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52-570: In 1889, former British Columbia premier Amor De Cosmos was the first person who is known to have suggested Swartz Bay publicly as a feasible ferry terminal for connections to the Lower Mainland . In 1959, the search for a new ferry terminal north of Victoria involved consideration of the existing San Juan Islands ferry facilities at Sidney . Insufficiently-sheltered waters and added travel time, leading to higher fuel costs, precluded Sidney from being selected. A small private ferry dock operated by

104-460: A change of -6.1% from its 2016 population of 3,648. With a land area of 9.11 km (3.52 sq mi), it had a population density of 400.4/km (1,037.1/sq mi) in 2016 The world's very first pumpkin regatta was held in Windsor in 1999 where people carve out The Giant Pumpkins and race across lake Pisiquid. This weird regatta now includes a motorized class where a motor is attached to

156-515: A fancifully loose translation (using Latin and Greek roots ) of "Lover of the Universe", although in Portuguese and Spanish , it literally means Love of Cosmos . The name paid tribute, De Cosmos said, "to what I love most ... Love of order, beauty, the world, the universe." In 1858, De Cosmos and his brother moved on again, this time heading north to British North America as they wished to live under

208-524: A fear of electricity. As he grew older, his eccentricities intensified; he became increasingly incoherent. By 1895 he was declared insane. One of his more notable eccentricities was the founding of a hot food delivery company to prospectors in the Klondike Gold Fields. The difficult logistics of this service scared away investors and ultimately proved its downfall. He died on July 4, 1897, in Victoria at

260-564: A newspaper, The Daily British Colonist , which survives today in its current incarnation as the Victoria Times-Colonist . De Cosmos was the editor of the Colonist through 1863, and quickly established himself as an opponent of the administration of Sir James Douglas , governor of the colony and the former Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company for Vancouver Island. De Cosmos decried

312-438: A stirring orator, a master debater, and a man of great intellectual depth, De Cosmos had always been considered eccentric. Contemporaries paint a portrait of an isolated person (he never married and had few intimate friends; some claimed he had a daughter from a friend he met) with grandiose manners, prone to public outbursts of tears, and a fierce temper that sometimes degenerated into fist-fights. He had unusual phobias — including

364-437: A truck waiting in line drove up the upper ramp of the terminal's first berth and then through several guard barriers and safety netting at an increased speed. The truck then proceeded to drive off the end of the berth at a high speed and into the water. Later the same day, divers located the truck and deceased driver in the water off the end of the berth, identifying him later that week. Currently, there are five ferry berths at

416-532: Is also home to the oldest agricultural fair in North America which is held on two separate weekends in September. The first fair was held in Windsor in the year 1765 making their 250th anniversary in 2015. Windsor maintains a claim as the birthplace of hockey, based upon a reference (in a novel by Thomas Haliburton) of boys from King's Collegiate School playing "hurley", on the frozen waters of Long Pond adjacent to

468-545: Is run by a private operator under contract to BC Ferries. The terminal is located about 10 minutes from Victoria International Airport via Highway 17 . The 29-kilometre (18 mi) Lochside Regional Trail also runs south from Swartz Bay to Victoria. Swartz Bay is the only major southern terminal in the BC Ferries system without a traffic signal at its entrance or exit. Amor De Cosmos Amor De Cosmos (born William Alexander Smith ; August 20, 1825 – July 4, 1897)

520-624: The Bay of Fundy shipping routes. The railway continued westward as the Windsor and Annapolis Railway in 1870, eventually connecting to Yarmouth as the Dominion Atlantic Railway in 1893. Windsor was victim to a disastrous fire on October 17, 1897 which destroyed about eighty percent of the downtown and displaced about 2,500 people. Rebuilding took several years. In 1901 the Midland Railway

572-595: The California Gold Rush beckoned, and Smith continued west, heading overland to Placerville, California . Here he set up a new studio and prospered taking pictures of the miners and their operations. Joined by his brother, the pair moved northwest to Oroville, California , where they engaged in various unspecified entrepreneurial ventures. In 1854, Smith successfully petitioned the California State Assembly to have his name changed to "Amor De Cosmos",

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624-784: The Canadian Raid on Deerfield , Massachusetts, Benjamin Church led the Raid on Pisiquid (1704) and burned the village to the ground. In the Raid on Pisiquid, Church burned 40 houses along with out-buildings, crops and cattle. There was resistance and two Mi'kmaq were wounded. Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq. Father Le Loutre's War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax

676-599: The Carnegie Foundation and continues to this day. The King's Collegiate School continued operation on the campus and was joined by a sister girls school, 'Edgehill School', in 1890. In 1976 both institutions merged to form King's-Edgehill School , and remains the oldest independent (i.e. private) school in the Commonwealth outside of the United Kingdom . Thomas Chandler Haliburton brought fame to Windsor during

728-671: The Expulsion of the Acadians . During the French and Indian War, Fort Edward and Windsor played a significant role in the deportation, particularly the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755) . Acadians were imprisoned in the fort as they were notified about the expulsion. Acadians numbering in the thousands were deported from mainland Nova Scotia. The deportees frequently were held on board ships for several weeks before being moved to their destinations, thus exacerbating unhealthy conditions below decks and leading to

780-583: The Minas Basin , Windsor was the homeport of one of the largest fleet of sailing ships in Canada. Notable vessels registered at Windsor included Hamburg , the largest three masted barque built in Canada, and Kings County , the largest four masted barque. Following the completion of the Nova Scotia Railway 's line from Halifax in 1857, the town became an important steamship connection giving Halifax access to

832-407: The "family-company compact" of Hudson's Bay men and Douglas associates who controlled the political and social affairs of the colony, even after Douglas's retirement in 1864. De Cosmos was a liberal reformer cast in the mold of John Locke and John Stuart Mill . He argued passionately for unrestricted free enterprise, public education, an end to economic and political privileges, and — above all —

884-426: The 19th century with his writings about a clockmaker named Sam Slick . In 1878, Windsor was officially incorporated as a town. Its harbour made the town a centre for shipping and shipbuilding during the age of sail. Notable shipbuilders such as Bennett Smith built a large fleet of merchant vessels, one of the last being the ship Black Watch . As the port of registry for the massive wooden shipbuilding industry of

936-529: The Avon River downstream from the causeway due to excessive siltation. Highway 101 is scheduled to be upgraded to a 4-lane expressway in the future and there have been discussions about replacing the causeway with railroad and highway bridges to improve water flow. Today, the Avon River on the upstream side of the causeway which is obstructed from freely flowing into the Bay of Fundy is called 'Lake Pisiquid'. Situated at

988-540: The British also took firm control of peninsula Nova Scotia by building fortifications in all the major Acadian communities: present-day Windsor (Fort Edward); Grand Pre ( Fort Vieux Logis ) and Chignecto ( Fort Lawrence ). (A British fort already existed at the other major Acadian centre of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia . Cobequid remained without a fort.) Many Acadians left this region in the Acadian Exodus , which preceded

1040-598: The British flag once again. They also sensed an opportunity in the booming city of Victoria , capital of the Colony of Vancouver Island . The city, since 1843 a quiet village of about 300 until the spring of that year, was just entering an economic boom as it became a jumping-off point for miners headed to the New Caledonia (now mainland British Columbia) to participate in the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush . De Cosmos founded

1092-543: The British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726), which were signed after Dummer's War . The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754). Within 18 months of establishing Halifax,

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1144-608: The Gulf Islands Ferry Company already existed at Swartz Bay when the choice was made to locate the BC Ferry Corporation terminal there. As a result of the decision, a paved extension of the Patricia Bay Highway to reach the terminal was undertaken. The first scheduled sailing from the terminal, described as a "mudhole" because of the continuing construction, occurred on June 15, 1960. On September 1, 1961,

1196-546: The Royals brand. However, the newly named team lasted just one season before relocating to Chester, Nova Scotia as the Castaways . The town operates under a Council/Manager system of local government consisting of current elected Mayor Anna Allen, current Deputy Mayor Laurie Murley, three elected Councillors, Dave Sealey, Liz Galbraith, and John Bergante and a Chief Administrative Officer, Louis Coutinho. The sister city of Windsor

1248-577: The Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Completed in 2006, the Swartz Bay Berth 2 project involved the replacement of the old marine structures and counter-weighted ramp lift system with a $ 25 million state-of-the-art floating berth. The terminal provides BC Ferries service to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal on the mainland, as well as all the major southern Gulf Islands . In the mid-1990s, a major terminal renovation

1300-497: The Vancouver Island portion . De Cosmos also became an opponent of land concessions to First Nations in the province, seeing it as a hindrance to British Columbia's economic growth and settlement by those of European descent. It is generally conceded that De Cosmos's tenure as a member of the dominion parliament was undistinguished . De Cosmos lost the 1882 federal election and retired to Victoria. Although widely regarded as

1352-641: The West Hants Regional Municipality. Having migrated from Port Royal, Nova Scotia , the Acadians were the first Europeans to settle in Pisiguit by the early 1680s. French census records dated 1686 list well established farms utilizing dyked marshlands. During Queen Anne's War , in response to the Wabanaki Confederacy of Acadia military campaign against the New England frontier and

1404-550: The age of 71. Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County , Nova Scotia , Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Highway 101 . The community has a history dating back to its use by the Mi'kmaq Nation for several millennia prior to European colonization. When the Acadians lived in the area, the town

1456-539: The approaching Queen of Nanaimo , which utilized its hoses to help keep the blaze at bay. Residents have expressed noise concerns over the years, and the matter has been raised in the Legislative Assembly . Concerns have also been expressed ranging from terminal expansion to the shooting of pigeons by ferry staff. On September 14, 2000, the ferry Spirit of Vancouver Island struck a pleasure craft just off Swartz Bay, killing two individuals. On May 20, 2011,

1508-535: The company that built and used the smaller original dock at Swartz Bay was bought out by BC Ferries. In the SENĆOŦEN language spoken by Indigenous W̱SÁNEĆ people of the area, the bay's name is ŚJEL¸KES. A fire, caused by a cutting torch , led to $ 500,000 worth of damage to the terminal in December 1981. It destroyed part of the passenger walkway and a wingwall, prior to being contained by terminal staff, firefighters and

1560-562: The confluence of the Avon and St. Croix rivers, which flow into the Minas Basin . The highest temperature ever recorded in Windsor was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 19 August 1935. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −32.5 °C (−26.5 °F) on 7 February 1993. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the Former Town of Windsor recorded a population of 3,425 living in 1,556 of its 1,679 total private dwellings,

1612-499: The deaths of hundreds. Many hundreds more were lost through ship sinkings and disease on board ships while en route to ports in Britain's American colonies, Britain, and France. The British also broke apart families and sent them to different places. Their justification for this was to more efficiently put people on the boats. This resulted in more loss of life as families could not survive without essential members. The Township of Windsor

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1664-401: The efforts of New Brunswick officials to bring the trade under their control. The University of King's College and its secondary school, King's Collegiate School , were founded in 1788-1789 by United Empire Loyalists as Anglican academic institutions. The college remained in the community until a disastrous fire on February 3, 1920. In 1922 it moved to Halifax, with the assistance of

1716-554: The influence of the Nova Scotia politician and reformer, Joseph Howe . In 1845, at the age of 20 he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In 1852, he left for New York on a steam ship stopping first in Boston. He settled in Kanesville, Iowa (today known as Council Bluffs ), for two months where he established a daguerreotype gallery. But the following year the lure of

1768-489: The institution of responsible government through an elected assembly. However, true to the Victorian spirit of the age, De Cosmos was also a proponent of social progress through economic and population growth. He was a tireless advocate for economic diversification, being one of the first British Columbians to argue for a policy of encouraging development of the "three F's" — farming, forestry, and fisheries — that would underpin

1820-599: The junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers , it is the largest community in the District of the Municipality of West Hants and had a 2001 population of = 3,779 residents. Prior to the county being divided into separate municipal districts, Windsor had served as the shire town of the county. The region encompassing present day Windsor was originally part of Pisiguit , a Mi'kmaq term meaning "Junction of Waters". This name referred to

1872-464: The position. McCreight resigned in 1872 on a motion of non-confidence , and on December 23, 1872, Trutch asked De Cosmos to form a new government as Premier. De Cosmos populated his cabinet with reformers, mostly born in North America, many of whom would come to dominate provincial politics for the generation. His government pursued an agenda of political reform, economic expansion, and the development of public institutions—especially schools. De Cosmos

1924-583: The pumpkin with a flotation device. Windsor is the location of the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia . The theatre supports a touring troupe, which performs locally and internationally, as well as many children's theatre programs. Windsor, NS is home to numerous attractions beginning with the claim to being the birthplace of hockey. Windsor is home to both the Cradle of Hockey which is home to Long Pond where hockey began beside Howard Dill's Farm. The town of Windsor

1976-496: The region's economy for the next century. As the child of American refugees and having lived six years in the United States , De Cosmos developed a sharpened sense of nationalism . This was expressed in a growing protectionist economic sentiment, and the belief that the colonies of British North America needed to be self-supporting, develop a distinct identity, and form a political and economic union. From such policies, emerged

2028-485: The school's campus during the early 19th century. Students from King's-Edgehill School still play hockey on Long Pond, a pond proclaimed by some as the "Cradle of Hockey", located at the farm of Howard Dill . Windsor also boasts the oldest hockey arena in Canada, the Stannus Street Rink , which no longer hosts hockey games. The town's current arena is Hants Exhibition Arena . The town was also recently involved in

2080-418: The second cause through his position as a member of the assembly of the merged, larger British Columbia from 1867 to 1868 and 1870 to 1871, and as the leading force (with Robert Beaven and John Robson ) behind the colony's Confederation League. Through the instrumental role De Cosmos played in realizing these two goals, he earned for himself his reputation as British Columbia's Father of Confederation . At

2132-622: The shooting of a television series called Road Hockey Rumble . The town of Windsor was also home to the historic Windsor Royals Jr. B Hockey Club , as well as the Avon River Rats Jr. C Hockey Club. The Windsor Royals Jr. B club ceased playing in the spring of 2012, but was ultimately replaced by the Valley Maple Leafs. Facing issues regarding their copyright, in June 2018 the River Rats revived

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2184-499: The time of British Columbia's entry into Confederation on July 20, 1871, De Cosmos was the leading pro-Confederation figure in the new province . That year, he was elected to represent Victoria in both the provincial legislature and the House of Commons . Despite his prominence — or perhaps because of it — Lieutenant Governor Sir Joseph Trutch passed over De Cosmos for the job of Premier , instead asking John Foster McCreight to assume

2236-576: The town. The Windsor and Hantsport Railway took over operations from the Dominion Atlantic in 1993, making Windsor its headquarters. Rail service continued until 2011 when a crash in the gypsum market ended gypsum shipments and the railway was mothballed. In 1970, the construction of a flood-control causeway carrying Highway 101 and the Dominion Atlantic Railway across the Avon River closed Windsor off from shipping and has affected navigation in

2288-520: The two great causes of his later career: the union of Vancouver Island and British Columbia , and the merged Colony of British Columbia's entry into the Canadian Confederation . To advance the first cause, De Cosmos left journalism and entered politics, becoming a member of the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island from 1863 until its union with the Colony of British Columbia in 1866. He advanced

2340-564: Was a Canadian journalist , publisher and politician . He served as the second premier of British Columbia . Amor De Cosmos was born William Alexander Smith in Windsor, Nova Scotia , to United Empire Loyalist parents. His education included a stint at King's College in Windsor, following which, around 1840, he became a mercantile clerk in Halifax , Nova Scotia. There he joined the Dalhousie University debating club and came under

2392-512: Was a member of a group of entrepreneurs that saw an opportunity for a steel industry in B.C. using the newly discovered iron deposits on Texada Island, coal from Vancouver Island with a smelter and rolling mill in Vancouver. Rails for the transcontinental railway proposed western construction starting in Vancouver to meet the push from the east would provide the immediate market for the product. Involving himself in this venture in his position as Premier

2444-544: Was built across Hants County, connecting Windsor with Truro. The central location of Windsor on the railway fostered the growth of numerous factories such as textile mills, fertilizer plants and furniture factories. The home of one of the industrialist families of this era, the Shands, is preserved today in Windsor as the Shand House Museum . Windsor was affected by another major fire on 6 January 1924, which destroyed part of

2496-594: Was considered a conflict of interest and precipitated the Texada Scandal and the second B.C. Royal Commission of Inquiry. He resigned as Premier. The Commission however found him not guilty. Despite having resigned as Premier, De Cosmos continued to be re-elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Victoria City . Consistent with federal promises to place the terminus of the transcontinental railway in Victoria, De Cosmos, in Ottawa , pushed for completion, especially of

2548-522: Was founded in 1764 by New England Planters . The next year, its first Agricultural Fair was held. This fair is still continued today, and is the oldest and longest-running such fair in North America. In the American Revolution , Windsor was an important British stronghold. Fort Edward was the headquarters in Atlantic Canada for 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) . A relief force

2600-613: Was mustered at Windsor to crush the American-led siege at the Battle of Fort Cumberland in 1776. Following the American Revolution, Windsor was settled by United Empire Loyalists . Windsor developed its gypsum deposits, usually selling it to American markets at Passamaquoddy Bay . Often this trade was illegal; in 1820, an effort to stop this smuggling trade resulted in the "Plaster War," in which local smugglers resoundingly defeated

2652-580: Was raided by New England forces in 1704. The area was central to both Father Le Loutre's War and the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Bay of Fundy Campaign in 1755. The town promotes itself as the birthplace of ice hockey and was the home of Canada's first internationally best-selling author, Thomas Chandler Haliburton . On April 1, 2020, the Town of Windsor amalgamated with the District of West Hants to become

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2704-497: Was undertaken. The Seaspan Ferries Corporation also has a terminal here. The terminal includes an administration building, and various kiosks run by local artisans and other vendors mainly in the warmer months. There is also a cafeteria and coffee shop in the main building. The terminal is served by several Victoria Regional Transit System public transit routes, with Route 70 providing express bus service to and from downtown Victoria in about an hour. Short and long-term pay parking

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