Active Ontario Corps - a comparison of years between 1979 and 2004

Updated: September 28, 2004

I have been thinking about the state of Ontario drum corps and have recently recanted my opinion that there aren't any more. (I have been preparing an entry melodramatically called The end of Canadian jr. drum corps.)
Recently, when discussing the 2004 DCI preliminary competition in Colorado, CO with my wife I mentioned the Kiwanis Kavaliers ( Ambassador vets: "boo!" ) were competing in Division I. She said: "I thought you said there were no more Canadian corps." I had to admit, I was wrong. There are 7 Canadian corps competing at the DCI World championships (Kiwanis Kavaliers, Dutch Boy, St. Johns, Bandettes, Blue Saints, Les Stentors and Fusion. 4 from Ontario! ) and undoubtably more who didn't tour to Colorado. So it's time to come up with some data to see if drum corps in Ontario is really declining. I will start with the number of active corps in Ontario compared over a set of years that I have some information about. Later I will look at the number of contests occuring in Ontario over the same period.

This is a work in progress. I will keep adding corps as I find evidence of them.

Active = appears in parade or contest at some time that year

1979 (22)

Ambassadors, Aurora, ON
Bandettes, Sault Ste, Marie, ON
Blue Saints, Sudbury, ON
Bluewater Buccaneers, Sarnia, ON
Canadian Knights, Peterborough, ON
Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON
Durham Girls, Durham, ON
Dutch Boy Cadets, Kitchener, ON
Georgian Lancers, Owen Sound, ON
Imperials, London, ON
Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
Krescendoes, Peterborough, ON
Leamington Townsmen, Leamington, ON
Rebels, Oshawa, ON
St. Andrews, Cambridge, ON
St. Johns All Girl, Brantford, ON
Simcoe Golden Lions, Simcoe, ON
Ventures, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

sr.

Royalaires, Guelph, ON
Regionnaires, Niagara Falls, ON
Hamilton Firefighters, Hamilton, ON
Second Signals, Toronto, ON

1983 (19)

Ambassadors, Newmarket, ON
Bandettes, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Blue Saints, Sudbury, ON
Bluewater Buccaneers, Sarnia, ON
Cadets of Dutch Boy, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
Canadian Knights, Peterborough, ON
Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON
Conqueror II, Hamilton, ON
Dutch Boy, Kitchener, ON
Emerald Cadets, Mississauga, ON
Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
St. Andrews, Cambridge, ON
St. Johns, Brantford, ON
Rebels, Oshawa, ON
Ridge Raiders, Hamilton, ON
Ventures, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

Sr.

Royalaires,, Guelph, ON
Hamilton Firefighters, Hamilton, ON
Second Signals, Toronto, ON

2004 (12)

jr.

Bandettes, Sault Ste. Marie
Blue Saints, Sudbury, ON
Dutch Boy, Kitchener, ON
Kiwanis Kavaliers. Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
H.Y.P.E., Hamilton, ON
St. Johns, Brantford, ON

sr.

Grenadiers, Kingston, ON
Optimist Alumni, Toronto, ON
Kawartha Kavaliers,
United Alumni,
Hamilton Firefighters, Hamilton, ON
Second Signals, Toronto, ON
Scout House Bugle Band, Alumni