Midland is a town located on

Georgian Bay Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...

Simcoe County Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of ...

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 historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of

Central Ontario Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not in ...

. Located at the southern end of

's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport (

Midland/Huronia Airport Midland/Huronia Airport is located south southwest of Midland, Ontario, Canada. The Huronia Airport is co-owned by Tiny Township, Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada ...

). It is the main town of the southern

area. In the summer months, the area's population grows to over 100,000 with seasonal visitors to more than 8,000 cottages, resort hotels, provincial and national parks in the surrounding municipalities of

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populat ...

, Tiny,

Tay Tay may refer to: People and languages * Tay (name), including lists of people with the given name, surname and nickname * Tay people, an ethnic group of Vietnam ** Tày language *Atayal language, an Austronesian language spoken in Taiwan (ISO 639 ...

, and

Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation ( oj, G'Chimnissing) is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. The main settlement of the Beausoleil First Nation is on Christian Island, Ontario, Canada in southern Georgia ...

History

The town of Midland was founded when, in 1871, the

Midland Railway of Canada The Midland Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway which ran from Port Hope, Ontario to Midland on Georgian Bay. The line was originally intended to run to Peterborough, but the competing Cobourg and Peterborough Railway was complet ...

selected the sparsely populated community of Mundy's Bay as the new terminus of the Midland railway. At that time the Midland railway ran from Port Hope to Beaverton. The town site was surveyed in 1872–3 and the line to the town was completed by 1879. Settlers, attracted by the convenience of rail service, soon began to move into the area. The company sold off lots in town (Midland City) to help finance the settlement. The village (incorporated in 1878) thrived based on

shipping and the lumber and

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike othe ...

. Incorporated into a town in 1890, a number of light industrial companies have established themselves in the area and tourism in the southern Georgian Bay area also contributes to the economy.

2010 tornado

On June 23, 2010, Midland was struck by an F2 tornado, causing $15 million in damage. The most significant damage was reported at Smith's Camp, a trailer park at the south end of the town, where several mobile homes were completely destroyed. At one point, for the first time in 25 years,

Emergency Management Ontario Emergency Management Ontario is the Office of Emergency Management for the province of Ontario responsible for planning for and responding to and recovering from all man-made or natural disasters within the province. The agency is under the respons ...

upgraded Environment Canada's

Tornado warning A tornado warning (SAME code: TOR) is a severe weather warning product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public when a tornado has been reported or indicated by weather radar within the p ...

to an extreme severe weather warning called "Red Alert" which was issued for most of

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is dis ...

's cottage country due to the approaching severe weather and the possibility of violent tornadoes, informing residents in the area that they should seek shelter. In addition, a

State of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

was also declared in Midland. While electrical service was knocked out for a time, there were no fatalities caused by the storm.

Geography and climate

Midland is located at the south end of the Georgian Bay and is the northern anchor of the Simcoe County. Midland has a

humid continental climate 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 freez ...

under 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, nota ...

(Köppen ''Dfb'') and has four distinct seasons. The climate is nearly the same as much of Southern Ontario and has balmy summers and chilly winters. Thunderstorms, hailstorms, snowstorm, lake effect snow and freezing rain are also common for this city.

Local attractions

Around the centre of Midland there are a number of murals, most of which were painted by now deceased artist Fred Lenz. The largest, depicting a meeting between a local native and Jesuit Missionary

Jean de Brebeuf Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

is on the silos overlooking the main harbour. This work was completed by Lenz's sons following his death in 2001. Notable sites in or near Midland include the Jesuit mission of

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Sainte-Marie among the Hurons (french: Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons) was a French Jesuit settlement in Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the ...

, which is now a

living museum A living museum, also known as a living history museum, is a type of museum which recreates historical settings to simulate a past time period, providing visitors with an experiential interpretation of history. It is a type of museum that recre ...

depicting missionary life in the 17th century. The

Martyrs' Shrine The Martyrs' Shrine, also known as Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs (french: Sanctuaire des martyrs canadiens)is a Roman Catholic church in Midland, Ontario, Canada, which is consecrated to the memory of the Canadian Martyrs, six Jesuit Martyrs an ...

is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

church commemorating the

Canadian Martyrs The Canadian Martyrs, also known as the North American Martyrs ( French: ''Saints martyrs canadiens'', Holy Canadian Martyrs), were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. They were ritually tortured and killed on various d ...

, eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie who were martyred during the

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

wars.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

held a pastoral meeting at this site in September 1984. The

Huronia Museum The Huronia Museum is located in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The museum consists of the museum building (housing collections and art gallery) and the Huron/Ouendat (Wendat) village (palisade and longhouse). The museum is open year-round and has near ...

is a history and art museum which features the Huron Village, a reconstruction of a typical

/Ouendat (Wendat) village. The

Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre The Wye Marsh is a wetland area on the south shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. The Wye Marsh National Wildlife Area was established on the location in 1978. It is designated a Provincially Significant Wetland by the Ontario Ministry of Nat ...

is nearby. The

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

provides habitat for

trumpeter swan The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 ...

black tern The black tern (''Chlidonias niger'') is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe, Western Asia and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding s ...

s and

least bittern The least bittern (''Ixobrychus exilis'') is a small heron, the smallest member of the family Ardeidae found in the Americas. Taxonomy The least bittern was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his ...

s. The trumpeter swan is considered a symbol of Midland and a large statue of one has been erected by the harbour. Matyr's Shrine

An annual

Butter tart A butter tart (french: tarte au beurre) is a type of small pastry tart highly regarded in Canadian cuisine. The sweet tart consists of a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, baked in a pastry shell until the filling is semi-solid with a c ...

festival, inaugurated in 2013, is held in early June. In 2016, the fourth annual Butter tart Festival sold more 100,000 butter tarts. Many tourists flock to Midland during the festival. There are two divisions: amateur and commercial. The day after the Butter tart festival is the Butter Tart Trot, a 5-km fun run for older people and a 2.5-km run for children under 5 years old. Little Lake Park is a tourist destination in the summer months. The park has a refreshment stand and a number of sports facilities including volleyball courts, a baseball field, skateboard park, disc golf course. The

Midland Cultural Centre The Midland Cultural Centre is a public multi-use complex located in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The 2787 m2 (30 000 sq ft) building is home to three main groups: Quest Art School and Gallery, the Huronia Players theatre company, and Rotary Hall, a ...

is a hub for various cultural activities, located in the core of downtown Midland. The Centre is home to the Huronia Players, Quest Art School and Gallery, and Rotary Hall.

Sports activities

Midland is the home of The

Midland Flyers The Midland Flyers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Midland, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League and were former members of the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League. History In 1985, the Centennials ...

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

Club of the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federatio ...

in the Carruthers division in the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

. It is also home of the Midland Minor Hockey Association. Midland North Simcoe Sports & Recreation Centre is the home rink to these teams. The NSSRC is also the location of the Midland Sports Hall of Fame. Boating, both power and sail, is very popular with a number of

marina A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina dif ...

s and a sailing club based in the town. The town has easy access to the relatively sheltered waters of south eastern Georgian Bay. Among the

s nearby are Bay Port Yachting Centre on the northwest side of the bay, and

Wye Heritage Marina Wye may refer to: Place names *Wye, Kent, a village in Kent, England **Wye College, agricultural college, part of University of London before closure in 2009 **Wye School, serving the above village **Wye railway station, serving the above village ...

along the southeast shore. There is also good fishing. Midland also has an ever-growing and active cycling base. The Midland Tri Club has increased the number of road riders in the area. Many of these riders also participate in the popular weekly Time Trial series and group rides that run throughout the summer months. Mountain view Ski Centre has also encouraged the growth of mountain bikers, with an extensive trail system in town. The Centre hosts a variety of races, including a summer long weekly series, as well as a night race, high school event, and 9 hour relay. Also, an MTB club has been borne of the Centrw, and is expanding its breadth into competition and other pursuits. The provincial cyclo-cross championships are to be hosted in Midland on November 13, 2016 as part of the Silver Goose CX Race. In the winter, snowmobiling and ice fishing are popular activities. Mountain-view Ski Centre has of cross country ski trails.

Notable residents

John W. Bald John Witherspoon Bald (born April 7, 1868, Parsonstown, Ireland - died 1961, Midland, Ontario, Canada) was a Canadian photographer who produced portraits, landscape and other commercial photographs. He recorded life in his community from 1890 until ...

, photographer *

Born Ruffians Born Ruffians are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto. Officially founded in 2004 in the Georgian Bay town of Midland, Ontario, the band is composed of frontman Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, and drummer Steve Hamelin. During the ...

, indie rock band *

Mark Bourrie Mark Bourrie (born 1959 or 1960) is a Canadian journalist and author. He has worked as a contract lecturer at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. In 2020, his biography of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, ''Bushrunner: The Adventures of Pi ...

, author *

Sarah Burke Sarah Jean Burke (September 3, 1982 – January 19, 2012) was a Canadian freestyle skier who was a pioneer of the superpipe event. She was a five-time Winter X Games gold medallist, and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005. She su ...

, freestyle skier, three-time Winter X-Games gold medalist *

Roy Conacher Roy Gordon Conacher (October 5, 1916 – December 29, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks. He was the ...

, former NHL hockey player and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee *

Shayne Corson Shayne Paul Corson (born August 13, 1966) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars. During ...

, former NHL hockey player *

Adam Dixon Adam Dixon (born August 13, 1989) is a Canadian ice sledge hockey player. Life and career Born in Midland, Ontario, Dixon was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in his right tibia in 1999 at the age of 10 and underwent a 10-hour surgery to remove ...

, paralympian (sledge hockey) *

Peter Donaldson Peter Ian Donaldson (23 August 1945 – 2 November 2015) was an English newsreader on BBC Radio 4. Early life Donaldson was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Cyprus in 1952 at the time of the overthrow of King Farouk. He was a frequent ...

, stage, TV & film actor (Stratford Festival, Road to Avonlea, The Sweet Hereafter) *

Herb Drury Herbert Joseph Drury (March 2, 1896 – July 30, 1965) was a Canadian-born American ice hockey defenseman who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Quakers. Internationally he played fo ...

, former NHL and Olympic hockey player *

George Dudley George Samuel Dudley (April 19, 1894 – May 8, 1960) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960 ...

, inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame, president and secretary-manager of the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included ...

William Finlayson William Finlayson may refer to: * William Finlayson (Australian politician) (1867–1955), Member of the House of Representatives for the seat of Brisbane 1910–1919 * William Finlayson (Canadian politician) (1875–?), lawyer and political figur ...

, politician and lawyer *

Jack Hendrickson John Gunnard "Jack, Jake" Hendrickson (December 5, 1936 - June 27, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 5 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings between 1957 and 1962. The rest of his career, which lasted from ...

, former NHL hockey player *

Glenn Howard Glenn William Howard (born July 17, 1962) is a Canadian curler who is one of the most decorated curlers of all time. He has won four world championships, four Briers and 17 Ontario provincial championships, including a record eight straight, ...

, world champion curler *

Russ Howard Russell W. "Russ" Howard, CM, ONL (born February 19, 1956 in Midland, Ontario) is a Canadian curler and Olympic champion, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, but originally from Midland, Ontario. He lived in Moncton, New Brunswick from 2000 to 20 ...

, Olympic champion curler *

Scott Howard Scott William Howard (born July 11, 1990) is a Canadian curler. As an alternate for his father, Glenn Howard, Scott Howard won the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier and the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship. Personal life Howard attended Penetangui ...

, world champion curler *

Wayne King Harold Wayne King (February 16, 1901 – July 16, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader with a long association with both NBC and CBS. He was referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved w ...

, former NHL hockey player *

James LaBrie Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991. Early life Kevin James LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Onta ...

, Grammy award winning musician, lead singer of

Dream Theatre Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of ...

since 1991. *

Alex McKendry Alex McKendry (born November 21, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 46 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames from 1978 to 1981. The rest of his career, which laste ...

, former NHL Hockey player *

John Muckler John Muckler (April 13, 1934 – January 4, 2021) was a professional hockey coach and executive, who last served as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Muckler had over 50 years of professional hockey e ...

, NHL coach *

David Onley David Charles Onley (born June 12, 1950) is a former Canadian journalist who served as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

, former

CITY-TV CITY-DT (channel 57) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by network parent Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television outlets CFMT-DT (ch ...

reporter and former

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Ontario * James Playfair, businessman *

Mike Robitaille Michael James David Robitaille (born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and commentator. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Ca ...

, former NHL hockey player *

Angela Schmidt-Foster Angela Schmidt-Foster (born 6 January 1960) is a Canadian former cross-country skier who competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics, in the 1984 Winter Olympics, in the 1988 Winter Olympics, and in the 1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , ...

, former Olympic athlete *

Susan Swan Susan Swan (born 9 June 1945) is a Canadian author, journalist, and professor. Susan Swan writes classic Canadian novels. Her fiction has been published in 20 countries and translated into 10 languages. Born in Midland, Ontario, she studied at ...

, writer *

Steve Wolfhard Steve Wolfhard is a Canadian artist who is best known for being a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series ''Adventure Time''. History Steve Wolfhard grew up in Kitchener and then Midland, Ontario and graduated from Sherid ...

, award-winning artist with

adventure time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn ( Jeremy Shada) and ...

Richard B. Wright Richard Bruce Wright (March 4, 1937 – February 7, 2017) was a Canadian novelist. He was known for his break-through 2001 novel ''Clara Callan,'' which won three major literary awards in Canada: The Giller Prize, the Trillium Book Award, and th ...

, writer

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, Midland 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.

Transportation

Midland is served by the

Simcoe County LINX Simcoe County LINX (or simply LINX) is a public transport service managed by Simcoe County and operated by First Student Canada, which is responsible for inter-community regional bus service throughout Simcoe County, connecting rural towns and t ...

inter-community bus service on its Route 1 - Penetanguishene / Midland to Barrie.

Economy

Since 1952

ELCAN Raytheon ELCAN Optical Technologies, also simply ELCAN ( Ernest Leitz CANada),

(Ernest Leitz CANada) is located in Ontario; it was founded in 1952 by

Leica Camera Leica Camera AG () is a German company that manufactures cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same directio ...

and is owned by

Raytheon Technologies Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliz ...

since 1999.Leica Barnack-Berek-Blog 28 October 2016, ELCAN - Ernst Leitz Canada limited, retrieved 1 November 2020.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Populated places on Lake Huron in Canada Towns in Ontario

History

2010 tornado

Geography and climate

Local attractions

Sports activities

Notable residents

Demographics

Transportation

Economy

See also

References

External links