Whitby

Town in southeast Ontario, Canada; population (1991) 61,300. It is located 43 km/27 mi east-northeast of Toronto, on Lake Ontario. Oshawa lies to the east. Industries have included the manufacture of clocks and steel production. Whitby is also a horticultural centre, known for its marigolds. The town is a rapidly expanding residential centre; the population increased by 34% between 1986–91.

Settled in the 1840s, Whitby became a grain handling centre because of its fine harbour and rail connections, then lost much of its business to Oshawa. During World War II the local ‘Camp X’ trained Allied spies and special-operations personnel.