Neighbourhood Blog (Streetsville)

The Un-official Streetsville Neighbourhood Blog

All Photography & Blog By: William Romberg

From Humble Beginnings

The History of Streetsville

In 1818, what property was left on the banks of the Credit River was handed over to the British Government. A man named Timothy Street, who came from the Niagara township was sent to supervise the acquisition of the plot of land. In return for his work, he was given 1000 acres of land in the new town. In 1824 his land was granted the name Streetsville.

Timothy Street Park

The five milling sites built in the area gave Streetsville its robust economic strength. The mills were located along a section of the Credit River, five miles wide. In 1850 Streetsville was known as the “Queen of the Country.” Mr. Street built a house for his family near his mill in 1825 and it remains today. It is protected as a reminder of Streetsville’s heritage.

Timothy Street's House

The first general store in Streetsville, now known as Montreal House, is still standing in Streetsville’s main square.

Montreal House

Going Somewhere?

Points of Interest

Streetsville Memorial Park

Is located along the banks of the Credit River in Mississauga, south of Bristol Road. The park offers many recreation opportunities including a soccer field; a baseball diamond; the Vic Johnston arena; an outdoor pool; a community centre; a playground; and numerous nature trails.   Every year, the Streetsville Memorial Park hosts concerts and sporting events, and is a main location for the Streetsville Bread & Honey Festival.

Vic Johnston Arena

Streetsville Square

Is located near the centre of Streetsville on Queen St. The area is dotted with stores and small businesses. Stores include; Wandering Minstrel Music School, Second Cup, Murphy’s Ice Cream, and Montreal House. Other buildings cater to sports, apparel, health and wellness, financial services, and art/entertainment.

Streetsville Square

Streetsville Square Memorial

Fast and Furious

A Quick Look at a Local Issue

The roads around Streetsville are old ad breaking up along many of the streets. Large cracks, potholes and sinkholes have been growing throughout Streetsville’s backyard. The roads have been pockmarked for quite a while and, without continued support from construction companies or other companies maintaining the roads, it continues to grow worse. The back roads are completely overlooked, while main road construction is avoided for fear of creating too much traffic congestion on other available routes because the one lane or no lane status of the roads will keep people out of their regular routes and overflow into other route. That would also cause more slowing because people would be driving in unfamiliar territories. After consistent complaining, some of the roads have started to be re-constructed. This construction has caused traffic to move slower along some roads. Many more of the streets, however, are still in dire need of an overhaul.

Roads in Need of Overhaul

Did-Ya Hear?
A Recent News Story

Community wants Streetsville Square Closed to Traffic

The community in and around Streetsville is debating on whether to close off Streetsville Square from traffic. The plan of action is to create a walkable shopping zone. On October 15, 2012 a public meeting was convened at the Streetsville Kinsmen Senior Citizen’s Centre. The local residents wanted the main square in Streetsville to be traffic-free. Parents are concerned that the traffic congestion is keeping them from crossing streets to shop and children are having difficulty navigating the busy streets. Emily Munroe, director of programs and partnerships with the non-profit organization, 8-80 Cities, says that about 48% of Mississauga residents are overweight and would be benefitted from having an area where they can (or must) walk to their destination.

Streetsville Square, Main Intersection

Sophie Gonnet says we could see more community based events in the square if this plan comes to fruition. Hazel McCallion says she has received resistance when trying to close the roads before but she still supports the idea. She also provides a compromise, stating that the closure does not have to be year long.

Streetsville Square

Neighbourhood Watch
A Neighbour's Profile

To give a little personality to the blog I interviewed one of my neighbours who lives only four door down from my house. He has lived in this neighbourhood for over twenty-two years and has had the privilege to witness a lot of the development of the local area. His name is Sheik (I chose to omit his last name for privacy). The reason he and his wife chose to live here in the first place is location, location, location. His backyard back out into a park, and he says the neighbours are great people who help each other. The community is a “very positive” one, in his opinion. He is a member of the townhouse cluster’s board which sorts out finances and deals with filed complaints. The most shocking thing he remembers about his time living here is that, at one point in time, a local gang was stealing cars, but worry not, the hooligans are off to broader horizons now.

The full interview (with his last name edited out for privacy reasons) is available below, with my written transcription.

THE FULL AUDIO CLIP WAS MEANT TO BE AVAILABLE, BUT THE FILE WOULD NOT CO-OPEREATE.

-Transcribed Neighbourhood Blog Interview

Luke's Note [Sheik's name is pronounced "shake"]

TRANSCRIPTION BEGINS

Luke: Alright, for the interview for… this neighbourhood blog for Streetsville, I'm going to be interviewing one of my neighbours. So, I'm going to start off by asking, what's your name?

Sheik: Sheik.

Luke: Alright, and how long have you lived in this neighbourhood?

Sheik: Twenty-two years, plus.

Luke: And what was it about this neighbourhood that really made you… want to live here?

Sheik: I'm backing onto a park, but most of all, great neighbours.

Luke: What do you think of the general attitude of this community?

Sheik: Pretty positive. Very positive about everything. Everybody helps each other.

Luke: Do you take part in any activities around the area?

Sheik: I don't, but I do attend meetings. Board meetings, see how the community is doing.

Luke: Ok. What kinds of things do you do at the… board meetings?

Sheik: We discuss finances, what's in need to be repaired, if there's any complaints. They address it, they, or they try to address it, on time.

Luke: Do you remember any shocking events, good or bad, that happened around this neighbourhood?

Sheik: At a certain point there was a little theft going on with cars, and breaking and entering, but that seems to have stopped. The kids are all grown up and moved on.

Luke: Are there any points of interest you would recommend for someone who's visiting around here to, take a look at?

Sheik: Yeah, Streetsville. Nice small community.

Luke's Note [We actually live a just outside of Streetsville, this is why he said this as his answer.]

Luke: Anything more specific in the community? Around Streetsville?

Sheik: Oh, the Credit river is nice to walk along, theres nice footpaths… bike trails.

Luke: Ok, so is there anything that I haven't covered that you would want to talk about?

Sheik: In the community? Nnnnnot really, it just seems a lot of construction, but thats… part of living, I guess.

Luke: Yeah?

Sheik: Yeah.

Luke: Alright, well, thanks for the interview, I… really appreciate it.

Luke's Note[Regardless of the pause, I really did appreciate it. He's a great guy.]

Sheik: You're more than welcome.