St. Thomas is a city in

southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

, Canada. It gained its city

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

on March 4, 1881. The city is also the seat for

Elgin County Elgin County ( ) is a county composed of seven municipalities in Ontario, Canada with a 2021 population of 51,912. Its population centres are Aylmer, Port Stanley, Belmont, Dutton and West Lorne. The county seat is St. Thomas, which is separated ...

, although it is independent of the county. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population of the city was 42,918.

History

The city, located at the intersection of two historical roads, was first settled in 1810. It was named the seat of the new

in 1844 and was incorporated as a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in 1852, then as a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in 1861. In 1881 St. Thomas became a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

. It was named after Thomas Talbot who helped promote the development of this region during the early 19th century. The founder of the settlement that became St. Thomas was Capt. Daniel Rapelje, descendant of a Walloon

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

settled in

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

, now

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, at its inception in the seventeenth century. In 1820, Rapelje, the town's first settler, divided his land into town lots suitable for a village. Owner of the New England Mill, Rapelje subsequently donated two acres of land for the building of Old St. Thomas Church. In 1871, the developing village of Millersburg, which included these lands east of the London and Port Stanley Railway, amalgamated with St. Thomas. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, several railways were constructed through the city, and St. Thomas became an important railway junction. A total of 26 railways have passed through the city since the first railway was completed in 1856. In the 1950s and 1960s, with the decline of the railway as a mode of transportation, other industry began to locate in the city, principally primary and secondary automotive manufacturing.

Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...

the circus elephant, said to be the world's biggest elephant at the time, died here on September 15, 1885, shortly after being hit by a locomotive. There is a life-sized commemorative statue that was erected in 1985. In 1824,

Charles Duncombe Charles Duncombe may refer to: * Charles Duncombe (English banker) (1648–1711), English banker, MP and Lord Mayor * Charles Duncombe, 1st Baron Feversham (1764–1841), English MP *Charles Duncombe (Upper Canada Rebellion) (1792–1867), American ...

and

John Rolph John Rolph (4 March 1793 – 19 October 1870) was a Canadian physician, lawyer, and political figure. As a politician, he was considered the leader of the Reform faction in the 1820s and helped plan the Upper Canada Rebellion. As a doctor, h ...

established the first medical school in Upper Canada, in St. Thomas, under the patronage of Colonel Thomas Talbot. Duncombe's house now forms part of The

Elgin Military Museum The Elgin Military Museum is a privately owned, not-for-profit local museum in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1982 to preserve and commemorate the contributions of Elgin County to broader Canadian military history, the museum includes ...

complex. Between 1881 and 1988 the city had a private woman's school operating called

Alma College Alma College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students and is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accre ...

which was destroyed by fire in 2008. St. Thomas' late 19th- early 20th century architecture includes the Elgin County Court House, Wellington Street public school, Myrtle St. School (demolished in 2014), Balaclava St. School, Elmdale School and its city hall, most designated heritage properties and all designed by former resident

Neil R. Darrach Neil R. Darrach (1850–1926) was a noted Canadian architect from St. Thomas, Ontario. He was architect for over five designated heritage properties in St. Thomas, Ontario and Regina, Saskatchewan. He was primarily active in the later 19th centu ...

Government

Joe Preston is the current mayor of St. Thomas. The

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

consists of the mayor and eight City Councillors, all elected at large, meaning Councillors are elected on a citywide basis.

Military

31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins) was created in 1997 when the former Elgin Regiment (RCAC) was re-roled from an armour tasking. The regiment had been associated with St. Thomas since its creation; St. Thomas is currently home to one of its two component field squadrons. St. Thomas Armoury is a recognized Federal Heritage building 1992 on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings.

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; ), 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. It is headquartered in ...

, St. Thomas 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. According to the 2011 census, St. Thomas had a population of 37,905 people in 2011, which was an increase of 5.6% from the 2006 census count. The median household income in 2016 for St. Thomas was $71,356.75 In the 2016 Census, more than 10,000 people were age 60 or over.

Education

Fanshawe College Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology, commonly shortened to Fanshawe College, is a public college in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is partnered with private ILAC International College. One of the largest colleges in Canada, it ha ...

has a satellite campus in St. Thomas.

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

schools are controlled by the

London District Catholic School Board The London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB), known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 38 prior to 1999) is a separate school board offering Catholic education in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It serves students from the ...

and

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

schools are controlled by the

Thames Valley District School Board The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB; known as English-language Public District School Board No. 11 prior to 1999) is a public school board in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The TVDSB serves an area over 7,000 square kilometres which i ...

. Arthur Voaden Secondary School, Central Elgin Collegiate Institute and Parkside Collegiate Institute are the three public high schools. St. Joseph's High School is a Catholic high school. There are two independent Christian elementary schools, Kings Academy and St. Thomas Community Christian School.

Economy

The local economy has been dominated by automotive manufacturing, with two plants operated by

Magna International Magna International Inc. is a Canadian parts manufacturer for automakers. It is one of the largest companies in Canada and was recognized on the 2020 ''Forbes'' Global 2000. The company is the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North Amer ...

, the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

St. Thomas Assembly in nearby Talbotville, and a

Sterling Trucks Sterling Trucks Corporation (commonly designated Sterling) was an American truck manufacturer. Founded in 1998, Sterling was created following the 1997 acquisition of the heavy-truck product lines of Ford Motor Company by Freightliner. Taking ...

assembly plant. However, the 2008 global recession that impacted the auto sector ultimately trickled down to the city; the Sterling plant closed in March 2009, and the Ford plant closed in late 2011 for a loss of 1,400 jobs. A number of other, smaller auto parts plants also closed as a result, putting thousands more out of work. This had a domino effect on the other part manufacturers in town, such as Lear Seating. One automotive materials supplier, A. Schulman, had previously closed its local manufacturing plant in 2008, one of the first actions of a new CEO installed in January. Masco Canada's consolidation of their Canadian operations into the former Sterling Truck assembly plant in 2010 and Toyota supplier Takumi Stamping Canada's expansion in the same year brought over 500 jobs to St. Thomas. A report in June 2019 indicated that a plant for cross-laminated timber (CLT) would be built in town, providing over 60 jobs. The estimated cost of the automated plant was $32 million. The town's Economic Development Corporation has attracted film crews, particularly to the former psychiatric hospital (the Regional Mental Health Centre) on Sunset Drive as a location for filming. A January 2020 report indicated that productions filming in the town have included '' The Boys'',

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

's ''

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' is a series of three collections of short horror stories for children, written by Alvin Schwartz and originally illustrated by Stephen Gammell. In 2011, HarperCollins published editions featuring new art ...

'' and most recently, a film featuring

Jason Momoa Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the ...

that was planning to film in town, frequently outdoors, from February to June 2020. In April 2023, an announcement was made for the building of a battery plant by PowerCo, a subsidiary of

Volkswagen AG Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines and turbomachinery. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony ...

and to have it running by 2027. This plant is expected to employ 3,000 and be one of the largest VW plants in the world.

Transportation

St. Thomas is accessible via Ontario

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...

and Ontario Highway 4, the latter of which provides access to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 prov ...

and Highway 402.

Local Motion - Railway City Transit Railway City Transit includes both conventional city transit buses and paratransit vehicles owned by the City of St. Thomas, Ontario and staffed and operated by Voyageur Transportation, who took over the service from Aboutown Transportation o ...

, which includes both conventional bus service and paratransit, is owned by the city and staffed and operated by

Voyageur Transportation Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians and others who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the a ...

. The city is served by the St. Thomas Municipal Airport (YQS), just east in the Municipality of Central Elgin. There are no scheduled flights; the airport is used for general aviation only. A bi-annual large-scale air show takes place at the St. Thomas Municipal Airport. From 1978 to 1979

Canada Southern Railway Station The Canada Southern Railway Station (CASO) is a former railway station in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. The station was built by the Canada Southern Railway (CSR) in 1873 as both a railway station and its corporate headquarters.Ontario Heritage T ...

served as the only Canadian stop for the short-lived

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Niagara Rainbow route.

Media

St. Thomas has several media outlets based in the city. The '' St. Thomas Times-Journal'' is the city's newspaper, owned by

Sun Media Sun Media Corporation was the owner of several tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49% owner of the now defunct Sun News Network. It was a subsidiary of Quebecor Media. On October 6, 2014, Quebecor Media announced the sale of ...

(

Quebecor Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Quebec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in ...

). The St. Thomas - Elgin Weekly News is a weekly newspaper published in St. Thomas, that is distributed for free to all residents of St. Thomas and Elgin County. The Elgin County Market is a weekly publication that is also distributed for free to all residents of St. Thomas and Elgin County, it features various local business flyers and advertisements.

Rogers Cable Rogers Cable is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, primarily in Southern and Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Roger ...

operates a local community channel consisting mostly of local and dedicated volunteers.

CFPL-DT CFPL-DT (channel 10) is a television station in London, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Kitchener-based CTV station CKCO-DT (channel 13), although the two stations maintain separate ...

, branded as CTV Two London, covers many news stories from St. Thomas. St. Thomas's only local commercial radio station, CKZM-FM 94.1 FM, was launched on May 20, 2011. Also a low-power

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

station — VF8016, 90.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

— broadcasts religious activities from Faith Baptist Church of St. Thomas.

CFHK-FM CFHK-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to St. Thomas, Ontario, serving London and Southwestern Ontario. The station transmits at an effective radiated power of 22,000 watts (60,000 watts peak) at 103.1 MHz. Owned by Corus Entertainment, ...

, branded as ''103.1 Fresh FM'', is also licensed to St. Thomas, although its programming originates from London and targets all of southwestern Ontario. Establish Media is the newest media outlet based in St. Thomas. They produce digital content which they distribute primarily through social channels.

Sports

There is a dragway called St. Thomas Raceway Park. The dragway is located a reasonable distance away from the town and minutes east of the historical community of Sparta.

Current franchises

Former franchises

Climate

St. Thomas 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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa/Dfb''), with warm to hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Parks

There are two major parks in the city: ''Pinafore Park'' in the south, beside Pinafore Lake; and ''Waterworks Park'' in the north, which is straddled by Kettle Creek and the Waterworks Reservoir nearby. The

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, Arctic oceans. The trail extends over ; it is now the longe ...

goes through St. Thomas, with a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

located in ''Jonas Street Park''. The ''Lions Club Dog Park'' is located at the far west end of main street, at 25 Talbot Road. The park is managed by the St. Thomas Dog Owners Association (STDOA) in partnership with the City of St. Thomas. The park is open from dawn to dusk, daily. The ''Kettle Creek Dog Park'', opened in July 2014, is located just north of St Thomas, off Highbury on Mapleton Line, 200 metres beyond Dan Paterson Conservation Area. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk and boasts a large fenced in park, a fenced-in area for small dogs and a separate fenced-in area for one-on-one play. The park is managed by Kettle Creek Conservation Authority in partnership with STDOA, the Municipality of Central Elgin and the City of St Thomas. V.A. Barrie Park, located on Sunset Drive, and Waterworks Park include popular Disc Golf courses.

Cultural activities

The

is located in the west end of St. Thomas. While the museum recounts the stories of Elgin County residents from the War of 1812 to Afghanistan, it also includes two M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers and a collection of some 600 UN and NATO badges described by one appraiser as "the best collection I have seen outside of the UN in New York". In late 2009, The Elgin Military Museum began the process to acquire the Cold War Oberon Class Submarine HMCS Ojibwa, The submarine is planned to be stationed outside of St. Thomas in Port Burwell. The Elgin County Railway Museum is located in central St. Thomas. St. Thomas is also home to the

North America Railway Hall of Fame North America Railway Hall of Fame (NARHF) is a not-for-profit organization housed in the recently restored Canada Southern Railway Station in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. It was founded to maintain, preserve and honor railway history with the ...

, which is located in the CASO train station. The station was built in the 1870s and was a centre of travel between New York City and Chicago. It is located on Talbot Street downtown. The Elgin Theatre Guild is located at 40 Princess Avenue, and is home to a thriving community theatre, as well as hosting small musical groups. The building is a former church, built in 1907 by architect Neil Darrach. In 2001, St. Thomas City Council designated 40 Princess Avenue as a building of historic and architectural value in the City of St. Thomas. St. Thomas is home to the Railway City Brewing Company, one of 29 members of the Ontario Craft Brewers. St. Thomas' sister city is Bowling Green, OH.http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file38948.pdf

Heritage buildings

As a county seat and major railway junction, St. Thomas was an important and vibrant town in early Ontario. As such, the city has a significant number of pre-1914 heritage buildings.

Public

* St. Thomas Town Hall, 1899 (545 Talbot St.) * Elgin County Courthouse, 1898 (4 Wellington St.) * St. Thomas Carnegie Library, 1904 (9 Mondamin St.) * Elgin County Registry Office, 1874 (Gladstone Ave.) * St. Thomas Armoury, 1901 (40 Wilson Ave.) * Public Utilities Commission Building, 1916 (36 St. Catherine St.)

Religious

* St. Thomas Anglican, 1823 (55 Walnut St) * Trinity Anglican, 1877 (55 Southwick St.) * St. John's Anglican, 1909 (20 Flora St.) * Knox Presbyterian, 1883 (55 Hincks St.) * Alma Street Presbyterian, 1891 (94 Kains St.) * Central Methodist, 1897 (135 Wellington St.) * Holy Angels Roman Catholic, 1911 (502 Talbot Street) * Centre Street Baptist, 1879 (28 Southwick St.) * Church of Christ, 1906 (40 Princess Ave.)

Education

* Wellington Street Public School, 1898 (50 Wellington St.) * Balaclava Street School, 1898 (20 Balaclava St.) * Arthur Voaden Vocational School, 1925 (41 Flora St.)

Transportation

* St. Thomas Station (Canada Southern Ry.), 1871 (750 Talbot St.)

Lost heritage

, 1881 (96 Moore St.) – burned down 2008 * Myrtle Street School, 1903 (43 Myrtle St.) – demolished 2014 * Amasa Wood Hospital, 1891 (45 Pearl St.)– demolished 1953 * St. Thomas Collegiate Institute, 1902 (35 Elysian St.) – demolished 1967 * First Methodist, 1873 (26 St George St.) – burned down 1946 * St. Thomas Post Office, 1883 (403 Talbot St.)– demolished 1958

Notable people

Lexie Adzija Allexis Adzija (born June 30, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for PWHL Seattle of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played for PWHL Ottawa and the Boston Fleet of the PWHL. She played college ice ho ...

, professional women's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) 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. Tw ...

player (

PWHL Boston The Boston Fleet are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Tso ...

) * Emily Austin, writer *

Blake Ball Blake Ball (February 25, 1938 – January 20, 2006) was an ice hockey defenceman who played thirteen years of minor league hockey. Ball spent the majority of his career in the Eastern Hockey League. Playing career Football Ball spent six years in ...

, professional hockey player, professional wrestler, actor * Gopal Bhatnagar, cardiac surgeon, entrepreneur and public health advocate *

Mary Ann Cunningham Mary Ann Cunningham (, Woodman; July 19, 1841 – January 22, 1930) was a Canadian temperance activist. She was a leader in the provincial and local Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), being a member for 40 years, and holding office for ...

(1841-1930), social reformer and temperance activist *

Bob Emslie Robert Daniel Emslie (January 27, 1859 – April 26, 1943) was a Canadian pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who went on to set numerous records for longevity as an umpire (baseball), umpire. Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, Emslie had a brie ...

, (1859–1943) pitcher in Major League Baseball who also had a long career as an umpire *

Cory Emmerton Cory Emmerton (born June 1, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for HC Sierre of the Swiss League (SL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings. Emmerton was d ...

, professional

player (

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The team's history predates the Ontario Ho ...

) *

Jean Chamberlain Froese Jean Chamberlain Froese (born March 27, 1965) is a Canadian obstetrician. Early life and education Froese was born on March 27, 1965, in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Scarborough as the third of four children born into a middle-clas ...

, obstetrician * Elaine Goble (born 1956), Canadian visual artist *

Jack Graney John Gladstone Graney (June 10, 1886 – April 20, 1978) was a Canadian professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for 14 seasons, all with the Cleveland Indians franchise. In his 1402-game career, Graney batted .250 ( ...

, professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player and broadcaster, namesake of the

Jack Graney Award The Jack Graney Award is presented by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to a member of the Canadian media for their contributions to the game of baseball in Canada. The award is not presented every year, but rather when the committee b ...

Paul Hackman Paul Wayne Hackman (November 14, 1953 – July 5, 1992) was a Canadian guitarist who performed with the rock band Helix from 1976 until his death in a road accident. Among the hits which contain his playing are the #32 Canadian single " Rock You ...

(1953–1992), guitarist and songwriter from the

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

Helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...

* Libby Hague, artist *

Dell Henderson George Adelbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, film director, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific film career in the early days of silent film. Biography Born in the southwest ...

, Hollywood actor of 304 films, director of 208 films and writer of 35 *

Mitchell Hepburn Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, becoming premier at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the ...

(1896–1953), Premier of Ontario 1934–1942 *

Dave Hudson David Richard Hudson (born December 28, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 409 games in the National Hockey League in the 1970s, with the New York Islanders, Kansas City Scouts, and Colorado Rockies. Hudson play ...

, former professional

player (

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Kansas City Scouts The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976–77 NHL season, 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies (NHL), Colorado Rockies. In 1982– ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

) *

D. J. Kennington Douglas James Kennington (born July 15, 1977) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 17 Dodge Challenger for his own team DJK Racing. He won the 2010 and 201 ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver *

Rachel McAdams Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film '' Perfect Pie'' (2002), ...

, Oscar-nominated Hollywood

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Greg McKegg Greg McKegg (born June 17, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently a free agent. McKegg was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He notably wore number 69 ...

, professional

player for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

Stephen Ouimette Stephen Ouimette is a Canadian actor and director. Although mostly known for his stage work, particularly at the Stratford Festival of Canada and on Broadway in '' La Bete'', he achieved TV fame (and a Gemini Award) as the ghostly Oliver Welles i ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

widely known for his work at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

* Stephen J. Peters,

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London, former

Minister of Labour (Ontario) The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is responsible for labour issues in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and its agencies are responsible for ...

and

Minister of Agriculture and Food (Ontario) The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is an Ontario government ministry responsible for the food, agriculture and rural sectors of the Canadian province of Ontario. The Minister is currently Lisa Thompson. The Ministry h ...

Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

2007–2011. *

Philip Francis Pocock Philip Francis Pocock (2 July 1906 – 6 September 1984) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto from 1971 to 1978. Early years Pocock was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, on 2 July 1906. After studying theology at St. Peter's Seminary ...

, former Catholic archbishop of Toronto *

Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist * Maur ...

and Greta Podleski, bestselling cookbook authors (Looneyspoons, Crazy Plates, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry!), Food Network hosts and Reader's Digest columnists * Joe Preston, entrepreneur and member of parliament representing Elgin—Middlesex—London riding *

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama '' In P ...

, producer (''

The Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family b ...

The Color of Money ''The Color of Money'' is a 1986 American Sports film, sports Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is the sequel to the 1961 film ''The Hustler''. Like the previous film, ''The Color of Money'' is based on a ...

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...

'') *

Ned Sparks Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian character actor of the American stage and screen. He was known for his deadpan expression and comically nasal, monotone delivery. Life and career Spark ...

, (1883–1957) character actor, well known for his deadpan expression and deep gravelly voice * David Shaw, former professional

player * Kenneth J. Summers, commander of

Operation Friction Operation Friction was a Canadian military operation that saw the contribution of 4,500 Canadian Forces personnel to the 1991 Gulf War. The larger US components were Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Operation Friction initi ...

Joe Thornton Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre. He played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). H ...

, professional

player (

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, St. Thomas Stars) *

Aaron Walpole Aaron John Walpole (born March 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor and singer, who placed third on the third season of ''Canadian Idol''. He is best known for playing the role of Lonnie in the 2010 Toronto run of ''Rock of Ages'' and Annas in the 2012 Br ...

, third-place finisher in the third season of Canadian Idol * Kari-Lynn Winters, children's book author, dramatist, literacy educator *

John Wise (Ontario) John Wise (December 12, 1935 – January 9, 2013) was a Canadian politician from Ontario. Early years Born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Wise was a dairy farmer and a local politician in St. Thomas - Elgin: * Township councillor and deputy ...

, PC (1935–2013), dairy cattle farmer and Federal Minister of Agriculture *

Marline Yan Marline Yan (born January 9, 1993) is a Canadian actress and singer. Her most prominent appearance is in Canadian television series ''How To Be Indie''. Career Yan started acting and singing at ten years of age in shows from local theatre comp ...

(1993-), actress and singer

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{{Authority control Cities in Ontario Single-tier municipalities in Ontario

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