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Media Type : Newspaper Article
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Author Creator : Dick Illingworth
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Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
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Description : "A mere ditch swarming with bullfrogs and water snakes," John Galt of the Canada Company wrote when he first glimpsed the Holland Marsh in 1825. Today, this mere ditch consists of some 7,000 acres of fertile marshlands, the breadbasket of Ontario. It wasn't an easy transition. In 1924, on petition of over two-thirds of the landowners in West Gwillimbury, the township council passed a bylaw approving the scheme of draining the marsh. The village of Bradford passed a similar bylaw, but the Township of King refused and appealed against the proposal. The Provincial Drainage Referee found the project sound under the Municipal Drainage Act of 1910 and King was forced to co-operate and assess its landowners for the purpose. There was no need to force King to co-operate with Bradford West Gwillimbury on April 22, 1993, when the first major improvement to the marsh was officially opened - Bradford Pumping Station 2 on Pumphouse Road. Six years in planning and obtaining the necessary approvals, Janse has shepherded the project through every stage. Total cost of the project is $1,014,426.50 and it has an estimated 50 year life span. The 7,000-acre marshlands serviced by Bradford Pumping Station 2, is only a small part of the Holland Marsh, which in its entirety comprises about 20,000 acres.