Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) Galt is generally considered Guelph's founder.
For many years, Guelph ranked at or near the bottom of Canada's crime severity list. However, the 2017 index showed a 15% increase from 2016. It had one of the country's lowest unemployment rates throughout the Great Recession. Much of this was attributed to its numerous manufacturing facilities, including Linamar.
History
Before European settlement
First Nations peoples inhabited present-day Guelph as early as 11,000 years ago. Before colonization, the area was considered by the surrounding Indigenous communities to be a "neutral" zone and was inhabited by the Neutral Nation. According to the University of Guelph, "the area was home to a First Nations community called the Attawandaron who lived in longhouses surrounded by fields of corn". The majority of this nation, about 4,000 people, lived in a village near what is now the Badenoch area of Puslinch, near Morriston. In 1784, the British Crown purchased a tract of land, that included present-day Guelph, from the Mississauga people for approximately £1,180. He selected Guelph as the headquarters of this British development firm. Galt was a popular Scottish poet and novelist who also designed the town to attract settlers and farmers to the surrounding countryside. His design intended the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which are still in place today. The street plan was laid out in a radial street and grid system that branches out from downtown, a technique which was also employed in other planned towns of this era, such as Buffalo, New York. That was St. George's Day, the feast day of the patron saint of England.
The name Guelph comes, via the Italian Guelfo, from the Bavarian German Welf. It is a reference to the House of Welf, and was chosen to honour King George IV—the reigning British monarch at the time of the city's founding—whose family, the Hanoverians, descended from the Welfs. It is for this reason that the city has the nickname The Royal City. The directors of the Canada Company had actually wanted the city to be named Goderich, because Viscount Goderich had helped form the company, but reluctantly accepted the name Guelph.
Galt constructed what was one of the first buildings in the community to house early settlers and the Canada Company office; "The Priory" (built 1827–1828) The building eventually became the Canadian Pacific Railway Priory station on the Guelph Junction Railway before it was eventually torn down and removed. A historical plaque commemorates John Galt's role with the Canada Company in populating Upper Canada's Huron Tract, calling it "the most important single attempt at settlement in Canadian history". (Galt was responsible for finding settlers for the 42,000 acre Halton Block that would become Guelph and its townships but also for the one million acre Huron Tract that stretched to Goderich, Ontario.) Also in 1827, the first Guelph Farmers' Market was built; the Market House was located in the downtown area. Founded in 1827, James Hodgert's brewery was managed by John Sleeman until he bought a property and opened the Silver Creek Brewery in 1851. (In 1843, there were nine breweries serving the 700 people living in Guelph.)
thumb|Part of [[Allan's Mill, built in 1850, still stands in downtown Guelph]]
The first Board of Commerce also started in 1827, to stimulate economic growth; in 1866, it would be renamed the Board of Trade, and in 1919, it became the Chamber of Commerce. In order to eliminate the need for farmers to take their grain to Galt or Dundas for grinding, the Canada Company built the first grist mill; the Guelph Mill was sold to William Allen in 1832. on the Marden Creek which runs into the Speed River; its ruin survives today. The Mickle family also built a home nearby, a year earlier. Both properties were off what is now Highway 6, an area that was Guelph Township at the time.
In 1829, the Canada Company fired Galt because of poor bookkeeping and not obeying company policies. In 1831, Guelph had approximately 800 residents. For several years, the economy of the village suffered and some residents moved away; relief came in the form of wealthy immigrants from England and Ireland who arrived in 1832.
The Smith's Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 indicates that the town had a jail and court house made of cut stone, a weekly newspaper, five churches/chapels and a population of 1,240; most were from England and Scotland with a few from Ireland. In addition to many tradesmen, the community had 15 stores, seven taverns, and some industry, tanneries, breweries, distilleries and a starch factory. The Post Office was receiving mail daily.
1855 to 1878
thumb|Old Guelph City Hall
Guelph was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the first mayor elected was John Smith. In 1856, the village became a town. Two years later, the population was estimated at 4,500, up from 2,000 in 1853. The first city hall, now called the Old City Hall (Guelph), was built in 1856 of Guelph stone; the building contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall. Modifications were made in 1870, 1875 and 1961. The new Guelph City Hall opened in 2009 beside the older building, which was declared a National Historic Site in 1984. The national document refers to the historic building as being "in the Italian Renaissance Revival style".
Two very successful major mills operated in Guelph for many years in the 1800s. The first was Allan's Mill, first established in 1830 on the Speed River and significantly expanded to include a distillery by the next owners, the Allan family, in the 1850s. This business was extensively damaged by fire in 1876 and ceased operation as a mill; the site was later used by manufacturing companies. (In 2019, the current John Sleeman reinstated the Spring Mill Distillery on the site which also includes a condominium apartment complex.)
thumb|Goldie Mill ruins, stabilized in 2020-2021
The more recent business, a sawmill known as the Goldie Mill, was also on the Speed; this building was constructed in 1866 by James Goldie, replacing an earlier mill known as the Wellington Mill and later as the People's Mill. The property, a ruin, was listed on the Canadian Register as a historic place in 2009. Goldie was a perennial Conservative candidate for the riding of Wellington South, and his son Thomas Goldie was mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892. The limestone Goldie mill structure was damaged by fire in 1953 and a part of it was removed in 1969; the remaining part still stands today, in Goldie Mill Park at Cardigan Street and London Road East. The ruins, owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority, were stabilized in 2019–2021 to solve a problem created by sinkholes.
The board of the Guelph General Hospital was incorporated in 1861, with James Massie as the chairman. The building was completed in 1875, at the cost of $9,869, and opened on August 16, 1875, with 12 beds, a small infectious room and a dispensary.
The Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church on Norfolk St., called the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since December 8, 2014, was built between 1876 and 1888.
By 1869, the community's manufacturing companies were served by both the Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Western Railway. The first section of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway, between Guelph and Elora, opened in 1870; the line would eventually run as far as Southampton, Ontario, with stations in communities such as Palmerston, Harriston, Listowel and Wingham. The company was not very successful, and never did reach Owen Sound as planned, partly because of stiff competition from the Northern Railway of Canada as well as the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway. By the mid-1870s, the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway was in financial trouble; it eventually became part of the Grand Trunk system, and later, the Canadian National Railway.
By January 1871, some residents of the town had access to gas, provided by the Guelph Gas Company via pipes, initially to about 100 homes. Electricity would not become commonly available until the early 1900s, from the Guelph Light and Heat Commission.
After 1878
thumb|The birthplace of [[John McCrae (1872–1918) author of In Flanders Fields]]
thumb|right|Guelph City Hall in 1920
Guelph was incorporated as a city in 1879 with a Special Act of the Ontario legislature. At this time, Guelph became politically separated from Wellington County and was no longer represented on the Wellington County Council. At separation, the population was about 10,000. During the inauguration, Mayor George Howard first used the term "Royal City". The only "royals" to actually visit were John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, one of Queen Victoria's daughters.
Construction of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, known as the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since late 2014, was already underway but would not be completed until 1883. (The twin towers were not added until 1926.)
A few years later, George Sleeman Sr. founded an electric radial railway, the Guelph Railway Company, an important part of the history of Guelph Transit. Only five miles of track had been laid by 1895, but the line was extended in 1902; the radial railway eventually reached Toronto, as the Ontario Hydro Electric Railways - Guelph District (owned by Ontario Hydro). In addition to carrying passengers, the cars carted coal to heat the Ontario Agricultural College.
By 1886, telephones were quite common in the city. An April news article described the situation as follows. "Telephones are rapidly being introduced into private homes, where they prove a great convenience. Ladies order their groceries, consult their medical advisers, call their husbands home from the club and gossip with their friends by telephone."
In 1903 the City purchased the Guelph Light & Power Company, and four years later created the Board of Light and Heat Commissioners. Guelph was one of 13 municipalities that helped to create the provincial entity that became Ontario Hydro.
The Communist Party of Canada began as an illegal organization in a barn behind a farmhouse on Metcalfe Street in Guelph on 1921.
Guelph was the home of North America's first cable TV system. Fredrick T. Metcalf created MacLean Hunter Television (now part of Rogers Communications) and their first broadcast was Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.
Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol. Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking. The city is home to the University of Guelph, established in 1964, and Sleeman Breweries Ltd. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of the University of Guelph, began in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. According to Maclean's, the current University of Guelph, founded in 1964, "grew out of three founding colleges: the Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) and the Macdonald Institute (1903)". Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI), established in the 1840s, is one of the province's oldest high schools. The Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station at 79 Carden Street was listed in 1992.
In 2017, Scientology Canada announced it would move its Canadian headquarters to Guelph. Some residents protested the plan. The facility was opened in the autumn of the year at 40 Baker Street.
A redevelopment plan for Downtown Guelph had been discussed by Council since 2007 and was finalized as the 2018 Baker District redevelopment project. The intent is to transform the Baker St. parking lot and properties fronting Wyndham Street's north end into a mixed-use development, with urban intensification. Both residential and commercial buildings will be included. The final cost was estimated at between $315 million and $369 million. When finished, this area will include a new library, commercial, institutional and office space as well as an underground parking lot. The private enterprise partner for the project is Ottawa-based Windmill Development Group; there was also discussion about an additional partnership with Conestoga College and the YMCA. Actual construction was not expected to start until 2023. Before that date, up to $7.5 million will be spent to acquire the rest of the land that will be required.
In October 2018, the Ontario Energy Board approved the merger of Guelph Hydro and Alectra Utilities Corporation. After the merger was completed in January 2019, the city received a 4.63 per cent stake in Alectra and a one-time dividend of $18.5 million; afterwards, annual dividends would be received. The city has one permanent seat on the company's Board.
Geography
Topography and water courses
Downtown Guelph is situated above the confluence of the Speed River and the Eramosa River, which have numerous tributaries. The Speed River enters from the north and the Eramosa River from the east; the two rivers meet below downtown and continue southwest, where they merge with the Grand River (Ontario). There are also many creeks and smaller rivers creating large tracts of densely forested ravines, and providing ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. The city is built on several drumlins and buried waterways, the most notable being an underground creek flowing below the Albion Hotel, once the source of water used to brew beer. Guelph is the largest Canadian city to rely almost entirely on groundwater for its drinking supply, which is sourced from two main aquifers.
Climate
This region of Ontario has cold winters and warm, humid summers, falling into the Köppen climate classification Dfb zone (humid continental), with moderately high rainfall and snowfall. It is generally a couple of degrees cooler than lower elevation regions on the Great Lakes shorelines, especially so in winter, the exception being on some spring afternoons when the lack of an onshore breeze boosts temperatures well above those found lakeside.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Guelph was on August 6, 1918, and July 13, 1936.
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| Jan record high C = 16.7
| Feb record high C = 15.5
| Mar record high C = 26.4
| Apr record high C = 29.2
| May record high C = 32.2
| Jun record high C = 36.2
| Jul record high C = 38.3
| Aug record high C = 38.3
| Sep record high C = 36.7
| Oct record high C = 29.4
| Nov record high C = 23.9
| Dec record high C = 19.1
| year record high C = 38.3
| Jan high C = −2.8
| Feb high C = −1.7
| Mar high C = 3.5
| Apr high C = 10.8
| May high C = 18.6
| Jun high C = 23.4
| Jul high C = 25.8
| Aug high C = 25.0
| Sep high C = 20.8
| Oct high C = 13.6
| Nov high C = 6.6
| Dec high C = 0.5
| year high C = 12.0
| Jan mean C = −6.8
| Feb mean C = −6.2
| Mar mean C = −1.3
| Apr mean C = 5.2
| May mean C = 12.3
| Jun mean C = 17.1
| Jul mean C = 19.5
| Aug mean C = 18.7
| Sep mean C = 14.5
| Oct mean C = 8.4
| Nov mean C = 2.5
| Dec mean C = −3.0
| year mean C = 6.7
| Jan low C = −10.8
| Feb low C = −10.7
| Mar low C = -6.1
| Apr low C = -0.4
| May low C = 5.9
| Jun low C = 10.8
| Jul low C = 13.2
| Aug low C = 12.4
| Sep low C = 8.2
| Oct low C = 3.2
| Nov low C = −1.6
| Dec low C = −6.4
| year low C = 1.5
| Jan record low C = −37.2
| Feb record low C = −32.8
| Mar record low C = −28.9
| Apr record low C = −16.7
| May record low C = −7.8
| Jun record low C = −1.7
| Jul record low C = 1.7
| Aug record low C = −1.1
| Sep record low C = −5.6
| Oct record low C = −12.8
| Nov record low C = −20.6
| Dec record low C = −31.1
| year record low C = −37.2
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 51.9
| Feb precipitation mm = 58.0
| Mar precipitation mm = 66.9
| Apr precipitation mm = 73.7
| May precipitation mm = 79.7
| Jun precipitation mm = 78.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 95.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 92.8
| Sep precipitation mm = 90.4
| Oct precipitation mm = 71.6
| Nov precipitation mm = 91.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 80.5
| year precipitation mm = 931.3
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 17.6
| Feb rain mm = 24.1
| Mar rain mm = 43.8
| Apr rain mm = 69.9
| May rain mm = 79.6
| Jun rain mm = 78.8
| Jul rain mm = 95.8
| Aug rain mm = 92.8
| Sep rain mm = 90.4
| Oct rain mm = 70.1
| Nov rain mm = 81.2
| Dec rain mm = 38.1
| year rain mm = 782.0
|snow colour = green
| Jan snow cm = 38.6
| Feb snow cm = 37.2
| Mar snow cm = 26.4
| Apr snow cm = 3.8
| May snow cm = 0.07
| Jun snow cm = 0.0
| Jul snow cm = 0.0
| Aug snow cm = 0.0
| Sep snow cm = 0.0
| Oct snow cm = 1.5
| Nov snow cm = 9.0
| Dec snow cm = 38.6
| year snow cm = 155.1
| unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 16.2
| Feb precipitation days = 12.8
| Mar precipitation days = 12.7
| Apr precipitation days = 13.7
| May precipitation days = 13.3
| Jun precipitation days = 11.8
| Jul precipitation days = 11.7
| Aug precipitation days = 13.5
| Sep precipitation days = 14.1
| Oct precipitation days = 14.6
| Nov precipitation days = 16.0
| Dec precipitation days = 16.8
| year precipitation days = 167.0
| unit rain days = 0.2 mm
| Jan rain days = 4.0
| Feb rain days = 3.9
| Mar rain days = 7.9
| Apr rain days = 12.3
| May rain days = 13.3
| Jun rain days = 11.8
| Jul rain days = 11.7
| Aug rain days = 13.5
| Sep rain days = 14.1
| Oct rain days = 14.5
| Nov rain days = 13.4
| Dec rain days = 6.9
| year rain days = 127.4
| unit snow days = 0.2 cm
| Jan snow days = 12.7
| Feb snow days = 9.6
| Mar snow days = 5.9
| Apr snow days = 1.6
| May snow days = 0.07
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.43
| Nov snow days = 3.4
| Dec snow days = 11.0
| year snow days = 44.7
| Jan sun = 80.4
| Feb sun = 96.7
| Mar sun = 146.3
| Apr sun = 172.5
| May sun = 230.7
| Jun sun = 256.5
| Jul sun = 277.9
| Aug sun = 236.7
| Sep sun = 172.2
| Oct sun = 140.6
| Nov sun = 82.1
| Dec sun = 55.4
| year sun = 1947.9
| Jan percentsun = 27.8
| Feb percentsun = 32.8
| Mar percentsun = 39.7
| Apr percentsun = 42.9
| May percentsun = 50.6
| Jun percentsun = 55.7
| Jul percentsun = 59.5
| Aug percentsun = 54.7
| Sep percentsun = 45.8
| Oct percentsun = 41.0
| Nov percentsun = 28.1
| Dec percentsun = 19.8
| year percentsun= 41.5
| source 1 = Canada Weather Stats
| source 2 = Environment Canada (precipitation/rain/snow/sun 1981–2010)
| date = August 2010
Economy
The city of Guelph's diversified economy helped Guelph obtain the country's lowest unemployment rate at 4.2 per cent in 2011 At the time, the BMO economist also rated Guelph as the top city in Canada for those looking for work. Over subsequent months, the rate increased steadily and the jobless rate was at a more typical 5.9% by October 2017, compared to 5.1% in Kitchener-Waterloo. The rate in June 2018 had decreased to 4.5%. By December 2018, StatsCan was indicating an unemployment rate of only 2.3%, down from 4% in November, and the lowest in Canada at that time.
The overall economy of the Guelph "region" (including the city and the townships of Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch, Ontario) grew at an average of 3.5% per year over the previous five years and was expected to be 2.1% in 2019 and also in 2020 according to the Conference Board of Canada's August 2019 report. Guelph's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3.6% per cent in 2018, the highest among medium-sized cities in Canada. "Although economic growth is poised to moderate in 2019, Guelph will maintain its place as one of Canada’s economic growth leaders," the report predicted.
Manufacturing and education sectors
Manufacturing is the leading sector of the economy of the city with the most significant sector being auto parts manufacturing. and in 2018 ($99 million). The latter would create 1,500 additional jobs and maintain 8,000 others in the Canadian operation.
According to research completed by the City of Guelph in 2010, fabricated metal product manufacturing accounted for 26.1% of the types of industries, followed by machinery manufacturing for 12.8% and miscellaneous manufacturing for 10.4%.
The city also touts the importance of advanced manufacturing which is its largest employer. The roughly 360 businesses of this type employ approximately 14,755 people (roughly 25% of Guelph's labour force). The category includes "high precision manufacturing and auto parts assembly to plastic injection moulding machines manufacturing and automation devices. This enables advanced manufacturing to be a strong driver of the local economy."
Other sectors
Guelph is very attractive to the agri-food and biotechnology market sector, according to the city. It was ranked as the top cluster in Ontario and one of the top two in Canada. This sector includes over 90 companies in Guelph-Wellington, employing approximately 6,500 people.
The City encourages movie and television filming. Parts of several productions have been filmed here, including Agnes of God (1985), American Gods (released in 2017), 11.22.63 (2016) with James Franco, Total Recall (2012), Dream House (2011), The Heretics (2017), Dead Rush (2016) and episodes of Murdoch Mysteries (2013 and 2015).
Guelph Innovation District
As part of the plan to increase development, City Council voted in late 2017 to buy south of York Road owned by the Provincial government, including part of the property of the former Wellington Detention Centre. After the acquisition, the city would seek one or more developers to buy the property.
The city decided in late 2018 not to purchase the additional land for economic reasons. In 2019, the remaining 362 acres of Ontario government land was listed for sale by the province.
Employment data
According to the Bank of Montreal's fourth quarter 2018 report, Guelph was the leading city in Canada in terms of job growth and low unemployment.
The 2016 Census indicated a labour force of nearly 76,000, of which about 55% said they worked full-time all year. At the time the data was gathered, 4,610 persons indicated they were unemployed. The top five occupations in terms of the number so employed were Sales and service (16,195), Education, law and social, community and government services (10,205), Business, finance and administration (10,150), Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (9,170) and manufacturing and utilities (8,205).
The City of Guelph's published 2016 data was sorting occupations in a different manner. In that report, Professional, Scientific and Technical jobs employed 39,141, Advanced Manufacturing employed 20,735, Retail and Service employed 11,345, Agri-Innovation employed 11,345, Culture and entertainment employed 7,711 and that Distribution, warehousing and wholesale employed 5,909.
The largest private enterprise employers in Guelph (2016) included:
The largest public sector employers (2016) included:
- Upper Grand District School Board
- University of Guelph
- City of Guelph
- Wellington Catholic District School Board
- Guelph General Hospital
- Homewood Health Centre
The university's staffing fell into three categories in 2015: there were 2,600 regular full-time faculty and staff, 1,890 temporary (full-time and part-time) and 3,690 student employees. The university was among Canada's Best Employers in 2016 according to Forbes magazine, making the top 20 in the list.
Two Guelph companies were among the 2018 winners of the Waterloo Area's Top Employers competition. According to the report, Reid's Heritage Group of Companies, a home builder with 212 full-time employees, "supports employees who are new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments .... [provides] flexible work hours, helps employees balance work and their personal commitments with up to 10 paid personal days ... and offers referral bonuses [for staff hires]." Sleeman Breweries Limited, with 991 full-timers, offers "generous tuition subsidies ... opportunities for the next generation to gain meaningful experience through summer employment and co-op placements ... retirement planning assistance and phased-in work options" as well as bonuses for salaried staff and profit-sharing for those who are unionized.