The Town of Collingwood, population (2000) estimated at 21,500, is located near the southwestly end of Georgian Bay.

Collingwood was incorporated as a Town in 1858, nine years before Confederation and was named after Admiral Collingwood, Lord Nelson’s second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar.

During the mid to late 1800’s, Collingwood was the railhead of Ontario and its harbour was the shipment point for goods destined to Western Canada. Shipping produced a need for ship repairs, so it was not long before an organized ship building business was created. On May 24, 1883, the Collingwood Shipyards, formerly known as Collingwood Dry Dock Shipbuilding and Foundry Company Limited, opened with a special ceremony. The Shipyards produced Lakers and during World War II contributed to the production of Corvettes for the Royal Canadian Navy. Shipbuilding was one of the principal industries in the town, employing as much as 10% of the total labour force. Overseas competition and over capacity in shipbuilding in Canada led to the demise of shipbuilding in Collingwood in 1986. The creation of government incentive programs and a fully serviced industrial park made it possible for Collingwood to attract eleven new manufacturing firms to the Town by 1971. Eight additional manufacturing companies had located in the Town by 1983, making Collingwood the largest industrial employer in the region.

Today, Collingwood maintains a strong industrial base including Pilkington Glass of Canada, Alcoa Wheel Products, Goodyear Canada Inc., Backyard Products Ltd., Nacan Products, Goodall Trelleborg Rubber Ltd., VOAC Inc, and Kaufman of Collingwood, which are the community’s largest employers. Collingwood is also home to Canadian Mist Whiskey, the largest selling Canadian Whiskey in the United States, and the internationally famous Blue Mountain Pottery, although the company where it was made unfortunately went out of business in 2004.

Collingwood has focused on establishing itself as a four-season tourist area. Nestled on the Southern shores of Georgian Bay and located in close proximity to Blue Mountain , a promontory of the Niagara Escarpment, the Town has become the major recreation area for the southern part of the province. Blue Mountain itself is noted for skiing, and also for some popular caves.

The Barrie-Collingwood Railway (BCRY) is a short-line railway operation involving a partnership between the City of Barrie, Town of Collingwood, current Shippers, CP Rail and the railway operator - Cando Contracting Ltd. The BCRY mandate is to provide rail service to all industries in and around Barrie and Collingwood.

Local media include the Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin and Collingwood-Wasaga Connection community newspapers, and radio station CKCB-FM (95.1, "the Peak," hot adult contemporary). The Barrie-based regional television station CKVR maintains a bureau and the Owen Sound-based Bayshore Broadcasting radio group maintains an office in Collingwood. Collingwood is also known for its annual Elvis Presley festival, which attracts Elvis impersonators from the world over.

External links

• Town of Collingwood
• Theatre Collingwood