Point Edward, Ontario

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Point Edward
Village (lower-tier)
Village of Point Edward
Michigan Avenue with the Blue Water Bridge in the background
Michigan Avenue with the Blue Water Bridge in the background
Motto: Progressively independent since 1878.
Point Edward is located in Southern Ontario
Point Edward
Point Edward
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Lambton
Established 1878
Government
 • Mayor Larry Mackenzie
 • MPs Pat Davidson (CPC)
 • MPPs Bob Bailey (OPC)
Area[1]
 • Land 3.27 km2 (1.26 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 2,034
 • Density 622.8/km2 (1,613/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA N7V
Area code(s) 519 and 226
Website www.villageofpointedward
.com

Point Edward is a village in the Canadian province of Ontario. Adjacent to the city of Sarnia in Lambton County, Point Edward sits opposite Port Huron, Michigan, at the source of the St. Clair River. In the Canada 2011 Census, the population of Point Edward was 2,034, an increase of 0.7 percent from its 2006 population of 2,019.

In the summer of 2003, Point Edward celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Municipal government

Municipal office

The current mayor of Point Edward is Larry Mackenzie. Roger Gallaway, who represented Sarnia—Lambton in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 2006, was also a mayor of Point Edward prior to entering federal politics.

In the late 1980s, the provincial government initiated a plan to amalgamate Point Edward with the larger city of Sarnia, although many residents opposed the merger and the plan was abandoned in 1991. Despite this, some municipal government services in Point Edward are provided on contract by the city of Sarnia. For example, Point Edward is served by both Sarnia Transit and Bluewater Power Distribution, Sarnia's municipally-owned hydroelectricity provider.

Economy

Most businesses in Point Edward are independently owned. The only franchises located in the village are hotels and the OLG Casino Point Edward.

OLG Casino Point Edward

The OLG Point Edward Casino[2] is located on the Village of Point Edward’s water front on Venetian Boulevard. The casino consists of over 450 slot machines and tables opened 24 hours Thursday-Sunday and 9-4am on weekdays. The casino prides its self on being involved within the community. It sponsors town events and helps the surrounding economy by offering and creating jobs and purchasing goods from the local. Funds and game revenue are directly paid to the municipal government of Point Edward for hosting the casino; generating 33.4 million dollars to date for Point Edwards economy. The establishment also has an in-casino restaurant called Getaway with seats its guest both inside and outside viewing the Bluewater Bridge waterfront.

Local Business

Albert's Rolling Lunch

A recent fry truck turned restaurant, Albert's now occupies a store on Point Edward’s down-town waterfront on the corner of Michigan and Livingston Street. This two-part business consists of an eatery and ice cream shop serving French fries and barbecued favourites as well as various flavours of ice cream. Albert's offers a well sized dining area inside well as a picnic area just out side of the building overlooking waterfront park.

The Cheese Store

The Cheese Store is a new addition to the independently owned businesses in Point Edward located in the plaza on the corner of Michigan and Arthur Street. It houses a wide variety of cheeses as well as hosts public tastings every week.

Ice Cream Galore

Originated in 1977, Ice Cream Galore is a household favourite ice-creamery that is located at the heart of Point Edward, on the corner of Michigan and St. Clair Street. The Galore offers a wide variety of ice cream served in their home made waffle cones. Also, a selection of ice cream cakes and beverages are available to customers for any occasions.

The Watermark

The Watermark Bistro is a locally own pub and restaurant located in down-town Point Edward. The Bistro offers a diverse food and drink menu with a unique appetizer selection, one that cannot be found anywhere else in Lambton County. The restaurant holds a cozy inside seating area as well as a small outdoor patio over looking the down-town strip. A daily promotional "Splashy Hour" is advertised from 3-6pm that offers half off drinks and appetizers during that time.

The Bridge Tavern

The oldest establishment in Point Edward, the Bridge Tavern is a house hold name restaurant that offers meals for all times of the day. With well priced and a large variety of food and weekend entertainment, the Bridge Tavern still holds its name of being a local favourite eatery.

Bottom's Up

Bottoms Up Bar and Grill is Point Edward’s most popular bar establishment located on St. Clair Street facing the Bluewater Bridge. The restaurant serves a wide variety of pub food and drinks with weekly specials, tournaments and meat raffles. The establishment also has multiple pool tables and dart boards for use.

Arena

The Point Edward Arena is a year round facility consisting of an ice rink with an attached recreational hall . It hosts ice hockey and figure skating events in the winter as well as specialized flooring for other sports held in the summer. Facility is open for rent to the public for special events and tournament hosting. The Point Edward Arena is also the home of the Point Edward Blackhawks Minor Hockey Team.

Events

Point Edward hosts a number of events on its waterfront year round attracting participants locally and from other cities.

Macnkinac Pancake Breakfast

In the midst of summer events in Lambton County, the Rotary Club of Sarnia hosts the annual public Mackinac Pancake Breakfast[3] alongside the Mackinac sail race that runs through Point Edward’s riverfront during July.Guests from all over the county come participate in the breakfast while enjoying the scenic surroundings of Point Edward- and the numbers are only growing. Rain or shine, members of club work to serve pancakes, sausages and coffee to over 2,000 guests who come to enjoy the races that weekend. This year, the funds are pledged to support the building of a public splash pad for the village.

Bridge Bash

During the Mackinac events in Point Edward, Point Edward’s Optimist Club hosts a three-night concert event with a program starring upcoming out-of-town and local acts. Bridge Bash, entertains the concert goers through both country and rock and roll performances on separate nights. The event holds a general and V.I.P. area which offers a selection of barbecue food items for all guests and alcohol based vendors for those in the V.I.P sections. Admissions and donations are contributed to the production of the splash pad for Point Edward’s Water Front.

The Moon Light Farmer's Market

The 2015 summer brings a new attraction under the Bluewater Bridge at Point Edward’s waterfront that supports local businesses and farmers. The Moon Light Farmers market consists of vendors of all different types of food and produce set up along the Michigan Street pathway every Thursday night beginning at 4pm. This new addition to Point Edward brings awareness of local businesses and contributes to increasing interest in the village’s down-town area.

Schools

Point Edward is home to Bridgeview Public School. It was opened in the late 1940s to house the growing number of children in the village. The previous school was located where Optimist Park currently is. Bridgeview houses grades from junior kindergarten to Grade 8. It also has one of the best outfitted classroom facilities for special needs students in Southwestern Ontario. The Lambton Kent District School Board has closed a number of elementary schools due to low capacity, although Bridgeview remains open because of the highly valued special needs facilities.

Transportation

Blue Water Bridge Canada maintains the Blue Water Bridge across the Saint Clair River to Michigan and associated customs and immigration facilities. The company has bought and closed several houses along St. Clair and Alexandra Ave. It owns and maintains a great deal of land in Point Edward, but there is little room left for expansion.

Demographics

Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1941 1,363 —    
1951 1,838 +34.8%
1961 2,744 +49.3%
1991 2,336 −14.9%
1996 2,257 −3.4%
2001 2,101 −6.9%
2006 2,019 −3.9%
2011 2,034 +0.7%
[6][7][8][9][10]
Canada 2006 Census Population  % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[11]
South Asian 0 0%
Chinese 10 0.5%
Black 0 0%
Filipino 0 0%
Latin American 0 0%
Arab 0 0%
Southeast Asian 0 0%
West Asian 0 0%
Korean 0 0%
Japanese 0 0%
Other visible minority 0 0%
Mixed visible minority 0 0%
Total visible minority population 15 0.7%
Aboriginal group
Source:[12]
First Nations 20 1%
Métis 0 0%
Inuit 0 0%
Total Aboriginal population 20 1%
White 1,985 98.3%
Total population 2,020 100%

Parks

Waterfront Park
  • Waterfront Park
  • Veterans Memorial Park
  • Simpson Street Park
  • Elks Park
  • Optimist Park
  • Helena Street Park
  • Hillier Park
  • McCrae Park
  • Tennis Courts

Notable residents

During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Brad Boston, a citizen of Point Edward, was present on the Canadian sailing team, which finished 13th overall.

Hockey players George "Duke" Harris and Peter Mara and politician William Guthrie also grew up in Point Edward.

References

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  6. 144.pdf, Canada Year Book 1955
  7. 192.pdf, Canada Year Book 1967
  8. [1], 1996 Census of Canada: Electronic Area Profiles
  9. [2], Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions
  10. [3], Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions
  11. [4], Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision
  12. [5], Aboriginal Peoples - Data table

External links