Guelph ( ;
2021 Canadian Census
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...
population 143,740)
is a city in
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...
, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of
Kitchener and west of
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...
, at the intersection of
Highway 6
Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* Asian Highway 6
* European route E6
* European route E006
Albania
* National Road SH6
Argentina
* Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6
Australia New ...
,
Highway 7 and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of
Wellington County, but is politically
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
of it.
Guelph began as a settlement in the 1820s, established by Scotsman
John Galt
John Galt () is a character in Ayn Rand's novel ''Atlas Shrugged'' (1957). Although he is not identified by name until the last third of the novel, he is the object of its often-repeated question "Who is John Galt?" and of the quest to discover ...
, who was in
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
as the first Superintendent of the
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under an act of the British parliament,, ...
. He based the headquarters, and his home, in the community. The area – much of which became Wellington County – had been part of the Halton Block, a Crown Reserve for the Six Nations Iroquois. Galt would later be considered as the founder of Guelph.
For many years, Guelph ranked at or near the bottom of Canada's crime severity list. However, the 2017 Crime Severity Index showed a 15% increase from 2016. Guelph has been noted as having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country throughout the
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
.
In late 2018, the Guelph Eramosa and Puslinch entity had an unemployment rate of 2.3 per cent, which decreased to 1.9 percent by January 2019, the lowest of all Canadian cities. The national unemployment rate at the time was 5.8 percent. Much of this achievement was attributed to the numerous manufacturing facilities, including
Linamar
Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company i ...
.
History
![John Galt bust](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/John_Galt_bust.jpg)
First Nations peoples used land on present-day Guelph as early as 11,000 years ago.
Before colonization, the area was considered by the surrounding
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
communities to be a "neutral" zone and was inhabited by the
Neutral Nation
The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ''Attawandaron'' by neighbouring tribes) were an Iroquoian people who lived in what is now southwestern and south-central Ontario in Canada, North America. They lived throughout ...
. According to the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
, "the area was home to a
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
community called the Attawandaron who lived in longhouses surrounded by fields of corn". The majority of this nation, about 4,000 people, lived in a village near what is now the Badenoch area of
Puslinch, near Morriston. In 1784, the
British Crown
The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
purchased a tract of land, that included present-day Guelph, from the
Mississauga people
The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning "hose ...
for approximately £1,180.
John Galt
John Galt () is a character in Ayn Rand's novel ''Atlas Shrugged'' (1957). Although he is not identified by name until the last third of the novel, he is the object of its often-repeated question "Who is John Galt?" and of the quest to discover ...
, the first Superintendent of the
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under an act of the British parliament,, ...
, was hired to help colonize Upper Canada.
He selected Guelph as the headquarters of this British development firm. Galt was a popular
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
poet and novelist who also designed the town to attract settlers and farmers to the surrounding countryside.
His design intended the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which are still in place today.
The street plan was laid out in a radial street and grid system that branches out from downtown,
a technique which was also employed in other planned towns of this era, such as
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
.
![1855 Map of Guelph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/1855_Map_of_Guelph.jpg)
The founding was symbolized by the felling of a tree by Galt and
William "Tiger" Dunlop
William Dunlop (19 November 1792 – 29 June 1848) also known as Tiger Dunlop, was an army officer, surgeon, Canada Company official, author, justice of the peace, militia officer, politician, and office holder. He is notable for his contributi ...
, who would be significant in the history of
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County, Ontario, Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt (novelist), John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First ...
, on April 23, 1827. That was
St. George's Day
Saint George's Day is the Calendar of saints, feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the Patronages of Saint George, patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia (country), Georgi ...
, the
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
of the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The name ''Guelph'' comes through the Italian ''Guelfo'' from the Bavarian-Germanic ''Welf''. It is a reference to the
House of Welf
The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...
and chosen to honor
King George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
—the reigning British monarch at the time of the city's founding—whose family, the
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
ians, descended from the Welfs.
It is for this reason that the city has the nickname ''The Royal City''.
The directors of the Canada Company had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, because
Viscount Goderich
Viscount Goderich was a title that was created twice in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1706 in favour of Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent. He was made Marquess of Kent at the same time and was further honoure ...
had helped form the company, but reluctantly accepted that the village was called Guelph.
Galt constructed what was one of the first buildings in the community to house early settlers and the Canada Company office; "The Priory" (built 1827–1828).
was located on the banks of the Speed River near the current
River Run Centre
The River Run Centre is a performing arts centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Construction of the facility began in 1995 and cost $15 million. It officially opened on October 4, 1997.
Halls
The facility has three halls:
*The Main Hall, which ...
for performing arts and could house up to 100 people.
The building eventually became the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
Priory station on the
Guelph Junction Railway
The Guelph Junction Railway is a shortline railway owned by the City of Guelph, Ontario, and serves the city's northwest industrial park.
The railway was the first federally chartered railway in the Commonwealth of Nations to be owned by a munici ...
before it was eventually torn down and removed.
A historical plaque commemorates John Galt's role with the Canada Company in populating
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
's
Huron Tract
The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Pert ...
, calling it "the most important single attempt at settlement in Canadian history". (Galt was responsible for finding settlers for the 42,000 acre Halton Block that would become Guelph and its townships but also for the one million acre Huron Tract that stretched to
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County, Ontario, Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt (novelist), John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First ...
.)
By the fall of 1827, 70 houses had been built, though some were primitive.
In that year, the community had hired its first police constable; the first police station would be opened in 1856 at the town hall and it was moved in 1900 to the Annex building behind the court house. Also in 1827, the first
Guelph Farmers' Market
The Guelph Farmers' Market has served as a cultural and commercial anchor in downtown Guelph since the first Market House was built in 1827. After 180 years it is still going strong and remains a popular stop on Saturday mornings for both locals ...
was built; the Market House was located in the downtown area. Founded in 1827, James Hodgert's brewery was managed by John Sleeman until he bought a property and opened the Silver Creek Brewery in 1851. (In 1843, there were nine breweries serving the 700 people living in Guelph.)
The first Board of Commerce also started in 1827, to stimulate economic growth; in 1866, it would be renamed the Board of Trade, and in 1919, it became the Chamber of Commerce. In order to eliminate the need for farmers to take their grain to Galt or Dundas for grinding, the Canada Company built the first grist mill; the Guelph Mill was sold to William Allen in 1832.
A sawmill was erected in 1833 by Charles Julius Mickle, originally from Scotland, on the Marden Creek which runs into the Speed River; its ruin survives today. The Mickle family also built a home nearby, a year earlier. Both properties were off what is now Highway 6, an area that was Guelph Township at the time.
In 1829, the Canada Company fired Galt because of poor bookkeeping and not obeying company policies.
He returned to Great Britain penniless and was imprisoned because he was unable to pay his debts. In 1831, Guelph had approximately 800 residents. For several years, the economy of the village suffered and some residents moved away; relief came in the form of wealthy immigrants from England and Ireland who arrived in 1832.
The ''Smith's Canadian Gazetteer'' of 1846 indicates that the town had a jail and court house made of cut stone, a weekly newspaper, five churches/chapels and a population of 1,240; most were from England and Scotland with a few from Ireland. In addition to many tradesmen, the community had 15 stores, seven taverns, and some industry, tanneries, breweries, distilleries and a starch factory. The Post Office was receiving mail daily.
1855 to 1878
![Guelph City Hall cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Guelph_City_Hall_cropped.jpg)
Guelph was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the first mayor elected was John Smith.
Despite optimism, the population growth was very slow until the
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...
reached it from Toronto, en route to
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...
, in 1856; the town was also served soon thereafter by the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
branch from Harrisburg. In 1856, the village became a town. Two years later, the population was estimated at 4,500, up from 2,000 in 1853. The first city hall, now called the
Old City Hall (Guelph)
Old City Hall is a historic building and a National Historic Site of Canada in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, which until April 2009 served as the headquarters of the city government. The building is now used as the Provincial Offences Courthouse, w ...
, was built in 1856 of Guelph stone; the building contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall. Modifications were made in 1870, 1875 and 1961. The new
Guelph City Hall
Guelph City Hall is the seat of local government in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and completed in 2009, the new City Hall is located adjacent to the historic Old City Hall, which itself is now serving as a ...
opened in 2009 beside the older building, which was declared a National Historic Site in 1984. The national document refers to the historic building as being "in the Italian Renaissance Revival style".
Two very successful major mills operated in Guelph for many years in the 1800s. The first was
Allan's Mill
Allan's Mill was a watermill located on both banks of the Speed River in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Part of the site is now listed under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Allan's Mill
The first industrial establishment in Guelph, the original wooden mil ...
, first established in 1830 on the Speed River and significantly expanded to include a distillery by the next owners, the Allan family, in the 1850s. This business was extensively damaged by fire in 1876 and ceased operation as a mill; the site was later used by manufacturing companies. (In 2019, the current John Sleeman reinstated the Spring Mill Distillery on the site which also includes a condominium apartment complex.)
![Goldie Mill Ruins, built 1866](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Goldie_Mill_Ruins%2C_built_1866.jpg)
The more recent business, a sawmill known as the Goldie Mill, was also on the Speed; this building was constructed in 1866 by James Goldie, replacing an earlier mill known as the Wellington Mill and later as the People's Mill. The property, a ruin, was listed on the Canadian Register as a historic place in 2009. Goldie was a perennial Conservative candidate for the riding of
Wellington South
Wellington South was a Canadian federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 as the "South Riding o ...
, and his son
Thomas Goldie
Thomas Goldie (July 9, 1850 – February 2, 1892) was a businessman, politician and early promoter of field sports in Ontario. A secretary for the Guelph Maple Leafs, he also served as mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892.
Biography
Early li ...
was mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892.The limestone Goldie mill structure was damaged by fire in 1953 and a part of it was removed in 1969; the remaining part still stands today, in Goldie Mill Park at Cardigan Street and London Road East. The ruins, owned by the
Grand River Conservation Authority
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organization ...
, were stabilized in 2019-2021 to solve a problem created by sinkholes.
The board of the
Guelph General Hospital was incorporated in 1861, with James Massie as the chairman.
The building was completed in 1875, at the cost of $9,869, and opened on August 16, 1875, with 2 beds, a small infectious room and a dispensary.
The
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style Roman Catholic church on Norfolk St., called the
Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate
Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A Gothic Revival style building constructed between 1876 and 1888 by architect Joseph Connolly, it is considered Co ...
since December 8, 2014, was built between 1876 and 1888.
By 1869, the community's manufacturing companies were served by both the Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Western Railway. The first section of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway, between Guelph and
Elora, opened in 1870; the line would eventually run as far as
Southampton, Ontario
Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, and close to Port Elgin. It is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kilome ...
, with stations in communities such as
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
,
Harriston,
Listowel
Listowel ( ; , IPA: lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...
and
Wingham. The company was not very successful, and never did reach
Owen Sound
Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.
The primary tourist attract ...
as planned, partly because of stiff competition from the Northern Railway of Canada as well as the
Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway
The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B) was a railway company which operated in Ontario, Canada in the years immediately following the Canadian Confederation of 1867. It connected two rural counties, Grey County and Bruce County, with the provi ...
. By the mid 1870s, the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway was in financial trouble; it eventually became part of the Grand Trunk system, and later, the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
.
By January 1871, some residents of the town had access to gas, provided by the Guelph Gas Company via pipes, initially to about 100 homes. Electricity would not become commonly available until the early 1900s, from the Guelph Light and Heat Commission.
An 1877 plan to start the Guelph Street Railway, using
horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have m ...
s to deliver freight and passengers within Guelph, never came to fruition.
A poor house with a farm, The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, opened in December 1877 in a rural area near Guelph; many orphans from Guelph were admitted. The building still stands, as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
After 1878
![Guelph City hall 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Guelph_City_hall_1920.jpg)
Guelph was incorporated as a city in 1879 with a Special Act of the Ontario legislature.
At this time, Guelph became politically separated from Wellington County and was no longer represented on the Wellington County Council. At separation, the population was about 10,000. During the inauguration, Mayor George Howard first used the term "Royal City". The only "royals" to actually visit were John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife was
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, (Louisa Caroline Alberta; 18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939) was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
In her public life, she was a strong proponent of the arts and highe ...
, one of Queen Victoria's daughters.
Construction of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, known as the
Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate
Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A Gothic Revival style building constructed between 1876 and 1888 by architect Joseph Connolly, it is considered Co ...
since late 2014, was already underway but would not be completed until 1883. (The twin towers were not added until 1926.)
A few years later, George Sleeman Sr. founded an electric radial railway, the Guelph Railway Company, an important part of the history of
Guelph Transit
The Guelph Transit Commission is a small public transportation agency that operates transit bus services in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1929 after the closure of the Guelph Radial Railway Company streetcar lines, Guelph Transit has gr ...
. Only five miles of track had been laid by 1895, but the line was extended in 1902; the radial railway eventually reached Toronto, as the Ontario Hydro Electric Railways - Guelph District (owned by Ontario Hydro). In addition to carrying passengers, the cars carted coal to heat the Ontario Agricultural College.
By 1886, telephones were quite common in the city. An April news article described the situation as follows. "Telephones are rapidly being introduced into private homes, where they prove a great convenience. Ladies order their groceries, consult their medical advisers, call their husbands home from the club and gossip with their friends by telephone."
In 1903 the City purchased the Guelph Light & Power Company, and four years later created the Board of Light and Heat Commissioners. Guelph was one of 13 municipalities that helped to create the provincial entity that became
Ontario Hydro
Ontario Hydro, established in 1906 as the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, was a publicly owned electricity utility in the Province of Ontario. It was formed to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity ge ...
.
The
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada (french: Parti communiste du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada, founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality. Although it does not currently have any parliamentary representation, the party's can ...
began as an illegal organization in a barn behind a farmhouse on Metcalfe Street in Guelph on 1921.
Guelph was the home of North America's first
cable TV system. Fredrick T. Metcalf created MacLean Hunter Television (now part of
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...
) and their first broadcast was
Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.
Other news-making items include the fact that the jockstrap was invented here, in 1922, by the Guelph Elastic Hosiery Company and that the man who invented five pin bowling in 1909, Tom Ryan, was originally from Guelph. Other noteworthy items: the city's covered bridge (now part of a walking trail), built by the Timber Framers' Guild in 1992, is one of only two of its type in Ontario, using wooden pins to hold it together. Note too that the
Yukon Gold potato
Yukon Gold is a large cultivar of potato most distinctly characterized by its thin, smooth, eye-free skin and yellow-tinged flesh. This potato was developed in the 1960s by Garnet ("Gary") Johnston in Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with the hel ...
was first bred at the University of Guelph in 1966; it became available on the market in 1981.
Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol. Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking.
Guelph has several buildings on the
National Historic Sites of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...
register: the
Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate
Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A Gothic Revival style building constructed between 1876 and 1888 by architect Joseph Connolly, it is considered Co ...
,
McCrae House
McCrae House, located in Guelph, Ontario, is the birthplace of John McCrae (b. 1872 – d. 1918), doctor, soldier and author of the famous First World War poem "In Flanders Fields". The house is a National Historic Site of Canada.
History
Thi ...
and
Old City Hall. The city is home to the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
, established in 1964, and
Sleeman Breweries Ltd.
Sleeman Breweries is a Japanese-owned Canadian brewery founded by John Warren Sleeman in 1988 in Guelph, Ontario. The company is the third-largest brewing company in Canada. Along with its own Sleeman brands, the company produces under licence th ...
The
Ontario Agricultural College
The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...
(OAC), the oldest part of the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
, began in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. According to
Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
, the current University of Guelph, founded in 1964, "grew out of three founding colleges: the Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) and the Macdonald Institute (1903)".
Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute
The Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI, Guelph C.V.I., GC) is a public high school in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The school is the oldest continuously operating public high school in Guelph, and the third oldest in the province of Ontario ...
(GCVI), established in the 1840s, is one of the province's oldest high schools. The Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station at 79 Carden Street was listed in 1992.
In 2017,
Scientology Canada announced it would move its Canadian headquarters to Guelph. Some residents protested the plan. The facility was opened in the autumn of the year at 40 Baker Street.
A redevelopment plan for
Downtown Guelph
Downtown Guelph is the central business district of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Wellington St. E. to the south, Woolwich St. to the East, Dublin St. to the west and Norwich St. to the North. Downtown Guelph is known for its distinct ...
had been discussed by Council since 2007 and was finalized as the 2018 Baker District redevelopment project. The intent is to transform the Baker St. parking lot and properties fronting Wyndham Street's north end into a mixed-use development, with urban intensification. Both residential and commercial buildings will be included. The final cost was estimated at between $315 million and $369 million. When finished, this area will include a new library, commercial, institutional and office space as well as an underground parking lot. The private enterprise partner for the project is Ottawa-based Windmill Development Group; there was also discussion about an additional partnership with
Conestoga College
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, Conestoga serves approximately 23,000 registered students through campuses and training centres in ...
and the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
. Actual construction was not expected to start until 2023. Before that date, up to $7.5 million will be spent to acquire the rest of the land that will be required.
In October 2018, the Ontario Energy Board approved the merger of Guelph Hydro and
Alectra
Alectra Incorporated, through its subsidiary Alectra Utilities Corporation, is an electricity utility and distributor that serves several municipalities in the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario. It is a municipally owned corporation with share ...
Utilities Corporation. After the merger was completed in January 2019, the city received a 4.63 per cent stake in Alectra and a one-time dividend of $18.5 million; afterwards, annual dividends would be received. The city has one permanent seat on the company's Board.
Geography
Topography and water courses
Downtown Guelph is situated above the confluence of the
Speed River
The Speed River is a river that flows through Wellington County and the Region of Waterloo in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows south from its source near Orton, through Guelph, where it is joined by the Eramosa River, then through the tow ...
and the
Eramosa River
The Eramosa River is a river in Wellington County in southwestern Ontario which rises near Erin, Ontario, and flows southwest through the city of Guelph, where it joins the Speed River, which then enters the Grand River in Cambridge. The rive ...
, which have numerous tributaries. The Speed River enters from the north and the Eramosa River from the east; the two rivers meet below downtown and continue southwest, where they merge with the
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River, formerly known as The River Ouse, is a large river in Ontario, Canada. It lies along the western fringe of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario which overlaps the eastern portion of southwestern Ontario, sometimes referr ...
. There are also many creeks and smaller rivers creating large tracts of densely forested ravines, and providing ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. The city is built on several
drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...
s and buried waterways, the most notable being an underground creek flowing below the Albion Hotel, once the source of water used to brew beer.
Climate
This region of Ontario has cold winters and warm, humid summers, falling into the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
Dfb zone (
humid continental
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
), with moderately high rainfall and snowfall. It is generally a couple of degrees cooler than lower elevation regions on the
Great Lakes shorelines, especially so in winter, the exception being on some spring afternoons when the lack of an onshore breeze boosts temperatures well above those found lakeside.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Guelph was on 6 August 1918 and 13 July 1936.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 25 January 1884.
Economy
The city of Guelph's diversified economy helped Guelph obtain the country's lowest unemployment rate at 4.2 per cent in 2011
and at 3.9 per cent in February 2016.
The great diversity in the types of employers is a significant factor too; the city is not dependent on a single industry. The workforce participation rate of 72% was the best in Canada in December 2015 according to BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic. The job growth of more than 9 per cent at the same time was also of great value to the community. At the time, the BMO economist also rated Guelph as the top city in Canada for those looking for work. Over subsequent months, the rate increased steadily and the jobless rate was at a more typical 5.9% by October 2017, compared to 5.1% in Kitchener-Waterloo. The rate in June 2018 had decreased to 4.5%.
By December 2018,
StatsCan
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture ...
was indicating an unemployment rate of only 2.3%, down from 4% in November, and the lowest in Canada at that time.
The overall economy of the Guelph "region" (including the city and the townships of
Guelph/Eramosa
Guelph/Eramosa () is a township located in Wellington County, in midwestern Ontario, Canada. It partly encircles the city of Guelph, surrounding it in a continuous arc from approximately northeast to south-southwest of the city. It is part of the ...
and
Puslinch, Ontario
Puslinch () is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in Wellington County, surrounding the south end of Guelph. The main source of production is agricultural, spring water bottling and mining. Aggregate mining has been dominant throughout ...
) grew at an average of 3.5% per year over the previous five years and was expected to be 2.1% in 2019 and also in 2020 according to the
Conference Board of Canada
The Conference Board of Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit think tank dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues.
Describing itself as "objective" and "non-partisan", th ...
's August 2019 report. Guelph's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.6% per cent in 2018, the highest among medium-sized cities in Canada. "Although economic growth is poised to moderate in 2019, Guelph will maintain its place as one of Canada’s economic growth leaders," the report predicted.
Manufacturing and education sectors
Manufacturing is the leading sector of the economy of the city with the most significant sector being auto parts manufacturing.
The
Conference Board of Canada
The Conference Board of Canada is a Canadian not-for-profit think tank dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues.
Describing itself as "objective" and "non-partisan", th ...
's August 2019 report stated that the Guelph region's manufacturing was experiencing significant growth, averaging 5.9% over the past five years and expected to be 4.2% in 2019.
Linamar
Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company i ...
is the city's leader in this sector, with 22 manufacturing plants. The company has received government funding for expansion that would create additional jobs, most recently in 2015 ($101 million) and in 2018 ($99 million). The latter would create 1,500 additional jobs and maintain 8,000 others in the Canadian operation.
According to research completed by the City of Guelph in 2010, fabricated metal product manufacturing accounted for 26.1% of the types of industries, followed by machinery manufacturing for 12.8% and miscellaneous manufacturing for 10.4%.
The city's Economic Development Strategy identified
life science
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy t ...
, agri-food and biotechnology firms, environmental management and technology companies as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities.
The city also touts the importance of advanced manufacturing which is its largest employer. The roughly 360 businesses of this type employ approximately 14,755 people (roughly 25% of Guelph's labour force). The category includes "high precision manufacturing and auto parts assembly to plastic injection moulding machines manufacturing and automation devices. This enables advanced manufacturing to be a strong driver of the local economy."
The second largest industry is Educational services, accounting for 11.3%.
Other sectors
Guelph is very attractive to the agri-food and biotechnology market sector, according to the city. It was ranked as the top cluster in Ontario and one of the top two in Canada. This sector includes over 90 companies in Guelph-Wellington, employing approximately 6,500 people.
The City encourages movie and television filming. Parts of several productions have been filmed here, including ''
Agnes of God
''Agnes of God'' is a 1979 play by American playwright John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent cl ...
'' (1985), ''
American Gods
''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.
The book was pub ...
'' (released in 2017), ''
11.22.63
''11.22.63'' is an American science fiction thriller miniseries based on the 2011 novel ''11/22/63'' by Stephen King, and consisting of eight episodes, in which a time traveler attempts to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The series ...
'' (2016) with James Franco, ''
Total Recall'' (2012), ''
Dream House'' (2011), ''
The Heretics
''The Heretics'' is a feature-length, documentary film written and directed by Joan Braderman and distributed by Women Make Movies. It focuses on a group of New York-based feminist artists called the Heresies Collective, and their influential art ...
'' (2017), ''
Dead Rush
''Dead Rush'' is a cancelled video game that was designed by Treyarch and would have been published by Activision for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox.
The game would have taken place in the town of Eastport where a massive earthquake has de ...
'' (2016) and episodes of ''
Murdoch Mysteries
''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick B ...
'' (2013 and 2015).
Guelph Innovation District
As part of the plan to increase development, City Council voted in late 2017 to buy 98 hectares (243 acres) south of York Road owned by the Provincial government, including part of the property of the former Wellington Detention Centre.
After the acquisition, the city would seek one or more developers to buy the property.
The land actually purchased was only 23% of the long-term plan for development in the entire site bounded by Watson Parkway South, the south border of the city and Victoria Road South.
The city decided in late 2018 not to purchase the additional land for economic reasons. In 2019, the remaining 362 acres of Ontario government land was listed for sale by the province.
Employment data
According to the
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company.
The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...
's fourth quarter 2018 report, Guelph was the leading city in Canada in terms of job growth and low unemployment.
In January 2019, the city had the lowest unemployment rate in Canada.
The 2016 Census indicated a labour force of nearly 76,000, of which about 55% said they worked full-time all year. At the time the data was gathered, 4,610 persons indicated they were unemployed. The top five occupations in terms of the number so employed were Sales and service (16,195), Education, law and social, community and government services (10,205), Business, finance and administration (10,150), Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (9,170) and manufacturing and utilities (8,205).
The City of Guelph's published 2016 data was sorting occupations in a different manner. In that report, Professional, Scientific and Technical jobs employed 39,141, Advanced Manufacturing employed 20,735, Retail and Service employed 11,345, Agri-Innovation employed 11,345, Culture and entertainment employed 7,711 and that Distribution, warehousing and wholesale employed 5,909.
The largest private enterprise employers in Guelph (2016) included:
*
Linamar Corporation
Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company i ...
*Cargill Meat Solutions
*Polycon Industries
*
The Co-operators
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian insurance co-operative, founded in 1945, owned by 46 members including co-ops, credit union centrals and representative farm organizations. It is one of the leading Canadian-owned multi-line insurers, ...
*Guelph Manufacturing Group Inc.
*Blount Canada Ltd.
The Cooperators was one of the Platinum Winners in Canada's Best Employers 2017 report; the company has been on this list for 14 years.
The largest public sector employers (2016) included:
*Upper Grand District School Board
*University of Guelph
*City of Guelph
*Wellington Catholic District School Board
*Guelph General Hospital
*Homewood Health Centre
The University's staffing fell into three categories in 2015: there were 2,600 regular full-time faculty and staff, 1,890 temporary (full-time and part-time) and 3,690 student employees. The University was among Canada's Best Employers in 2016 according to
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
magazine, making the top 20 in the list.
Two Guelph companies were among the 2018 winners of the Waterloo Area's Top Employers competition. According to the report, Reid's Heritage Group of Companies, a home builder with 212 full-time employees, "supports employees who are new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments ....
rovidesflexible work hours, helps employees balance work and their personal commitments with up to 10 paid personal days ... and offers referral bonuses
or staff hires
Or or OR may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* "O.R.", a 1974 episode of M*A*S*H
* Or (My Treasure), a 2004 movie from Israel (''Or'' means "light" in Hebrew)
Music
* ''Or'' (album), a 2002 album by Golden Boy with Miss ...
" Sleeman Breweries Limited, with 991 full-timers, offers "generous tuition subsidies ... opportunities for the next generation to gain meaningful experience through summer employment and co-op placements ... retirement planning assistance and phased-in work options" as well as bonuses for salaried staff and profit-sharing for those who are unionized.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Guelph had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
At the
census metropolitan area
The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of sta ...
(CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Guelph CMA had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Guelph was the third fastest-growing city in Ontario, with a 5-year growth of 8.3% from 2011 to 2016. According to the Ontario Places to Grow plan, Guelph's population is projected to be about 144,500 by the year 2021 and 175,000 by 2031.
The actual number of residents varies throughout the year because of variations in the University of Guelph student population.
The most common mother tongue in 2021 was
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
at 74.5% followed by
Chinese Languages
The Sinitic languages (漢語族/汉语族), often synonymous with "Chinese languages", are a group of East Asian analytic languages that constitute the major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is frequently proposed that there is ...
at 2.3%,
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
at 1.5%,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
at 1.3%,
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
at 1.2%,
Tagalog at 1.2%,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
at 1.2%, and
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
at 1.1%. 2.7% claimed both English and a non-official language as their first language.
Approximately 72.4% of residents were
European Canadians
European Canadians, or Euro-Canadians, are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Europe. They form the largest panethnic group within Canada.
In the 2021 Canadian census, 19,062,115 Canadians self-i ...
in 2021, whereas 25.3% were visible minorities and 2.3% were aboriginal. The largest visible minority groups in Guelph were South Asian (7.4%), Black (4.2%), Chinese (3.0%), Filipino (2.7%), Southeast Asian (2.2%), Latin American (1.4%),West Asian (1.4%) and Arab (1.2%).
[
The 2021 Census indicated that 12,210 ]Italian Canadians
Italian Canadians ( it, italo-canadesi, french: italo-canadiens) comprise Canadians who have full or partial Italian heritage and Italians who migrated from Italy or reside in Canada. According to the 2021 Census of Canada, 1,546,390 Canadians ...
lived in Guelph.[ Many Italians from the south of Italy, particularly from ]San Giorgio Morgeto
San Giorgio Morgeto ( Calabrian: or simply ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, ...
, had immigrated to the area in the early 1900s, and also in later years. Historically however, Guelph's population has been principally British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in origin, with 92% in 1880 and 87% in 1921.
In 2021, 49.7% of Guelph residents were Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, down from 61.8% in 2011. 23.9% of residents were Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 13.7% were Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
, 7.3% were Christians of unspecified denomination, and 2.0% were Christian Orthodox. All other denominations of Christianity and Christian-related traditions accounted for 2.8%. 38.7% of the population had no religion, up from 30.3% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions combined accounted for 13.6% of the population. The largest non-Christian religions were Islam (4.5%), Hinduism (2.7%), Sikhism (1.5%) and Buddhism (1.5%)
Crime
The national average for the crime severity index was 70.96 per 100,000 people in 2016 while Guelph's was much lower at 55 per 100,000 people according to a study published by Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
. In this report, Guelph was at about the middle of the statistics, with the worst community, North Battleford
North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, at 353 per 100,000 people and nearby Kitchener-Waterloo at 61. More specific data was also provided:
* Violent crime severity index: 49 per 100,000 people compared to 75.25 for the national index.
* Homicide rate: The city had only one homicide in 2016 for a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 people, compared to the national average of 1.68.
* Assault rate: Guelph was at 181.87 versus the national average of 370
* Sexual assault rate: This aspect was quite high with 64.22 per 100,000 people compared to the national rate of 56.6.
* Robbery rate: Guelph had 21.91 per 100,000 people, much lower than the national average of 60.9.
* Fraud: This aspect has increased notably since 1996; it was at 260.67 per 100,000 people in 2016, versus the national rate of 299.05.
* Drug offences: The city is well below the national average in all categories.
* Youth Criminal Justice Act offences: The rate was 8.31 per 100,000 in Guelph, substantially lower than the national average of 16.74.
The 2017 Index showed a 15% increase to 64 per 100,000 people, still well below the national index. Much of the increase was in property crime and sexual assaults. Reporting of the latter type of crimes was up by up 42.7%. This may not indicate the actual increase in the number of sexual assault incidents, as theorized by Chief of Police Jeff DeRuyter. He told a reporter that "We are seeing an increase in sexual assault reporting, and that’s a positive, because we’ve always believed the reporting of sexual assault was under-reported."
As of January 2019, the Chief of Police is former RCMP inspector Gordon Cobey, who replaced Jeff DeRuyter who retired after 35 years of service with the Guelph Police Service. DeRuyter had been Chief since 2015, when he replaced Bryan Larkin who went on to head the Waterloo Regional Police Service
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) provides policing services for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, which encompasses the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, as well as the townships of North Dumfrie ...
.
Facilities for incarceration
The Wellington County Jail (in Late Gothic Revival Style) and the Governor's Residence (in Georgian style) at 74 Woolwich Street were built in 1911; they were designated by the city for "historic and architectural value" and as a National Historic Site in 1983. The property is now an Ontario Court of Justice.
Guelph was home to a major correctional institution from 1911 until 2001, originally the Ontario Reformatory with subsequent names including Wellington Detention Centre and, after 1972, Guelph Correctional Centre. The first inmates had been transferred to the Guelph reformatory from Toronto's Central Prison when it closed in 1915. By 1910 however, a prison farm beside the Eramosa River had begun receiving prisoners. The farm inmates constructed a concrete bridge, a spur line to the CPR and a wooden trestle bridge. The official opening of the farm was 25 September 1911. By 1912, the various buildings on the site housed 300; the correctional operations on the site were fully operational by 1914. Between 1911 and 1915, prisoners had built the Administration building, the cell blocks, ponds and waterways, dry stone walls, stairs, gates, bridges and terraced gardens. By 1916, this was the largest correctional facility in Ontario, housing 660.
During World War I, the property served as the Guelph Military Convalescent Hospital a convalescent hospital for over 900 veterans, from 1917. The prisoners returned in January 1921.
The farm and Reformatory were used to teach inmates useful skills, including agriculture, dry cleaning, metalworking, and other trades. By the late 1940s the facility produced food for all of Ontario's prisons, and also made blankets, wood and metal products; there was a stone quarry stone on site. By 1962 the prison farm accommodated a dairy, piggery, horses, cattle and vegetable farming. The farm area eventually included barns, a woolen mill, abattoir, tailor shop, laundry, bakery, metal shop, broom shop and other facilities. The prison abattoir was eventually sold off and became the privately owned company, later known as Better Beef (purchased by Cargill Canada in 2005), a massive meat processing plant.
In 2001, the Ministry of Correctional Services closed the entire facility; the remaining inmates were transferred to larger jails. Afterwards, the property was used for some film shoots and for training emergency personnel. In December 2017, City Council voted to buy 98 hectares (243 acres) for subsequent sale to developers, including the area that was then the Turf Grass research building and the jail farm, the so-called York District Land. The actual penal buildings and the land around them were not included in the plan.
In June 2019, 328.6 acres of the land, including 100 acres of natural area, still owned by the province, went on sale. The City of Guelph had not bought the site for the planned Guelph Innovation District, as it had initially considered doing, because of the potential financial risk. A rough estimate in 2017 by the city had suggested that the value of the Detention Centre site was roughly $60 million. The property for sale included the Wellington Detention Centre lands and the nearby Turfgrass Institute but not the buildings or land immediately around the former penal institution.
Education
Four school boards operate in the city. The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) administers all of Wellington County, as well as adjacent Dufferin County
Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Wade Mills. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard. Dufferin covers an area of , ...
, while the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) administers Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
education in Wellington County, including Guelph. The Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud offers French First language education for students with parents who had elementary and secondary education in French at École Saint-René-Goupil. The Conseil scolaire Viamonde
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV) is a public-secular French first language school board, and manages elementary and secondary schools in the Ontario Peninsula and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 41 elementary schools and ...
, with similar entrance requirements, operates the École élémentaire L'Odyssée. Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir ( en, My Future Catholic School Board) is a Roman Catholic French first language public- separate school board that manages elementary and secondary schools in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board o ...
operates the École élémentaire catholique Saint-René-Goupil.
There are also numerous private schools in Guelph: Cornerstone Canadian Reformed Christian School, Resurrection Christian Academy, Guelph Community Christian School, Guelph Montessori School, Trillium Waldorf School, Wellington Hall Academy, and Wellington Montessori School, Echo Montessori. An International Baccalaureate Program is available at Guelph C.V.I.
Secondary schools
All of Guelph's secondary schools belong to either the Upper Grand District School Board or the Wellington Catholic District School Board. The following is a list of all secondary schools in Guelph:
Public (Upper Grand District School Board):
* Centennial C.V.I.
* College Heights C.V.I.
* Guelph C.V.I.
* John F. Ross C.V.I.
Catholic (Wellington Catholic District School Board):
* Our Lady of Lourdes C.H.S.
* Saint James C.H.S.
* Bishop Macdonell C.H.S.
*St. John Bosco High School
In January 2018, The Upper Grand District School Board announced new plans to build a secondary school northwest of the Victoria Road at Arkell Road intersection. The project is a part of Ontario's Ministry of Education's plan to build 30 new schools across the province and renovate 40 others. The new secondary school is expected to provide relief for the overpopulated Centennial C.V.I. (currently 40% overcapacity). The school is designed to accommodate 900 students and will cost the government $25.5 million. The school is expected to be complete by 2022.
Post-secondary institutions
*University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
, (with approximately 25,300 students) is one of Canada's top comprehensive universities, and home to the Ontario Agricultural College
The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...
and the Ontario Veterinary College
The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is the oldest veterinary school in Canada. It is located on the campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. The OVC is one of five veterinary schools that offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DV ...
.
*Conestoga College
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, Conestoga serves approximately 23,000 registered students through campuses and training centres in ...
operates a small campus in Guelph but in late 2019, the College advised the news media that a major expansion was planned. "Within five or six years, we will have at least 5,000 students there ... ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
full-service programming," said College President John Tibbits. At the time, the Guelph campus had approximately 1,000 students.
Public library system
Although a private library, run by the Farmers and Mechanics Institute, existed since 1832, a public library did not open in Guelph until 1882, when the ''Free Libraries Act
The Public Libraries Act 1850 (13 & 14 Vict c.65) was an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries. The Act was the first legislative step in the creation of an enduring natio ...
'' allowed municipalities to operate libraries. After occupying premises near City Hall, it moved into an Andrew Carnegie-funded building in 1905.[ Section: Our History, click "Explore our history through the years"] The neo-classical (Beaux Art) structure, had been designed in 1902 by W. Frye Colwill. The collection of the Farmers and Mechanics Institute library was contributed to the new library.
The current main library building of the Guelph Public Library
Guelph Public Library is a public library system serving the city of Guelph, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historic ...
, on Norfolk St. was opened in 1965. Guelph is served by a growing library system composed of a main library located in the downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
core, five branches and a Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...
. With a membership of over 85,000, the Guelph Public Library
Guelph Public Library is a public library system serving the city of Guelph, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historic ...
system's goals include preserving and indexing public materials relating to the history of Guelph. Although no formal program has been developed, the library acquires municipal records of archival value from the City of Guelph.
A new library location has been discussed since 2018 as part of the redeveloped area downtown, known as the Baker District. This project was approved as part of the 2021 budget and as of July 2021 the library board was reviewing architectural designs.
Museums
The City of Guelph operates Guelph Museums, including the Guelph Civic Museum which showcases the city's history with exhibits, an interactive gallery and special events; this facility has some 30,000 artifacts. Since 1983 when the city took over this facility, the Civic Museum has also operated McCrae House
McCrae House, located in Guelph, Ontario, is the birthplace of John McCrae (b. 1872 – d. 1918), doctor, soldier and author of the famous First World War poem "In Flanders Fields". The house is a National Historic Site of Canada.
History
Thi ...
, the birthplace of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (1872-1918), author of In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and f ...
. The Museum also arranged for the restoration and placement of Locomotive 6167, a 1940s steam engine, which was located at the Guelph Central Station
Guelph Central Station (also known as Guelph Central GO Station) is the main inter-modal transportation terminal in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is used by VIA Rail and GO Transit trains, as well as Guelph Transit local buses, GO Transit regional ...
, but was moved to John Galt Park in November 2020 in order to make room at the station for future expansion of train service.
Infrastructure
Medical facilities
The city currently has one hospital, Guelph General, which is rated as one of the safest in Canada in terms of the hospital standardized mortality ratio; the lower the better. Guelph's facility had a score of 78 in 2017, notably better than the national average of 91. By comparison, Cambridge Memorial Hospital had a score of 95. St. Joseph's Health Centre was previously a hospital, but is now a 240-bed long-term care home with a 91-bed specialty unit for complex continuing, rehabilitation and palliative care. Various outpatient services are also provided at this facility.
Another major facility, Homewood Health Centre offers treatment for mental health and addiction issues. The facility was founded in 1883 by the Homewood Retreat Association of Guelph as "a private asylum for the Insane and an Asylum for Inebriates" on a 19-acre property which included the Donald Guthrie house. The first patients were admitted in December of that year.
Homewood grew to a 312-bed mental and behavioural health facility and also formed a partnership with R.B. Schlegel Holdings Inc.to operate Oakwood Retirement Communities Inc., a long-term care facility.
Transportation
Bus
Guelph Transit
The Guelph Transit Commission is a small public transportation agency that operates transit bus services in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1929 after the closure of the Guelph Radial Railway Company streetcar lines, Guelph Transit has gr ...
provides local transportation around the city. On June 20, 2007, Guelph Transit launched a web-based system known as ''Next Bus''. Intercity connections by GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
are made at the Guelph Central Station
Guelph Central Station (also known as Guelph Central GO Station) is the main inter-modal transportation terminal in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is used by VIA Rail and GO Transit trains, as well as Guelph Transit local buses, GO Transit regional ...
and University of Guelph.
Rail
Guelph was the first municipality in Canada to have its own federally chartered railway, the Guelph Junction Railway
The Guelph Junction Railway is a shortline railway owned by the City of Guelph, Ontario, and serves the city's northwest industrial park.
The railway was the first federally chartered railway in the Commonwealth of Nations to be owned by a munici ...
. This 25 kilometre (16 miles) link to the CPR is still municipally owned.
Built in 1911, the Guelph Central Station
Guelph Central Station (also known as Guelph Central GO Station) is the main inter-modal transportation terminal in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is used by VIA Rail and GO Transit trains, as well as Guelph Transit local buses, GO Transit regional ...
(still in use), was constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...
which had arrived in Guelph in 1856; years later, it was taken over by the Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
. It is a classic example of early 20th Century Canadian railway station design and has been designated as a heritage structure under the ''Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act
The ''Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act'' is an act of the Parliament of Canada. The ''Act'' was enacted in 1988 in response to a long-standing and widespread concern that Canada’s heritage railway stations were not being protected. B ...
''. The Romanesque Revival building, with its Italianate tower, has been listed on the Canadian Register since 2006 and was formally recognized as one of Canada's Historic Places in November 1992. A renovation project in 2016-2017 provided various benefits, including repairs to maintain and restore heritage aspects.
There had also been passenger stations in Guelph that were built by the Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
. The first CPR station, from the 1800s, was the Priory House station, converted from the first house in Guelph. It stood opposite the current Priory Square and was eventually dismantled. Its replacement, located between Cardigan Street and the Speed River, was a brick building erected in 1911. After this brick building was no longer used as a rail station, it was converted for other purposes; eventually it was moved to the Galt area of Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand River (Ontario), Grand and Speed River, Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 Canadian census, 202 ...
.
Highways
*Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one,
is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian provin ...
to Toronto and London.
* Highway 7 to Kitchener and Acton Acton may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Mount Acton
Australia
* Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie
* Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton
Canada ...
. The MTO has commenced construction of the Hanlon link to Kitchener, Ontario
)
, image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, blank_emblem_type = ...
, a controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
running parallel to the existing Highway 7 from the Hanlon Expressway to Kitchener.
*Highway 6
Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* Asian Highway 6
* European route E6
* European route E006
Albania
* National Road SH6
Argentina
* Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6
Australia New ...
to Hamilton and Owen Sound. This highway is known as the Hanlon Expressway
The Hanlon Expressway or Hanlon Parkway is a high-capacity at-grade suburban limited-access road connecting Highway 401 with the city of Guelph in the Canadian province of Ontario. The route travels in a generally north-south direction on ...
for most of its length inside the city.
Government
Municipal
The city is a single-tier municipality governed by a mayor-council system. The structure of the municipal government is stipulated by the Ontario Municipal Act
The ''Municipal Act, 2001'' (the Act) is the main statute governing the creation, administration and government of municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario, other than the City of Toronto. After being passed in 2001, it came into force o ...
of 2001. There are currently 12 councillors and a mayor, with two councillors representing each of the six wards. The mayor and members of the city council serve four-year terms without term limits, with the next election scheduled for October 2022. Prior to the 2006 election, the mayor and city councillors served three-year terms.
In 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, incumbent Mayor Cam Guthrie
Cam Guthrie is a Canadian politician, currently serving as the Mayor of Guelph, Ontario since December 1, 2014. In the October 24, 2022 municipal election, he was re-elected mayor for a third term.
Personal life
Guthrie is a third-generation Gu ...
was re-elected with 66.6% of the vote.
Provincial
As of the 2018 election, Guelph occupies a single provincial riding of the same name, and is currently represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
by Mike Schreiner
Mike Schreiner ( ; born 9 June 1969) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Green Party of Ontario since 2009. Schreiner sits as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), representing Guelph; his 2018 election made him th ...
, the current leader of Ontario Green Party
The Green Party of Ontario (GPO; french: Parti vert de l'Ontario) is a political party in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Mike Schreiner. In 2018, Schreiner was elected as the party's first member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. In th ...
.
Federal
Guelph also occupies a federal riding of the same name. The member of Parliament is Lloyd Longfield
Lloyd Longfield (born October 8, 1956) is a Canadian Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Guelph in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. The riding was previously held by Liberal MP Frank Valeri ...
of the Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
.
Culture
Historic sites
*Downtown Guelph
Downtown Guelph is the central business district of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Wellington St. E. to the south, Woolwich St. to the East, Dublin St. to the west and Norwich St. to the North. Downtown Guelph is known for its distinct ...
: Several downtown streets are lined with Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
buildings, which are now well over a century old. Many of Guelph's historically designated properties are in or near the downtown area. The old City Hall on Carden St., built between 1856 and 1857, is a National Historic Site of Canada; this structure is an example of mid-19th century Renaissance Revival architecture. This building, as well as its Annex built circa 1865, are also historically designated by the province. Other historically designated buildings in the area include the Winter Fair Building, the County Jail and Governor's Residence and the Guelph Armoury. The Old Quebec Street Mall
Old Quebec Street Shoppes & Office Suites is a commercial mixed use building located on Wyndham Street North in downtown Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The main entrance faces the intersection of Quebec Street and Wyndham Street at St. Georges Square. ...
was a street built in the 1800s that was enclosed and covered; that work was completed in 1984 and the street has become an indoor shopping mall.
*The Guelph Civic Museum
The Guelph Civic Museum is a museum of culture and natural history located in Guelph, Ontario. It was established to explore the culture and natural history of Guelph through exhibitions and public programs. has been located on "Catholic Hill" (Norfolk St. and Cork St.) adjacent to the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since 2012, moving to this location from a nationally designated historic site at 6 Dublin St. South. The museum has a collection of pictures, films and other antique materials related to the historical development of the City of Guelph.
*Among the oldest of the city's neighbourhoods, settled by affluent citizens, the St. George's Park area features heritage homes and mansions in the highest part of Guelph. Much of the city's elite lived on the hill running up Grange Street and many of the homes have been renovated.
* The Exhibition Park neighbourhood, containing the oldest park in Guelph, is an area that was settled in the 1870s and still contains many Victorian style heritage homes.
* The Brooklyn and College Hill area south of the Speed River is the city's only district that was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
*St. Patrick's Ward (The Ward) with many old buildings, originally contained both manufacturing facilities and modest homes. Many newcomers from Europe, particularly Italy, settled here after 1850.
*Allan's Mill
Allan's Mill was a watermill located on both banks of the Speed River in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Part of the site is now listed under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Allan's Mill
The first industrial establishment in Guelph, the original wooden mil ...
* Heffernan Street Footbridge: Spanning the Speed River behind St. George's Anglican Church, this structure was built in 1913, and replaced an earlier steel bridge. The footbridge was designated a heritage site and was restored/reconstructed in 1991 to more closely resemble the original design
*Goldie Mill ruins: Once owned by the Goldie family, an important name in the early Waterloo Region, the mill was operated from 1866 until 1953 when a fire destroyed it. For some years, it served as a venue for outdoor public and private events but the area around the buildings was closed to the public in June 2017 due to soil contamination and sinkholes. Restoration of the ruins was underway in 2019, authorized by the owner, the Grand River Conservation Authority
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organization ...
; the site to re-open to the public on 18 February 2021.
National Historic Sites
Nationally designated sites in the city include:
* Old City Hall, a formal, classical civic building; built in 1856–57.
*McCrae House
McCrae House, located in Guelph, Ontario, is the birthplace of John McCrae (b. 1872 – d. 1918), doctor, soldier and author of the famous First World War poem "In Flanders Fields". The house is a National Historic Site of Canada.
History
Thi ...
, home of John McCrae
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the ...
, author of "In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and f ...
", built in 1858.
*Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate
Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A Gothic Revival style building constructed between 1876 and 1888 by architect Joseph Connolly, it is considered Co ...
, a Roman Catholic church designed by Joseph Connolly, located downtown, is a local landmark and a National Historic Site. The church was built over a number of years, specifically 1876 to 1888.
Outdoor attractions
Most of the natural attractions of Guelph are located beside the two rivers which pass inside the city, Speed River and Eramosa River.
*Guelph Lake
Guelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake da ...
*University of Guelph Arboretum
The University of Guelph Arboretum was formally established in 1970 by the University of Guelph. The Arboretum aims to conserve biodiversity and connect people with nature through teaching, research, and community outreach. The 165 hectare space se ...
*Riverside Park, located beside the Speed River at the north of Guelph
*York Road Park
*Hanlon Creek Park (Preservation Park)
*Royal City Park and Wellington Street nature sites
Festivals
*Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival
* Guelph Pride
Guelph Pride is an LGBT pride festival, held annually in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. and Winter Pride
*Guelph and District Multicultural Festival
*Hillside Festival
The Hillside Festival is an annual three-day, five-stage (including one kids' stage) summer festival occurring in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, hosting musicians, spoken word artists, workshops and more. The Hillside Festival occurs in late July on Gue ...
* Two Rivers Festival
* John Galt Day
* Guelph Jazz Festival
* Guelph Ribfest
* Guelph Festival of Moving Media
* Guelph Film Festival The Guelph Film Festival is an annual Canadian film festival, staged in Guelph, Ontario."Guelph Film Festival set to begin this week". ''Guelph Mercury Tribune'', November 2, 2018. Launched in 1984, the festival programs an annual lineup of document ...
* Vegfest Guelph
Arts facilities
*The Art Gallery of Guelph
The Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG), formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, is a public gallery and adjoining sculpture park in Guelph, Ontario. The AGG has a collection of over 9,000 works and focusses on research, publishing, educational progra ...
, formerly Macdonald Stewart Art Centre
*The Bookshelf Ebar Art Space
* Ed Video Media Arts Centre
*River Run Centre
The River Run Centre is a performing arts centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Construction of the facility began in 1995 and cost $15 million. It officially opened on October 4, 1997.
Halls
The facility has three halls:
*The Main Hall, which ...
* Guelph Youth Music Centre
Media
The earliest newspaper published in Guelph was the ''Guelph Herald'', which lasted for nine months after it was started in 1842 by Charles McDonnell. The ''Wellingtonian'' also lasted for only a short time in 1843. The next one to be published was ''The Advertiser'' in 1845. In 1847, the new ''Guelph Herald'' was established as a weekly.
Both of those publications disappeared but the city was served by a daily newspaper for 149 years until the Guelph Mercury
The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, w ...
ceased operations in January 2016 due to declining subscriptions and revenues. At the time, it was owned by Metroland Media Group
Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland publishes more than 7 ...
which also owned the Guelph Tribune, a twice weekly publication with limited news coverage. The latter increased its reporting of local news, assumed publication of the Guelph and District Homes section and, in April 2016, took over operation of the Mercury website. At the same time, the newspaper re-branded with a new title, Guelph Mercury Tribune
The ''Guelph Mercury Tribune'', formerly known as the ''Royal Tribune'' and the ''Guelph Tribune'', is a twice-weekly newspaper serving the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
History
The ''Guelph Tribune'' was founded on September 30, 1986 as the ...
.
Village Media
Village Media is a Canadian media company, which operates a number of hyperlocal online news and community websites throughout Ontario.[CIMJ-FM
CIMJ-FM (106.1 Hertz, MHz, ''Magic 106''), is a Canadian hot adult contemporary radio station based in Guelph, Ontario, in the Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo market. Its sister station is CJOY. Their studios are locat ...]
, featuring hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
music branded as Today's Best Mix
*CJOY
CJOY is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1460 AM in Guelph, Ontario. The station currently broadcasts an oldies/classic hits format and is branded on-air as ''1460 CJOY''. CJOY's sister station is CIMJ-FM. Both stations are owned by Cor ...
, 1460, broadcasting an oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...
format and branded as Greatest Hits
Both stations have been owned by Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...
since 2000. The University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
station 93.3 CFRU-FM
CFRU-FM, airing at 93.3 on the FM dial, is a campus radio station based at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. CFRU is a volunteer-run campus and community radio station. CFRU is a member of the National Campus and Community Ra ...
, Campus and Community Radio, has been broadcasting since 1980, currently at 250 watts.
Radio stations from Kitchener-Waterloo and CTV Kitchener, CKCO-DT
CKCO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Part of the CTV Television Network, it is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside London-based CTV 2 station CFPL-DT, although the two stations maintain ...
television, also provide some coverage of Guelph news. Since 2011, CKCO has not been identified by its call letters.
Entertainment
The Sleeman Centre is a sports and entertainment venue in Guelph. The large, modern facility allows for a variety of events such as concerts, sporting and family events, trade shows and conferences, and it is home to the local hockey team, the Guelph Storm
The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre.
History
The franchise started as the Toronto Marlb ...
.
Apart from it, the city has Guelph Little Theatre, Guelph Concert Theatre and River Run Centre. Theatre studios of the University of Guelph also present their productions to the public on occasions.
Music
From a Bell Organ factory to the opera singer Edward Johnson, Guelph has been a source of musical contribution. Today, Guelph has a thriving indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
scene, which has spawned some of Canada's more well-known indie bands, many of which are highlighted in the annual Kazoo Festival. Guelph is also home to the Hillside Festival
The Hillside Festival is an annual three-day, five-stage (including one kids' stage) summer festival occurring in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, hosting musicians, spoken word artists, workshops and more. The Hillside Festival occurs in late July on Gue ...
, a hugely popular music festival held at nearby Guelph Lake
Guelph Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Speed River, in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa. It is located upriver and slightly northeast of the city of Guelph, Ontario. The reservoir was created in 1974, with the construction of the Guelph Lake da ...
during the summer, as well as the Guelph Jazz Festival.
Guelph is also home to the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, and two yearly classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
festivals. The Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph showcases students from Guelph and surrounding areas, while the Guelph Musicfest offers performances by local professional classical musicians.
Sports teams
Notable people
Twin cities
* Castelfranco Veneto
Castelfranco Veneto ( vec, Casteło) is a town and ''comune'' of Veneto, northern Italy, in the province of Treviso, by rail from the town of Treviso. It is approximately inland from Venice.
History
The town originates from a castle built here ...
, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
* Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and municipality, in Guatemala.
The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It may ...
* Cusco, Peru
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; i ...
See also
*Geosign
Geosign, based out of Guelph, Ontario was an Internet media company focused on online publishing and targeted search.
History
Geosign owned over 180 websites in 20 different categories. Geosign claimed to receive over 35 million unique visitor ...
, former Internet media company
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1827 establishments in Canada
Cities in Ontario
Populated places established in 1827
Single-tier municipalities in Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
1820s establishments in Upper Canada