Vaughan, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Vaughan is a city
in York Region north of Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern Ontario
and is part of the Greater Toronto Area
. The estimated population in 2010 was 290,000.
(mass grave) uncovered in Kleinburg
in 1970, and one kilometre north of the Seed-Barker Huron site
The first Europe
an to pass through Vaughan was the French
explorer Étienne Brûlé
, who traversed the Humber Trail in 1615. However, it was not until the townships
were created in 1792 that Vaughan began to see any settlements, as it was considered to be extremely remote and the lack of roads through the region made travel difficult. The township was named after Benjamin Vaughan
, a British
commissioner who signed a peace treaty with the United States
in 1783.
Despite the hardships of pioneer
life, settlers came to Vaughan in considerable numbers. The population grew from 19 men, 5 women, and 30 children in 1800 to 4300 in 1840. The first people to arrive were mainly Pennsylvania
Germans, with a smaller number of families of English
descent and a group of French
Royalists
being represented. This migration from the United States
was by 1814 superseded by an influx of immigrants from Britain
. While many of their predecessors had been agriculturalists, the newer immigrants proved to be highly skilled tradespeople, which would prove useful for a growing community
.
Around the facilities established by this group arose a number of hamlets, the oldest of which was Thornhill
, which witnessed the construction of a saw-mill in 1801, a grist mill in 1815, and boasted a population of 300 by 1836. Other such enclaves included Kleinburg
, Coleraine, Maple
, Richmond Hill
, Teston, Claireville
, Pine Grove
, Carrville, Patterson, Burlington, Concord, Edgeley, Fisherville, Elder's Mills, Elgin Mills, Jefferson, Nashville, Purpleville, Richvale, Sherwood, Langstaff, Vellore, and Burwick (Woodbridge
).
Vaughan changed relatively little in its early history, from the 1840s when the number of inhabitants stood at 4300 to 1935 when it had 4873 residents. However, World War II
sparked an influx of immigration, and by 1960 the population stood at 15,957. As well, the ethno-cultural composition of the area began to change with the arrival of different groups such as Italians
, Jews and Eastern Europe
ans.
Incorporated in 1850 as Vaughan Township, a municipal government was established. Vaughan Road
was a rural road constructed in 1850 that linked Vaughan Township with Toronto
, though this street's current alignment is much shorter and serves only much of the eastern half of the former city of York
. In 1971, the new regional government of York Region was established, acquiring policing and welfare services from the communities it served; simultaneously, the township merged with the Village of Woodbridge to form the Town of Vaughan. In 1991, it officially changed its legal status to City of Vaughan.
An F2 tornado tore through the city of Vaughan during the Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak
on August 20, 2009. Premier Dalton McGuinty
and Vaughan mayor Linda Jackson
toured the destruction the next day and reported 200 homes in critical shape and as many as 600 additional homes likely to be demolished. Many people were, and, as of January 2010, are still displaced. It also ripped up trees, flipped cars, and left thousands of people without power. Vaughan declared a state of emergency
because of the widespread damage. One man injured in the storm suffered a heart attack the following morning. Fortunately there were no deaths reported.
directory and White Pages.
Vaughan is the first municipality in Ontario to have a Youth City Councillor. The youth city councillor is appointed as a non-voting member of Council every six months to represent the youth of Vaughan. Vaughan council originally rejected the proposal of a youth councillor but after the Vaughan Youth Cabinet amended their proposal, Council accepted the recommendation.
The City of Vaughan's Council is made up of nine members; a mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors. The mayor, elected at large by electorate, is the head of Vaughan council and a representative on York Region Council
. The three regional councillors are elected to represent Vaughan at both local and regional levels of government. Five local councillors are elected, one from each of Vaughan's five wards, to represent those wards on Vaughan Council. City councillors meet at the Civic Centre, located in the community of Maple. The City's new City Hall was opened on September 25, 2011. The building is named in memory of the late Mayor, Lorna Jackson. The new Civic Centre is one of the first in Canada to conform to a LEED
Gold Standard, the second highest environmental classification available.
in 2002, Michael Di Biase
was appointed mayor by Vaughan council by virtue of his position as one of two regional councillors representing Vaughan, Joyce Frustaglio was the other regional councillor. Gino Rosati, a Vaughan local councillor, was subsequently appointed by Vaughan Council to fill Di Biase’s position as regional councillor and a by-election was held to fill Rosati’s local councillor’s position which was won by Linda Jackson
(the daughter of former mayor Lorna Jackson). Di Biase became involved in the city's politics when he was elected local councillor in 1985. In the 2003 Municipal Election
, Di Biase won his first official term since Jackson's passing, defeating Robert Craig.
In the municipal election
on November 13, 2006, Di Biase was narrowly defeated by Linda Jackson, who was sworn in as mayor on December 4, 2006.
On June 18, 2008, an audit of Jackson's 2006 campaign finances found that the politician exceeded her legal spending limit of $120,419 by at least $12,356, or 10 per cent. The auditors, LECG Canada Ltd., say that amount could almost double if what they believed to be unreported contributions in kind at various election events – but couldn't prove – are later verified.
They also found found other apparent contraventions of the Canada Elections Act
, including at least five instances where associated companies made donations that exceeded the normal $750 donation limit per company.
On June 24, 2008, Vaughan Council voted unanimously to hire a special prosecutor to consider laying charges against Jackson under the Municipal Elections Act in reaction to the auditors' report. Council hired Timothy Wilkin, "an expert in municipal law" to decide what (if any) charges are to be laid. If Jackson is charged and found guilty, she would face punishments ranging from fines to removal from office.
Subsequently an audit was conducted on former Mayor DiBiase's 2006 election campaign funds. This exposed 27 contraventions under the Elections Act, along with a $155,000 anonymous cash payment made to his lawyer to cover his legal fees. Mr. DiBiase has refused to disclose who made this payment. His court case will be heard in November 2009.
On 25 October 2010, longtime MP Maurizio Bevilacqua
was elected mayor. He will assume office in December 2010, having received 64% of the vote - over 30,000 more votes than his closest challengers.
and Brampton, Ontario
to the west, King, Ontario
and Richmond Hill, Ontario
to the north, Markham, Ontario
and Richmond Hill, Ontario
to the east, and Toronto
, Ontario
to the south. It is located at 43°50′N 79°30′W.
to the east in Richmond Hill.
There is a new hospital proposed along Major Mackenzie Drive (between Highway 400 and Jane Street) which would serve Vaughan and planning stage began in 2007. The provincial government of Ontario
approved construction of the hospital in July 2011, and a tender for bids to construct it will be issued in 2014 or 2015. It will be part of a regional hospital system with a "single governance, administration and medical staff" managed by York Central Hospital.
Vaughan is one of southern Ontario's fastest growing cities. According to Statistics Canada, the population grew 37.3 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3519028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Vaughan&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= percent in a mere four year period (more than 9.3% annually), and also has a young age profile than the Canadian average as 22.3 percent is under the age of 14, while those over 65 constitute 8.15%, one of the lowest in Ontario resulting in an average age of 34.1.
Vaughan is reputably known as having some of the highest concentrations of southern Europeans (notably Italians
), Eastern Europeans (chiefly Russians
and Poles
) and Jewish people in Ontario, while those who are of British
and/or Irish
origin form a smaller proportion than in many other southern Ontario
cities.
Visible minorities make up 26.6% of the population. Vaughan has a small but growing Indian, Pakistani, Hispanic, Jamaican, Vietnamese and Chinese population.
Residents of Vaughan are fairly religious; the city has the lowest number of non-affiliates in Ontario. Some 67.42% of the population adheres to Christianity
, mostly Catholicism
(55.80%). Those who practice non-Christian religions adhere to, in order of size, Judaism
(18.20%), Hindu
ism (2.47%), Islam
(2.43%), and Buddhism
(0.56%).
in North York, Ontario
lies on the Toronto
side of the Toronto
-Vaughan border. It is a major comprehensive university, with more than 43,000 students enrolled through ten different faculties.
There are also a number of Elementary and High Schools in Vaughan which operate under the York Region District School Board
and the York Catholic District School Board
. There are also some private schools.
, Italy
(1992) Ramla
, Israel
(1993) Sanjo
, Japan
(1993) Yangzhou
, China
(1995) Baguio, Philippines
(1997) Delia, Italy (1998) Lanciano
, Italy (2002)
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in York Region north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
and is part of the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
. The estimated population in 2010 was 290,000.
History
In the late pre-contact period, the Huron-Wendat people populated what is today Vaughan. The Skandatut ancestral Huron village overlooked the east branch of the Humber River (Pinevalley Drive), and was once home to approximately 2000 Huron in the sixteenth century. The site is located close to a Huron ossuaryOssuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
(mass grave) uncovered in Kleinburg
Kleinburg, Ontario
-External links:* * *...
in 1970, and one kilometre north of the Seed-Barker Huron site
The first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an to pass through Vaughan was the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorer Étienne Brûlé
Étienne Brûlé
Étienne Brûlé , was the first of European French explorers to journey along the St. Lawrence River with the Native Americans and to view Georgian Bay and Lake Huron Canada in the 17th century. A rugged outdoorsman, he took to the lifestyle of the First Nations and had a unique contribution to the...
, who traversed the Humber Trail in 1615. However, it was not until the townships
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
were created in 1792 that Vaughan began to see any settlements, as it was considered to be extremely remote and the lack of roads through the region made travel difficult. The township was named after Benjamin Vaughan
Benjamin Vaughan
Benjamin Vaughan MD LLD was a British commissioner whose role was to smooth negotiations between Britain and the United States during the drafting of the Treaty of Paris....
, a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
commissioner who signed a peace treaty with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1783.
Despite the hardships of pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
life, settlers came to Vaughan in considerable numbers. The population grew from 19 men, 5 women, and 30 children in 1800 to 4300 in 1840. The first people to arrive were mainly Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Germans, with a smaller number of families of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
descent and a group of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Royalists
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
being represented. This migration from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was by 1814 superseded by an influx of immigrants from Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. While many of their predecessors had been agriculturalists, the newer immigrants proved to be highly skilled tradespeople, which would prove useful for a growing community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
.
Around the facilities established by this group arose a number of hamlets, the oldest of which was Thornhill
Thornhill, Ontario
Thornhill is a community in the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the city of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities along Yonge Street, the city of...
, which witnessed the construction of a saw-mill in 1801, a grist mill in 1815, and boasted a population of 300 by 1836. Other such enclaves included Kleinburg
Kleinburg, Ontario
-External links:* * *...
, Coleraine, Maple
Maple, Ontario
Maple is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region.-Geography:The west branch of the Don River rises to the northwest and flows 1 km west of Maple. Several creeks are to the east and the Black Creek begins slightly west...
, Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
, Teston, Claireville
Claireville, Ontario
Claireville is an unincorporated community in Brampton, Ontario, Canada bordering Toronto. It is bounded by Goreway Drive to the west, Highway 50 to the east, Steeles Avenue to the south and Castlemore Road to the north...
, Pine Grove
Pine Grove, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
Pine Grove is an unincorporated community located in Woodbridge, part of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, in what was once York County.-History:The lands located on the east half of lots 9, 10 and 11 of concession 7 were first patented to David Thompson on May 20, 1801. By 1830, it was a well settled...
, Carrville, Patterson, Burlington, Concord, Edgeley, Fisherville, Elder's Mills, Elgin Mills, Jefferson, Nashville, Purpleville, Richvale, Sherwood, Langstaff, Vellore, and Burwick (Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Ontario
Woodbridge is a large suburban community in the City of Vaughan, just north of Toronto in Southern Ontario. It was once an independent town before being amalgamated with nearby communities to form the city in 1971. Its traditional downtown core is the Woodbridge Ave...
).
Vaughan changed relatively little in its early history, from the 1840s when the number of inhabitants stood at 4300 to 1935 when it had 4873 residents. However, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
sparked an influx of immigration, and by 1960 the population stood at 15,957. As well, the ethno-cultural composition of the area began to change with the arrival of different groups such as Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Jews and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
ans.
Incorporated in 1850 as Vaughan Township, a municipal government was established. Vaughan Road
Vaughan Road
Vaughan Road is a road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a contour collector road that is parallel to a buried creek to the north called Castle Frank Brook. Vaughan Road begins on Bathurst Street south of St. Clair Avenue West, then it becomes a north-south street, hence its address numbering...
was a rural road constructed in 1850 that linked Vaughan Township with Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, though this street's current alignment is much shorter and serves only much of the eastern half of the former city of York
York, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
. In 1971, the new regional government of York Region was established, acquiring policing and welfare services from the communities it served; simultaneously, the township merged with the Village of Woodbridge to form the Town of Vaughan. In 1991, it officially changed its legal status to City of Vaughan.
An F2 tornado tore through the city of Vaughan during the Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak
Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009
The Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009 was a series of severe thunderstorms that spawned numerous tornadoes in Southwestern Ontario, Central Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area on August 20, 2009, and was the largest single-day tornado outbreak in Ontario history and the largest in...
on August 20, 2009. Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
and Vaughan mayor Linda Jackson
Linda Jackson (politician)
Linda D. Jackson is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Vaughan, Ontario. Jackson has been a resident of the City of Vaughan since 1966 and was elected as Mayor on November 14, 2006. Jackson was defeated by Maurizio Bevilacqua in the 2010 Vaughan municipal election.Jackson’s election to the...
toured the destruction the next day and reported 200 homes in critical shape and as many as 600 additional homes likely to be demolished. Many people were, and, as of January 2010, are still displaced. It also ripped up trees, flipped cars, and left thousands of people without power. Vaughan declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
because of the widespread damage. One man injured in the storm suffered a heart attack the following morning. Fortunately there were no deaths reported.
Law and government
Even though Vaughan is a city, it is not in the phone book. Instead, its constituent communities are still listed separately in the Yellow PagesYellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
directory and White Pages.
Vaughan is the first municipality in Ontario to have a Youth City Councillor. The youth city councillor is appointed as a non-voting member of Council every six months to represent the youth of Vaughan. Vaughan council originally rejected the proposal of a youth councillor but after the Vaughan Youth Cabinet amended their proposal, Council accepted the recommendation.
The City of Vaughan's Council is made up of nine members; a mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors. The mayor, elected at large by electorate, is the head of Vaughan council and a representative on York Region Council
Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe...
. The three regional councillors are elected to represent Vaughan at both local and regional levels of government. Five local councillors are elected, one from each of Vaughan's five wards, to represent those wards on Vaughan Council. City councillors meet at the Civic Centre, located in the community of Maple. The City's new City Hall was opened on September 25, 2011. The building is named in memory of the late Mayor, Lorna Jackson. The new Civic Centre is one of the first in Canada to conform to a LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Gold Standard, the second highest environmental classification available.
Mayor
Following the death of mayor Lorna JacksonLorna Jackson
Lorna Jackson was mayor of the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, for 20 years.-Political career:Jackson was first elected to Vaughan Council in 1974, serving six years as a local councillor and two years as regional councillor before being elected mayor in 1982...
in 2002, Michael Di Biase
Michael Di Biase
Michael Di Biase is a Regional Councillor in Vaughan, an exurb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to the city's council in 1986. Following the death of Mayor Lorna Jackson in 2002, Di Biase was appointed acting mayor by virtue of his position as senior regional councilor...
was appointed mayor by Vaughan council by virtue of his position as one of two regional councillors representing Vaughan, Joyce Frustaglio was the other regional councillor. Gino Rosati, a Vaughan local councillor, was subsequently appointed by Vaughan Council to fill Di Biase’s position as regional councillor and a by-election was held to fill Rosati’s local councillor’s position which was won by Linda Jackson
Linda Jackson (politician)
Linda D. Jackson is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Vaughan, Ontario. Jackson has been a resident of the City of Vaughan since 1966 and was elected as Mayor on November 14, 2006. Jackson was defeated by Maurizio Bevilacqua in the 2010 Vaughan municipal election.Jackson’s election to the...
(the daughter of former mayor Lorna Jackson). Di Biase became involved in the city's politics when he was elected local councillor in 1985. In the 2003 Municipal Election
Vaughan municipal election, 2003
The City of Vaughan 2003 Municipal Election took place on 10 November 2003. One mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors have been elected for the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada...
, Di Biase won his first official term since Jackson's passing, defeating Robert Craig.
In the municipal election
Vaughan municipal election, 2006
The City of Vaughan 2006 Municipal Election took place on 13 November 2006. One mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors were elected for the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada...
on November 13, 2006, Di Biase was narrowly defeated by Linda Jackson, who was sworn in as mayor on December 4, 2006.
On June 18, 2008, an audit of Jackson's 2006 campaign finances found that the politician exceeded her legal spending limit of $120,419 by at least $12,356, or 10 per cent. The auditors, LECG Canada Ltd., say that amount could almost double if what they believed to be unreported contributions in kind at various election events – but couldn't prove – are later verified.
They also found found other apparent contraventions of the Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada respecting the election of members of parliament to the Canadian House of Commons, repealing other Acts relating to elections and making consequential amendments to other Acts....
, including at least five instances where associated companies made donations that exceeded the normal $750 donation limit per company.
On June 24, 2008, Vaughan Council voted unanimously to hire a special prosecutor to consider laying charges against Jackson under the Municipal Elections Act in reaction to the auditors' report. Council hired Timothy Wilkin, "an expert in municipal law" to decide what (if any) charges are to be laid. If Jackson is charged and found guilty, she would face punishments ranging from fines to removal from office.
Subsequently an audit was conducted on former Mayor DiBiase's 2006 election campaign funds. This exposed 27 contraventions under the Elections Act, along with a $155,000 anonymous cash payment made to his lawyer to cover his legal fees. Mr. DiBiase has refused to disclose who made this payment. His court case will be heard in November 2009.
On 25 October 2010, longtime MP Maurizio Bevilacqua
Maurizio Bevilacqua
Maurizio Bevilacqua, PC, is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 1988 to 2010 and was of eleven candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada but dropped out of the race on August 14, 2006...
was elected mayor. He will assume office in December 2010, having received 64% of the vote - over 30,000 more votes than his closest challengers.
Geography
Vaughan is bounded by Caledon, OntarioCaledon, Ontario
Caledon is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. In terms of land use, Caledon is somewhat urban, though it is primarily rural in nature...
and Brampton, Ontario
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
to the west, King, Ontario
King, Ontario
King is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The Holland Marsh, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket", straddles King Township...
and Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
to the north, Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
and Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
to the east, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 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....
to the south. It is located at 43°50′N 79°30′W.
Health care
Vaughan is the largest city in Canada without a hospital within its city boundaries. The nearest full-service hospital facilities are Humber River Regional Hospital, to the south in Toronto, and York Central HospitalYork Central Hospital
York Central Hospital is a hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and one of three in York Regional Municipality.-History:York Central Hospital was founded in 1963 in Vaughan Township, close to the suburb of Richmond Hill, and incorporated into Richmond Hill following the amalgamation of the...
to the east in Richmond Hill.
There is a new hospital proposed along Major Mackenzie Drive (between Highway 400 and Jane Street) which would serve Vaughan and planning stage began in 2007. The provincial government of Ontario
Government of Ontario
The Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
approved construction of the hospital in July 2011, and a tender for bids to construct it will be issued in 2014 or 2015. It will be part of a regional hospital system with a "single governance, administration and medical staff" managed by York Central Hospital.
Community boundaries
There are five communities that make up the city of Vaughan.- Woodbridge, OntarioWoodbridge, OntarioWoodbridge is a large suburban community in the City of Vaughan, just north of Toronto in Southern Ontario. It was once an independent town before being amalgamated with nearby communities to form the city in 1971. Its traditional downtown core is the Woodbridge Ave...
, North/South - Teston/Steeles, East/West - Hwy 400/Hwy 50 - Maple, OntarioMaple, OntarioMaple is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region.-Geography:The west branch of the Don River rises to the northwest and flows 1 km west of Maple. Several creeks are to the east and the Black Creek begins slightly west...
, North/South - King Vaughan Line/Rutherford, East/West - Bathurst/Hwy 400 - Thornhill, OntarioThornhill, OntarioThornhill is a community in the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the city of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities along Yonge Street, the city of...
, North/South - Langstaff/Steeles, East/West - Yonge/Hwy 400 - Concord, OntarioConcord, OntarioConcord is an unincorporated suburban industrial community in the City of Vaughan in York Region, located north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to the 2001 Census, the community has 8,255 residents ....
, North/South - Rutherford/Langstaff, East/West - Dufferin/Hwy 400 - Kleinburg, OntarioKleinburg, Ontario-External links:* * *...
, North/South - King Vaughan Line/Major Mac, East/West - Hwy 400/Hwy 50
Demographics
| Ethnic Origin http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/ETO/Table1.cfm?T=501&Lang=E&GV=4&GID=3519028&Prov=35&S=0&O=A | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Italian people The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people... |
79,835 | 43.96% |
| Jewish | 33,705 | 16.90% |
| Canadian Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
18,950 | 10.43% |
| English English people The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens... |
9,345 | 5.14% |
| East Indian | 8,930 | 4.91% |
| Chinese Han Chinese Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the... |
7,435 | 4.09% |
| Russian Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
6,490 | 3.36% |
| Polish Poles thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe... |
5,855 | 3.22% |
| Irish Irish people The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha... |
5,635 | 3.10% |
| Black Black people The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a... |
3,580 | 1.97% |
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1971 | 15,873 |
| 1981 | 29,674 |
| 1991 | 111,359 |
| 2001 | 182,022 |
| 2006 | 238,866 |
Vaughan is one of southern Ontario's fastest growing cities. According to Statistics Canada, the population grew 37.3 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3519028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Vaughan&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= percent in a mere four year period (more than 9.3% annually), and also has a young age profile than the Canadian average as 22.3 percent is under the age of 14, while those over 65 constitute 8.15%, one of the lowest in Ontario resulting in an average age of 34.1.
Vaughan is reputably known as having some of the highest concentrations of southern Europeans (notably Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
), Eastern Europeans (chiefly Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
) and Jewish people in Ontario, while those who are of British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
and/or Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
origin form a smaller proportion than in many other southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
cities.
Visible minorities make up 26.6% of the population. Vaughan has a small but growing Indian, Pakistani, Hispanic, Jamaican, Vietnamese and Chinese population.
Residents of Vaughan are fairly religious; the city has the lowest number of non-affiliates in Ontario. Some 67.42% of the population adheres to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, mostly Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
(55.80%). Those who practice non-Christian religions adhere to, in order of size, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
(18.20%), Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
ism (2.47%), Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(2.43%), and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
(0.56%).
Attractions
- Boyd Conservation AreaBoyd Conservation AreaBoyd Conservation Area is a suburban land preserve owned and operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. It also overlaps a life science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest of the same name....
, park located between Woodbridge and Kleinburg - Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
- Canada's Wonderland, Canada's largest amusement parkAmusement parkthumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
located in Maple - McMichael Canadian Art CollectionMcMichael Canadian Art CollectionThe McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an art gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada, northwest of Toronto. It houses an extensive collection of paintings by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, and First Nations and Inuit artists....
, located in Kleinburg. - Vaughan MillsVaughan MillsVaughan Mills is a large shopping centre in Canada located at the southeast corner of Highway 400 and Rutherford Road, in Vaughan, Ontario about 32 km north of Downtown Toronto. The mall is located adjacent to Canada's Wonderland...
, a large shopping mall opened in 2004 - J.E.H. MacDonald House
Education
York UniversityYork University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in North York, 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....
lies on the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
side of the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-Vaughan border. It is a major comprehensive university, with more than 43,000 students enrolled through ten different faculties.
There are also a number of Elementary and High Schools in Vaughan which operate under the York Region District School Board
York Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board, also known as YRDSB, is the English-language public school board for York Regional Municipality located in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is currently the province's third largest school board, with an enrollment of over 115,000 students...
and the York Catholic District School Board
York Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board is the publicly funded English-language Catholic school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Its head office is in Aurora....
. There are also some private schools.
Twin cities
SoraSora, Italy
Sora is a city and comune of Lazio, Italy, in the province of Frosinone. It is built in a plain on the banks of the Liri. This part of the valley is the seat of some important manufactures, especially of paper-mills....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1992) Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
(1993) Sanjo
Sanjo, Niigata
is a city located in central part of Niigata, Japan. The city has a Jōetsu Shinkansen stop at Tsubame-Sanjō Station.- Geography :Sanjō is located in the center of Niigata prefecture. It is about 2 hours from Tokyo by way of the Jōetsu Shinkansen or 4 hours on the Kan-Etsu Expressway and Hokuriku...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1993) Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1995) Baguio, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(1997) Delia, Italy (1998) Lanciano
Lanciano
Lanciano is a town and comune in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It has 36,570 inhabitants as of 2008.The city is also known for the first recorded alleged Catholic Eucharistic Miracle.-History:...
, Italy (2002)
Sports
- Vaughan is home to the Ontario Soccer AssociationOntario Soccer AssociationThe Ontario Soccer Association was founded in 1901 and is one of the oldest and largest sport organizations in Canada dedicated to providing an opportunity for Ontarians to achieve their sporting goals through soccer. The OSA provides leadership, consultation and resources to the members within...
. The OSA is the largest sports organization in Canada, with over 500,000 registered players. It is also home to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. - Woodbridge Softball Association
- Italia ShootersItalia ShootersYork Region Shooters are a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1998. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, the third tier of soccer in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the largest domestic pro league in Canada....
- Canadian Soccer League 2006 Champions - Toronto Canada MooseToronto Canada MooseThe Toronto Canada Moose are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based out of Thornhill, Ontario. They play in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League.-History:...
- a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based out of the community of Thornhill (Vaughan/MarkhamMarkham, OntarioMarkham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
), Ontario. They are a part of the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League. - Vaughan VipersVaughan Vipers----The Vaughan Vipers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League.-History:...
- a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team. They are a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey LeagueOntario Provincial Junior A Hockey LeagueThe Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The league dates back to 1954 as the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1993, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to the...
. - Vaughan FlamesVaughan FlamesThe Vaughan Flames was a professional women's ice hockey team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League . The team played its home games at Vaughan Sports Village in Vaughan, Ontario, Ontario.- History :...
- a top level women's ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team. They are members of the Canadian Women's Hockey LeagueCanadian Women's Hockey LeagueThe Canadian Women's Hockey League is one of two major women's ice hockey leagues in Canada. The league was founded in 2007. The league currently has six ice hockey teams: three in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in Alberta and one in Boston, Massachusetts....
. - The Sports Village - a large sports facility in Maple.
- Vaughan Panthers - GTHL hockey team
- Vaughan Rangers - member organization of the GTHLGreater Toronto Hockey LeagueThe Greater Toronto Hockey League , formerly known as the "Metro Toronto Hockey League", is a minor level ice hockey organization based out of the Toronto region of Ontario. The league was founded in 1911 as the Beaches Hockey League by Fred C. Waghorne, Sr., and it is the largest minor hockey...
, operates junior hockey programs. - Vaughan Kings - GTHL hockey team
- Vaughan Vikings - Baseball programs for ages 4 to 21 years old.
- Vaughan Stars Diving Club - Teaches competitive diving for children and adults.
- Thornhill Minor Softball Association