Wingham, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Wingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario
North Huron, Ontario
The Township of North Huron is a municipality in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on municipalities throughout the provinces...
, Canada, which is located in Huron County
Huron County, Ontario
Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province...
. Wingham became part of North Huron in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
on the former township of East Wawanosh, the village of Blyth, and the town of Wingham.
Wingham is located at the intersection of the old Highways 4 & 86. Responsibility for these highways was downloaded by the province in 1998, so they are now county roads. Most of Wingham is located between County Road 86 to the south and the Maitland River
Maitland River
The Maitland River is a river in southwestern Ontario, Canada, which empties into Lake Huron in the town of Goderich, Ontario. The river is 150 km in length....
to the north.
Business and industry
Wingham has a number of manufacturing businesses as well as a variety of retail and service businesses. Wingham supports two grocery stores as well as a main street with retail stores and restaurants. The town has branches of the Bank of MontrealBank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
, CIBC, TD Canada Trust
TD Canada Trust
TD Canada Trust is the personal, small business and commercial banking operation of the Toronto-Dominion Bank in Canada. TD Canada Trust offers a range of financial services and products to more than 10 million Canadian customers through more than 1,100 branches and 2,600 ATM Green Machines...
banks, as well as a branch of Libro Financial Group
Libro Financial Group
Libro Financial Group, Libro, or Libro Credit Union Limited, is a co-operative financial institution. Libro's direction comes from its customers, who are referred to as owners...
credit union.
The industries with a presence in the town include:
- Wescast Industries, three manufacturing facilities for this auto-part producer.
- BI-AX International produces plastic film for use in food packaging and industry.
- Royal Homes is a manufacturer of pre-fabricated homes.
Radio and television
Wingham has three radio stations CKNXCKNX (AM)
CKNX is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 920 AM in Wingham, Ontario. The station broadcasts a country music & News/Talk format.- Launch :...
920, CKNX-FM
CKNX-FM
CKNX-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 101.7 FM in Wingham, Ontario. The station broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format as 101.7 The One. The station was formerly known as FM102 before summer 2006....
101.7, and CIBU 94.5 THE BULL!, all owned by Blackburn Radio
Blackburn Radio
Blackburn Radio is a Canadian radio broadcasting group, which owns several radio stations in Southwestern Ontario. Headquartered in London, Ontario, the company is owned by 2061302 Ontario Limited, which is majority owned by Cogent Investments....
. There is also a television station CKNX
CKNX-TV
CKNX-TV was a television station owned by CTVglobemedia which served mid-western Ontario, Canada. It was part of the A television network. The station was broadcast from Wingham and had offices in Wingham...
channel 8, owned by CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...
, it rebroadcasts the master signal of CFPL-TV
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...
from London, with the exception of local advertising. On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
has filed with the CRTC to purchase all of the A-Channel stations, including CFPL, CKNX, CKX-TV, Access Alberta and several cable channels being put up for sale by CHUM Limited in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group. CTV will not renew the licence for CKNX-TV in Wingham upon expiration at the end of August 2009. On May 1, 2009, Shaw Communications offered to buy the station for $1 from CTV (along with other underperforming stations in Brandon and Windsor), but scuttled the deal two months later.
(Despite this reported 'shut-off', the station remains on the air pre digital transition (as of July 2011). It is unclear what will happen once larger metropolitan areas switch to Digital at the end of August. CKNX became merely a rebroadcaster of CFPL London on August 31, 2009.)
Wingham is also served by a CBC English outlet (Channel 45) and again, it is unclear what will become of this station post digital transition.
Education
- F. E. Madill Secondary SchoolF. E. Madill Secondary SchoolF.E. Madill Secondary School ' is a high school in Wingham, Ontario. About 950 students currently attend the school...
is located in Wingham. Approximately 1000 students attend; most bussed in from the surrounding area.
- Wingham Public School is located in the heart of Wingham on John Street.
- Sacred Heart School, a Catholic elementary school located in the town's east end.
Transportation
Wingham is located to the north of County Road 86 which connects to Kitchener-WaterlooRegional Municipality of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
to the east. The main thoroughfare is County Road 4, called Josephine Street within Wingham, which connects to London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
to the south.
Wingham/Richard W. LeVan Aerodrome is a general aviation airport to the southeast of Wingham with fuel services and private hangars.
Wingham is served by scheduled bus service to London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
and Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
, as well as Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
.
Attractions
The North Huron Museum provides an overview of the history of the Township of North HuronNorth Huron, Ontario
The Township of North Huron is a municipality in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on municipalities throughout the provinces...
beginning in the Paleolithic era and continuing into modern times.
Notable people
- Dave FarrishDave FarrishDavid Allan Farrish is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played 430 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, and Toronto Maple Leafs...
- NHL hockey player - Honoré JacksonHonoré JacksonWilliam Henry Jackson , also known as Honoré Jackson or Jaxon, was a leader of the North-West Rebellion in Canada in 1885....
- A leader of the North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada... - Andrew KaufmanAndrew KaufmanAndrew Kaufman is a Canadian writer, film director, and radio producer.His short film Aberistiwith was screened at festivals across Europe and Canada...
- Writer/film director, raised in Wingham - Bob McDonald - Science jounalist; Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, raised in Wingham - Alice MunroAlice MunroAlice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction, and a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize...
- Short story author, born in and wrote about Wingham, - George Agnew Reid - Artist, raised near Wingham.
Politicians
- William AberhartWilliam AberhartWilliam Aberhart , also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta between 1935 and 1943. The Social Credit party believed the reason for the depression was that people did not have enough money to spend, so the government...
- Premier of Alberta, 1935-1943. Taught public school in Wingham. - Murray ElstonMurray ElstonMurray John Elston is an executive and former Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and was a prominent cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson...
- Ontario MPP, 1981-1994. Born in Wingham. - George Johnston - Alberta MLA and Speaker, 1921-1936. Born in Wingham.
- Robert MooneyRobert MooneyRobert Henry Mooney was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 to 1953.-Early life:...
- Manitoba MLA, 1922-1953. Born in Wingham. - George SpottonGeorge SpottonGeorge Spotton was a Canadian Member of Parliament between 1927 and 1935.Spotton received a Bachelor's of History from Queen's University, graduating in 1895....
- MP, 1927-1935. Wingham businessman. - Robert Weir - MP, Minister of Agriculture, 1930-. Born in Wingham.
Trivia
- The entire town is served by the single postal codePostal codeA postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
of 'N0G 2W0'; a self-effacing mnemonicMnemonicA mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...
for the code reads as No 0ne Goes 2 (to) Wingham, 0ntario.