Manotick, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Manotick, Ontario is an exurb
in Eastern
Ontario
on the Rideau River
, located on the south edge of Ottawa
's urban area. Manotick is located immediately south of the booming suburb
s Barrhaven
and Riverside South and is about 25 km (15.5 mi) from downtown Ottawa. It has been part of the City of Ottawa
since amalgamation in 2001. It had a 2006 population of 4623.http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/P3.cfm?Lang=E&CTCODE=3246&CATYPE=CMA
In the 1830s, a small settlement formed in the area of the newly constructed Long Island locks on the Rideau Canal
, but no development was done in the area of present day Manotick. In 1858, when a bulkhead was constructed across the west branch of the Rideau River in the location of present day Manotick, entrepreneur Moss Kent Dickinson
and his partner Joseph Merrill Currier
obtained the water rights and constructed a mill
. It was Dickinson, who in 1864 named the new village "Manotick," after the Ojibwa
word meaning "island in the river". Mills established by Dickinson and Currier helped spur the development of the settlement. One of these, Watson's Mill
, survives today (open to the public). As commercial traffic on the Rideau became less important, the population in the village declined. The population in the village rebounded as Manotick came to be viewed by some as a bedroom community for Ottawa, joining the City of Ottawa in 2001.
With over-development of housing in south Ottawa
, and Barrhaven
rapidly growing, Manotick is maintaining its character by carefully managing growth and working closely with developers. Large mass production developments south of Ottawa often advertise as being located in Manotick during early development which can lead to confusion on the borders of Manotick.
and was responsible for what Manotick was 150 years ago. The festivities, organized by local organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, the BIA and Watson’s Mill, usually includes such things as a parade, pancake breakfast, arts and crafts sales, wagon rides, music, fiddlers, dance and drama performances.
In 2004 there was talk to remove the Beer Tent from the Dickinson Days celebration but in the true spirit of Manotick, the Kinsmen Club maintained the popular event, renaming it a "refreshment tent" and adding non-alcoholic beverages.
The celebration coincides with Pioneer Days, organized by the staff and volunteers of Watson's Mill, Ottawa's only working heritage site, and one of few remaining grist mills in Ontario. The Mill is now a working museum and you can purchase fresh stone ground flour as well as feed for the ducks around the dam that powers the mill. It is open daily in summer for tours, photos and purchase of fresh stone-ground flour. It is a popular tourist destination on the Rideau Canal
, a World Heritage Site
.
Dickinson Days usually coincides with Ottawa's "Open Doors", where many local buildings, such as churches and government buildings, are open to the public for one day a year.
sought approval to construct a community of approximately 1800 new homes within the Village of Manotick. The number was later revised to 1400 in early 2008 through the Development Concept Plan process with the city of Ottawa and numerous public meetings and consultations with residents. The project drew concerns by residents in the area. In the opinion of some local residents, the Minto proposal went against the spirit and letter of the pre-existing Manotick's Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan for the Village of Manotick was adopted by the City of Ottawa at amalgamation in 2001, providing for growth of only 250 houses by 2020. Residents cited that the project will double Manotick's population and that the current services and infrastructure
will be insufficient to handle the population explosion. Some residents were also concerned that Manotick will lose its "small town" character. Villagers want future development direction to be decided by residents and their elected officials, not developers
.
On April 24, 2007, the [West Manotick Community Association (WMCA]http://www.ourmanotick.ca) organized a town hall meeting
to discuss the issue of Minto's proposed development at the Manotick Arena. The event drew over 2000 citizens concerned about preserving the rural character and scale of Manotick and to ensure any future planning accounts for the rural nature of the village. During 2007 and 2008, The City of Ottawa, the WMCA and Minto all hosted several formal and informal public meetings to demonstrate changes and evolutions to the proposed Development Concept Plans and to encourage public debate. Changes to the plan were made by the developer through the process.
In 2008, the Ottawa city council rejected Minto's proposed development, stating that Minto's plan did not comply with the City's official plan for Manotick, nor its Secondary Plan. Additionally, the City claimed that the proposed development did not match the village's "rural character". Minto appealed the council's decision, sending the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board
in a 7-week hearing that ended in late-January, 2009. The OMB overruled city council in a "controversial" decision to approve Minto's plans. The City of Ottawa is seeking Leave to Appeal the OMB decision, which will be heard June 25, 2009.
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
in Eastern
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
on the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
, located on the south edge of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
's urban area. Manotick is located immediately south of the booming suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s Barrhaven
Barrhaven, Ontario
Barrhaven is a rapidly growing suburban neighbourhood in the southwest of the urban area of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about southwest of downtown Ottawa. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2006 Census was...
and Riverside South and is about 25 km (15.5 mi) from downtown Ottawa. It has been part of the City of Ottawa
City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...
since amalgamation in 2001. It had a 2006 population of 4623.http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/P3.cfm?Lang=E&CTCODE=3246&CATYPE=CMA
In the 1830s, a small settlement formed in the area of the newly constructed Long Island locks on the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, but no development was done in the area of present day Manotick. In 1858, when a bulkhead was constructed across the west branch of the Rideau River in the location of present day Manotick, entrepreneur Moss Kent Dickinson
Moss Kent Dickinson
Moss Kent Dickinson was a Canadian businessman, mayor of Ottawa from 1864 to 1866 and member of the Canadian Parliament from 1882 to 1887....
and his partner Joseph Merrill Currier
Joseph Merrill Currier
Joseph Merrill Currier was a Canadian member of parliament and businessman.He was born in North Troy, Vermont in 1820 and moved to Canada in 1837, where he began work in the timber trade. Around 1850, he set up a sawmill and gristmill operation at Manotick, Ontario with Moss Kent Dickinson...
obtained the water rights and constructed a mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
. It was Dickinson, who in 1864 named the new village "Manotick," after the Ojibwa
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
word meaning "island in the river". Mills established by Dickinson and Currier helped spur the development of the settlement. One of these, Watson's Mill
Watson's Mill
Watson's Mill is a historic gristmill in Manotick, Ontario, Canada. It was built as the Long Island Flouring Mills by Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier. It was one of a series of mills constructed in the area using power from the Rideau Canal. It earned its current name when it was...
, survives today (open to the public). As commercial traffic on the Rideau became less important, the population in the village declined. The population in the village rebounded as Manotick came to be viewed by some as a bedroom community for Ottawa, joining the City of Ottawa in 2001.
With over-development of housing in south Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and Barrhaven
Barrhaven, Ontario
Barrhaven is a rapidly growing suburban neighbourhood in the southwest of the urban area of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about southwest of downtown Ottawa. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2006 Census was...
rapidly growing, Manotick is maintaining its character by carefully managing growth and working closely with developers. Large mass production developments south of Ottawa often advertise as being located in Manotick during early development which can lead to confusion on the borders of Manotick.
Schools
- Manotick Public School - The only public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
in Manotick, teaches kindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to grade 5 in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. - St. Leonard Catholic School - Teaches over 500 kindergarten, primary and junior students in English and French.
- St. Mark Catholic High SchoolSt. Mark Catholic High School (Ottawa)Opened in 1980, St. Mark Catholic High School is located in Manotick, a neighbourhood in the city of Ottawa. Its enrollment is currently around 900 after losing about 600 students to St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School in 2009 & 2010, after the completion of its construction in 2009. St....
- Teaches grades 7-8 and 9-12 in English and French - South Carleton High SchoolSouth Carleton High SchoolSouth Carleton High School is a high school situated in the southwestern sector of the city of Ottawa, in the village of Richmond, Ontario. The school is under the jurisdiction of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. The SCHS attendance boundaries cover a major section of the southern part of...
- Teaches over 1300 grade 9-12 students, located in RichmondRichmond, OntarioRichmond is a Canadian village. Founded in 1818, it spans the Jock River, a tributary of the Rideau River. Like many communities in eastern Ontario, Richmond houses several unique populations. Some residents have historic and economic roots in the immediate area. Richmond operates as a small core...
. It is the primary public high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
for the region.
Dickinson Days
On the first weekend of June of every year, the people of Manotick congregate in the heart of Manotick around Dickinson Square to celebrate Dickinson Days, the birthday of Moss Kent Dickinson, who operated Watson's MillWatson's Mill
Watson's Mill is a historic gristmill in Manotick, Ontario, Canada. It was built as the Long Island Flouring Mills by Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier. It was one of a series of mills constructed in the area using power from the Rideau Canal. It earned its current name when it was...
and was responsible for what Manotick was 150 years ago. The festivities, organized by local organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, the BIA and Watson’s Mill, usually includes such things as a parade, pancake breakfast, arts and crafts sales, wagon rides, music, fiddlers, dance and drama performances.
In 2004 there was talk to remove the Beer Tent from the Dickinson Days celebration but in the true spirit of Manotick, the Kinsmen Club maintained the popular event, renaming it a "refreshment tent" and adding non-alcoholic beverages.
The celebration coincides with Pioneer Days, organized by the staff and volunteers of Watson's Mill, Ottawa's only working heritage site, and one of few remaining grist mills in Ontario. The Mill is now a working museum and you can purchase fresh stone ground flour as well as feed for the ducks around the dam that powers the mill. It is open daily in summer for tours, photos and purchase of fresh stone-ground flour. It is a popular tourist destination on the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Dickinson Days usually coincides with Ottawa's "Open Doors", where many local buildings, such as churches and government buildings, are open to the public for one day a year.
Mahogany subdivision dispute
In 2007 Minto Developments Inc.Minto Developments Inc.
The Minto Group is a Canadian real estate corporation which develops real estate in Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Florida, USA. Minto is the largest developer in Ottawa and has many towers such as Minto Place Suite Hotel and the Minto Metropole, the second tallest building in Ottawa.On...
sought approval to construct a community of approximately 1800 new homes within the Village of Manotick. The number was later revised to 1400 in early 2008 through the Development Concept Plan process with the city of Ottawa and numerous public meetings and consultations with residents. The project drew concerns by residents in the area. In the opinion of some local residents, the Minto proposal went against the spirit and letter of the pre-existing Manotick's Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan for the Village of Manotick was adopted by the City of Ottawa at amalgamation in 2001, providing for growth of only 250 houses by 2020. Residents cited that the project will double Manotick's population and that the current services and infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
will be insufficient to handle the population explosion. Some residents were also concerned that Manotick will lose its "small town" character. Villagers want future development direction to be decided by residents and their elected officials, not developers
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
.
On April 24, 2007, the [West Manotick Community Association (WMCA]http://www.ourmanotick.ca) organized a town hall meeting
Town hall meeting
A town hall meeting is an American English term given to an informal public meeting. Everybody in a town community is invited to attend, not always to voice their opinions, but to hear the responses from public figures and elected officials about shared subjects of interest. Attendees rarely voted...
to discuss the issue of Minto's proposed development at the Manotick Arena. The event drew over 2000 citizens concerned about preserving the rural character and scale of Manotick and to ensure any future planning accounts for the rural nature of the village. During 2007 and 2008, The City of Ottawa, the WMCA and Minto all hosted several formal and informal public meetings to demonstrate changes and evolutions to the proposed Development Concept Plans and to encourage public debate. Changes to the plan were made by the developer through the process.
In 2008, the Ottawa city council rejected Minto's proposed development, stating that Minto's plan did not comply with the City's official plan for Manotick, nor its Secondary Plan. Additionally, the City claimed that the proposed development did not match the village's "rural character". Minto appealed the council's decision, sending the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
in a 7-week hearing that ended in late-January, 2009. The OMB overruled city council in a "controversial" decision to approve Minto's plans. The City of Ottawa is seeking Leave to Appeal the OMB decision, which will be heard June 25, 2009.