Welland, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Niagara , also known as the Niagara Region, or, colloquially, "Regional Niagara", is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada....

 in Southern
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...

  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...

.

The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

 to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...

, and the waterways of Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...

 and Welland River
Welland River
The Welland River is a river in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario to empty into the Niagara River near the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario. It drains an area of 880 km²....

, which played a great role in the city's development.

The city is notable for its large francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

 population. Welland is one of few communities in southern Ontario where the percentage of Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....

s exceeds the overall provincial average. This, however, is proportionately speaking, as English still predominates.

Welland is the home of C Company of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in St Catharines and Welland, Ontario.The Regimental Colonel-in-Chief is The Countess of Wessex and...

 which is part of the 31 Canadian Brigade Group
31 Canadian Brigade Group
31 Canadian Brigade Group is part of Land Force Central Area, under Land Force Command of the Canadian Forces. It encompasses the southwestern portion of Ontario, and is headquartered in London, Ontario. The 31 CBG area of responsibility stretches from St. Catharines to Windsor. The Brigade has...

, the classification of this unit is Light Infantry.

Welland's nickname is The Rose City. Residents of the city are known as Wellanders.

History

The city was first settled in 1788 by the United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...

. On October 19, 1814, Canadian forces led by George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, KT, GCB was a Scottish soldier and administrator.-Military career:...

, met an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 raiding party, numbering approximately nine hundred, near the eastern edge of the present community during the Battle of Cook's Mills
Battle of Cook's Mills
The Battle of Cook's Mills was the last engagement between U.S. and British armies in the Niagara, and the penultimate engagement on Canadian soil during the War of 1812.-Background:...

. After an intense skirmish, the Americans retreated to Buffalo, New York. Cook's Mills was the second to last engagement of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 on Canadian soil.

The Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...

 is involved in the history of the area ever since the First Welland Canal
First Welland Canal
The Welland Canal has gone through many incarnations in its history. Today, five distinct canal-construction efforts are recognized. The retronym First Welland Canal is applied to the original canal, constructed from 1824 to 1829 and 1831 to 1833....

 was extended to reach Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

 in 1833. A wooden aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....

 was built to carry the Welland Canal over the Welland River at what is now downtown Welland, and the area became known as simply Aqueduct. A lock to cross from the canal to the river and vice versa was also built. A small shantytown soon developed around the facility, providing essential services in what was a convenient stop-over location.

The growing town was later named Merrittsville, after William Hamilton Merritt
William Hamilton Merritt
William Hamilton Merritt was an influential figure in the Niagara Peninsula of Upper Canada in early 19th century and one of the fathers of the Welland Canal....

, the initiator of the Welland Canal project. This name is still reflected today in the name of the Merrittville Highway (Niagara Road 50), which served as the primary north-south route in central Niagara before the construction of Highway 406. Welland gained its present name when it was incorporated on July 24, 1858. It became a city in 1917.

In addition to the presence of the canal itself, one of the few railway crossings across the canal was also located near Welland. The two factors contributed greatly to the development of heavy industry
Heavy industry
Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning as compared to light industry. It can mean production of products which are either heavy in weight or in the processes leading to their production. In general, it is a popular term used within the name of many Japanese and Korean firms, meaning...

 in Welland. The Plymouth Cordage Company
Plymouth Cordage Company
The Plymouth Cordage Company was a rope making company located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The company, founded in 1824, had a large factory located on the Plymouth waterfront. By the late 19th century, the Plymouth Cordage Company had become the largest manufacturer of rope and twine in the world...

 was the first major industrial company to open a plant in Welland in 1906. By 1930s, Welland was an important industry location in the region and was developing rapidly.

In 1960s, the city was starting to outgrow the canal passing through its core. The Welland By-Pass
Welland By-Pass
The Welland By-pass, completed in 1973, was a massive construction project on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada.A new channel long was constructed, providing a shorter, more direct alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by-passing downtown Welland...

 project, started in 1967 and finished in 1973, provided a new, shorter alignment for the Welland Canal by removing it from downtown Welland to the outskirts of the city. With the completion of the bypass, the east end of Welland (and the former town of Crowland) became a virtual man-made island, lying between the new and old canal channels.

Originally, this was viewed with enthusiasm as the constant traffic on the canal was interfering heavily with transportation within the city. The old alignment of the canal was renamed the Welland Recreational Waterway
Welland Recreational Waterway
The Welland Recreational Waterway is a water channel in the city of Welland, Ontario, Canada. It is an old alignment of the Welland Ship Canal that has been abandoned after the construction of the Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. The Waterway is now managed by the Welland Recreational Canal...

 with the purpose of developing several recreational facilities and tourist attractions along its shores. The original plans called for fishing platforms, water slides, boat rental points, as well as marine and rail historical exhibits.

The effects of the canal relocation were compounded by the gradual, but steady move of industry out of Welland as a trend for global manufacturing was developing. As a result, downtown Welland has seen much deterioration in the years following the project. Many businesses relocated to the north end of the city, where a retail hub was being developed in and around the Seaway Mall.

Government

The current mayor of Welland is Barry Sharpe. The Welland city council is made up of the mayor and 12 councillors, each elected in his or her ward
Ward (subnational entity)
A ward is a subdivision of a municipality. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area...

. There are currently 6 wards in Welland.

The City is responsible for fire protection, libraries, parks and recreation and secondary streets, but many municipal services come instead from the broader level of government, the Niagara Region. Regional responsibilities include social welfare, community health, and policing through the Niagara Regional Police.

The chief local political issue is the redevelopment of the downtown core area, which has been deteriorating in the years following the Welland By-Pass project. The Civic Square project has been completed after spanning the terms of three city councils and three mayors. The new building, facing both East Main Street and the old canal, houses the city hall and the Welland Public Library. The project is proving to be a catalyst for development, as several new establishments have been opened downtown and some current business are expanding.

Welland is represented in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 by the NDP MP Malcolm Allen
Malcolm Allen (politician)
Malcolm Allen is a Canadian politician. He has represented the riding of Welland in the Canadian House of Commons since 2008 as a member of the New Democratic Party...

, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 by the NDP MPP Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...

. Both representing the riding of Welland
Welland (electoral district)
Welland is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988, and since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 112,875....

.

Demographics

Census Population
1871 1,110
1881 1,870
1891 2,035
1901 1,863
1911 5,318
1921 8,654
1931 10,709
1941 12,421
1951 15,382
1961 36,079
1971 44,397
1981 45,448
1991 47,914
2001 48,402
2006 50,331


During the 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

, the population of Welland was determined to be 50,331, making Welland the 86th largest city in Canada. The population rose from 48,402 in the 2001 Census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

.

The Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology
Niagara College
Niagara College is a College of Applied Arts and Technology within the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The College has four campuses: the Welland Campus in Welland, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls, home of the Tourism Industry...

 brings people from all over southern Ontario to the city, promoting diversity.

According to the 2001 census, 95.5% of the population is Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...

, 1.7% Aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....

, 1.1% Black, 0.2% Korean, and 0.3% of other Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 descent. 17.7% of inhabitants are under the age of 14, while those over 65 account for 16.9%.

In 1914, a local business called Empire Cotton Mills was bought by a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

-based company. They brought in twenty French families to work in the mill, giving a start to a francophone community still very alive in the city today. Presently, Welland is one of only three communities in southern Ontario (excluding eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...

) where Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....

s, as a percentage of the community's population, exceed the provincial average of 4.8%. (The other two are Penetanguishene and Lakeshore
Lakeshore, Ontario
Lakeshore is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on Lake St. Clair. Its nearest city is Windsor, located in Essex County. The town was incorporated in 1999 by amalgamating the Town of Belle River with the townships of Maidstone, Rochester, Tilbury North, and Tilbury West.Lakeshore has a...

.)

Another significant cultural group was established with the opening of the Plymouth Cordage plant. Many workers relocated to Welland from the company's operations in Plymouth, Massachusetts were of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

 origin. To minimise the potential effects of cultural and language barriers, Plymouth Cordage sent four foremen to Welland: one was Italian, one French, one German and one English. The neighbourhood that the company built for its employees (now Plymouth Cordage Heritage District http://web.archive.org/web/20051221100704/http://www.welland.library.on.ca/digital/LACAC/plymouth.htm) became the first Italian ethnic neighbourhood in Welland.

The Top 5 largest ethnic groups include: English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

: 24.9%, French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

: 23.3%, Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

: 14.4%, Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

: 13.3%, and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

: 13.1%. There are also many people of eastern European origin from countries like Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, as well as a growing contingent of Colombians and Venezuelans.

Education

Like the rest of Ontario, Welland has access to four public education systems: the regional school boards are the Niagara Catholic District School Board
Niagara Catholic District School Board
The Niagara Catholic District School Board is a school board in the public separate school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara...

 and the District School Board of Niagara
District School Board of Niagara
District School Board of Niagara is a school board in the public school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its head office is in St. Catharines. The DSBN operates schools in each of the twelve municipalities in the region. It employs close to 2,500 instructional...

. The Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde manages the French-language Public Schools in the central south-western region of Ontario. The area in which this school board operates covers 68,180 km2 of Ontario...

 (the French public board) and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic separate, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario. It is headquartered in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada...

 (the French Catholic board) also operate schools in Welland.

There are twenty elementary schools and five secondary schools in Welland. Of these, four elementary schools and two secondary schools are part of French-language boards. All schools offer education in French to some extent.

The Niagara Catholic District School Board operates six elementary schools within the city including Alexander Kuska KSG, Holy Name, St. Andrew, St. Augustine, St. Kevin and St. Mary, each offering Kindergarten through to Grade 8. The board also operates one secondary school in the city: Notre Dame College School which offers Grade 9 through to Grade 12. Continuing education courses are also offered by the board at its Father Patrick H. Fogarty Learning Centre within the city.

The District School Board of Niagara operates ten elementary schools within the city and two secondary schools: Welland Centennial servicing the western side of the city and Eastdale Secondary servicing the eastern side.

Thanks to the large population of francophones, both the Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde manages the French-language Public Schools in the central south-western region of Ontario. The area in which this school board operates covers 68,180 km2 of Ontario...

 (the French public board) and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic separate, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario. It is headquartered in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada...

 (the French Catholic board) operate elementary and secondary schools in Welland. École secondaire Confédération
École secondaire Confédération
--Avalanche1313 02:37, 21 November 2011 École secondaire Confédération is a French first language high school located in Welland, Ontario, Canada. It was the first French High School in Southern Ontario and serves the French population of the Niagara Region...

 and École secondaire catholique Jean-Vanier are the only French public and French Catholic, respectively, secondary schools in the Niagara Region. Jean-Vanier relocated to a new building in the north end of the city in 2010, adjacent to a proposed municipal sports park.

Due to the abundance of French schools, it is not unusual for parents to opt for French-language education for their children, even if only one or neither of the parents have French heritage. The process further strengthens the bilingual
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...

 character of Welland.

Economy

Initially, manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 firms were the biggest employers in Welland. The plants of companies like Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...

, United Steel, Plymouth Cordage Company
Plymouth Cordage Company
The Plymouth Cordage Company was a rope making company located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The company, founded in 1824, had a large factory located on the Plymouth waterfront. By the late 19th century, the Plymouth Cordage Company had become the largest manufacturer of rope and twine in the world...

, three drop forges, a cotton mill, and the Atlas Steels, as well as general manufacturing plants, had big influence on shaping early Welland. While recent years saw the end of Welland operations for several companies, such as John Deere
Deere & Company
Deere & Company, usually known by its brand name John Deere , is an American corporation based in Moline, Illinois, and the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. In 2010, it was listed as 107th in the Fortune 500 ranking...

 which announced in September 2008 that it would be closing its plant and relocating manufacturing to Wisconsin and Mexico, businesses such as Lakeside Steel (a pipe plant formerly owned by Stelco
Stelco
US Steel Canada is a steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.-History:Several existing smaller steelworks combined and were incorporated as the Steel Company of Canada in 1910. Charles S...

) continues to employ residents.

Due to a large concentration of francophones in the city and resulting large degree of bilingualism
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...

, the city has been successful in bringing several call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...

s to Welland. Correspondingly, Canadian Tire Financial Services
Canadian Tire Financial Services
Canadian Tire Financial Services is the financial services arm of Canadian Tire.-History:*CTFS began in 1961 as Midland Shoppers Credit Limited, a small company offering third-party credit processing for local retailers...

 is presently Welland's largest employer, employing over 1,600 people in two centres.

Welland's electricity comes from the Sir Adam Beck
Adam Beck
Sir Adam Beck was a politician and hydroelectricity advocate who founded the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.-Biography:...

 hydroelectric generation plants at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

 via Welland Hydro. Thanks to the presence of the massive plant, power remained on in over half of Welland during the 2003 North America blackout until rolling blackouts began the next day in an effort to provide power to areas that hadn't had it for nearly 24 hours.

Geography

Welland is located in the centre of south Niagara. Over the years, urban growth has all but united the northwest part of Welland with the community of Fonthill
Fonthill, Ontario
Fonthill is a community in the town of Pelham, Ontario, Canada. It has a few small industries, most notably Fonthill Lumber but is primarily a residential suburb known for its middle class homes and community spirit. As a bedroom community, most residents commute to Welland, St...

.

Prior to the Welland By-Pass project, the Welland Canal cut through the centre of Welland. As a result, a very prominent split was created between the east side and the west side of the city. The west side grew primarily to the north, while the east side expanded south. The west side also became the more affluent of the two. Today, even though the canal traffic no longer causes regular interruption in the traffic across the city, the channel lives on as Welland Recreational Waterway. The waterway still serves as a very prominent visual feature dividing the city, and it is perhaps for this reason that the east side/west side division is still very much alive in the minds of Wellanders. East side and west side are very commonly used as basic directions.

The communities of Cooks Mills
Cooks Mills, Niagara Region, Ontario
Cooks Mills is a small community in the easternmost part of the city of Welland in Ontario, Canada. It has been established, and is still centred, on a Welland River tributary called Lyons Creek. It's almost entirely a bedroom community, as there are few companies located in the area.-History:The...

 and Dain City
Dain City, Ontario
Dain City is a small suburb located at the southern-most part of Welland, Ontario, Canada. At one time, it was a mostly self-contained rural community at the junction of two significant rail lines, part of the Township of Humberstone, and was called Welland Junction. The name was changed to Dain...

 have their own separation stories. Cooks Mills, located on the other side of the By-Pass channel than the rest of Welland, has arguably been protected against the impact of urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

, but the necessity of using one of the two highway tunnels to cross the canal causes some residents to head to nearby Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...

 instead. Dain City, located in the south of the city where the two channels meet, is separated by the massive approaches to the Townline Tunnel
Townline Tunnel
The Townline Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Highway 58A as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway under the Welland Canal. The "A" suffix is a misnomer since it is more of a connector than an alternative route. Highway 58A is a two-lane freeway in its...

 required to provide the low grade for the rail lines that use the tunnel. Dain City was built for, and by, the Dain Manufacturing Company (Now known as John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...

), the main employer in the area, as a "company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...

". John Deere announced in September 2008 that it would be closing its plant and relocating manufacturing to Wisconsin and Mexico.

Currently, there is a slight movement to develop the northern end of the east side, an area formerly left undeveloped. A community named Hunters Pointe is being built close to the banks of the By-Pass, and the area received further investment when a new Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 store opened on Woodlawn Road close to Highway 406.

Technically, both the east side and Dain City are peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

s, surrounded by the waters of the old and new channels of the Welland Canal and connected to "solid" ground only by the relatively small plug in the old canal along the Townline Tunnel approaches.

Another interesting man-made geographic feature is the Merritt Island, a strip of land approximately five kilometres long and, in some places, less than 100 metres wide. The island was created when the alignment of the First Welland Canal
First Welland Canal
The Welland Canal has gone through many incarnations in its history. Today, five distinct canal-construction efforts are recognized. The retronym First Welland Canal is applied to the original canal, constructed from 1824 to 1829 and 1831 to 1833....

 was constructed basically parallel to the Welland River
Welland River
The Welland River is a river in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario to empty into the Niagara River near the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario. It drains an area of 880 km²....

 and since the abandonment of the old canal has been established as Merritt Park, featuring a popular four kilometre-long paved trail.

Climate

Welland experiences a humid continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....

 (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

 Dfb) typical of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 region, with cold, snowy winters, mild, wet springs
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...

, warm, humid summers, and cool, wet falls
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....

. The winter is the driest season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

, with no more than 77.8 mm
Millimetre
The millimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousandth of a metre, which is the SI base unit of length....

 (3.06 in.) of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...

 in its wettest month
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...

. Though, due to lake-effect snow, the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 receives, on average, 97.8 cm (38.5 in.) of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...

 every winter. The average temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

 in January, the coldest month
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...

, is −4.7 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...

 (23.5 °F
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...

). Spring is mild (13 °C (55.4 °F) on average) and rainy (240.3 mm (9.46 in.) of rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...

 in April, May and June, also with 5.4 cm (2.12 in.) of snow in April and May). Summer is warm, with an average high temperature of 24.5 °C (76.2 °F) and, humid, with 251 mm (9.88in.) of total rainfall. Autumn is cool (average temperature of 4.3 °C (39.7 °F)) and wet (actually, the wettest of Welland's season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

s) (273.7 mm (10.8 in.) of total precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...

. The extreme high and low temperatures are 37.8 °C (100 °F), recorded on July 4, 1911; July 1, 1931; Aug 26, 1948, and −32.8 °C (-27 °F), recorded on January 25, 1884. Daily precipitation extremes include a rainfall of 118.4 mm (4.66 in.) on September 30, 1959, and a snowfall of 81.3 cm (32.0 inches) on March 1, 1900. One of the worst winter storms to affect the Welland area was in January 1977 when the Blizzard of '77 hit Niagara and Western New York from January 28 to February 1, 1977.

Parks

Notable parks are Chippawa Park, an older, well-developed park in the northwest; Memorial Park, a newer park in the southeast; and Merrit Island Park along the canal.

Chippawa Park has rolling hills, mature specimen trees, playgrounds, a large pond, and small ornamental fish pond in a formal rose garden. It features a large war memorial carved from Lacasse granite and designed by a famous Canadian sculptor, Elizabeth Wyn Wood
Elizabeth Wyn Wood
Elizabeth Wyn Wood was a Canadian sculptor, born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Wood studied sculpture at the Ontario College of Art and at the Art Students League of New York...

.

Memorial Park was a project of the 1967 Centennial. It is very flat with younger trees. It has an outdoor pool shaped like a figure 8. There is also a cenotaph at this park. In the late 1960s, the eastern part of the park was used for the Welland Canal bypass. Patrons of the park can often see ships passing through the bypass.

At the heart of the old city of Welland, near the Main Street Bridge, the Welland River passes under the old Welland Canal, then runs parallel to it for a few miles. Between the old canal and the river lies a long narrow strip of land referred to as Merrit Island that is now a park. The end of the park closest to the centre of the city has picnic tables and playground equipment. The island also includes a main trail that follows the bank of the old canal for the entire length of the park, with a variety of intermittent side paths and trails.

Welland Canal trails

The Welland Canal Parkway Trail is a paved recreational path beginning in the City of St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...

  at Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 and ending at Lake Erie in Port Colborne
Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Colborne is a city on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario, Canada...

. The sections of the trail located within Welland are paved. The trail follows alongside the Welland ship and Recreational Canals, and passes through downtown Welland.

Welland Canal

The Welland Canal, linking Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 with Lake Erie, is the transportaion mode that Welland is best known for. Until 1972, the canal passed through downtown Welland. As of the end of the 1972 shipping season, the canal was re-routed via the Welland Canal Bypass east of the city. Welland clings to its canal heritage, as evidenced by the steadfast preservation of the Main Street Lift Bridge (Welland Canal, bridge 13
Welland Canal, bridge 13
The Welland Canal - bridge 13, or as more commonly known locally, the Welland Main Street bridge is a vertical lift bridge located in the heart of downtown Welland, Ontario. The bridge crosses an abandoned portion of the Welland Canal known as the Welland Recreational Waterway.- Previous bridges...

) shown in the photograph above.

Roads

Highway 406 is the main route out of Welland, leading north to Thorold
Thorold, Ontario
Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara....

, St. Catharines and onwards via Queen Elizabeth Way
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...

. However, the first six kilometres of the highway are not a freeway like the 400-series highways standard dictates, but rather a standard two-lane highway with at-grade interchanges, and, uniquely among the 400-series highways, an at-grade railway crossing. Construction to upgrade the 406 to the freeway standard to a point slightly north of Port Robinson Road was completed in 2007, eliminating a highly congested at-grade intersection with Niagara Regional Road 20. Current plans will only see the 406 upgraded as far south as the intersection at Merritt Road. No date has been set for an upgrade all the way to Welland.

Port Colborne is linked to Welland by Highways 140
Highway 140 (Ontario)
King's Highway 140, commonly referred to as Highway 140, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway connects Port Colborne near Lake Erie with Highway 406 in Welland, via the Main Street Tunnel...

 and 58
Highway 58 (Ontario)
King's Highway 58, commonly referred to as Highway 58, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Highway 58 currently runs from the Highway 406 junction on the St. Catharines – Thorold boundary to the Highway 406 junction near Turner's Corners, all...

. Port Colborne residents then can take the 406 further north.

The Mid-Peninsula Highway
Mid-Peninsula Highway
The Mid-Peninsula Highway is a proposed freeway across the Niagara Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although plans for a highway connecting Hamilton to Fort Erie south of the Niagara Escarpment have surfaced for decades,...

, once constructed, can play an important role in the transportation patterns of Welland, as it might cross the Welland Canal along the Highway 58A corridor in the south of the city. Should that occur, Highway 406 will likely be extended to reach the new thoroughfare.

Two of the three tunnels under the canal, Main Street Tunnel
Main Street Tunnel
The Main Street Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Niagara Road 27 and the unsigned designation of Highway 7146 under the Welland Canal. It is named as a part of East Main Street....

 and Townline Tunnel, are located in Welland, just east of the main urbanised area.

Railways

Welland boasts a rich railway history. The city motto is "Where Rails and Water Meet", referring to the two prevalent means of transportation. The Canada Southern Railway
Canada Southern Railway
The Canada Southern Railway was a railway in southern Ontario, Canada, founded on February 28, 1868 as the Erie and Niagara Extension Railway. It adopted the Canada Southern Railway name on December 24, 1869. In 1904 the railway was leased to the Michigan Central Railroad for 99 years; in 1929 it...

 (CASO) passed through the south end of Welland, with a passenger station on King Street. The CASO operated very few trains of its own - the majority of traffic on the line consisted of New York Central Railway trains transiting between Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

 (and the tunnel to Detroit), and one of two bridges over the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...

 located at Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

 and Fort Erie
Fort Erie
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years' War was concluded by the Treaty of Paris at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great Britain...

.

Welland was also the terminus of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway's track (the link to Buffalo, New York being via the CASO line). The T, H & B ran joint passenger trains with the New York Central to provide through service between Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and Buffalo (via Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

 and Welland).

There was also a Canadian National Railways (earlier, Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...

) line running in a North/South direction and crossing the CASO line at Welland Diamond. An interlocking tower (WX) stood here. Another line ran through the Dain City area of south Welland. This was the Canada Air Line Railway, and was also used by the Wabash Railway. Later, it became the Cayuga Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway.

Lastly, the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway
Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway
The Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway is a historic Canadian railway that operated in southern Ontario from 1899 to 1959.The NS&T was an interurban electric railway located in the Niagara Peninsula. It was based in St...

 provided electric interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...

 service from Port Colborne, Ontario to Thorold, Ontario
Thorold, Ontario
Thorold is a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Niagara Escarpment. It is also the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara....

 via Welland. Passenger service ended in November 1959, but the tracks remained in freight use until 1981 when a trestle over the Welland River became unsafe and the line was removed from service.

The relocation of the Welland Canal in the early 1970s caused massive changes in the local railway network. The new route of the canal was previously crossed by five separate railway lines. The new segment of canal would have no bridges, and just one railway tunnel, so all of these routes required redesign. The two branches of the CASO line, plus the Cayuga Subdivision were re-routed through the Townline Tunnel, while the North/South Canadian National line was split and discontinued as a through route. The station at King Street was abandoned and demolished. It was replaced by a new station outside of town, but passenger service ended soon after.

Today, Welland is the location of one of only two remaining railway crossings that span the Welland Canal. The Townline Tunnel is built for three railway tracks, but the center track was removed in the early 1990s. Now, only two tracks run through the tunnel. The north track is 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...

 Hamilton subdivision. The south track was formerly the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 Cayuga subdivision. Since the abandonment of the majority of that subdivision, operations on this track were limited to occasional trains interchanging with Trillium Rail's Port Colborne Harbour Railway. Today, Canadian Pacific also uses this track as their "Brookfield Siding".

There is also a Trillium Railway
Trillium Railway
The Trillium Railway is a Canadian short-line railroad operating in the province of Ontario. Much of its right-of-way in the Niagara area was formerly part of the "Welland Canal Railway" that followed closely, the route of the second Welland Canal.Trillium Railway began operations in 1997 with...

 (Port Colborne Harbour Railway) north-south line running through the east side of Welland on the former Welland Canal railway/Canadian National tracks beside the former site of the Atlas Specialty Steels plant (torn down in 2007). A daily (Monday to Friday) train operates along this route to Merriton (interchange with Canadian National). No passenger trains stop in Welland - the closest Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

 stations are in St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario railway station
St. Catharines station is a railway station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada that is served by Via Rail trains connecting it with Toronto, and by the Maple Leaf joint Via-Amtrak train between Toronto and New York City...

 and Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario railway station
Niagara Falls station in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is served by Via Rail trains connecting it with Toronto, and by the Maple Leaf joint Via-Amtrak train between Toronto and New York City...

.

Prior to the Welland Canal relocation in the early 1970s, there were two bridges crossing the old canal. The busiest was a swing bridge located between the Lincoln and Broadway bridges (the CASO line). This bridge was a relic of an earlier canal, and although it does not swing any longer, it remains in railway use. Once or twice per week, a local way freight crosses this bridge to access Vesuvius Industries on the west side of the old canal. The second crossing was as vertical lift bridge at Dain City, Ontario
Dain City, Ontario
Dain City is a small suburb located at the southern-most part of Welland, Ontario, Canada. At one time, it was a mostly self-contained rural community at the junction of two significant rail lines, part of the Township of Humberstone, and was called Welland Junction. The name was changed to Dain...

 which also remains in use as the Trillium Rail Canal line.

A recent initiative proposed by local businessmen and politicians, in particular Trillium Railway
Trillium Railway
The Trillium Railway is a Canadian short-line railroad operating in the province of Ontario. Much of its right-of-way in the Niagara area was formerly part of the "Welland Canal Railway" that followed closely, the route of the second Welland Canal.Trillium Railway began operations in 1997 with...

 owner Wayne Ettinger and former mayor Damian Goulbourne calls for the planned GO Train
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...

 extension into the Niagara Region to include a station — and cross the Welland Canal — in Welland rather than St. Catharines. The proponents argue that an adequate rail line is already in place and using the Trillium's track through the Townline Tunnel would allow for uninterrupted train traffic to Niagara Falls. They also point out that a station in Welland would fit in the Niagara Region's "Grow South" policy of expanding the infrastructure south of the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...

.

Air

The closest airport to Welland is the Welland/Niagara Central Airport
Welland/Niagara Central Airport
Welland/Niagara Central Airport, , is located west of Welland, Ontario, Canada. Niagara Central accommodates a flight school, aerial photographers, and tourist traffic in small engine aircraft....

 on the western edge of the city. It is a small field airport and is not served by any regular links, but it is an international point of entry. However the airport is under a number of developments in hopes to expand its services. For now, most air travellers use either Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...

 or Hamilton's John C. Munro International Airport
Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport or Hamilton International, , is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is named for John C...

. The Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...

 is also used by some, as it is the closest, although it requires that travellers cross the American border.

Public transit

Between 1912 and 1930, local streetcar service was provided in Welland by the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie railway
Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie railway
The Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway operated a streetcar service in Welland, Ontario from 1912 until 1930.On July 4, 1910, the Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway Company was granted a 20 year franchise to operate a street railway in the Town of Welland...

 which operated on East Main Street and King Street (then known as South Main Street). This company also provided a short lived service on West Main Street and Niagara Street (then known as North Main) for about 6 months in 1922.

Since 1973, Welland Transit
Welland Transit
Welland Transit provides public transport services in Welland, Ontario, Canada. Since its inception in 1973 the bus service had been operated by a private company, Metro Niagara Transit, funded by the city who assumed full operation of the transit system in 1977...

 operates the public transport service of scheduled bus services and paratransit covering the city. Also provided is Welland-St. Catharines Connection, a link to the St. Catharines public transit system from Niagara College
Niagara College
Niagara College is a College of Applied Arts and Technology within the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The College has four campuses: the Welland Campus in Welland, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls, home of the Tourism Industry...

 to Brock University
Brock University
Brock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...

 terminal in St. Catharines, with the first and last run of the day interconnecting to the downtown core. Service is also provided to Port Colborne and Pelham
Pelham, Ontario
The Town of Pelham is located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada.The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the township of West Lincoln, to the east the city of Welland, and to the north the...

.

Events

Niagara Food Festival, marketed as The Peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...

's Tastiest Party
, takes place in and around the city's downtown core in early fall and brings crowds from the entire region in addition to the locals.

Niagara Regional Exhibition, running since 1853, is held at the Fairgrounds in the north end of the city every fall. Tradition stands that on at least one of the operational days it will rain.

Farmers' Market, held downtown in the Market Square, features up to 60 vendors offering food, produce and homemade items every Saturday morning, year-round.

Welland's Eastdale High School held its 50th Anniversary Reunion on May 20, 21 and 22, 2011. Welland High and Vocational School Reunion was held May 15/16 2009 in Welland.

The Welland Dragon Boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...

 Festival, takes place in June.

The Welland Rose Festival is one of Niagara's longest running festivals. The Rose Festival promotes and encourages community participation through many events such as the Rose Parade, Baby Show, Rose Show, Days in the Park, and more. Celebrating 50 years in 2011, the Rose Festival continues to offer a host of spectacular events and entertainers in the month of June.

Famous people from Welland

  • Street Pharmacy
    Street Pharmacy
    Street Pharmacy is a four piece reggae rock band from Welland, Ontario, formed in 2006. The group strives for a fresh reggae sound while combining the influences of hip hop and 90s Alt Rock....

     - Reggae Rock Band
  • Stacey Allaster - Chairman, Women's Tennis Association
    Women's Tennis Association
    The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...

  • Attack In Black
    Attack in Black
    Attack in Black was a Canadian indie rock band from Welland, Ontario. They first signed to Skate Ahead Records for their self-titled album debut in 2005. In spring 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records...

     - Alternative Band
  • Paul Beeston
    Paul Beeston
    Paul McGill Beeston, CM is the former president of Major League Baseball and current president of the Toronto Blue Jays. On October 27th, 2009 Rogers Media announced the appointment of Paul Beeston as President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club and Rogers Centre for a three year...

     - Former president of Major League Baseball and former president (and now interim CEO) of the Toronto Blue Jays
    Toronto Blue Jays
    The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

    .
  • Paul Bissonnette
    Paul Bissonnette
    Paul Albert "BizNasty" Bissonnette is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently with the Phoenix Coyotes organization.-Playing career:...

     - Phoenix Coyotes Hockey Player (NHL)
  • Ken Breitenbach
    Ken Breitenbach
    Ken Breitenbach is a former ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the second round, 35th overall, of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. In his National Hockey League career, Breitenbach played in 68 games, all with Buffalo, scoring one goal and adding thirteen assists.-External...

     - Former Buffalo Sabres Hockey Player (NHL)
  • Cal Clutterbuck
    Cal Clutterbuck
    Calvin Shane Clutterbuck, is a Canadian ice hockey winger currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . He is notable for having "the prototypical hockey player name" according to Don Cherry....

     - Minnesota Wild
    Minnesota Wild
    The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

     player
  • Brian Daboll
    Brian Daboll
    Brian Daboll is the current American football offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.-Early years:...

     - Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dolphins
    Miami Dolphins
    The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

  • Andre Deveaux
    Andre Deveaux
    Andre Deveaux is a Bahamaian-born Canadian professional ice hockey player with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...

     - professional hockey player, New York Rangers
    New York Rangers
    The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

     and Connecticut Whale
  • Matt Ellis - Buffalo Sabres
    Buffalo Sabres
    The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...

     hockey player.
  • Simon Gatti
    Simon Gatti
    Simon Gatti is a Canadian soccer player currently playing for Montreal Impact in the North American Soccer League.-College and Amateur:...

     - Soccer player
  • Daniel Girardi
    Daniel Girardi
    Daniel Girardi is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the New York Rangers of the NHL. He is serving as an interim alternate captain for the Rangers while teammate Marc Staal is injured.-Playing career:...

     - New York Rangers
    New York Rangers
    The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

     hockey player.
  • Wayne Groulx
    Wayne Groulx
    Wayne Groulx is a retired ice hockey centre. During the 1984–85 NHL season, he played one game for the Quebec Nordiques....

     - Former NHL/Austrian league Hockey player
  • Chris Haney
    Chris Haney (Trivial Pursuit)
    Chris Haney was a Canadian journalist and co-creator of the Trivial Pursuit board game with Scott Abbott.-Early Life:...

     - Co-inventor of "Trivial Pursuit
    Trivial Pursuit
    Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...

    " board game
  • Curtis Harrison
    Curtis Harrison
    Curtis Harrison is a Canadian actor born in Welland, Ontario. Harrison co-starred in the Sci-Fi series 2030 CE, has guest-starred on various television shows and has worked both in front of and behind the camera, since 2000. He is also known for playing legendary "Crazy Canuck", Steve Podborski...

     - Actor, Writer
  • Mike Hominuck
    Mike Hominuck
    Mike Hominuck is a lacrosse player for in the National Lacrosse League. On September 7, 2011, Hominuck signed with the Philadelphia Wings. -NLL:-References:...

     - Player for the Toronto Rock
    Toronto Rock
    The Toronto Rock is a lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League . They play at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The Rock of the late 1990s / early 2000s has been called a dynasty, having won five NLL championships in seven years. From 1999 to 2003, the Rock appeared in an NLL-record...

     of the NLL
    National Lacrosse League
    The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...

    .
  • Bill Huard
    Bill Huard
    William John Huard is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Huard had a professional career of over 600 games, including parts of 7 seasons at the NHL level with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Nordiques, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.-Playing...

     - Former NHL Hockey Player
  • Matt Johnson (ice hockey) - Former NHL Hockey Player
  • Peter Kormos
    Peter Kormos
    Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...

     - long-serving NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
    Legislative Assembly of Ontario
    The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

  • Anthony Lacavera
    Tony Lacavera
    Anthony "Tony" Lacavera is a Canadian entrepreneur and telecommunications executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Globalive Communications Corporation as well as Chairman of WIND Mobile....

     - Chairman and CEO of Globalive Communications Corporation
    Globalive
    Globalive Communications Corporation is a Canadian telecommunications provider based in Toronto. Originally founded in 1998 by offering services over pre-established telephone networks, it is best known for its "Yak" and "LooneyCall" long-distance plans....

  • Amy Ciupak Lalonde - Co-Star of CBC's hit show Sophie and one of the stars of Diary of the Dead (2007)
  • Ablan Leon - Founder of Leon's
    Leon's
    Leon's Furniture Limited Meubles Léon Limité in Québec is a Canadian furniture superstore which first opened its store in 1909 in Welland, Ontario. The controlling interest in the company is owned by the Leon family, while some shares are traded publicly on the Toronto Stock Exchange...

     Furniture Company
  • Anna Olson
    Anna Olson
    Anna Olson is a professionally trained pastry chef. She currently resides in the city of Welland, Ontario in the Niagara region of Ontario. She is the host of Fresh with Anna Olson on Food Network Canada. She was previously the host of Food Network Canada's Sugar and Kitchen...

     - Host of Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson
    Fresh with Anna Olson
    Fresh with Anna Olson is an award-winning cooking show presented by Anna Olson from her home in the Niagara region of Ontario. The series is a joint production between Food Network Canada and Peace Point Entertainment Group...

     on Food Network Canada
    Food Network Canada
    Food Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel with programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry. Food Network is a joint venture between Shaw Media, Corus Entertainment, and Scripps Networks Interactive....

     (Born in Georgia, United States
    Georgia (U.S. state)
    Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

    , now resides in Welland)
  • Daniel Paille
    Daniel Paille
    Daniel Paille is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He was drafted 20th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.- Early life :...

     - Boston Bruins
    Boston Bruins
    The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

     hockey player.
  • Gilbert Parent
    Gilbert Parent
    Gilbert "Gib" Parent, PC was a Canadian Member of Parliament. He is best known in his role of Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons between 1994 and 2001....

     - Former federal Speaker of the House of Commons
    Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
    The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...

  • Mike Pelino - Head Coach Peterborough Petes
    Peterborough Petes
    The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...

  • Tammy Plante
    Tammy Plante
    Tammy Horton is a Canadian model. She was Playboy's Coed of the Week for the 5th week of December 2004, previously she appeared in a Playboy's Sexy Girl Next Door pictorial. She has also posed for issues of Playboy's College Girls including being on the cover...

     - Playboy Playmate
  • Sleep the Season
    Sleep the Season
    Sleep the Season are a Canadian band, formed in Welland, Ontario. They play alternative pop music. Their specialty is playing acoustic instruments only and using a cello.-History:...

     - Alternative Band
  • Mike Smrek
    Mike Smrek
    Michael Frank Smrek is a retired Canadian professional basketball player. He played in the NBA.- College career :...

     - Former NBA player (Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio & Golden State)
  • Bill Welychka
    Bill Welychka
    Bill Welychka is a Canadian television personality.Welychka joined CHUM Limited in 1988 as a video editor for MuchMusic...

     - News Anchor

In popular culture

Welland's Seaway Mall gained national attention when a flash mob
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...

 was filmed singing the Hallelujah Chorus in the food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...

 in November 2010. A video of the event went viral on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

, gaining 14.4 million views in less than a month. On December 8, Canada AM
Canada AM
Canada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...

 broadcast a live performance from the same food court, drawing a crowd of about 500 people.

See also

  • Welland Canal
    Welland Canal
    The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...

    , Welland By-Pass
    Welland By-Pass
    The Welland By-pass, completed in 1973, was a massive construction project on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada.A new channel long was constructed, providing a shorter, more direct alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by-passing downtown Welland...

    , Welland Recreational Waterway
    Welland Recreational Waterway
    The Welland Recreational Waterway is a water channel in the city of Welland, Ontario, Canada. It is an old alignment of the Welland Ship Canal that has been abandoned after the construction of the Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. The Waterway is now managed by the Welland Recreational Canal...

  • Battle of Cook's Mill
  • Niagara College
    Niagara College
    Niagara College is a College of Applied Arts and Technology within the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The College has four campuses: the Welland Campus in Welland, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Maid of the Mist Campus in Niagara Falls, home of the Tourism Industry...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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