Point Edward, Ontario

Point Edward is a village in the Canadian province of Ontario. Adjacent to the city of Sarnia in Lambton County, Point Edward sits opposite Port Huron, Michigan and is connected to it by the Blue Water Bridge, at the meeting point of the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. Formerly called Huron, it was renamed in 1860 to mark the visit by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. It was incorporated in 1879. In the Canada 2016 Census, the population of Point Edward was 2,037, an increase of 0.1 percent from its 2011 population of 2,034.

In the summer of 2003, Point Edward celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Municipal government


The current mayor of Point Edward is Bev Hand.

In the late 1980s, the provincial government initiated a plan to amalgamate Point Edward with the larger city of Sarnia, although many residents opposed the merger and the plan was abandoned in 1991. Even under the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario government of Premier Mike Harris, which forced amalgamations of many municipalities in the province (including of many towns which were geographically distinct settlements) in the late 1990s, Point Edward remained untouched. Despite this, some municipal government services in Point Edward are provided on contract by the city of Sarnia. For example, Point Edward is served by both Sarnia Transit and Bluewater Power Distribution, Sarnia's municipally-owned hydroelectricity provider.

Economy
Most businesses in Point Edward are independently owned. The only franchises located in the village are hotels and the Gateway Casino Point Edward.

Arena
The Point Edward Arena is a year round facility consisting of an ice rink with an attached recreational hall. It hosts ice hockey and figure skating events in the winter as well as specialized flooring for other sports held in the summer. The facility is open for rent to the public for special events and tournament hosting. The Point Edward Arena is also the home of the Point Edward Blackhawks Minor Hockey Team.

Schools
Point Edward is home to Bridgeview Public School. It was opened in the late 1940s to house the growing number of children in the village. The previous school was located where Optimist Park currently is. Bridgeview houses grades from junior kindergarten to Grade 8. It also has one of the best outfitted classroom facilities for special needs students in Southwestern Ontario. The Lambton Kent District School Board has closed a number of elementary schools due to low capacity, although Bridgeview remains open because of the highly valued special needs facilities.

Transportation
Federal Bridge Corporation operates and maintains the Blue Water Bridge, a twin-span bridge across the Saint Clair River to Michigan, along with its associated customs and immigration facilities. The company has bought and closed several houses along St. Clair and Alexandra Ave. It owns and maintains a great deal of land in Point Edward, but there is little room left for expansion.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Point Edward had a population of $1,930$ living in $938$ of its $989$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $2,037$. With a land area of 3.3 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Parks

 * Waterfront Park
 * Veterans Memorial Park
 * Simpson Street Park
 * Elks Park
 * Optimist Park
 * Helena Street Park
 * Hillier Park
 * McCrae Park
 * Tennis Courts

Notable residents

 * Brad Boston, sailor who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics
 * Don Burgess, ice hockey left winger
 * William Guthrie, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
 * Duke Harris, ice hockey right winger
 * Peter Mara, ice hockey forward