A proposed drainage scheme to relocate the drainage canals in the Holland Marsh will cost an estimated $8.7 million. This sum is too great for the Marsh farmers alone so they are attempting to extend the assessment area to 65,000 acres of upland property in Bradford West Gwillimbury, King Township, New Tecumseth, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury, and Caledon but this idea has been met with legal challenges. Due to the legal fees surrounding this the Holland Marsh Drainage Committee has asked the province for $2 million in extraordinary funding for the scheme. After being completed in 1930 the 17.5 miles of canals that ring the Holland Marsh have been dredged several times, and after Hurricane Hazel were even widened and deepened. Although, recent studies show that the canal is almost filled in at certain points. Studies have also shown that due to south canal being filled in so much the north canal is handling four times the flow of the south canal. Relocation of the canal is the preferred solution to this problem.
The annual Meeting of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association will be held in the Compton Room of the Bradford Public Library on Saturday, December 8th, 1:30 p.m. The BWG Local History Association was formed 17 years ago, in the spring of 1990, and has retrieved and documented many of the details of the history of this area, supported the Local History Room in the Library, and recently, published the 2-volume book, "Governor Simcoe Slept Here." The Association is now taking on new responsibility as the umbrella organization for other history-related groups in the community - The Gwillim Group, which has brought the statue of Elizabeth Gwillim Simcoe to Bradford; the Scotch Settlement Historical Association; and the WEGWHIST Group. The arrangement will provide an affiliation with the Ontario Historical Association that will open the door for sponsorship and fundraising in support of the Town's historical features. The Association has been involved in book writing, editing and sales for the past 4 years; now that Governor Simcoe Slept Here has been completed, the focus is returning to researching and recording local history, and there are opportunities for residents to get involved. Are you interested in history? Do you have time to research on line, index and file, or set up and explore your own special local history project? Come to the meeting to discuss the opportunities.
"Led by the combined Colour Parties of the Bradford, Sutton and Newmarket Legions, and the Bradford Pipes & Drums, Bradford residents turned out to participate in or to watch the Sesquicentennial Parade on August 19, celebrating the town's 150th Birthday." ...
"Local businesses are beginning to catch the 'sesqui-centennial fever' - businesses like eSIGNS Canada, which specializes in banners, storefronts, signs, and vehicle graphics. To celebrate, president Gary Brickell decided to have his company's service van 'wrapped' in photos relating to Bradford's 150th anniversary." ...
"The countdown has begun for Bradford's main 150th Anniversary celebration - the August 17th to 25th Homecoming Week, which will include a Midway, Carrotfest Street Party on August 18th, Sesquicentennial Parade on August 19th, Music in Rotary Park every evening from Aug. 20-24, a Euchre Party at the Happy Sixties Seniors' Club, and more. This weekend, the Scotch Settlement Historical Society is hosting a Special Memorial Service at the Auld Kirk on Sunday, July 29th at 3p.m." ...
"Dear editor, We, the Gwillim group, a sub-committee of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association, are delighted to inform the community about our project to commemorate the Town's 150th Anniversary. We have commissioned a bronze sculpture of Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe (nee Gwillim), to be placed in the Post Office Parkette on the corner of John and Barrie Streets (on the Yonge St. route). The sculptor is Brenda Wainman Goulet, who created the bronze sculptures of Dr. Bethune in Gravenhurst and the Tom Thomson in Huntsville."...
"About 30 volunteers turned out for Bradford Mini-Clean-up Day, June 23 - Including Mayor Doug White and family, Councillors Del Crake, Jeanny Salmon, Mark Contois and James Leduc. Volunteers spent three hours picking up litter around Town." ...
"A Silent Auction, a supper of Penne and Spicy meatballs, with salad and garlic bread, and funnel cakes for dessert - and a hilarious look at Bradford's history, presented by the Bradford District High School Drama Club... The Gwillim Group put together a fundraiser that was filling and fun, last weekend at the high school." ...
"The town of Bradford is undergoing a bit of a mini-Renaissance. It's not just the Home Depot now under construction and due to open this summer, the planned Loblaw and new LCBO outlet that will be built on Holland St. west of Melbourne Drive. It's not just the banners displaying the Town's official flower, the Black-eyed Susan; or the new Sesquicentennial banners for Bradford's 150th birthday; or the flowering beds, or the new additions to both High Schools. There is also the return of businesses seriously damaged by fire in 2006 - F.K. Textiles, the 88 & 11 Convenience Store, and Annit "a" Haircut - and a number of new stores and ventures that have opened, including Condy Books, on Barrie St. On top of that, a growing number of established businesses in the community are celebrating the success of their enterprises, with Anniversary celebrations - from the 1st Anniversary of Dutch Treats, the Dutch Store and Deli at 15 Holland St. east; to the 29th Anniversary of Joella's Jewellery & Gifts, 32nd Anniversary of Bradford Rental Sales & Service, to one of the oldest businesses in Town: Spence TIM-BR Mart, now in its 98th year of service. In this Sesquicentennial year, that's something to celebrate."
"Bradford celebrates its 150th Anniversary in 2007. While some suggest that the celebration doesn't concern the Township area, the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association has a different take on the matter. The Association points out that the relationship between Bradford and the Township of West Gwillimbury has always been strong, predating incorporation..."
