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The 'Municipality of Chatham-Kent' (2006 population 108,177-- Ranked 45th in Canada; Census Agglomeration (CA) population 108,589 -- The largest CA in Canada) is a city-status single-tier municipal government in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The municipality is mainly rural and agricultural.

Contents

History

Economy and industry

Media

Television stations

Radio broadcast stations

Print media

Education

Elementary and secondary

Post-secondary

Famous people from Chatham-Kent

Sports

Ice hockey

Canadian football

Rugby Union football

Football (Soccer)

Transportation

Road

Rail

Bus

Air

Miscellaneous

External links

History

The former city of Chatham began as a naval dockyard in the 1790s, as it straddles the Thames River.
In the War of 1812, the Battle of the Thames took place between Moraviantown and Thamesville on October 5, 1813.
During the 19th century, the area was part of the Underground Railroad. As a result, Chatham-Kent is now part of the African-Canadian Heritage Tour. Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site is a museum of the Dawn Settlement, established in 1841 by Josiah Henson near Dresden as refuge for the many slaves who escaped to Canada from the United States. The Rev. John Brown, the abolitionist, planned his raid on the Harpers Ferry Virginia Arsenal in Chatham and recruited local men to participate in the raid. The small village of North Buxton, part of the African Canadian Heritage Tour, also played an important role in the Underground Railroad.
In 1998 the County of Kent and the city of Chatham were amalgamated to form the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Some say this controversial move has had a negative impact on small-town Ontario, where the Province shifted financial responsibility unto the individual municipalities, and taxes and infrastructure suffered as a result. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent currently consists of 23 communities.
Much paranormal activity has been reported in and around Chatham-Kent, mainly due to its rich--and often turbulent--history. The downtown area, following the Thames River, is rife with ghost stories, both past and present. The most famous case in the area is the Baldoon Mystery-which actually took place just outside Wallaceburg. In 2004, local author/historian Sheila Gibbs wrote a book titled "The Ghosts of Chatham-Kent", which quickly became a best-seller among the locals. Gibbs said a sequel is currently in the works.

Economy and industry

Chatham-Kent has an increasingly diverse economy, with a base in the agricultural and automotive sectors. Chatham's roots in the automotive sector go back to Gray-Dort Motors Ltd., one of Canada's earliest automobile manufacturers. The municipality and senior governments are keen to promote continuing diversification.

★ In 1996, Chatham became the home of Commercial Alcohols, which is the largest ethanol plant in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. It produces ethanol for industrial, medical, and beverage uses. In January 2005, the plant was named as one of Canada's 50 best managed companies. There are plans to double the size of the current Chatham facility. In recent years, the plant has faced criticism due to the odour of corn mash the facility produces from its exhaust stack.

★ Chatham is home to the headquarters of Union Gas, a natural gas utility. Union Gas is a Spectra Energy company.

★ Chatham is also home to a truck plant operated by Navistar International Corporation (NYSE symbol NAV)

★ Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited, a DuPont company, one of Canada's leading agricultural seed breeding and biotechnology companies, has operated from headquarters in Chatham since 1946.

★ Olsen furnaces are made in Wallaceburg. Olsen is a division of ECR International.

★ Inergy Automotive Systems (Canada), A plastics blow mould operation making fuel systems for the automotive sector.

★ RM Auctions, the world's largest vintage automobile auction house and RM Restorations, the world's largest vintage automobile restoration company, are located in Chatham. The nickname "The Classic Car Capital of Canada" comes from the company's position in the industry and abundance of classic car events in the community.

★ Old Autos Television , a show featuring classic cars, and retro car culture became Chatham-Kent's first locally produced national television series in 2005. The show airs Canada wide, on A Channel, and City TV stations owned by BellGlobeMedia.

★ Wheels Inn, a full-service family resort, is a very successful tourist destination located in Chatham. The 65,000 square foot resort inlcudes an indoor amusement park, an arcade, an indoor/outdoor pool with twin waterslides, a miniature golf course, a go-kart track, and various other features. The resort attracts tourism from Canada and from the United States.
Recent developments in rural Chatham-Kent include wind farms and vineyards near the shores of Lake Erie.
In the last 10 years there has been increasing urban sprawl within some of the larger communities in Chatham-Kent (Chatham and Blenheim in particular), with the development of large, big-box corporate development. The development at the north end of Communication Road in Blenheim, and a large portion of St. Clair Street in Chatham are examples of this phenomenon. Although supplying some jobs to Chatham-Kent, this development has put pressure on the existing (and potential) smaller, independent shops and businesses which also costs jobs to residents. Often viewed as less economically (and visually) appealing, this development may account for the 1.6% decrease in population that Chatham-Kent recorded in the 2006 Census.

Media

Television stations

★ CHWI (A-Channel): a CHUM Limited television station. The station operates out of Windsor and has offices in both Chatham and Wheatley (where it is licensed). This television station has been operating since October 19, 1993.

★ CKCO (CTV): The station operates out of Kitchener, and has offices in Sarnia, London, and Chatham.

Radio broadcast stations

★ CKSY 94.3FM: an adult contemporary music station on the air since July 1, 1986. In 2002, CKSY swapped broadcasting frequencies with CKUE.

★ CKUE 95.1FM: ''The Rock'', a rock music station established on October 6, 1999. In 2002, CKUE swapped broadcasting frequencies with CKSY. CKUE operates a repeater station in Windsor, Ontario, also on 95.1 FM, and thus the broadcast day originates from both the Chatham and Windsor studios.

★ CFCO 92.9FM and 630AM: a news, sports, and oldies music station. The original AM broadcasting station was launched in 1926; the repeater FM signal, meant to improve the station's reception in office buildings in Chatham-Kent, was launched in 2000. CFCO boasts a large daytime signal that covers much of Michigan, including Metro Detroit, and some of Ohio and Indiana in addition to southwestern Ontario.

★ CBEE 88.1FM: the radio rebroadcast station for CBC Radio One (CBE) out of Windsor, Ontario.
CKSY, CFCO and CKUE are owned by Blackburn Radio. In addition, some stations out of Detroit, Windsor, London and Sarnia also reach the area.
Chatham-Kent is in the process of acquiring a Christian radio station part of the UCB Family of stations and was to be a repeater of Belleville 102.3FM but in fact will be a stand alone station and will operate at 89.3FM, it will include some or most programmes from Belleville UCB Canada. The station has since gone on the air at 89.3 FM as CKGW-FM.

Print media

★ ''Chatham Daily News'': a local newspaper for Chatham owned and operated by the Osprey Media Group.

★ ''Wallaceburg News'': a weekly newspaper operated by the Osprey Media Group.

★ ''North Kent Leader'': a weekly newspaper for Dresden, Ontario operated by the Osprey Media Group.

★ ''Chatham This Week'' a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday by Bowes Publishers Limited.

★ ''Chatham Pennysaver'': a free local shopping and classifieds paper owned by Bowes Publishers Limited.

★ ''Chatham Sun'' a free local newspaper published Monday to Friday by Bowes Publishers Limited. The Chatham Sun has discontinued distribution as of August 31, 2006 .

★ ''Wallaceburg Courier Press'': A weekly newspaper published every Wednesday by Bowes Publishers Limited.

★ ''Blenheim News Tribune'': A weekly newspaper published every Wednesday.

★ ''Wheatley Journal'': A weekly newspaper published every Wednesday.

★ ''Ridgetown Independent News'': A weekly newspaper published every Wednesday.

★ ''Tilbury Times'': A weekly newspaper published every Wednesday

Education

Elementary and secondary

There are two school boards in Chatham-Kent. These are the Lambton Kent District School Board (headquartered in Sarnia) and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (headquartered in Wallaceburg). The LKDSB is a public school board, and consists of 13 secondary and 53 elementary schools. The St. Clair Catholic board consists of three secondary schools, one in Chatham and two in Sarnia, and 16 elementary schools. There are also independent schools, such as Wallaceburg Christian School and Chatham Christian Schools--an elementary and secondary school in the same building.
Every year in September, Chatham-Kent hosts a "Red Feather" weekend. It is a charity event in support of the local United Way, and runs from Monday-Sunday, but the weekend is the focus of the event. All of the local high schools compete in different competitions. The weekend culminates in a huge dance, but has also faced criticism from locals due to drinking, noise, drug use, and vandalism.

★ UPDATE
★ In August 2007, the local school board revamped Red Feather due to the above mentioned problems. The traditional dance, the annual parade and broomball and other minor events, have been suspended indefinitely. Although the event has not been completely cancelled, the weekend will only be a shadow of what it once was. It is unknown whether or not it will return in the foreseeable future.

Post-secondary

Chatham-Kent is the home of two colleges - St. Clair College and Ridgetown College.
St. Clair College is a satellite of St. Clair College of Windsor. There are two campuses located in the municipality - Thames Campus (located in Chatham) and the Wallaceburg Campus (located in Wallaceburg). There are over 5,000 full time and 12,000 part time students that attend the college each year.
Ridgetown College is actually a campus of the University of Guelph, and offers diplomas in agriculture, horticulture, and veterinary technology.

Famous people from Chatham-Kent

★ 1850 Henry Chrysler - father of Walter P. Chrysler, German-American automobile pioneer

★ 1872 James Couzens - U.S. Senator, Mayor of Detroit, industrialist, philanthropist, and vice president and general manager of the Ford Motor Company

★ 1882 Geoffrey O'Hara - early 20th century composer, singer and music professor who was the writer of such popular songs as the 1918 hit K-K-K-Katy

★ 1883 Doc Miller - former Major League Baseball player

★ 1886 Ernest Burgess - 24th President of the American Sociological Association, author, and urban sociologist who is known for his groundbreaking social ecology research

★ 1890 Herbert Mahler - labour organizer and radical

★ 1891 Harry Garnet Bedford Miner - Victoria Cross winner during World War 1, born in Cedar Springs

★ 1902 Kenne Duncan - western/action movie actor

★ 1913 Robertson Davies - novelist

★ 1924 June Callwood - prominent magazine writer in the 1950s who became an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1986

★ 1924 Judy LaMarsh - former Canadian Minister of Health

★ 1931 Glen Skov - National Hockey League (NHL) hockey player

★ 1940 Dave Nichol - award winning product marketing expert and former president of the Loblaw's grocery empire who was famous for the development of President's Choice and no name store-brand products

★ 1940 Sylvia Tyson - singer-songwriter, broadcaster, and guitarist who found early fame with her then-husband Ian Tyson in their folk duo Ian and Sylvia

★ 1943 Fergie Jenkins - Baseball Hall of Famer

★ 1952 Doug Melvin - General Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers

★ 1954 Bill Atkinson - former Major League Baseball relief pitcher

★ 1961 Doug Shedden - professional ice hockey coach and former player

★ 1961 Michelle Wright - award winning country music singer

★ 1964 Dave Gagner - retired NHL hockey player and brother-in-law of Diane Gagner - former Chatham-Kent mayor

★ 1964 John Ralston - television actor

★ 1965 Paul Lachine - award-winning cartoonist and illustrator

★ 1972 Courtney Babcock - Olympic distance runner

★ 1972 Dan Comiskey - Edmonton Eskimos - Canadian Football League - Offensive Line - brother of John Comiskey

★ 1974 Todd Warriner - former NHL hockey player who was picked 4th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques

★ 1976 Shae-Lynn Bourne - championship figure skater

★ 1978 Ron Sparks - award winning comedian and writer who is a judge on MuchMusic's Video On Trial

★ 1980 John Comiskey - Calgary Stampeders - Canadian Football League - Offensive Line - brother of Dan Comiskey

★ 1981 Shaun Suisham - Washington Redskins kicker (formerly Dallas Cowboys)

★ 1983 Andy Fantuz - former CIS Offensive MVP and Slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL

★ 1989 Sinead Brady - Canada's Next Top Model finalist

★ n/a Tracey Hoyt - actress who plays Aurora Farqueson on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television series "The Tournament"

★ n/a Alec Tunks - paralympics bronze medal winner in bobsledding.

★ n/a Lori Lansens - author of Rush Home Road and The Girls

Sports

Ice hockey

Chatham has a team in the Ontario Hockey Association Western Junior B league:

★ Chatham Maroons
There are also four teams in the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League

★ Blenheim Blades

★ Dresden Jr. Kings

★ Wheatley Sharks

★ Wallaceburg Lakers
As well as the Chatham Jr B Maroons, there is also the Chatham Girls Hockey Association, and the Chatham AAA Cyclones, as well as the Chatham Maroons.

★ www.chathamgirlshockey.com

Canadian football

In 2006 Chatham entered a team into the inaugural season of the Allstar Peewee Football League (APFL), and in 2007 entered a team into the Jr. Ontario Varsity Football League.

★ Chatham-Kent Cougars

Rugby Union football

Founded in 2001, Chatham has a rugby team in the Southwest Rugby Union (SWORU):

★ Chatham-Kent Havoc

Football (Soccer)

Chatham-Kent does not have a professional or semi-pro soccer team but there are many leagues for young children to adults that operate in Chatham-Kent.

Transportation

Road

Chatham-Kent is situated just off Highway 401 (also known as "Carnage Alley" because of a string of fatal accidents
), connecting Montreal, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Windsor, Ontario; and Detroit, Michigan via the Ambassador Bridge. Blenheim, Chatham and Wallaceburg are linked with Sarnia, Ontario and the Blue Water Bridge to the United States by Highway 40.
The sections of Highway 2 and Highway 3
(the Talbot Trail) in Chatham-Kent were downloaded by the province in 1998, becoming local roads 2 and 3, but they remain significant through routes and are still locally known by their old names.

Rail

Chatham is served by VIA Rail passenger services between Toronto and Windsor, part of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, and is served by both the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway for freight transportation.

Bus

There are four local bus routes within the city of Chatham, providing services every 30 minutes Monday through Saturday. There are no services between Chatham and other towns in the municipality, however.
Chatham-Kent also has intercity bus services, with Greyhound Canada services to and from Windsor, London and Toronto, and through Detroit, Michigan to Chicago, Illinois. These services stop at Thamesville, Chatham and Tilbury.

Air

There is a municipal airport located on the outskirts of town featuring a 5000 foot paved, lighted runway, with refuelling facilities (Esso), tie-down services, pilot training (provided by: Sontair Limited 519-676-3455), chartered flights (provided by: Air Express 1-866-779-7723).

Miscellaneous

The Indian reserves of Moravian 47 and Bkejwanong (commonly referred to as Walpole Island) border Chatham-Kent.
There are two Provincial Parks in Chatham-Kent, Rondeau Provincial Park and Wheatley Provincial Park, and Point Pelee National Park is nearby. There are also numerous local conservation areas.
The local military regiment, The Essex and Kent Scottish, has sent over 15 people to serve in NATO and UN operations around the world during the past three years. Currently there are 3 from Chatham serving in Afghanistan.
In August 2005, Chatham-Kent made the Canadian version of Reader's Digest for having serious problems with crime, drugs, prostitution, and gangs. Many of these issues have been blamed on poverty and joblessness throughout the region, but there's no real evidence to support this claim. A local group calling itself "East Side Pride"(or ESP for short) is a group of citizens who patrol the eastern part of town trying to curb these problems and maintaining close ties with law enforcement agencies and Crimestoppers.
According to the Province's Ministry of Community and Social Services, Chatham-Kent has a high percentage of people receiving welfare and disability benefits. Some believe this is mainly due to the general poor health of the community, and the lack of well-paying, steady jobs for those individuals who are able to work.
Another report from the Province of Ontario cited Chatham-Kent as having one of the highest rates of heart disease in Canada. Other ailments prevalent throughout the community include asthma, chronic allergies, sinus problems, many types of cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, alcoholism, and obesity. There are no clear answers as to why Chatham-Kent is such a hotbed of medical problems, but one factor cites pollution around Southwestern Ontario in general, as well as an inactive and aging population.
Chatham-Kent also has an extremely high density of restaurants and donut shops; their frequent usage, as well as the sedentary culture of the municipality, form another oft-hypothesized cause for the terrible state of local health.
Numbers from Statistics Canada’s 2001 Census demonstrate that the average number of people without a complete high school education is much higher in Chatham-Kent than the province of Ontario. As well, the average earnings of full-time, full-year workers and families are significantly lower in Chatham-Kent than in Ontario as a whole. With an unbalanced industry based heavily in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, many believe the phenomena of crime, drugs, and health problems are connected to the educational, cultural and industrial constrains of the municipality.

External links

★ Chatham-Kent website

★ Chatham-Kent weather

★ Google map of Chatham-Kent

★ Article citing health issues in Chatham-Kent