1 MacDonald Square

Welcome to Elora. Before we begin, we acknowledge that the lands we know today as the Township of Centre Wellington have been home to Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial. We acknowledge that we are on the treaty lands and traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee.

With increasing encroachment by non-Indigenous settlers in the Township of Centre Wellington, the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee could not continue their traditional lifestyle and settled in their villages along the Credit River and in the Grand River Valley. These Indigenous Nations uphold their Treaty Rights within our jurisdiction.

Today, the Township of Centre Wellington remains home to Indigenous Peoples from across Turtle Island. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share and respect Mother Earth and are committed to building constructive and cooperative relationships with Indigenous Nations.

As we spend some time thinking about how this community has been shaped, we do so with respect for the people, relationships, and histories that came long before the streets and buildings we will encounter along the way.

This tour was created in recognition of World Town Planning Day. A chance to explore some of the decisions, ideas, and changes that have shaped Elora, and continue to do so to this day. And this seems like the perfect place to begin.

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You’ve probably come here to pay a bill, attend a meeting, cast a ballot, ask a question, or maybe just to use the parking lot.

I’ve been part of Elora’s civic life in one form or another for much longer than my current name suggests. In the nineteenth century, this part of Elora was known as Market Square. A large brick market hall was built nearby in 1874. Farmers and merchants came here to do business; there were produce and butcher stalls inside, a grain buyer's office, and even municipal weigh scales nearby for livestock and loads of grain. Over time, the building became better known as Elora's Town Hall. So, people have been coming to this area to trade, gather, and make community decisions for roughly 150 years.

The Civic Centre you see today opened in 1994. And here's a detail that catches people sometimes: MacDonald Square isn't named for Canada's first prime minister. It honours Jack MacDonald, whose family's charitable fund helped establish the new municipal building. The road in front of it was given his name when the building opened.

Five years later, the municipal map changed again. In 1999, Elora joined Fergus and the former townships of Nichol, Pilkington, West Garafraxa, and part of Eramosa to form the Township of Centre Wellington. But the map has been changing for much longer than that.

The Village of Elora was first surveyed in 1832, close to the falls of the Grand River. Early accounts point to several reasons for the location: fertile surrounding farmland, water power for mills, and even the scenery. Those early choices are still readable in the community around you. So are the choices being made today.

The location of streets, relationship between buildings and sidewalks, mix of shops and homes, places set aside for public use, and buildings that have been kept, adapted, or replaced all tell part of Elora’s planning story. Some of these decisions were made generations ago. Others are much more recent.

From here, we’re going to leave the Civic Centre and start looking at how those decisions show up on the ground. For our first example, make your way north across Colborne Street towards 175 Geddes Street, one of the newer additions to part of downtown. As you walk, pay attention to the buildings around you. Notice how close they sit to the street, what happens at the ground floor, and where people live in relation to the shops and services below.