Pelham, Ontario

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title: "Pelham, Ontario" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towns-in-ontario", "lower-tier-municipalities-in-ontario", "municipalities-in-the-regional-municipality-of-niagara"] topic_path: "general/towns-in-ontario" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham,_Ontario" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Pelham
official_name	Town of Pelham
settlement_type	Town (lower-tier)
image_skyline	Pelham place sign.JPG
flag_size	120x100px
shield_size	100x90px
pushpin_map	CAN ON Niagara#Canada Southern Ontario
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1
subdivision_type2	Region
subdivision_name2	Niagara
established_title	Settled
established_title2	Formed
established_date2	1970
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Marvin Junkin
leader_title1	Federal riding
leader_name1	Niagara West
leader_title2	Prov. riding
leader_name2	Niagara West
area_land_km2	126.43
area_footnotes
population_as_of	2016
population_footnotes
population_total	17110
population_density_km2	135.3
timezone	EST
utc_offset	-5
timezone_DST	EDT
utc_offset_DST	-4
postal_code_type	Postal Code
postal_code	L0S
area_codes	905, 289, 365
website	www.pelham.ca
::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Sugar_Maple-Acer_saccharum-Comfort_Maple_Conservation_Area-Town_of_Pelham-Ontario-OHAR5725-20221023_(1).jpg" caption="[[Comfort Maple]] in Comfort Maple Conservation Area"] ::

Pelham (2016 population 17,110) is a town located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada.

The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the township of West Lincoln, to the east the city of Welland and the city of Thorold, and to the north the city of St. Catharines and the town of Lincoln. North Pelham contains the picturesque Short Hills (see attractions). Two important creeks have their headwaters within Pelham; Coyle Creek, which flows south into the Welland River, and Twelve Mile creek, a spring-fed stream that flows north into Lake Ontario.

History

Pelham Township was part of the original Welland County since the late 1780s. The Town of Pelham derives its name from Pelham Township, which John Graves Simcoe named in the 1790s. In the beginning, the townships were only numbered and not named. The policy of Simcoe was to adopt township names from England. Pelham was named after the Pelham family though it is uncertain which particular Pelham family member it is attributed to - either Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton (nephew to 2 Prime Ministers and considered powerful and influential) or Charles Anderson Pelham (a quiet MP who spoke only once in 26 years in the House of Commons). But in fact, it turns out that it was named after early landowner Joshua Pell's family manor in Westchester County, New York—Pelham Manor—lost by the Loyalist Pells during the American Revolution (Pell went first in exile to Nova Scotia in 1783, before later being granted lands in the Niagara area after a direct appeal to George III.).

In 1922, the Village of Fonthill became a separate municipality by petitioning for land from the Township of Pelham and the Township of Thorold.

The current Town of Pelham was created in 1970 as part of area municipal restructuring through the amalgamation of the Township of Pelham, Village of Fonthill and a small portion of the Township of Thorold immediately adjacent to Fonthill.

Notable people from Pelham

Dorothy Wetherald Rungeling, C.M. spent 106 years in this town.
Steve Bauer grew up in Fenwick winning a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in cycling and later became a professional cyclist.
World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Marlene Streit also grew up in Pelham, belonged to the Lookout Point Golf and Country Club, and has a park in the Town's core named after her.
CTV's morning show Canada AM's weather and sportsman, Jeff Hutcheson currently lives in Fenwick.
Former NHL enforcer Matt Johnson was raised and lived in Fenwick, although his birthplace is listed as Welland as this is where the local hospital is located.
Natalie Mastracci, Silver Medalist for rowing at the 2012 Olympic Games went to St. Alexander School in Fonthill, Ontario
Lacrosse player Mike Accursi is from Pelham.

Government

The Town is divided into three wards, each of which elects two councillors to sit on Town Council for a period of four years. The Mayor is elected separately, serves on the Council of the Niagara Region, and (since 2006) also serves four years.

Mayors of the Town of Pelham

1970-1976: Harold Black
1976-1978: John Weldon
1978-1988: Eric Bergenstein
1988-1994: Marty Collins
1994-2003: Ralph Beamer
2003-2006: Ron Leavens
2006-2018: Dave Augustyn
2018–present: Marvin Junkin

Regional Councillors of the Town of Pelham

Regional councillors represent Pelham on Regional Municipality of Niagara Council.

2003-2018: Brian Baty
2018-2022: Diana Huson

Demographics

|title = |type = Canada |align = right |percentages = |footnote = | 1971| 9997 | 1981| 11104 | 1991| 13328 |2001| 15272 |2006| 16155 |2011| 16598 |2016| 17110

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pelham had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 126.35 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Sports and recreation

Pelham's sports include: ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Merdian_Community_Centre_-_Pelham,_ON.jpg" caption="Merdian Community Centre - Pelham, ON"] ::

Pelham Panthers

Climate

The city has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), due to the absence of a UHI to heat as in cities of latitudes equal or more to the north as Hamilton or Niagara Falls (in Dfa zone), but approaching this climatic category {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed =
| open = | metric first = y | single line = y | location = Ridgeville, elevation: 236.2 m, 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1950-2006 | Jan mean C =-4.4 | Feb mean C =-3.3 | Mar mean C =0.7 | Apr mean C =7.3 | May mean C =13.6 | Jun mean C =18.9 | Jul mean C =21.7 | Aug mean C =20.9 | Sep mean C =16.9 | Oct mean C =10.5 | Nov mean C =4.7 | Dec mean C =-1.2 | Jan high C =-1.3 | Feb high C =0.0 | Mar high C =4.5 | Apr high C =11.8 | May high C =18.5 | Jun high C =23.4 | Jul high C =26.0 | Aug high C =25.0 | Sep high C =20.9 | Oct high C =14.1 | Nov high C =7.8 | Dec high C =1.7 | Jan record high C =17.0 | Feb record high C =19.5 | Mar record high C =26.0 | Apr record high C =32.0 | May record high C =33.0 | Jun record high C =33.0 | Jul record high C =35.5 | Aug record high C =35.0 | Sep record high C =33.9 | Oct record high C =29.4 | Nov record high C =25.0 | Dec record high C =20.0 | Jan low C =-7.5 | Feb low C =-6.7 | Mar low C =-3.1 | Apr low C =2.7 | May low C =8.6 | Jun low C =14.3 | Jul low C =17.4 | Aug low C =16.7 | Sep low C =12.9 | Oct low C =6.9 | Nov low C =1.6 | Dec low C =-4.0 | Jan record low C =-25.5 | Feb record low C =-24.4 | Mar record low C =-21.0 | Apr record low C =-11.7 | May record low C =-3.5 | Jun record low C =2.8 | Jul record low C =5.0 | Aug record low C =5.0 | Sep record low C =1.1 | Oct record low C =-3.9 | Nov record low C =-12.2 | Dec record low C =-26.0 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm =67.1 | Feb precipitation mm =53.6 | Mar precipitation mm =64.2 | Apr precipitation mm =77.7 | May precipitation mm =89.2 | Jun precipitation mm =84.7 | Jul precipitation mm =83.6 | Aug precipitation mm =77.6 | Sep precipitation mm =92.6 | Oct precipitation mm =86.3 | Nov precipitation mm =90.7 | Dec precipitation mm =78.9 |rain colour = green | Jan rain mm =32.7 | Feb rain mm =30.9 | Mar rain mm =45.2 | Apr rain mm =72.3 | May rain mm =88.7 | Jun rain mm =84.7 | Jul rain mm =83.6 | Aug rain mm =77.6 | Sep rain mm =92.6 | Oct rain mm =86.1 | Nov rain mm =80.7 | Dec rain mm =53.6 | Jan snow cm =34.3 | Feb snow cm =24.0 | Mar snow cm =19.0 | Apr snow cm =5.4 | May snow cm =0.5 | Jun snow cm =0.0 | Jul snow cm =0.0 | Aug snow cm =0.0 | Sep snow cm =0.0 | Oct snow cm =0.2 | Nov snow cm =6.6 | Dec snow cm =25.3 | unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm | Jan precipitation days =11.6 | Feb precipitation days =8.4 | Mar precipitation days =10.1 | Apr precipitation days =11.6 | May precipitation days =12.0 | Jun precipitation days =10.5 | Jul precipitation days =9.9 | Aug precipitation days =9.4 | Sep precipitation days =9.9 | Oct precipitation days =11.4 | Nov precipitation days =11.7 | Dec precipitation days =11.7 | unit rain days = 0.2 mm | Jan rain days =5.2 | Feb rain days =4.1 | Mar rain days =7.4 | Apr rain days =10.9 | May rain days =12.0 | Jun rain days =10.5 | Jul rain days =9.9 | Aug rain days =9.4 | Sep rain days =9.9 | Oct rain days =11.4 | Nov rain days =10.4 | Dec rain days =7.4 | unit snow days = 0.2 cm | Jan snow days =6.8 | Feb snow days =4.8 | Mar snow days =3.4 | Apr snow days =1.2 | May snow days =0.08 | Jun snow days =0.0 | Jul snow days =0.0 | Aug snow days =0.0 | Sep snow days =0.0 | Oct snow days =0.04 | Nov snow days =1.6 | Dec snow days =5.4 |source = Environment Canada{{cite web |url= http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=4680&dispBack=0 |work= 1981 to 2010 Canadian Climate Normals |title=Ridgeville - Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data |publisher= Environment Canada |id= Climate ID: 6137161 |date= March 21, 209 |access-date= May 22, 2019}}

Communities

References

[http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3526028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Pelham&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=3526028&TABID=1 2016 Census Profile]
Alun Hughes, [https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/geography/wp-content/uploads/sites/152/The-1855-Map-of-Welland-City.pdf The Naming of Niagara's Townships]; Brock University 2013 copyright
"Pelham Heritage Masterplan 2012".
The Pelham Historical Society. "Townships, Towns and Villages".
Statistics Canada: [[Canada 1996 Census. 1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census. 2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census. 2006]], [[Canada 2011 Census. 2011]], [[Canada 2016 Census. 2016]] census
(February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". [[Statistics Canada]].
"Pelham climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Pelham weather averages - Climate-Data.org".

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