all of these organizations includes both the County and the City of Windsor.

Prior to 1998, the Essex County Board of Education operated Anglophone secular public schools.

Elementary

[edit]

Leamington has five public elementary schools, Margaret D. Bennie, Queen Elizabeth, Gore Hill, Mount Carmel - Blytheswood Public School and East Mersea. Leamington has two Catholic elementary schools: Cardinal Carter Middle School and Saint Louis. Leamington also has one French speaking Catholic School, St. Michel. South Shore Christian School is a private elementary school located in Leamington. Leamington has two main school boards, the Greater Essex County District School Board and the Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board.

Queen of Peace Catholic Elementary School faced closure in February 2016, but was since converted to Cardinal Carter Catholic Middle School.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mill Street Public School was permanently closed at the conclusion of the 2016–2017 school year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Secondary

[edit]

Leamington has three secondary schools: Leamington District Secondary School (public), Cardinal Carter Catholic High School, and U.M.E.I. (United Mennonite Education Institute).

Parks

[edit]
File:Seacliffpark.jpg
Seacliff Park
File:Point Pelee National Park- The Tip of Canada- Ontario.jpg
The southernmost point of mainland Canada, Point Pelee National Park

Leamington has several parks including Seacliff Park, the Marina Park, Mersea Park and Garrison Gardens, Henry Park, and Chestnut Park.

As noted, Point Pelee National Park contains the southernmost point on mainland Canada and draws thousands of visitors annually. It is on a flyway of migrating birds and one of the largest annual migrations of monarch butterflies.

Tourism

[edit]
File:Leamington Marina Damage from 2010 tornado.jpg
Leamington Marina damage after the tornado of June 6, 2010

Tourism contributes significantly to the economyTemplate:Cn, and the city has many attractions. Its attractions include cycle paths along the lake and the nearby Point Pelee National Park. It is a major site for migrating birds, especially in the autumn. As such, it plays host to many birdwatchers from Canada, the United States, and around the world.Template:Cn The region is also known for the migration of monarch butterflies, which congregate in the fall at Point Pelee before making their way across Lake Erie on their route to winter quarters in central Mexico. Another important natural area near Leamington is the wetland at Hillman Marsh, located Template:Convert east of the town.

Leamington has a large marina, as many people engage in sailing and other water sports. The marina also features a promenade that extends from the Marina to the Historical Leamington Dock, a port for ferry services to Pelee Island using the Jiiman and Pelee Islander II.<ref name=ctvnewsapril/>

Annual events and festivals

[edit]
  • Festival of Birds – Every year over 40,000 visitors head to Point Pelee National Park for the Festival of Birds at the beginning of May. Over 300 species of birds migrate through the park every year, providing close up views of birds not seen anywhere else in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Leamington Fair – For over 170 years, the Leamington District Agricultural Society holds the Fair, typically during the third week in June. The Fair features a Midway full of rides and games, a Demolition Derby, and a variety of contests for arts, crafts, livestock, and food in a classic county fair.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Music Onthe42 Summer Concert Series – The Music Onthe42 Summer Concert Series that runs from late June to the end of August at the Seacliff Park Amphitheatre. Seven free concerts feature national and local bands of all genres performing Saturday evenings.<ref>Template:Cite web (Section: Music Onthe42 Summer Concert Series)</ref>
  • Arts @ The Marina – The South Essex Arts Association/Leamington Arts Centre presents an Annual Outdoor Arts and Crafts Show towards the end of June at the Leamington Municipal Marina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Hogs For Hospice – An annual motorcycle rally usually held at the beginning of August. It is centered around Seacliff Park and includes concerts featuring music, and a weekend long craft and vendor show. Proceeds from the weekend are donated to the Leamington Hospice.

The town's water tower, visible for kilometres in the flat southern Ontario landscape, is in the shape and colour of a giant tomato. The former tourist information booth in the centre of town is shaped like a large fibreglass tomato.

Sports

[edit]

Media

[edit]

Print

[edit]

Leamington's weekly newspaper is the Southpoint Sun-Journal. The weekly newspaper that was Leamington Post ceased operations in 2012 after 138 years in publication.

Radio

[edit]

Leamington is home to two regional commercial radio stations.

Frequency Call sign Branding Format Owner Notes
FM 91.9 CBEW-FM-1 CBC Radio One Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBEW-FM (Windsor)
FM 92.7 CJSP-FM Country 95.9 & 92-7 Country music Blackburn Radio Simulcasts CJWF-FM (Windsor)
FM 96.7 CHYR-FM Mix 96.7 Hot adult contemporary Blackburn Radio
FM 103.1 CBEF-1-FM Ici Radio-Canada Première Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBEF (Windsor)

Leamington is also served by Weatheradio Canada station VAZ533, transmitting at 162.475 MHz in the weather band.

Television

[edit]
OTA virtual channel (PSIP) OTA channel Cogeco Call Sign Network Notes
22.1 33 (UHF) 3, 706 CIII-DT-22 Global Rebroadcaster of CIII-DT-41 (Toronto)
34.1 30 (UHF) 100 CFTV-DT Independent Community television
34.2 French- and Spanish- language community television
34.3 First Nations community television and special needs/described video programming
34.4 Leamington and Essex County council meetings

Notable people

[edit]
[edit]
  • The book Splat! by Eric Walters takes place in Leamington at the tomato festival.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

Template:Reflist

References

[edit]

Template:Reflist

[edit]

Template:Commons category

Template:Geographic location Template:Essex County, Ontario