The former Town of Bradford was amalgamated with portions of the former Townships of West Gwillimbury and Tecumseth to become the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury on January 1, 1991.
Holland Marsh, a region of #9 humus soil, is located partly in Bradford West Gwillimbury. The town, along with the Township of King is the governing body responsible for the maintenance of the drainage system of this source of Canada’s produce supply. In 2007 a Holland Marsh Drainage System Joint Municipal Board was created in response to a crisis of maintenance of the Holland Marsh Drainage System.[5]
The Holland River flows through the middle of the southernmost Holland Marsh polder and eventually flows out to Lake Simcoe. Geographically, the area is north of the Oak Ridges Moraine.
The current mayor of Bradford West Gwillimbury is Rob Keffer, who defeated the previous and two term mayor, Doug White, in the election of October 2014. The first mayor was Bill de Peuter, who was mayor of Bradford from 1986 to 1990.
The municipality has a mayor, a deputy mayor, and seven councillors. The administration is led by a town manager and has the following departments: clerks, building, planning, human resources, recreation, finance, engineering, facilities and parks, fire and IT. Council shared space with a courthouse at 57 Holland Street East.
Bradford West Gwillimbury and the neighbouring town of Innisfil share the South Simcoe Police Service. The town also incorporates the YNOT Bradford West Gwillimbury Youth Council, an assembly of teens, into its town discussions. The non-governmental group works to create social opportunities, including recreation facilities; enhance environmentalism; and create a political voice for the town’s youth.
Federally, the town is part of the riding of York—Simcoe, represented by Peter Van Loan of the Conservative Party, who was first elected in 2004 and was re-elected in 2006. Provincially, it is part of the riding of York—Simcoe, represented by Tory MPP Julia Munro.
