Brooklin, Ontario

Brooklin United Church has been located in the heart of the village of Brooklin, Ontario since its beginning in 1867. On Princess Street at the corner of Cassels Road among well-established, tree-lined streets sits Brooklin United Church with the manse immediately to the south.

Founded in 1840, Brooklin is an historic village, which values its past and maintains its village character while also embracing the future. New suburbs within Brooklin have quadrupled the population in the immediate catchment area of Brooklin United Church over the past 10 years. In 1997 the population of Brooklin village was 2,400, and in June 2004 it was already at 13,000 and growing.

Town of Whitby

Brooklin Village is governed by the Town of Whitby and is located in the northern section of Whitby at the intersection of Highways #7 and #12, about 30 kilometres east of Toronto.The fastest growing municipality within Durham Region, Whitby includes both urban and rural areas with a population of more than 110,000. Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Whitby is easily accessible via Highways 401 and 407 and GO trains and buses provide transportation to Toronto and the rest of Durham Region.

Education

There are currently four elementary schools, three day-care centres and two Montessori schools in Brooklin. Secondary students attend Donald A. Wilson Secondary School or Father Leo J. Austin Catholic secondary school, both of which are located a few kilometres south of Brooklin. Whitby is also home to Ecole Saint Charles Garnier, a French-language secondary school operated by the French Catholic School Board.

The Brooklin Village Library, a branch of the Whitby Public Library, is located in the heart of Brooklin and offers online catalogue access, public Internet workstations, large-print books, books on tape and compact disc, multilingual materials, and CD-ROMS for children.

Seniors

Brooklin seniors are very active in our community and Brooklin United Church. They have formed a strong network of friends and often get together for activities such as card parties, shuffleboard, golfing, and fund-raising and charitable events.

The Court at Brooklin, a large new retirement residence houses 150 residents, as does Taunton Mills, a nursing and retirement home facility. Both opened in the fall of 2003.

Health Care

Brooklin offers a wide variety of health care services, including several family physicians in the large, newly constructed medical centre. Chiropractors, dentists, therapists and pharmacies are located in the Village and Lakeridge Health Corporation in Oshawa is our closest hospital (20 minutes away); Markham-Stouffville Hospital is a 30-minute drive west and Ajax Hospital is a 30-minute drive southwest.

Recreation

Brooklin United Church is at the heart of Brooklin’s recreational activities, with many community groups and clubs meeting regularly in the Christian Education Hall.

Recreational activities for children and youth include: Scouting and Guiding groups, Navy League, Sea Cadet Corps, and Air Cadets, and Optimist Club’s pre-teen dances. There is a thriving Horticultural Society, Woodcarvers Association, Optimist and Lions Clubs, Royal Canadian Legion, Masonic and Oddfellows Lodges, and Knight’s of Columbus Council and several branches of the Canadian Pony Club.

Community Events

High on the list of the traditional things that give Brooklin its quaint, small-town character are the very popular Brooklin Spring Fair, community pancake breakfasts, Lodge Dinners, Harvest Festival, Christmas-in-the-Village celebration, United Church Beef Dinner and Strawberries in the Park, with a kick-off of Summer Music in Grass Park.

Business & Services

Downtown Brooklin is home to a number of shops and businesses, and recent additions include a new strip mall with a large grocery store, several smaller shops and national retailers such as Shoppers Drug Mart and Tim Hortons.

Spiritual Community

Brooklin has a thriving spiritual community. In addition to Brooklin United Church, there are five other churches: St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, St. Thomas Anglican Church, Renaissance Baptist Church, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Durham and Brooklin Village Church. The churches have a friendly working relationship and over the years have held combined Vacation Bible School and other events.