Westdale, Ontario
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Westdale is a residential neighbourhood in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, Canada. It is centred in the Westdale Village shopping district and located near
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
. It is bordered to the north by Cootes Paradise, an extensive nature reserve marking the western end of
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, to the south by Main Street and Ainslie Wood, to the east by Highway 403, and to the west by McMaster University.


Etymology

On 29 March 1923, real estate agents and politicians announced the winning name of a "Name the Neighbourhood" contest, at the Royal Connaught Hotel in downtown Hamilton. 6,170 people were gathered for the official announcement. Rev. Canon Percival Lawson Spencer won $200.00 for his submission of the "Westdale" name. Other names that were seriously considered for the neighbourhood include Westhome, Vimy Ridge, Bridgeton, Woodlands Park, Surrey Park and Bridgeview.


History

Archeological surveys have shown that the land south of what is now Cootes Paradise was inhabited by successive Indigenous nations. In the early seventeenth-century, when the first French explorers and missionaries visited the western edge of
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, they found the region populated by native people, who were referred to as the
Neutral Nation The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ) was a tribal confederation of Iroquoian peoples. Its heartland was in the floodplain of the Grand River in what is now Ontario, Canada. At its height, its wider territory extend ...
because of their neutrality in the disputes between the
Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
and the Huron. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Neutral Nation and the Hurons were defeated by the
Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
. Eventually,
Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...
people from what is now northern Ontario began to push southwards and displace the Iroquois. In 1792 the
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (, ''meaning: "Mississauga people at the Credit River"'') is a Mississaugas, an Ojibwe sub-group, First Nation located near Brantford in south-central Ontario, Canada. In April 2015, MCFN had an enroll ...
and the Crown negotiated the Between the Lakes Treaty No. 3, allowing colonists to settle the area under the provisions of the
Royal Proclamation of 1763 The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by British King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The ...
.


Survey

Following the creation of Upper Canada in 1791, the land upon which Westdale is now located was surveyed as part of the Township of Barton. Shortly afterward, the boundary was adjusted and the lots west of present-day Paradise Road were incorporated into the Township of Ancaster. This area of the township situated below the escarpment was commonly referred to as the Gore of Ancaster. Following the transfer of the land from the Township of Barton to the Township of Ancaster, the land upon which Westdale is now located became lots 57 through 60 of Concession 1. Early settlers of these lots include the Forsyths, Ashbaughs, Clines, Paisleys, Buttrums, Brambergers and Strouds. Land use was primarily devoted to agriculture.


Founding

The development that would become Westdale was an early Canadian implementation of the concepts of the
Garden City Movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...
. In 1911 architect Robert Pope envisioned the area as a designed neighbourhood for 1,700 residents. That year J. J. McKittrick bought several hundred acres of land for the planned neighbourhood, first called Hamilton Gardens. Construction began in the early 1920s. Spearheaded by W.J. Westaway's development company Westdale Properties and a contingent of local investors on the Westaway Citizens Committee, the project aimed to stimulate an upscale
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
environment. Established on what had been predominantly farmland, its shopping district was constructed on King Street, the western end of a major Hamilton route. The major housing developments branched from Sterling Street, a wide tree-lined lane that ends at McMaster's east campus gates. By 1927 McMittrick Properties was bankrupt. That year 377 acres of the development were sold to the City of Hamilton as the site of the Hamilton campus of
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
and the first lands of
Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario) The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in the cities of Burlington and Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It covers extensive environmentally protected areas, historic sites, and culturally relevant gardens ...
. Westdale was envisioned as an exclusive white Protestant neighbourhood. Specific groups such as blacks, Asians, Slavs, and Jews were unable to purchase homes; near the end of the Second World War restrictions upon Jewish home ownership were lifted whereupon many relocated from the central part of the city. However, legal loopholes allowed for discrimination to persist into the 1950s. Over time, Westdale has become increasingly diverse and vestiges of its former exclusivity have largely disappeared.


Present

Although urban development has reduced the isolation once integral for Westdale's modelled environment, the Village persists as an established shopping destination for West Hamilton residents. The Westdale Village Business Improvement Association represents over 70 businesses located in the immediate Westdale area. The Westdale community is contained between Highway 403, Main Street and the areas east of McMaster. In addition to many small businesses, Westdale is also home to the Hamilton Aviary and Churchill Park, both situated on lands owned by
Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario) The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in the cities of Burlington and Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It covers extensive environmentally protected areas, historic sites, and culturally relevant gardens ...
, a grocery store, a branch of the Hamilton Public Library, and branches of three major banks.


Student housing

The increase of McMaster's student population in recent decades has resulted in many Westdale homes being rented out to students. In 2006 a few Westdale homeowners calling themselves WADS (Westdale Against Drunk Students) staged a rally to protest the student population and called for the McMaster pub, Quarters, to be closed. McMaster responded by setting up a mediation between surrounding homeowners and student residents, as well as clarifying that Quarters closing would not fix the problems residents were facing, as students would just go to other bars located in Westdale. Over 200 people attended the rally. After a sting operation the Ontario Provincial Police charged the Bar with liquor license violations alleging the Bar over-served its student patrons. Recently, the
Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently mistakenly referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal) (ONCA is the abbreviation for its neutral citation) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Ha ...
found the bar had violated the law by over-serving a patron who went on to run down a pedestrian with his truck. The case, McIntyre v. Grigg, made Canadian legal history when it awarded punitive damages against a drunk driver. The Westdale Village BIA, the Ainslie Wood / Westdale Community Association (AWWCA) and
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
formed the Campus Town Association in late 2004. The CTA was formed to address concerns facing both the community and the university. In 2021, Hamilton City Council passed a Student Rental Bylaw designed to eliminate student rentals that exist in private dwellings. The bylaw is being rolled out in stages across the wards around McMaster University and Mohawk College. Although called a pilot designed to evaluate the effect of the bylaw, it does not have any presence in the Gibson neighbourhood where 60% of the residents live in rental units. There are also no criteria of what data is to be collected. The bylaw was taken from the Waterloo rental bylaw which was designed to provoke small landlords, such as senior citizens, from renting and thus into selling. Waterloo plans called for increased density around the university to handle student accommodation. Hamilton appears to want a return to a single family neighbourhood and lacks any plans for the needed replacement housing.


Politics

Westdale is currently part of the federal electoral district of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and, since
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, has been represented by Member of Parliament
Filomena Tassi Filomena Tassi is a Canadian politician who served as the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Liberal Party, Tassi represented the riding of Hamilton Westâ ...
of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
. Following a redistribution of provincial constituencies, Westdale shifted from being part of the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale riding into the newly created constituency of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas. In the 2018 Ontario Provincial Election, this seat was won by current
New Democrat New Democrats may refer to: * New Democratic Party, a social democratic party in Canada * New Democrats (United States), the ideological centrist faction of the Democratic Party ** New Democrat Coalition, the related caucus in the United States H ...
Member of Provincial Parliament Sandy Shaw. On the Municipal level, Westdale is part of Hamilton's Ward 1 and has been represented by Maureen Wilson as city councillor since
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. At the public school board level Westdale is represented by Elizabeth Wong as Ward 1 trustee. On Hamilton's Catholic school board, Westdale is represented by Wards 1, 2, and 15 trustee Mark Valvasori.


Education

Aside from
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
, four public schools are located in Westdale: Westdale Secondary School, École secondaire Georges-P.-Vanier, Dalewood Middle School, and George R. Allan Elementary School (1927–2014). The latter school has recently undergone an expansion in order to accommodate students from Ainslie Wood's Prince Philip Elementary School. As a result of the merger, the new school was name
Cootes Paradise Elementary School
in September 2014.


References

* https://www.thewestdale.ca/about/ * http://www.thesil.ca/article.pl?sid=06/10/26/1647246 * http://www.westdalevillage.ca/directory/financial-services * http://www.westdalevillage.ca/pages/campus.aspx * http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/cootesparadise


External links


Westdale Village BIA

The Ainslie-Wood / Westdale Community Association
{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Hamilton, Ontario