About Whitby

Whitby (2006 population 111,184) is a town in Ontario, Canada. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. While the southern portion of Whitby is predominantly urban, and an economic hub, the northern part of the municipality is more rural and includes the communities of Ashburn, Brooklin, Myrtle and Myrtle Station.


Demographics

Like much of Durham Region, demographics in Whitby are characterized mainly by rapid population growth. The 2006 census population of the Town is 111,184 inhabitants, compared with the 2001 Statistics Canada total of 87 413. This represents population growth of over 27.2% in five years. The number of inhabitants has more than doubled since 1986, when Whitby had a census population of 45,800 people.

According to the 2006 Census, approximately 17.0% of Whitby's population is classified as visible minority, with Black (6.1%), South Asian (3.3%) and Chinese (1.9%) populations forming the largest individual groups

Economy

Many residents commute to work in other Greater Toronto Area communities, and General Motors Canada in Oshawa is a major employer for all of Durham Region. Whitby is itself home to a steel mill operated by Gerdau Ameristeel, a retail support centre operated by Sobeys, a major Liquor Control Board of Ontario warehouse and the Canadian headquarters of BMW. Other companies present in Whitby include pharmaceutical manufacturer Patheon, Johnson Controls, Lear Corporation, Automodular Assemblies, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and several others.


Transportation

Ontario Highway 401 runs through the south end of Whitby, with interchanges at Brock Street and Thickson Road. Proposed eastward extensions of Highway 407 will likely see that toll highway extended through Whitby to its planned terminus at the junction of Highways 35 and 115. The southern terminus of Highway 12 is also located in Whitby. It originally extended from Highway 401 northward as part of Brock Street, but this portion was downloaded to Durham Region in 1997. The southern terminus is now located just south of Brooklin at the location of a possible future interchange with Highway 407, should it be extended eastward. Finally, Highway 7 runs east-west between Brooklin and the City of Pickering. At Brooklin, the road changes to a north-south alignment and is multiplexed with Highway 12 to the northern boundary of the Town.

Four railways pass through Whitby. The Toronto-Montreal corridor main lines of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway both pass east-west through the south end of Whitby. A second CP line running from Toronto to Havelock also passes through the northern part of Whitby. VIA Rail trains travel through Whitby, but the nearest station is in Oshawa. Finally, GO Transit provides frequent weekday service via its Lakeshore East line, which (in Whitby) runs parallel to the CN tracks. A GO Station is located in Town.

Local transit services are provided by the region-wide Durham Region Transit. Prior to the Regional service, the Town provided its own service. GO Transit buses also connect Whitby with Durham Region (including Port Perry and Beaverton to the north) and areas further afield.

Whitby Harbour, an important factor in the development of the Town, is now home to a 430-berth recreational marina.