February 2017 | Business View Magazine

178 179 Brantford, Ontario Brantford, Ontario A leader inwastewater treatment optimization T he City of Brantford is a community of 96,000 residents located in the heart of southern Ontario and situated on the picturesque Grand River.With its diverse manufacturing sector and continually growing post-secondary presence, Brantford is transforming itself to meet the challenges of a new economy. Offering metropolitan amenities with a charming small town feel, Brantford is a lively community with a rich industrial legacy and historic neighbourhoods. The area that became Brantford was first settled by the Attawandarons, a branch of the Iroquois Nation, well before the 17th century. In 1784, Joseph Brant, a Mohawk military and political leader, moved with the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy from New York State to Canada, and as a reward for their loyalty to the British Crown during the American War for Independence, were given a large tract of land on the Grand River. The original Mohawk settlement was on the south edge of the present-day city, at a location favorable for landing canoes. Brant’s crossing of the river is the origin of the City’s name: Brant’s ford. By 1847, European settlers began to settle further up the river and named their village Brantford. The city was incorporated in 1877. Brantford is sometimes known as the “Tele- phone City,” because former city resident, Alex-