Pickering Family Law and Divorce Lawyer
The History of Pickering
Pickering is a city located immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The population of Pickering is approximately 87,838.
Pickering has colourful background and history.
Pickering Township was surveyed and established in 1791 as part of what was then York County. Its name derives from Pickering, North Yorkshire in North Yorkshire, England and was one of five townships along Lake Ontario named for towns in northeast England (York, Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby and Darlington). The municipality was incorporated in 1811 and became part of the newly-formed County of Ontario in 1852.
Early activity in Pickering was based on agriculture, with local rivers providing water-power to operate local mills. The mouth of the Rouge River was employed as a harbour for the shipment of goods to Toronto and other points on the Great Lakes. The Kingston Road connecting Toronto and Kingston was surveyed in the area in 1810. The construction of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 also promoted development.
From the 1850s on, a community known as Pickering Village grew along the Kingston Road near Duffins Creek. It was separated from the township in 1953 and incorporated as a village.
During the Second World War, the community of Ajax was created as a munitions plant in the eastern portion of the township. In 1950, Ajax was separated from the township and incorporated as an improvement district.
Considerable growth took place in Pickering Township after the Second World War, spurred by the completion of Highway 401 and the area’s proximity to Toronto. Further growth occurred with the start of construction of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in 1965.
In the early 1970s, Pickering was the proposed site of Pickering Airport, a second international airport for the Toronto region. Land was expropriated for the project, but never built due in part to opposition from residents and environmental groups. The Province of Ontario also expropriated land in the area for the planned community of Seaton south of Highway 7. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority recently proposed a smaller airport for the site and the planning is underway to develop the Seaton lands as an urban area.
In 1974, municipal restructuring created the Regional Municipality of Durham. Pickering Township became the Town of Pickering. Pickering Village and some parts of the township north of Ajax became part of the new Town of Ajax. The town’s boundaries in the west were also changed in 1984 – a portion of the Port Union neighbourhood was transferred to the Borough of Scarborough and is now part of the City of Toronto. The 1971 census, the closest to the restructuring, indicated that Pickering Township had a population of 31,735 prior to the creation of Durham Region.
In 2000, Pickering was granted city status.
As a family law and divorce lawyer, Thomas O’Malley is committed to helping spouses living in Pickering solve their family law and divorce legal problems.
Call the Family Law Office of Thomas O’Malley at 905-434-8837 to set up your appointment or consultation today.
