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The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a
regional municipality
A regional municipality (or region) is a type of Municipal government in Canada, Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipality, municipal local government, government level as a county, although the specific structure an ...
in
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 ...
, Canada, located in the
Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog, Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The r ...
of
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 ...
. It comprises the city of
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
and the towns of
Oakville,
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
, and
Halton Hills
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. Policing in the Region is provided by the
Halton Regional Police Service
The Halton Regional Police Service provides policing service for the Regional Municipality of Halton, which is located west of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Halton Region encompasses the City of Burlington and the Towns of Oakville, Milton and Ha ...
. The regional council's headquarters are located in Oakville. Burlington and Oakville are largely urban and suburban, while the towns of Milton and Halton Hills are more rural.
Halton is part of the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
(GTA), although it is the only regional municipality in the GTA that is not situated directly adjacent to
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 ancho ...
’s city proper. However, the region is split between the
census metropolitan area
The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of sta ...
s (CMAs) of Toronto and
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 Hamilt ...
. Burlington is part of the Hamilton CMA, while the rest of the region is part of the Toronto CMA.
Halton experienced a growth rate of 17.1% between 2001 and 2006, and 14.2% between 2006 and 2011, giving it one of the highest growth rates in the country. Despite the unprecedented growth in residential development, agriculture and protected lands along the
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...
are still the predominant land uses in the region. Halton has been ranked by ''
Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
'' national crime ranking report as being the "safest place to live" in the GTA and one of the top five in Canada.
History
The Regional Municipality of Halton was established on 1 January 1974 as the successor to the former
Halton County
Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of . It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.
History
Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton (1746-1823), a British Army officer, who w ...
by the ''Regional Municipality of Halton Act, 1973''. From 1 January 2003, it has been governed by the ''
Municipal Act, 2001
The ''Municipal Act, 2001'' (the Act) is the main statute governing the creation, administration and government of municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario, other than the City of Toronto. After being passed in 2001, it came into force ...
''.
Until the 2000 municipal elections, the chairperson of the regional council had been appointed by the Ontario government. From that date, it has been an elective position.
Joyce Savoline
Joyce Savoline (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the riding of Burlington from 2007 to 2011.
Background
Savoline was born in Shang ...
was the last appointed chairperson, and was elected and reelected until her retirement from the position in 2006. The current
regional chairperson is
Gary Carr.
By 2018, the region reported a population of over 580,000 residents and its population estimate for 2041 exceeded one million. The unemployment rate was 5.3% during the year. The average household income was very high, at $139,000.
Regional council
The council consists of the elected chairperson, the mayors of the local municipalities, and regional councillors elected by wards from the local municipalities (who also sit on their respective municipal councils).
The current membership of the council is as follows:
Regional services
Halton Region provides the following services to its communities:
*Economic development
*Emergency planning
*Regional planning and growth management
*Recycling and waste
*Regional roads
*Sewage (wastewater) collection systems and treatment plants
*Water purification plants and distribution systems
*Housing supports and services
*Children and parenting
*Employment and financial assistance
*Ontario Works (social services)
*Services for seniors
*Paramedic services
*Public health
*Immunizations and preventable diseases
*Food safety
*Halton Regional Police Service
The Halton Regional Police Service provides policing service for the Regional Municipality of Halton, which is located west of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Halton Region encompasses the City of Burlington and the Towns of Oakville, Milton and Ha ...
In 2018, the Region had 27 emergency vehicles and 254 paramedics; the latter answered 53,094 paramedic calls. The Police service had 721 police officers; its 911 call centre received 121,971 reports of emergency.
Demographics
As a
census division
Census divisions, in Canada and the United States of America, United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-lev ...
in the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, the Regional Municipality of Halton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Economy
Labour force
Agriculture
''x = suppressed for reasons of confidentiality''
Halton's agricultural sector is supported by regional infrastructure such as the
Port of Hamilton which is a growing agri-food hub for the import of agricultural inputs and the export of local crops.
2018 economic report
The 2018 budget document contains additional specifics and updates as to the Region's finances. In that year, gross revenues were $1.2 billion while operating expenses totaled $821.5 million for a net revenue of $350.2 million, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. The increase was mostly due to increases in grants and taxes. The Region included over 13,200 companies and employed over 229,000 persons. The credit rating of AAA was confirmed by S&P Global Ratings and Moody's Investors Service.
Geography
While the urban areas of Burlington, Oakville and Milton are experiencing rapid growth, there is still a significant proportion of the Region that is still rural, most of which is protected as part of the provincial
Greenbelt
A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...
or as part of the
Niagara Escarpment Plan.
Halton is somewhat unusual, in that it has three distinct climate zones within its relatively small area,
which are as follows:
* Zone 5a - Halton Hills lying to the north of the Niagara Escarpment, together with the Town of Milton within the Grand River watershed
* Zone 5b - the remainder of Halton Hills, Milton north of Derry Road, and that part of Burlington lying north of the Niagara Escarpment
* Zone 6a - the southern remainder of the Region
Climate charts
See also
*
List of municipalities in Ontario
Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada with 14,223,942 residents as of Canada 2021 Census, 2021 and is List of Canadian provinces and territories by ...
*
Halton Region Conservation Authority
Conservation Halton, also known as the Halton Region Conservation Authority, is a conservation authority established under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It forms a partnership with the Province of Ontario, the Ministry of Natural ...
*
Halton District School Board
The Halton District School Board serves public school students throughout Halton Region, including the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Its administration area is to the southwest of the city of Toronto. In 2006-20 ...
*
Halton Catholic District School Board
The Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) serves over 37,000 students at its 46 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools and 3 continuing education facilities. The HCDSB serves the communities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakvi ...
*
List of numbered roads in Halton Region
This article lists all of the numbered regional roads in the Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific ...
*
List of secondary schools in Ontario#Regional Municipality of Halton
Notes
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Halton