Ballantrae, Ontario ( 2011 population 1,382) is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. Named after the village of

Ballantrae Ballantrae is a community in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The name probably comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Baile na Tràgha'', meaning the "town by the beach". Ballantrae has a primary school. The beach consists of shingle and sand an ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the community is centred on the intersection of Aurora Road (

York Regional Road 15 York Region, located in southcentral Ontario, Canada, assigned approximately 50 regional roads, each with a number ranging from 1 to 99. All expenses of York Regional Roads (for example, snow shovelling, road repairs, traffic lights) are funded ...

) and Highway 48.

History

The hamlet was first settled in the early nineteenth century, and by 1895 it had a population of 300. A spur-line of the

Toronto and Nipissing Railway The Toronto and Nipissing Railway (T&N) was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. It chartered in 1868 to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria counties. At Nipissing it would ...

built in 1877 ran through Ballantrae from Stouffville to

Jackson's Point Jackson's Point is a summer resort harbour located in the township of Georgina, on Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada. It was originally part of a naval land grant made to Captain William Bourchier (December 09, 1791-January 22, 1844) in 1819 (Bourch ...

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called ''Ouentironk' ...

. In the early twentieth century, Ballantrae's population declined dramatically. Large-scale deforestation and erosion of the thin soil of northern Whitchurch Township created virtual sand deserts. With the passage of the Reforestation Act (1911), the process of reclaiming these areas slowly began. The Vivian Forest, a large conservation area on the edge of Ballantrae, was established in 1924 for this purpose.

Vivian, Ontario

Vivian was initially an independent settlement located on the edge of a vast lumber industry centred at Highway 48 and Vivian Sideroad. The hamlet had a post office (southeast corner of Highway 48 and Vivian) and school house. Now downgraded to a community, the abandoned post office remains and school house replaced by Vivian Outdoor Centre.

Current Development

Ballantrae experienced 300% growth between 2001 and 2006 to 1,278 people, and 8% growth between 2006 and 2011 with a total population of 1,382 people. In 2011, Ballantrae had 105 children age 17 and under, and has one public school of the same name (Ballantrae Public School) with 259 pupils. The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville forecasts the population of Ballantrae to decline slightly between 2012 and 2031. A significant issue facing Ballantrae in the coming years is the federal government's proposed development of an international airport directly south-east of

Whitchurch-Stouffville Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in t ...

(the

Pickering Airport The Pickering Airport Lands were expropriated in 1972 by the Government of Canada with the intention of building a second international airport to serve the city of Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden H ...

lands); under the current plan, an approach for one of the three landing strips would be directly above the communities of Ballantrae and Musselman's Lake, with planes descending (or ascending) from 535 to 500 metres. The 2004 plan calls for 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032. A "Needs Assessment Study" was completed by the

Greater Toronto Airports Authority The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA; french: Autorité aéroportuaire du Grand Toronto) operates Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Pearson is Canada's largest airport ...

for the federal government in May 2010. After a "due diligence review,"

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

released the report in July 2011, and on June 11, 2013 announced a decision to proceed. The 2013 announcement was not challenged by the community's municipal leadership. Residents have expressed concerns about wet basements and frequent operation of their sump pumps. In 1993, the Whitchurch Historical Committee said "Whitchurch-Stouffville residents" should be "vigilant to treat trees and forests with respect.... In the 1990s care must be taken so that urbanization and concrete road-building do not repeat the destruction to our forest heritage."Barkey et al
Whitchurch Township
33; 30f.

References

Notes

{{Communities of Whitchurch-Stouffville

External links

Town of Whitchurch-StouffvilleOntario Plaques - Founding of StouffvilleStouffville.com
Stouffville's Online News and Events, Tourism and Business Directory Communities in Whitchurch-Stouffville