Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough forms the eastern part of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly a separate city, and prior to that a borough and township, but has been part of the 'East District' since it was amalgamated with the old city of Toronto and four other municipalities in 1998. It retains its original name for most local residents, and is recognized by Canada Post as a municipality name. Its borders are Victoria Park Ave. to the west, the Rouge River, the Little Rouge Creek and the Scarborough-Pickering Townline to the east, Steeles Ave. E. to the north, and Lake Ontario to the south.
Demographics
In 2005, Scarborough's population was 593,297, with a density of 3,160.9/km². A significant portion of Scarborough's population is composed of immigrants who have arrived in the last two decades. Chinese residents make up 17.73% of the population, South Asian Residents account for 17.76% of the population. Carribbean and African-Canadian residents make up 10.09% of the visible minority population, while Filipino Canadian residents account for 5%. The remaining visible minority groups are all below 2%.
The large immigrant population has created multicultural havens in various areas of Scarborough. Most notable among these is the heavy concentration of Chinese businesses and restaurants in the Agincourt neighbourhood. Along certain strips like Kingston Rd., Eglinton Ave. E., and Lawrence Ave. E., all running through south-central Scarborough is a high concentration of jerk chicken, roti, and halal restaurants and shops reflecting their respective cultures. Scarborough also encompasses Malvern, Ontario, it is one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods in the world. 54.53% of Scarborough is foreign born, while it's 59.52% Non white.
Census
Along with Markham, ON and Richmond, BC, the majority of Scarborough's population is composed of visible minority groups.
Immigration
- Foreign-born Population - 55%
- Canadian-born Population - 45%
External link: Scarborough at Statistics Canada
Recent developments
A significant amount of building activity has spurred growth along the 401 corridor at the northern end of the Scarborough RT between McCowan and Scarborough Centre Stations. Several key highrise condominium projects have increased the residential density around Scarborough Centre. This has caused the twofold effect of increasing the apparent affluence of the once neglected neighbourhood and increasing the traffic congestion in the region.
Recently there is talk in Toronto City Hall to extend Shepherd-Yonge Subway eastward to Scarborough Town Centre, there is also an alternate plan to abolish the existing Scarborough RT and build a new subway line instead. However both plans may give priority to the University-Spadina subway extension to York University,since the MPP from that riding is currently serving as Minister of Transportation in Ontario government.Such projects cannot be made possible without funding from provincial government as well as federal government.
Scarborough Town Centre, the former city's biggest commercial and entertainment hub, has recently undergone massive renovations to transform it into a modern and competitive mall. Recent additions include satellite establishments like Jack Astor's, Milestones, and Best Buy Electronics.
History
Scarborough was incorporated as a township on 1 January 1850[1] and included as a municipality within Metropolitan Toronto when it was formed on 15 April 1953. It was then incorporated as a borough within Metropolitan Toronto on 1 January 1967, and later incorporated as a city within it in 1983. It was amalgamated into the City of Toronto ("megacity") on 1 January 1998, losing its separate legal identity.
It was named after Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England by Elizabeth Simcoe, the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. The bluffs along Scarborough's Lake Ontario shores reminded her of the limestone cliffs in Scarborough, England. In her diary, she wrote, "The [eastern] shore is extremely bold, and has the appearance of chalk cliffs, but I believe they are only white sand. They appeared so well that we talked of building a summer residence there and calling it Scarborough."[2]
Much of the area of Scarborough was settled by suburban housing developments in the last third of the 20th century. Often considered a poor cousin to the more urbane Toronto, Scarborough residents have developed their own unique culture and sense of humour as evidenced by such native "Scarberians" as Mike Myers (Wayne's World, Austin Powers), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), John Candy (Second City, SCTV) the musical group Barenaked Ladies, and pop teen princess Fefe Dobson. Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show) also lived in Scarborough during his teen years.
Scarborough is the home of Ontario's only elevated rapid transit line, the Scarborough RT. It is also home to the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) and Centennial College.
Scarborough's oldest school is thought to be R.H. King Academy which was built in 1922, but is actually Agincourt Collegiate Institute, built in 1915, It was previously Agincourt Junior Public School. Other schools in Scarborough include David and Mary Thomson C.I. and Winston Churchill CI.
Geography
Scarborough is home to an earthen cliff formation known as the Scarborough Bluffs. These can be found along the shore of Lake Ontario, stretching about 14 km, and reaching heights of more than 60 m in places. Erosion has been a problem along the Scarborough Bluffs. Some properties located near the brink have actually had to be abandoned, and some houses condemned, as the brink wears back away from the lake.
The Bluffs are part of a much larger formation known as the Iroquois Shoreline. Most of the rest of this formation is located somewhat further inland, and not right at the lakeshore as in Scarborough. The Iroquois Shoreline marks the extent of a prehistoric lake, Glacial Lake Iroquois, whose level was quite a bit higher than Lake Ontario's. It shrank in size at the close of the last ice age.
Scarborough is also notable for the Rouge River Valley, an area many parts of which are still in a wild state, mostly wooded. The Valley is home to a great variety of wildlife including deer, foxes, and the occasional coyote. In the mid-1990s, there were several unconfirmed sightings of a cougar in the Rouge Valley. One witness even produced a videotape purportedly showing it.
The Toronto Zoo is also located in the Rouge Valley.
Scarborough's coordinates are roughly 43.78° N, 79.25° W.
Nicknames
- Scarberia a portmanteau of Scarborough and Siberia. It was created in the 1970s by downtown Torontonians because Scarborough at the time seemed very far away.
- Scar City a name also created due to the crime often seen in the Malvern area.
- Scarlem a portmanteau of Scarborough and Harlem.
- Scar Lanka a portmanteau of Scarborough and Sri Lanka.
Notable Scarboroughites
- Paul Bernardo, a notorious criminal convicted of murder and sex crimes.
- Andy Donato, editorial cartoonist for the Toronto Sun newspaper.
- David Furnish, filmaker and civil partner of Elton John.
- Omar Khadr, teenage detainee at American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
- Eric McCormack, actor.
- Mike Myers, a comedian known for his portrayal of Austin Powers.
- Monika Schnarre, a fashion supermodel.
- Rick Tocchet, NHL hockey player.
- Paul Tracy, Formula 1 race car driver.
Scarborough in the news
Drugs
Scarborough is reputed for the number, size, and frequency of its drug busts, which have been occurring mostly over the past decade. In 2004, 140 of the 320 marijuana grow operation busts took place in Scarborough. The north section of the district has become notorious for the number of grow houses in this area. [3]
Canada's largest heroin bust occurred in Scarborough in 2000. Canada's largest MDMA busts have all been in Scarborough. Ze Wai Wong, the ringleader of an MDMA and marijuana exportation scheme which supplied 1 out of every 7 ecstasy pills in the USA, was a resident of Scarborough.
Gangs
Street gangs continue to be a problem in Scarborough, as gun-related violence has left some residents feeling unsafe in their communities. Scarborough has been the site of numerous shootings over the years in Toronto.
See also
Further reading
- A History of Scarborough, Robert Bonis, 1968