A municipality in Ontario is "a geographic area whose inhabitants are incorporated" according to the Municipal Act, 2001.[6] 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.[5] Single and lower-tier municipalities are grouped together as local municipalities.[6] 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, which is subject to the City of Toronto Act, 2006.[7] The Municipal Act, 2001 provides lower and single-tier municipalities with the authority to incorporate as cities, towns, villages, townships, or generically as municipalities.[5][8] 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.[9] For upper-tier municipalities, the act provides them with the authority to incorporate as counties, regions and district municipalities.[5][8]
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 at 3,186.26 km2 (1,230.22 sq mi).[4] The City of Ottawa, Canada's capital city, is the province's second-most populous municipality with 1,017,449 residents.[4] 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 1.77 km2 (0.68 sq mi).[4] The first community to incorporate as a municipality in Ontario was Brockville in 1832.[10]
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".[6] Ontario has 30 upper-tier municipalities that comprise multiple lower-tier municipalities,[8] which have a total population of 7,090,079, a total land area of 87,135.68 km2 (33,643.27 sq mi). These upper-tier municipalities include 19 counties, 3 united counties and 8 regional municipalities[b] or regions, all of which represent 30 of Ontario's 49 census divisions.[6][11] 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.[8]
Ontario's Municipal Act, 2001 defines local municipality as "a single-tier municipality or a lower-tier municipality".[6] Combined, Ontario has 414 local municipalities comprising 173 single-tier municipalities and 241 lower-tier municipalities. The 414 local municipalities, which include 51 cities, 64 municipalities, 89 towns, 199 townships, and 11 villages, have a total population of 14,134,681, a total land area of 154,274 km2 (59,566 sq mi). These totals represent 99.4% of Ontario's population and 17.3% 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".[6] In southern Ontario, 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 are single-tier municipalities as upper-tier municipalities are not present. Single-tier municipalities provide for all local government services.[8] 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".[6] Ontario has 241 lower-tier municipalities comprising 19 cities, 41 municipalities, 61 towns, 114 townships and 6 villages.[8] Within regions, they are responsible for providing certain local services that are not provided by the regional municipality.[8] 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.[8]
List of local municipalities
Toronto is Ontario's capital and most populous municipality
Ottawa is the capital of Canada and Ontario's second-most populous municipality
Skyline of Mississauga, Ontario's third largest municipality by population and suburb of Toronto
Downtown Brampton, Ontario's fourth largest municipality by population and suburb of Toronto
^Although Ontario is the third-largest province in land area, it is second-largest in total area after accounting for its freshwater area.[1]
^ abcThough Muskoka and Oxford are officially named the District Municipality of Muskoka and the County of Oxford respectively, both are actually regional municipalities per the definition of "regional municipality" in Ontario's Municipal Act, 2001, which states that a regional municipality "means an upper-tier municipality that was a regional or district municipality or the County of Oxford on December 31, 2002".[6]
^Demographic information excludes the City of St. Thomas which is independent of Elgin County but included in the Elgin County Census Division.[15]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Windsor and the township of Pelee which are independent of Essex County but included in the Essex County Census Division.[16]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Kingston which is independent of Frontenac County but included in the Frontenac County Census Division.[17]
^Demographic information excludes the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory reserve, and the cities of Belleville and Quinte West which are independent of Hastings County but included in the Hastings County Census Division.[18]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Smiths Falls which is independent of Lanark County but included in the Lanark County Census Division.[20]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Brockville and towns of Gananoque and Prescott which are independent of Leeds and Grenville but included in the Leeds and Grenville Census Division.[21]
^Demographic information excludes the City of London and the Chippewas of the Thames 42, Munsee-Delaware 1, Oneida 41 reserves which are independent of Middlesex County but included in the Middlesex County Census Division. Chippewas of the Thames 42 and Oneida 41 were incompletely enumerated in the 2016 census and population figures are not included in the 2016 population.[22]
^Demographic information excludes the Moose Point 79 reserve and Wahta Mohawk Territory which are independent of District Municipality of Muskoka but included in the District Municipality of Muskoka Census Division.[23]
^Demographic information excludes the Alderville First Nation reserve which is independent of Northumberland County but included in the Northumberland County Census Division.[24]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Stratford and Town of St. Marys which are independent of Perth County but included in the Perth County Census Division.[25]
^Demographic information excludes the City of Pembroke and the Pikwakanagan (Golden Lake 39) reserve which are independent of Renfrew County but included in the Renfrew County Census Division.[27]
^Demographic information exclude the single-tier municipality of Cornwall and the Akwesasne 59 reserve which are independent of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry but included in the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Census Division.[29]
^Demographic information exclude the City of Guelph which is independent of Wellington County but included in the Wellington County Census Division.[30]
^Demographic information exclude the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation reserve which is independent of Regional Municipality of York but included in the Regional Municipality of York Census Division.[31]
^A unique set of legal powers, beyond other single-tier municipalities, is provided by the City of Toronto Act, 2006, SO 2006, c 11, Sch A.