Southern Ontario is a primary region of the Canadian province of Ontario . It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% of Canada's population of 37 million. The region lies south of the province's other primary region, Northern Ontario , although the exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disputed. However, its core region is situated south of Algonquin Park , the latter being in an area of transition between coniferous forest north of the French and Mattawa Rivers and southern deciduous forest . It covers between 14 and 15% of the province, depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts which also lie in the transitional area between northern and southern forest regions. Southern Ontario differs greatly from Northern Ontario , having a much higher population density, a different climate, and a different culture than its northern counterpart. It is broken into smaller subregions, including Central Ontario , Eastern Ontario , the Golden Horseshoe , and Southwestern Ontario .
70-572: The York Region District School Board ( YRDSB ), until 1999, English-language Public District School Board No. 16 is the English-language public school board for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario , Canada. The York Region District School Board is the province's third-largest school board after Toronto's TDSB and Peel's PDSB , with an enrolment of over 122,000 students. It is in
140-684: A "metro area", the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), roughly bundles together population figures from the core municipality with those from "commuter" municipalities. Note: A city's metropolitan area may actually be larger than its CMA. For example; Oshawa is part of the Greater Toronto Area ; however, it is considered its own CMA. The region is broken up into 40 census divisions , including 22 counties , eight regional municipalities , nine single-tier municipalities and depending on its inclusion, one district . The line between
210-647: A center located in Vaughan that provides mental health services to individuals who are in need of psychological treatment and assessment. Counselling Services for York Region helped lobby for the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program which was successfully implemented by Ontario Health. The program was advocated through Advocacy York Region . The arterial road network in York Region is a grid, with most roads running north–south or east–west. This
280-579: A combination of water from Lake Ontario and underground wells. Some wells are maintained by the Region and the rest privately. Water is distributed from 14 water pumping stations and stored at 37 elevated tanks and reservoirs: Southern Ontario The core area of Southern Ontario is part of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , which extends northeast into southern Quebec . The transitional northern area of this primary region extends north to
350-555: A commuter train system called the GO Train , which is supplemented by a network of bus services. There are several major international airports, including the busiest airport in the country, Toronto Pearson International Airport (ranked 15th busiest worldwide by flights in 2014), Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport , John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport , London International Airport , and Region of Waterloo International Airport . Many Southern Ontarians living close to
420-568: A large portion of Northern Ontario did not become part of Ontario until 1912. The French explored and colonized Territorial Southern Ontario in the 17th century and forged relations with the Wyandot Huron people, based around the Georgian Bay/Lake Simcoe area. Other Iroquoian speaking people to the south were the Petun and Neutral Nation , and further northeast, Algonquins inhabited
490-535: A meeting in Richmond Hill on May 6, 1970, officials representing the municipalities of York County approved plans for the creation of a regional government entity to replace York County. The plan had been presented in 1969 by Darcy McKeough , the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs , taking about a year to determine municipal boundaries within the new regional government. The Regional Municipality of York
560-576: A service and knowledge economy. Toronto is home to the country's financial sector, including the major Canadian banks and Toronto Stock Exchange . Ottawa, the national capital, is home to the Government of Canada and most government departments and agencies, in addition to having a strong technology sector. Some parts of Southern Ontario are heavily entwined with bordering cities in New York and Michigan in terms of industry and people. The focus areas are
630-644: A single-tier municipality, claiming it would save millions of dollars. The idea was met with immediate disapproval from all other York Region mayors, excluding Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca , who had not publicly expressed an opinion at the time. Scarpitti was criticized for not consulting with the other mayors about his proposal before publicly announcing it, which the others mayors saw as dramatic. Ford later announced that he had no interest in Scarpitti's proposal to amalgamate, and that any future proposals which were to be seriously considered must be deliberated among all of
700-675: Is Canada's largest airport. Markham Airport is a private aerodrome in Markham. There are also a few small airports with unpaved runways serving the region: Hare Field in Holland Landing (East Gwillimbury), Belhaven Airport in Georgina, and Stouffville Aerodrome north of Stouffville. Buttonville Municipal Airport was a larger regional airport in Markham that was used for general aviation and business aircraft. It closed in November 2023. York Region
770-516: Is Canada's most populated area. Toronto is notable for its multiculturalism and cosmopolitan nature: Southern Ontario also features in the literary genre of Southern Ontario Gothic , a major strand in Canadian literature. Southern Ontario has a highly developed transport system, including many highways , airports, ports, trains, and buses. The freeway system in Southern Ontario is referred to as
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#1733092724630840-480: Is due to many factors, including the more arable land in the south, its more moderate climate, well-used transportation (water, land, and air) routes, as well as a long history of early European settlers and colonialism . For thousands of years, Ontario has been home to indigenous aboriginal communities, with numerous nations with differing languages at the time of European contact. Over 200,000 aboriginal Canadians live in Southern Ontario today. Southern Ontario
910-937: Is home to several professional sports teams, including the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL ; the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball ; the NBA's Toronto Raptors ; soccer's Toronto FC in MLS and Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League ; and three teams in the Canadian Football League —the Hamilton Tiger-Cats , Ottawa Redblacks , and Toronto Argonauts . The region also hosts
980-537: Is not uncommon in the region. In the summer months, Southern Ontario is susceptible to tornadoes but far more often, straight line wind damage, hail and localized flooding from severe thunderstorms. Although the majority of tornadoes rarely cause excessive damage, the region is on the periphery of Tornado Alley and (F4) tornadoes touchdown every few decades, causing widespread damage. Southern Ontario also gets hurricane remnants, floods , ice storms , heavy fog , hail , and blizzards . Small earthquakes occur in
1050-542: Is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe . The regional government is headquartered in Newmarket . As of the 2021 census , York Region's population was 1,173,334, with a growth rate of 5.7% from 2016. The Government of Ontario expects its population to surpass 1.5 million residents by 2031. The three largest cities in York Region are Markham , Vaughan and Richmond Hill . At
1120-682: Is referred to as " Regional Chair and CEO ". Wayne Emmerson, a former mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville, was elected to this office in December 2014. In October 2008, York Regional Municipality was named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. Starting with the 2015 federal election , York Region encompasses all or part of the federal electoral districts of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill , King—Vaughan , Markham—Stouffville , Markham—Thornhill , Markham—Unionville , Newmarket—Aurora , Richmond Hill , Thornhill , Vaughan—Woodbridge , and York—Simcoe . Provincially, York Region
1190-499: Is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by Members of Provincial Parliament. As of 2018, the provincial electoral districts are the same as the federal districts in most of Ontario. In May 2023, Premier Doug Ford announced that he would look to dissolve and restructure existing regional municipalities where deemed prudent. In response, Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti publicly proposed amalgamating York Region into
1260-549: Is served by: Until 2001, the towns of York Region operated separate public transit services, which did not connect very well with each other. YRT was created by the Regional Government to combine five of these services: Since 2001, bus routes have been extensively enhanced in the five communities which had pre-existing services, but YRT's services to East Gwillimbury is limited to two routes, and service to King, Georgina and Whitchurch-Stouffville are even more limited due to
1330-411: The 2021 Canadian census , English is the mother tongue of 45.5% of the residents of York Region. Cantonese is the mother tongue for 9.7% of the population, followed by Mandarin (8.7%), Italian (4.0%), Persian (4.4%) and Russian (3.1%). As of 2021, the most common ethnic groups are Chinese (22.6%), Italian (12.5%) and English (7.4%). According to the 2021 census, the most reported religion among
1400-461: The Buffalo–Niagara , Sarnia and Detroit–Windsor . Many people work and live on opposite sides of the border. The NEXUS program for frequent travelers across the border is increasing in popularity among bordering communities. Other areas with heavy trade traffic with Southern Ontario include Montreal and the province of Quebec , parts of northern Ohio , and western Pennsylvania . Most of
1470-649: The Canadian Museum of History and the Royal Ontario Museum . Niagara Falls is the 6th most visited attraction by domestic and international tourists worldwide, with over 14 million tourists annually. In 2006, Toronto was the 14th most visited city by international tourists in the world, with over 4.1 million visitors in the year. Ottawa is the most visited city in Canada by domestic tourists, hosting over 6.9 million Canadian visitors per year. Southern Ontario
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#17330927246301540-719: The Canadian Open in golf and Rogers Cup in tennis. The area sponsors many internationally renowned festivals and events, including Toronto International Film Festival , Winterlude , Caribana , Bluesfest , Pride Week , Kitchener Oktoberfest , Havelock Jamboree , Toronto Indy , Sarnia Bayfest , Canada Day in Ottawa, International Freedom Festival in Windsor , Stratford Festival , Shaw Festival and Virgin Festival . Several large legal gambling establishments have been built throughout
1610-579: The E. C. Row Expressway . Southern Ontario also has several border crossings with the United States. The Ambassador Bridge , Detroit–Windsor Tunnel , and Blue Water Bridge connect the region with the U.S. state of Michigan , while the Peace Bridge , Rainbow Bridge , Whirlpool Rapids Bridge , Lewiston–Queenston Bridge , Thousand Islands Bridge , Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge , and Seaway International Bridge link Southern Ontario with
1680-652: The Great Lakes . The Niagara Escarpment offers hiking, skiing, and hundreds of waterfalls, including Niagara Falls . The Ottawa River has white-water rafting which attracts rafters and kayakers from all over the world. Ontario Parks governs all provincial parks, and Parks Canada governs all national parks . Southern Ontario is home to both Canada's capital city (Ottawa), and Canada's largest city (Toronto). Southern Ontario communities have 13 telephone area codes : 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 382, 416, 437, 519, 548, 613, 647, 705, and 905. Statistics Canada's measure of
1750-475: The Greater Toronto Area . The area has a large manufacturing sector. Since the mid-2000s, Ontario has produced more vehicles per year than the state of Michigan . In a cross-border definition, a swath of Southern Ontario could be considered a part of the Rust Belt . Factory closings because of industry restructuring and globalization (corresponding movement of jobs overseas and to non-unionized labour markets in
1820-887: The King's highways system, or the 400 series highways . The freeways are digitally monitored by the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) using the COMPASS-Freeway Traffic Management System With the long-awaited upgrade of Highway 406, all the freeways in Ontario are at least 4 lanes wide, fully controlled with interchanges and divided. The major freeways are 400 , 401 , 402 , 403 , 404 , 405 , 406 , 407 (Toll) , 409 , 410 , 412 , 416 , 417 , 418 , 420 , 427 , Don Valley Parkway , Gardiner Expressway , Queen Elizabeth Way , Queensway , Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway , Red Hill Valley Parkway , Conestoga Parkway , and
1890-569: The McMichael Canadian Art Collection , in the community of Kleinburg, that features works by Canadian artists including Inuit and First Nations artists. Canada's Wonderland , which features roller coasters and other rides, concerts and fireworks shows, is also in Vaughan. Heritage sites and historical museums in the Region include: Following is a sample of other attractions in the area: There are currently four hospitals within
1960-616: The Michigan or New York State borders use either Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport or Buffalo Niagara International Airport as their local airport. Southern Ontario has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. The average highs in July for the region range between 25 and 29 °C (77 and 84 °F). The average high in January ranges from −6 to 0 °C (21 to 32 °F). The highest recorded temperature in Southern Ontario
2030-513: The Oak Ridges Moraine and over 2,070 hectares of regional forest, in addition to the built-up areas of its municipalities. The highest point in the region is within the rolling hills of the moraine near Dufferin St. & Aurora Side Road at 360m ASL (1,243 feet) York Region is situated in the humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb) zone with warm summers and cold winters, ample snowfall, more in
2100-570: The Windsor , Sarnia area. Major regional ports include the Port of Hamilton and Port of Windsor, with smaller ports in Oshawa , Toronto , Goderich and Sarnia. Southern Ontario also has thousands of other freshwater lakes and rivers, as well as the Trent-Severn Waterway and Rideau Canal . Inter-city train service in the region is provided mainly by Via Rail . The Greater Toronto area also has
2170-407: The tulip tree , pawpaw fruit tree, and the cucumber tree . The Carolinian forests of Southern Ontario have in large part been destroyed by development sprawl. Very few original growth areas remain. The region has the most freshwater beaches in the nation. With relatively warm waters by mid-summer due to the hot and humid summer months with significant coastlines of white sand, the major beaches in
York Region District School Board - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-645: The Associate Director and all of the Superintendents report. The Interim Director of Education is Scott Yake (since November 1, 2022). Besides the curriculum established by the Government of Ontario , the York Region District School Board places heavy emphasis on its Character Matters program. As well, due to the multicultural nature, and large immigrant population of students under the YRDSB,
2310-1043: The Board established the Race Relations Advisory Committee, a standing committee of the board to advise the trustees on issues related to ethnocultural relations. The committee is made up of trustees, staff, community members and students. The school board is divided into four Community Education Centres (North, Central, East and West). The centres represent communities as follows: The school board teaches approximately 70,000 elementary and 40,000 secondary school students. The school board currently manages 34 facilities that provide secondary education . Semestered as of September 2016 The school board currently manages 175 facilities which provides elementary education . Aurora East Gwillimbury Georgina King Markham Newmarket Richmond Hill Vaughan Whitchurch-Stouffville YRDSB provides assistance to Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and serves
2380-782: The Mattawa River and occupies part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Canadian Shield , which also extends northeast into southern Quebec; most of Northern Ontario lies within the Superior Geological Province . Southern Ontario can be distinguished from Northern Ontario because it is far more densely populated and contains most of the province's cities, major roads, and institutions. Northern Ontario, in contrast, contains more natural resources and remote wilderness. Although it has no saltwater coastline,
2450-530: The Municipality of York including: All four hospitals are part of the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Hospital Partnerships. Boomerang Health, in Vaughan , is a centre that provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and medical services geared specifically for children and adolescents, in collaboration with The Hospital for Sick Children . Counselling Services for York Region, is
2520-674: The Province, with Caesars Windsor and Fallsview Casino being the two flagship casinos. In addition to casinos, Ontario has many legal horseracing facilities with slot machines . Racetrack slots are located throughout the Province. All gaming in the Province is overseen by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario . Southern Ontario has many natural attractions. Wasaga Beach , Grand Bend , Sauble Beach , and Sandbanks are beaches along
2590-515: The Regional Municipality of York had a population of 1,173,334 living in 391,034 of its 405,863 total private dwellings, a change of 5.7% from its 2016 population of 1,109,909 . With a land area of 1,758.27 km (678.87 sq mi), it had a population density of 667.3/km (1,728.4/sq mi) in 2021. York is the third-largest census division in Ontario, following Toronto and Peel Region , and seventh-largest in Canada. In
2660-482: The U.S. state of New York . The region has a long history of marine transportation, with hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo moving along the Great Lakes , and Saint Lawrence Seaway each year. The Welland Canal is a vital part of the Great Lakes Waterway , allowing ships to avoid Niagara Falls . The St. Clair River and Detroit River are also well travelled rivers between Lake Huron and Lake Erie in
2730-545: The United States) have for the past few decades taken their toll. This is most evident in the region's southern tier cities, which have large automobile or associated industrial bases, such as Windsor , London , St. Thomas and St. Catharines . Still affected by these factors, but to a lesser extent, is Hamilton , the centre of steel production, and Sarnia , the centre of petrochemical production. The province's two largest cities, Toronto and Ottawa, have moved increasingly to
2800-477: The Yonge Street corridor from Vaughan/Richmond Hill in the south to Newmarket/Aurora in the north. There are ongoing conflicts between conservationists and developers over land use. Most contentious is the conflict use of the Oak Ridges Moraine . York Region has an assortment of points of interest, ranging from nature reserves to pioneer-era museums, to a modern amusement park. Vaughan's major attractions include
2870-406: The amalgamation. In the plan presented by McKeough, the councils of the towns of Newmarket and Aurora were given ten years to decide whether or not to amalgamate. The internal municipal realignments resulted in some politicians residing in a new municipality from that which they represented at the time of realignment. The reeve of Whitchurch Township resided in the western portion of the town that
York Region District School Board - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-474: The constituent municipalities based on population. Two student trustees are elected by students of the board. The student trustees facilitate communication between students and the school board. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board are chosen by secret ballot of the trustees at the inaugural meeting in November. For day-to-day operations the most senior staff member of the board is the Director of Education, to whom
3010-694: The counties and regions of the south and the districts of the north can be considered a boundary between Southern and Northern Ontario. This is disputed, however, as the demarcation line that is referenced in provincial documents is the Nipissing Passageway, originally an Indian trail between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River . The trail follows the French River from Georgian Bay to Lake Nipissing . At North Bay , 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of land separates Lake Nipissing from Trout Lake. From Trout Lake,
3080-408: The fastest-growing census division in Ontario and the third-fastest growing in Canada. The public francophone ( Conseil scolaire Viamonde ), English Catholic ( York Catholic District School Board ), and French Catholic ( Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir ) communities of York Region also have their own publicly funded school boards and schools that operate in the same area. The school board
3150-488: The growth centres for the regional municipality, which was to become a greenbelt between the denser urban areas of Toronto to the south and Barrie to the north. The growth centres were each restricted to grow to a maximum population of 25,000 by 2000, and the regional municipality to 300,000. The municipal realignment merged 40% of East Gwillimbury's population into Newmarket. The council of East Gwillimbury voted to amalgamate with Newmarket, but Newmarket council opposed
3220-511: The heavy industrial divisions of Chatham, Lambton, and Essex, as well as the mostly recreational divisions of Huron and Prince Edward had a decrease in population. Southern Ontario has long been an international destination for higher learning. It houses numerous internationally acclaimed public universities and colleges amongst its 13 universities and 20 colleges . It is also home to numerous private post-secondary institutions. Many notable Canadians have been based in Southern Ontario, as it
3290-439: The mayors of the smaller towns, such as Newmarket and Whitchurch-Stouffville, strongly urged for dialogue and diplomacy, stressing that no municipality should be left behind as a result of a restructuring. As of December 2023, the Ontario government has not made any indication as to whether York Region will be restructured or remain as-is. As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada ,
3360-504: The new town Vaughan . The new town of Vaughan would consist of all communities in the area bounded by Markham and Richmond Hill in the east, Metro Toronto in the south, the periphery of the regional municipality in the west, and the new township of King in the north. The townships of Georgina, North Gwillimbury, and Sutton were merged into the township of Georgina , and the East Gwillimbury neighbourhood of East Gwillimbury Heights
3430-582: The northern part of York region much of it derived from the wind driven snowbelt streamer activity. The region is governed by York Regional Council , which consists of 20 elected representatives from each of the constituent towns and cities in the region. These include each of the nine mayors, and 11 regional councillors who are elected from the constituent municipalities as follows: The regional councilors are elected at-large for each lower-tier municipality which has them. They are also voting members of their respective city/town council. The leader of Council
3500-476: The other mayors in a region before being made public. Later, Vaughan mayor Steven Del Duca proposed dissolving York Region and making all of its lower-tier municipalities independent, claiming that Vaughan contributed more tax dollars than it received in regional funding. No other politicians endorsed Del Duca's proposal. The mayors and councilors of York Region have generally agreed with looking into potential reforms to streamline government operations. However,
3570-531: The population was Christianity (45.3%), with Catholicism (25.2%) making up the largest denomination. This was followed by Islam (7.8%), Judaism (5.2%), Hinduism (5.0%), Buddhism (2.6%) and Sikhism (1.0%). 32.5% of the population did not identify with a particular religion. The economy of York Region is diverse. In general, the economy includes a full range of businesses from industrial to high-tech to rural/agricultural. New developments continually consume space year after year, and tend to be focused along
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#17330927246303640-570: The province's agriculture is found here. That includes most of Ontario's berry growers, who are represented by Ontario Berries . Southern Ontario is well known for its attractions and tourism. Some popular tourist attractions include the CN Tower , Parliament Hill , Niagara Falls , National Gallery of Canada , Canada's Wonderland , CNE , Caesars Windsor , Canadian War Museum , Toronto Zoo , Hockey Hall of Fame , Ripley's Aquarium of Canada , Royal Canadian Mint , Marineland , The Rideau Canal ,
3710-411: The region has an abundance of freshwater coastlines on three Great Lakes ( Huron , Erie and Ontario ), as well as smaller lakes such as Lake Simcoe and Lake St. Clair . It is a major vineyard region and producer of Canadian wines . While Southern Ontario has been a part of the province of Ontario since its establishment at Confederation in 1867, previously forming the colony of Upper Canada,
3780-523: The region. The M w 5.8 Cornwall–Massena earthquake occurred in 1944 and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII ( Very strong ). Many tourists visit the area in the autumn months to look at the bright, vibrant colours of fall foliage . Southern Ontario has a very different climate from the rest of the country. It is the only area of Canada that has Carolinian forest . Many trees, plants, and wildlife in Southern Ontario are not found anywhere else in Canada. Some rare trees in this region include
3850-400: The relatively small populations in each of those towns. Water in southern York is provided by Toronto Water and Peel Region by way of 3 pumping stations and reservoirs (Bayview, Dufferin and Milliken (tank and underground reservoir)) using water from Lake Ontario . Keswick and Sutton obtain water from Lake Simcoe by way of water treatment plants. The remainder of York obtains water from
3920-489: The schooling needs for students in grades 7 to 11. Regional Municipality of York The Regional Municipality of York , also called York Region , is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario , Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto . The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional Municipality of York, in 1970. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and
3990-405: The town of Whitchurch–Stouffville , ceding land to Aurora , Newmarket , and Richmond Hill to the west of the proposed Highway 404 and annexing a northern strip of land from the township of Markham . The western boundary of the new town of Markham was defined to be at Yonge Street , where its northern boundary was formed with Richmond Hill (to which it ceded land ) and its western boundary with
4060-468: The trail follows the Mattawa River to the Ottawa River . Muskoka and Parry Sound are commonly regarded as transitional regions between Southern and Northern Ontario. Both divisions may be regarded as northern districts geographically, culturally, and politically in some contexts. The 2011 census revealed that the major urban divisions of York, Halton, Peel, and Ottawa had the largest growth. While
4130-692: The upper Ottawa River/Madawaska Valley areas and the Mississaugas moved south from northern Lake Huron, settling lands in both the Kawartha region and just west of Toronto. Following the Seven Years' War , the British wrested control of Southern Ontario, and more significant colonization efforts were spurred on by the arrival of United Empire Loyalists brought on by the American Revolution . Southern Ontario
4200-517: The west is Peel Region , and Simcoe County is to the northwest. A detailed map of the region showing its major roads, communities and points of interest is available. Towns and cities in York Region include: There is also one First Nation with an Indian reserve , where the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation reside on Georgina Island , Fox Island and Snake Island . York Region's landscape includes farmlands, wetlands and kettle lakes ,
4270-458: Was 45 and 52 °C (113 and 126 °F) with the humidex . During cold snaps, winter temperatures can occasionally drop below −30 °C (−22 °F). The climate found over most of southern Ontario falls within the Dfb and Dfa climate subtypes, much warmer or milder than the northern part of the province due to lower latitude, presence of bodies of water, and intense urbanization. Harsh weather
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#17330927246304340-426: Was annexed by Aurora, three East Gwillimbury councillors resided in land annexed by Newmarket, including its future mayor Ray Twinney , and King councillor Gordon Rowe was a resident of Oak Ridges, which became part of Richmond Hill. Because of the mix of urban and rural areas in the Region, the provision of electricity was governed in a different manner from the rest of the regional services: Electric distribution
4410-617: Was colonized by the French and the British . After the area began to be developed for European settlement, especially after the American Revolutionary War, other European immigrants arrived as well, with increased immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the late 20th century, many immigrants have come from Asia and other parts of the world. The region is one of the top destinations for immigrants worldwide, particularly
4480-405: Was created by Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1970 (Bill 102 An Act to Establish The Regional Municipality of York), which took effect on January 1, 1971. The creation of the regional municipality resulted in the consolidation of the fourteen former municipalities of York County into nine new municipalities: The township of Whitchurch merged with the town of Stouffville to create
4550-425: Was done under the leadership of British surveyor Augustus Jones during the 1790s. York Region assigned approximately 50 roads as York Regional Roads , meaning that maintenance of these roads is done by York Region. They are signposted with numbers. The major highways in the Region are: Former highways include: Most air travel is served by Toronto Pearson International Airport , which is outside of York Region and
4620-429: Was later renamed to York Region Board of Education and renamed to English-language Public District School Board No. 16 in 1998 before adopting the current York Region District School Board name in 1999. The YRDSB is governed by an elected board of trustees , whose election coincides with the municipal elections in Ontario held throughout the province every four years. The Board consists of 12 trustees, divided amongst
4690-457: Was merged into Newmarket. King formed the northwestern part of the new region, but the eastern lot from Bathurst Street to Yonge Street was ceded to Newmarket, Aurora, and Oak Ridges , the last of which became a part of Richmond Hill. The boundary between Aurora and Newmarket was defined to be St. John's Sideroad, and Newmarket's northern boundary was defined to be Green Lane. The towns of Aurora, Newmarket, and Richmond Hill were defined to be
4760-450: Was officially known as the York Region Board of Education until it changed its name in 1998 to York Region District School Board. Prior to 1971 it was called York County School Board (evolved from 1871 School Act which replacing earlier school acts in merging elementary schools (known as public schools) with higher education (collegiate Institutes and high schools that formed from Grammar School Act of 1807 and Common School Act of 1850). It
4830-410: Was partially rationalized in 1978, when: The York Regional Police was also created at this time, amalgamating the fourteen town, township, and village police services. Policing on Georgina Island is provided by Georgina Police Service. York Region covers 1,762 square kilometres from Lake Simcoe in the north to the city of Toronto in the south. Its eastern border is shared with Durham Region , to
4900-539: Was where a large portion of the battles took place during the War of 1812 , and was a major destination for escaping slaves using the Underground Railroad . Following the enactment of Prohibition in the United States in 1919, Southern Ontario immediately became a hotbed of smuggling alcohol (spirit) across the border. Southern Ontario is home to over 94%, or 12.1 million, of Ontario's total population of 12.9 million (and about 35% of Canada's total population), compared to approximately 750,000 in Northern Ontario. This
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