A town is a sub-type of municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario. A town can have the municipal status of either a single-tier or lower-tier municipality.
Ontario has 88 towns[1] that had a cumulative population of 1,986,937 and an average population of 22,579 in the 2021 Census.[2] In the 2021 Census, Ontario's largest and smallest towns are Oakville and Latchford with populations of 213,759[3] and 355[4] respectively.
History
editUnder the former Municipal Act, 1990, a town was both an urban and a local municipality.[5] Under this former legislation, a locality with a population of 2,000 or more could have been incorporated as a town by Ontario's Municipal Board upon review of an application from 75 or more residents of the locality.[5] It also allowed the Municipal Board to change the status of a village or township to a town if it had a population of 2,000 upon review of an application from the village or township.[5]
In the transition to the Municipal Act, 2001, these requirements were abandoned and, as at December 31, 2002, every town that:[6]
- "existed and formed part of a county, a regional or district municipality or the County of Oxford for municipal purposes" became a lower-tier municipality yet retained its name as a town; and
- "existed and did not form part of a county, a regional or district municipality or the County of Oxford for municipal purposes" became a single-tier municipality yet retained its name as a town.
The current legislation also provides lower and single-tier municipalities with the authority to name themselves as "towns", or other former municipal status types such as "cities", "villages" or "townships", or generically as "municipalities".[7]
Towns in Ontario
edit| Name[1][2] | Municipal status[1] |
Geographic area[1] | Population (2021)[2] |
Population (2016)[2] |
Change (%)[2] |
Area (km2)[2] |
Population density[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Lower-tier | Durham | 126,666 | 119,677 | 5.8 | 66.64 | 1,900.6 |
| Amherstburg | Lower-tier | Essex | 23,524 | 21,936 | 7.2 | 183.76 | 128.0 |
| Arnprior | Lower-tier | Renfrew | 9,629 | 8,795 | 9.5 | 13.04 | 738.5 |
| Atikokan | Single-tier | Rainy River | 2,642 | 2,753 | −4.0 | 313.64 | 8.4 |
| Aurora | Lower-tier | York | 62,057 | 55,445 | 11.9 | 50.00 | 1,241.1 |
| Aylmer | Lower-tier | Elgin | 7,699 | 7,492 | 2.8 | 6.37 | 1,208.6 |
| Bancroft | Lower-tier | Hastings | 4,065 | 3,881 | 4.7 | 227.54 | 17.9 |
| Blind River | Single-tier | Algoma | 3,422 | 3,472 | −1.4 | 513.98 | 6.7 |
| Bracebridge | Lower-tier | Muskoka | 17,305 | 16,010 | 8.1 | 615.20 | 28.1 |
| Bradford West Gwillimbury | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 42,880 | 35,325 | 21.4 | 200.68 | 213.7 |
| Bruce Mines | Single-tier | Algoma | 582 | 582 | 0.0 | 6.09 | 95.6 |
| Caledon | Lower-tier | Peel | 76,581 | 66,502 | 15.2 | 688.82 | 111.2 |
| Carleton Place | Lower-tier | Lanark | 12,517 | 10,644 | 17.6 | 9.94 | 1,259.4 |
| Cobalt | Single-tier | Timiskaming | 989 | 1,128 | −12.3 | 2.07 | 478.5 |
| Cobourg | Lower-tier | Northumberland | 20,519 | 19,440 | 5.6 | 22.41 | 915.7 |
| Cochrane | Single-tier | Cochrane | 5,390 | 5,321 | 1.3 | 537.90 | 10.0 |
| Collingwood | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 24,811 | 21,793 | 13.8 | 33.15 | 748.3 |
| Deep River | Lower-tier | Renfrew | 4,175 | 4,109 | 1.6 | 50.27 | 83.0 |
| Deseronto | Lower-tier | Hastings | 1,747 | 1,774 | −1.5 | 2.52 | 693.5 |
| East Gwillimbury | Lower-tier | York | 34,637 | 23,991 | 44.4 | 244.91 | 141.4 |
| Englehart | Single-tier | Timiskaming | 1,442 | 1,479 | −2.5 | 2.92 | 494.2 |
| Erin | Lower-tier | Wellington | 11,981 | 11,439 | 4.7 | 298.81 | 40.1 |
| Espanola | Single-tier | Sudbury | 5,185 | 5,048 | 2.7 | 81.00 | 64.0 |
| Essex | Lower-tier | Essex | 21,216 | 20,427 | 3.9 | 277.53 | 76.4 |
| Fort Erie | Lower-tier | Niagara | 32,901 | 30,710 | 7.1 | 166.24 | 197.9 |
| Fort Frances | Single-tier | Rainy River | 7,466 | 7,739 | −3.5 | 25.55 | 292.2 |
| Gananoque | Single-tier | Leeds and Grenville | 5,383 | 5,159 | 4.3 | 7.01 | 768.4 |
| Georgina | Lower-tier | York | 47,642 | 45,418 | 4.9 | 287.69 | 165.6 |
| Goderich | Lower-tier | Huron | 7,881 | 7,628 | 3.3 | 8.54 | 923.1 |
| Gore Bay | Single-tier | Manitoulin | 808 | 867 | −6.8 | 5.14 | 157.2 |
| Grand Valley | Lower-tier | Dufferin | 3,851 | 2,956 | 30.3 | 158.60 | 24.3 |
| Gravenhurst | Lower-tier | Muskoka | 13,157 | 12,311 | 6.9 | 489.11 | 26.9 |
| Greater Napanee | Lower-tier | Lennox and Addington | 16,879 | 15,892 | 6.2 | 462.30 | 36.5 |
| Grimsby | Lower-tier | Niagara | 28,883 | 27,314 | 5.7 | 68.71 | 420.4 |
| Halton Hills | Lower-tier | Halton | 62,951 | 61,161 | 2.9 | 276.81 | 227.4 |
| Hanover | Lower-tier | Grey | 7,967 | 7,688 | 3.6 | 9.78 | 814.6 |
| Hawkesbury | Lower-tier | Prescott and Russell | 10,194 | 10,263 | −0.7 | 10.10 | 1,009.7 |
| Hearst | Single-tier | Cochrane | 4,794 | 5,070 | −5.4 | 98.06 | 48.9 |
| Huntsville | Lower-tier | Muskoka | 21,147 | 19,816 | 6.7 | 705.18 | 30.0 |
| Ingersoll | Lower-tier | Oxford | 13,693 | 12,757 | 7.3 | 12.73 | 1,075.3 |
| Innisfil | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 43,326 | 36,566 | 18.5 | 262.39 | 165.1 |
| Iroquois Falls | Single-tier | Cochrane | 4,418 | 4,537 | −2.6 | 599.03 | 7.4 |
| Kapuskasing | Single-tier | Cochrane | 8,057 | 8,292 | −2.8 | 83.98 | 95.9 |
| Kearney | Single-tier | Parry Sound | 974 | 882 | 10.4 | 528.21 | 1.8 |
| Kingsville | Lower-tier | Essex | 22,119 | 21,552 | 2.6 | 246.08 | 89.9 |
| Kirkland Lake | Single-tier | Timiskaming | 7,750 | 7,981 | −2.9 | 261.29 | 29.7 |
| Lakeshore | Lower-tier | Essex | 40,410 | 36,611 | 10.4 | 529.00 | 76.4 |
| LaSalle | Lower-tier | Essex | 32,721 | 30,180 | 8.4 | 64.96 | 503.7 |
| Latchford | Single-tier | Timiskaming | 355 | 313 | 13.4 | 152.26 | 2.3 |
| Laurentian Hills | Lower-tier | Renfrew | 2,885 | 2,961 | −2.6 | 634.31 | 4.5 |
| Lincoln | Lower-tier | Niagara | 25,719 | 23,787 | 8.1 | 162.74 | 158.0 |
| Marathon | Single-tier | Thunder Bay | 3,138 | 3,273 | −4.1 | 167.03 | 18.8 |
| Mattawa | Single-tier | Nipissing | 1,881 | 1,993 | −5.6 | 3.67 | 513.1 |
| Midland | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 17,817 | 16,864 | 5.7 | 35.33 | 504.3 |
| Milton | Lower-tier | Halton | 132,979 | 110,128 | 20.7 | 363.83 | 365.5 |
| Minto | Lower-tier | Wellington | 9,094 | 8,671 | 4.9 | 300.19 | 30.3 |
| Mississippi Mills | Lower-tier | Lanark | 14,740 | 13,163 | 12.0 | 511.25 | 28.8 |
| Mono | Lower-tier | Dufferin | 9,421 | 8,609 | 9.4 | 278.37 | 33.8 |
| Moosonee | Single-tier | Cochrane | 1,512 | 1,481 | 2.1 | 547.83 | 2.8 |
| New Tecumseth | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 43,948 | 34,242 | 28.3 | 273.87 | 160.5 |
| Newmarket | Lower-tier | York | 87,942 | 84,224 | 4.4 | 38.50 | 2,284.1 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | Lower-tier | Niagara | 19,088 | 17,511 | 9.0 | 131.35 | 145.3 |
| Oakville | Lower-tier | Halton | 213,759 | 193,832 | 10.3 | 138.94 | 1,538.5 |
| Orangeville | Lower-tier | Dufferin | 30,167 | 28,900 | 4.4 | 15.16 | 1,989.5 |
| Parry Sound | Single-tier | Parry Sound | 6,879 | 6,408 | 7.4 | 13.10 | 524.9 |
| Pelham | Lower-tier | Niagara | 18,192 | 17,110 | 6.3 | 126.35 | 144.0 |
| Penetanguishene | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 10,077 | 8,962 | 12.4 | 25.42 | 396.4 |
| Perth | Lower-tier | Lanark | 6,469 | 5,930 | 9.1 | 12.21 | 529.8 |
| Petawawa | Lower-tier | Renfrew | 18,160 | 17,187 | 5.7 | 164.70 | 110.3 |
| Petrolia | Lower-tier | Lambton | 6,013 | 5,742 | 4.7 | 12.46 | 482.6 |
| Plympton-Wyoming | Lower-tier | Lambton | 8,308 | 7,795 | 6.6 | 318.86 | 26.1 |
| Prescott | Single-tier | Leeds and Grenville | 4,078 | 4,222 | −3.4 | 4.94 | 826.0 |
| Rainy River | Single-tier | Rainy River | 752 | 807 | −6.8 | 3.12 | 241.4 |
| Renfrew | Lower-tier | Renfrew | 8,190 | 8,223 | −0.4 | 12.81 | 639.3 |
| Saugeen Shores | Lower-tier | Bruce | 15,908 | 13,715 | 16.0 | 170.19 | 93.5 |
| Shelburne | Lower-tier | Dufferin | 8,994 | 8,126 | 10.7 | 6.56 | 1,370.8 |
| Smiths Falls | Single-tier | Lanark | 9,254 | 8,780 | 5.4 | 9.66 | 958.1 |
| Smooth Rock Falls | Single-tier | Cochrane | 1,200 | 1,330 | −9.8 | 199.73 | 6.0 |
| South Bruce Peninsula | Lower-tier | Bruce | 9,137 | 8,416 | 8.6 | 530.61 | 17.2 |
| Spanish | Single-tier | Algoma | 670 | 712 | −5.9 | 106.90 | 6.3 |
| St. Marys | Single-tier | Perth | 7,386 | 7,265 | 1.7 | 12.44 | 593.8 |
| Tecumseh | Lower-tier | Essex | 23,300 | 23,229 | 0.3 | 94.59 | 246.3 |
| The Blue Mountains | Lower-tier | Grey | 9,390 | 7,025 | 33.7 | 284.65 | 33.0 |
| Thessalon | Single-tier | Algoma | 1,260 | 1,286 | −2.0 | 4.38 | 287.5 |
| Tillsonburg | Lower-tier | Oxford | 18,615 | 15,872 | 17.3 | 22.20 | 838.6 |
| Wasaga Beach | Lower-tier | Simcoe | 24,862 | 20,675 | 20.3 | 57.42 | 433.0 |
| Whitby | Lower-tier | Durham | 138,501 | 128,377 | 7.9 | 146.69 | 944.1 |
| Whitchurch-Stouffville | Lower-tier | York | 49,864 | 45,837 | 8.8 | 206.42 | 241.6 |
| Total towns | 1,986,937 | 1,810,796 | 9.7 | 16,116.72 | 123.28 | ||
| Total lower-tier towns | 1,889,270 | 1,712,616 | 10.3 | 11,825.79 | 159.76 | ||
| Total single-tier towns | 97,667 | 98,180 | -0.5 | 4,290.93 | 22.76 | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "List of Ontario municipalities". Government of Ontario. Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. August 19, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 and 2016 censuses – 100% data". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Profile table". Statistics Canada. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Profile table". Statistics Canada. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Municipal Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter M.45". Service Ontario. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "Municipal Act, S.O. 2001, Chapter 25". Service Ontario. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "The Municipal Councillor's Guide". Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved June 29, 2013.