Claremont, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Claremont is a Southern Ontario
community located in the north part of the City of Pickering
, Ontario
, Canada
.
It is one of many rural villages with suburban type housing mixed with older, historic buildings in the Greater Toronto Area
. Brock Road, the main north-south Regional road in the area was realigned to bypass the village to the east in 1970. Claremont is situated in the hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine
. Typical of the moraine countryside, around 50 to 70% of the land area around Claremont is forested. The remaining land around the village is wooded farmland and streams.
Until the establishment of regional government in 1974, the municipal offices of the former Township of Pickering were located in Claremont.
Access to and traffic through Claremont increased greatly with the completion of the eastern extension of the Highway 407 highway, terminating at the Brock Road exit which opened in 2001.
The Havelock Subdivision of the Canadian Pacific Railway
runs through Claremont. This line is presently used for freight traffic, but there have been proposals for the return of passenger service as part of a GO Transit
expansion to Peterborough
.
Claremont is located 20 km NW of Oshawa
and about 55 km northeast of downtown Toronto.
expropriated 7,530 ha of land just west of Claremont for a possible future airport.
Indeed, by the late-1990s, the GTAA there were plans initiated to build the airport, to be named the Pickering International Airport which would be constructed to relieve congestion at Pearson Airport, located some 70 km to the southwest. This new airport was also going to become the main cargo facility for the Greater Toronto Area
.
But air traffic at Pearson declined in the years to follow and is only slowly returning (although it has not reached) to previous passenger volumes.
Also, terminal expansion at Pearson and the massive Cargo infield development by the GTAA
have further delayed Pickering Airport from becoming a reality, at least in the near future. But in 2005, there has been renewed discussion about airport construction. The plan anticipates 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032. A confidential "needs analysis study" was completed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
for the federal government in May 2010; in summer 2010 Transport Canada
began a "due diligence review."
The current landholders, mostly rural farmers are leasing the land from the federal government. Claremont is the closest community to the future airport/terminal building locations.
The Claremont General Store was destroyed by fire in July 2009. The building was built in 1847 and had been operated as a General Store since it was originally built - one of the longest operating General Stores in Canada.
and Beer Store outlet), an elementary school (Claremont Public School), and a branch of the CIBC which has served the community for over 100 years.
Claremont was also the hometown of legendary Canadian painter Tom Thomson
, who was born Claremont August 5, 1877. He died July 8, 1917 at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park
. His death is still a mystery today.
consisting of six councillors and one Mayor
. The City of Pickering is divided into 3 wards, each ward electing a City Councillor and a Regional Councillor. Claremont is part of Ward 3
The current council was elected in November 2011. The members of the council are:
Mayor Raymond M. Cronin
Ward 1 (South West Pickering) City Councillor Dave Pickles
Ward 1 (South West Pickering) Regional Councillor Bonnie Littley
Ward 2 (South & Central Pickering) City Councillor Doug Dickerson
Ward 2 (South & Central Pickering) Regional Councillor Bill McLean
Ward 3 (South East & North Pickering) City Councillor Michael Mannila
Ward 3 (South East & North Pickering) Regional Councillor Marley Cronin
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
community located in the north part of the City of Pickering
Pickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
It is one of many rural villages with suburban type housing mixed with older, historic buildings in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
. Brock Road, the main north-south Regional road in the area was realigned to bypass the village to the east in 1970. Claremont is situated in the hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...
. Typical of the moraine countryside, around 50 to 70% of the land area around Claremont is forested. The remaining land around the village is wooded farmland and streams.
Until the establishment of regional government in 1974, the municipal offices of the former Township of Pickering were located in Claremont.
Access to and traffic through Claremont increased greatly with the completion of the eastern extension of the Highway 407 highway, terminating at the Brock Road exit which opened in 2001.
The Havelock Subdivision of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
runs through Claremont. This line is presently used for freight traffic, but there have been proposals for the return of passenger service as part of a GO Transit
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
expansion to Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
.
Claremont is located 20 km NW of Oshawa
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
and about 55 km northeast of downtown Toronto.
Nearest places
- MarkhamMarkham, OntarioMarkham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, west - Whitchurch-Stouffville, northwest
- UxbridgeUxbridge, OntarioUxbridge is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, in the Greater Toronto Area.The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge...
, north - BrooklinBrooklin, OntarioBrooklin is a community in the Town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada. It is located,North of the urban area of Whitby,at the South junction of Ontario Highways 12 and 7....
, east - GreenwoodGreenwood, OntarioGreenwood, Ontario can mean the following places:* Greenwood, Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario* Greenwood, Huron County, Ontario* Greenwood, Renfrew County, Ontario* Greenwood...
, southeast - PickeringPickering, OntarioPickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
, south
Geography and information
- Population: approximately 2,779 (2006)
- Name of inhabitants: - sing., -s pl.
History
In 1972, the Government of CanadaGovernment of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
expropriated 7,530 ha of land just west of Claremont for a possible future airport.
Indeed, by the late-1990s, the GTAA there were plans initiated to build the airport, to be named the Pickering International Airport which would be constructed to relieve congestion at Pearson Airport, located some 70 km to the southwest. This new airport was also going to become the main cargo facility for the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
.
But air traffic at Pearson declined in the years to follow and is only slowly returning (although it has not reached) to previous passenger volumes.
Also, terminal expansion at Pearson and the massive Cargo infield development by the GTAA
Greater Toronto Airports Authority
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority operates Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The GTAA operates Canada's largest airport facility with a traffic of 31.0 million passengers in 2006. The authority's headquarters are on the airport...
have further delayed Pickering Airport from becoming a reality, at least in the near future. But in 2005, there has been renewed discussion about airport construction. The plan anticipates 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032. A confidential "needs analysis study" was completed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
Greater Toronto Airports Authority
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority operates Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The GTAA operates Canada's largest airport facility with a traffic of 31.0 million passengers in 2006. The authority's headquarters are on the airport...
for the federal government in May 2010; in summer 2010 Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
began a "due diligence review."
The current landholders, mostly rural farmers are leasing the land from the federal government. Claremont is the closest community to the future airport/terminal building locations.
The Claremont General Store was destroyed by fire in July 2009. The building was built in 1847 and had been operated as a General Store since it was originally built - one of the longest operating General Stores in Canada.
Community features
Claremont has a gas bar and auto repair shop, a fire station and community hall, two churches, a Royal Canadian Legion hall (Branch 438), cafe (Old Brock Cafe), community co-op (which also servers as an LCBOLiquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
and Beer Store outlet), an elementary school (Claremont Public School), and a branch of the CIBC which has served the community for over 100 years.
Claremont was also the hometown of legendary Canadian painter Tom Thomson
Tom Thomson
Thomas John Thomson , also known as Tom Thomson, was an influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. He directly influenced a group of Canadian painters that would come to be known as the Group of Seven, and though he died before they formally formed, he is sometimes incorrectly credited...
, who was born Claremont August 5, 1877. He died July 8, 1917 at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...
. His death is still a mystery today.
Town Sale
Claremont is well known in the local area for its annual "Town Sale", an event where all residents are invited to host simultaneous garage/yard sales. The sale is typically held on the second or third Saturday of June and has been known to draw well over 1000 visitors and bargain hunters to the small hamlet. Due to its popularity, the annual event also spawns fundraisers, BBQs, and other community gatherings.Winter Carnival
Claremont remains a vibrant and active community even through the cold of winter with its annual Winter Carnival that marks a week's worth of events in January or February. The most popular of these events include a winter parade through town, a teen dance at the local community centre, karaoke at the Legion, and the highly anticipated Trapper's Ball, along with a host of traditional winter activities including snowshoeing, tobogganing, family skates at an outdoor community rink, and a neighbourhood snow sculpture contest.Local government
Claremont is part of the City of Pickering which is governed by an elected city CouncilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
consisting of six councillors and one Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. The City of Pickering is divided into 3 wards, each ward electing a City Councillor and a Regional Councillor. Claremont is part of Ward 3
The current council was elected in November 2011. The members of the council are:
Mayor Raymond M. Cronin
Ward 1 (South West Pickering) City Councillor Dave Pickles
Ward 1 (South West Pickering) Regional Councillor Bonnie Littley
Ward 2 (South & Central Pickering) City Councillor Doug Dickerson
Ward 2 (South & Central Pickering) Regional Councillor Bill McLean
Ward 3 (South East & North Pickering) City Councillor Michael Mannila
Ward 3 (South East & North Pickering) Regional Councillor Marley Cronin
External links
- Claremont Community Website
- Claremont at Geographical Names of Canada