List of Ontario census divisions

   

In the Canadian province of Ontario, there are four different types of census divisions: single-tier municipalities, regional municipalities, counties and districts. They differ primarily in the services that they provide to their residents.

The varying structures of municipal and regional governments in Ontario can sometimes be confusing, as they result from a variety of approaches to local government, implemented at different times by different provincial governments in specific areas to serve specific needs. Due to the vast disparities among Ontario's different regions, it would be extremely difficult for a provincial government to apply a consistent, unified system across the entire province.

These divisions are used by Statistics Canada to aggregate census data. A smaller municipality within a census division is called a census subdivision.

Several census divisions in Ontario have significantly changed their borders or been discontinued entirely. For more information, see also Historic counties of Ontario.

Single-Tier Municipalities

A single-tier municipality is a census division which is governed by one municipal administration, with neither a county or regional government above it, nor further municipal subdivisions below it. A single-tier municipality is either a former regional municipality or a former county, whose municipal governments were amalgamated in the 1990s into a single administration. A single-tier municipality should not be confused with a separated municipality, which is a municipality that is administratively separated from its county, but is not considered a separate census division.

A single-tier municipality which is predominantly urban in nature may also be referred to as a megacity. Single-tier municipalities of this type (Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and Greater Sudbury) were created where a former regional municipality consisted of a single dominant urban centre and its suburbs.

Regional Municipalities

Regional municipalities (or regions) generally have more servicing responsibilities than the counties. They generally provide the following services: maintenance and construction of arterial roads, transit, policing, sewer and water systems, waste disposal, region-wide land use planning and development, as well as health and social services.

Regions are typically more urbanized than counties. Regional municipalities are usually implemented in census divisions where an interconnected cluster of urban centres forms the majority of the division's area and population. Regional municipalities which consisted of a single dominant centre and its suburbs became single-tier municipalities; those which were not so clearly dominated by a single municipality retained regional municipality status.

(Regional seats in brackets)

Counties

Counties have fewer responsibilities than regions, as the local municipalities (cities, towns, villages, townships) within the counties typically provide the majority of municipal services to their residents. The responsibilities of county governments are generally limited to the following: maintenance and construction of arterial roads, health and social services, and county land use planning. Counties are only found in Southern Ontario.

Counties may be as large as regional municipalities in population, but their population density is generally lower (although not as low as in a district.) Counties may include major cities, such as London, Kingston and Windsor, but these cities have generally not evolved into urban agglomerations with other communities, as in regions and "megacities".

Counties may also include separated municipalities, communities that are considered part of the county for census purposes but are not administratively connected to the county. Municipalities are separated when regional or single-tier status is not appropriate for the municipality's population patterns, but their population is still large enough that it may adversely affect the county's ability to provide services to its smaller communities.

County seats in brackets.

(* Brant County consists of two single-tier municipalities, Brant and Brantford, which are not governed as a county, but are still considered a single census division by Statistics Canada. Muskoka District Municipality is the only district in Ontario that provides regional scale services.)

Districts

Districts are regional areas in Northern Ontario, but these are simply territorial boundaries that do not serve any municipal government purpose. Many of these districts are comprised primarily of unincorporated lands. Some districts may have District Social Service Administration Boards, which are designed to provide certain social services, but they do not serve a governmental function.

In a district, all services are provided either by the local municipality or directly by the provincial government. Much of Northern Ontario is sparsely populated, so a county government structure would not be an efficient or cost-effective method of administration. Only one census division in Northern Ontario, the City of Greater Sudbury, has a local government which offers county-type services.

District seats in brackets.

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