DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that 9 of the 14 Ringette Associations in the Eastern Region now fall within the boundaries of the new Mega City of Ottawa. Cumberland, Gloucester, Gloucester & Area Adult, Goulbourn, Kanata, Metcalfe & District, Nepean, City of Ottawa, and West Carleton are all within the city limits of Ottawa now. On January 1, 2001 Gloucester (population 115,000) combined with eleven communities known as The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton into a new mega city with a population of approximately 780,000. Years of slow time amalgamation, annexation and expropriation of Gloucester by Ottawa ended as we joined Cumberland (population 39,000), Goulbourn (23,000), Kanata (22,410), Nepean (125,000), Osgoode (17,000), Ottawa (325,000), Rideau (13,000), Rockcliffe Park (3,000), West Carleton (17,000) & Vanier (19,000) in this new super city. For some reason they have decided to call it Ottawa instead of Gloucester! At the heart of Canada's National Capital Region, Gloucester is ten minutes away from Parliament Hill. First settled in 1812, the population of Gloucester increased slowly, but doubled between 1851 & 1901, to reach 7,778 persons. By then, 39% of the residents were French-speaking, up from 13% in 1851. In 1976 there were 56,500 residents. At the turn of the Calendar, to Year 2000, Gloucester was a fast growing community of approximately 110,000. There are 30 different ethnic origins and more than 20 different mother tongue languages spoken in the city. Gloucester has the largest percentage of bilingual (English and French) persons in the area -- significantly higher than the Ontario average. YES! Billings Bridge was once in Gloucester, as was Alta Vista, New Edinburgh, Heron Park, Rockcliffe Park, Manor Park and Quarry, Vanier, and Overbrook. Loyalists from the American colonies immigrated to Eastern Ontario, including Gloucester, in the land of the Mississauga Indians (related to Chippewa/Ojibwa) in 1783. Gloucester was roughly surveyed in 1792 & named after a county in southwestern England, which in turn was named after a member of the British Royal Family, the Duke of Gloucester. Gloucester became an organized township in 1850 and James Sieveright was named Gloucester's First Reeve, upon incorporation. Gloucester had been without permanent settlers until 1812. On Oct 18, 1812, an American, Braddish Billings, working as a logger on the Rideau River for Philemon Wright, of Hull, squatted on the east bank of the river in an area of Gloucester that today is part of Ottawa known as Billings Bridge. Initially, the Township of Gloucester encompassed all of the land east of the Rideau River, from the Ottawa River to the north and to Manotick to the south. Over the years, however, the Township lost much of its territory and population through the incorporation or annexations by the City of Ottawa and expropriation by federal government departments and the National Capital Commission. By Confederation in 1867, the entire Township of Gloucester was more or less settled, albeit sparsely, except for the 20-square mile Mer Bleue area (South and East of Blackburn Hamlet). Since the Township was all but lumbered out by the late 1820s, agriculture became the main economic pursuit. Now today, Gloucester is a growing vibrant city of some 110,000 people. Billings Bridge was annexed to Ottawa in 1950, along with Alta Vista, Heron Park, Overbrook, Manor Park and Quarry (total of 14,605 acres). Also Bowesville & surrounding area were expropriated in 1950 by the Federal Government (a total of 3,800 acres) for an extention to the Ottawa International Airport. All this 100 years after the formation of the township of Gloucester. Eastview (formerly Janeville) now Vanier, was annexed and incorporated along with New Edinburgh in 1908/1909, followed by Rockcliffe Village in 1925. In 1974 Long Island, in the Rideau River was annexed to Rideau Township. In 1981 Gloucester, with a population of 73,000 was incorporated as a city. Elizabeth Stewart became the first Mayor of Gloucester; and as the Year 2000 comes to a close, Mayor Claudette Cain turns over the keys to the City of Gloucester to the new Mega City as our last mayor. 1 January, 2001 all the amalgamations, expropriations, annexations finally came to an end with the creation of the new Super City "Gloucester"! (ooops, I mean Ottawa.) |