Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

is the most populous

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

with 14,223,942 residents as of

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

and is third-largest in land area at . Ontario's 444 municipalities cover only of the province's land mass yet are home to of its population. These municipalities provide local or regional municipal government services within either a single-tier or shared two-tier municipal structure. A municipality in Ontario is "a geographic area whose inhabitants are incorporated" according to the ''Municipal Act, 2001''. Ontario's three municipality types include upper and lower-tier municipalities within the two-tier structure, and single-tier municipalities ( unitary authorities) that are exempt from the two-tier structure. Single and lower-tier municipalities are grouped together as local municipalities. Of Ontario's 444 municipalities, 30 of them are upper-tier municipalities and 414 are local municipalities—241 lower-tier municipalities and 173 single-tier municipalities. The ''Municipal Act, 2001'' is the legislation that enables incorporation and stipulates governance of Ontario's municipalities, excluding the City of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, which is subject to the ''City of Toronto Act, 2006''. The ''Municipal Act, 2001'' provides lower and single-tier municipalities with the authority to incorporate as cities,

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

s, or generically as municipalities. There are no minimum population thresholds or other requirements for these municipal sub-types. A municipality can change its status to any of these so long as its resulting name is not being used by another municipality. For upper-tier municipalities, the act provides them with the authority to incorporate as counties, regions and district municipalities. Ontario's largest municipality by population is the City of Toronto with 2,794,356 residents, while the largest by land area is the City of

Greater Sudbury Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is a ...

at . The City of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, Canada's capital city, is the province's second-most populous municipality with 1,017,449 residents. Ontario's smallest municipality by population is the Township of Cockburn Island with 16 residents while the smallest by land area is the Village of Newbury at . The first community to incorporate as a municipality in Ontario was Brockville in 1832.

Upper-tier municipalities

Ontario's ''Municipal Act, 2001'' defines upper-municipality as "a municipality of which two or more lower-tier municipalities form part for municipal purposes". Ontario has 30 upper-tier municipalities that comprise multiple lower-tier municipalities, which have a total population of 7,090,079, a total land area of . These upper-tier municipalities include 19 counties, 3 united counties and 8 regional municipalities or regions, all of which represent 30 of Ontario's 49 census divisions. Regional governments are responsible for arterial roads, health services, policing, region-wide land use planning and development, sewer and water systems, social services, transit, and waste disposal, whereas county governments have the lesser responsibilities of arterial roads, county land use planning, health services, and social services.

Local municipalities

Ontario's ''Municipal Act, 2001'' defines local municipality as "a single-tier municipality or a lower-tier municipality". Combined, Ontario has 414 local municipalities comprising 173 single-tier municipalities and 241 lower-tier municipalities. The 414 local municipalities have a total population of 14,134,681, a total land area of . These totals represent of Ontario's population and of its land area.

Single-tier municipalities

Ontario's ''Municipal Act, 2001'' defines a single-tier municipality as "a municipality, other than an upper-tier municipality, that does not form part of an upper-tier municipality for municipal purposes". In

southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

, single-tier municipalities are either politically separate from but geographically within neighbouring counties or were formed through the amalgamation of upper-tier and lower-tier municipalities. All municipalities in

northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Pro ...

are single-tier municipalities as upper-tier municipalities are not present. Single-tier municipalities provide for all local government services. Ontario has 173 single-tier municipalities comprising 32 cities, 23 municipalities, 28 towns, 85 townships, and 5 villages.

Lower-tier municipalities

Ontario's ''Municipal Act, 2001'' defines a lower-tier municipality as "a municipality that forms part of an upper-tier municipality for municipal purposes". Ontario has 241 lower-tier municipalities comprising 19 cities, 41 municipalities, 61 towns, 114 townships and 6 villages. Within regions, they are responsible for providing certain local services that are not provided by the regional municipality. Within counties, they are responsible for providing a wider range of local services since counties as upper-tier municipalities provide fewer local services than regions.

List of local municipalities

Toronto skyline toronto islands b.JPG, alt=Skyline of Toronto,

is Ontario's capital and most populous municipality Centre Block - Parliament Hill.jpg, alt=Parliament Hill in Ottawa,

is the capital of

and Ontario's second-most populous municipality Downtown Mississauga.jpg, alt=Skyline of Mississauga, Skyline of

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...

, Ontario's third largest municipality by population and suburb of Toronto Brampton Dominion Building.jpg, alt=Downtown Brampton Street Level, Downtown

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it t ...

, Ontario's fourth largest municipality by population and suburb of Toronto HamiltonOntarioSkylineC.JPG, alt=Skyline of downtown Hamilton, Skyline of downtown

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

London, Ontario, Canada- The Forest City from above.jpg, alt=Skyline of London, Ontario, Skyline of downtown

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...

, the largest city in

southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake ...

by population Markham-suburbs aerial-edit2.jpg, alt=Suburban Markham, Suburban tract housing in Markham, Ontario's seventh largest municipality by population and suburb of Toronto View from the top of Behemoth (Canada's Wonderland).jpg, alt=Vaughan seen from Canada's Wonderland, Vaughan as viewed from Canada's Wonderland Arial photo of downtown Kitchener Ontario.JPG, alt=Aerial view of Kitchener-Waterloo, Downtown of Kitchener Windsor Ontario skyline.jpg, alt=Skyline of Windsor seen from Detroit, Skyline of downtown Windsor seen from

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Notes

References

External links

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and HousingMunicipal Restructuring Activity Summary Table
{{Navboxes , title = Articles related to municipalities in Ontario , state = expanded , list1 = {{Subdivisions of Ontario {{Canada topic, List of municipalities in *

Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...