Simcoe County is located in the

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

portion 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 ...

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 tot ...

. The county is just north 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 ...

, stretching from the shores of

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called ''Ouentironk'' ...

in the east to

Georgian Bay Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...

in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the

Greater 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 ...

area, a densely populated and industrialized region, centred on the Greater Toronto Area. The land area of the county is . The elevated

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 ...

runs through sections of the western part of the county, and the

Minesing Wetlands Minesing Wetlands, previously known as Minesing Swamp, is a Ramsar boreal wetland in central Ontario, Canada stretching from the western periphery of Barrie to Georgian Bay. It was identified and classified through the International Biological Prog ...

, a

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

of international importance, is located in the central area of the county. The county administrative centre is on Highway 26 in

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...

, outside

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

Geography

Simcoe County is informally split into two subregions, “South Simcoe” and “North Simcoe”. The dividing line between these two areas is Simcoe County Road 90 (Mill St.). South Simcoe municipalities are situated at the northern boundary of the

(GTA) and therefore generally have a closer socio-economic association with the GTA. South Simcoe is also within the Toronto commuter belt as it is home to a relatively high proportion of people commuting to the GTA. South Simcoe is home to five municipalities, including: the Town of

Innisfil Innisfil is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, immediately south of Barrie and north of Toronto. It has historically been a rural area, but due to being geographically sandwiched in between ...

, the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio, the Town of

Bradford West Gwillimbury Bradford West Gwillimbury is a town in south-central Ontario, in the Simcoe County, County of Simcoe in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area on the Holland River. West Gwillimbury takes its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, née ''Gwillim' ...

, the Township of Essa and the Town of

New Tecumseth New Tecumseth is a town in Simcoe County, in south-central Ontario, Canada. While it is not officially a part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is counted, in terms of the census, as being a part of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area. History ...

(which includes:

Alliston Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has been part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth. The pri ...

Beeton Beeton is a small community located in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada between Tottenham and Alliston; all three were amalgamated in 1991 into the single Town of New Tecumseth. Beeton was named for a local apiary. Formerly known as Cla ...

and

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

). North Simcoe is less connected to the GTA due to its more removed geographic location, is generally less industrial than South Simcoe, and generally has a closer socio-economic association with the Muskoka area, located immediately north. However, North Simcoe hosts two

GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...

train stations that provide daily commuter rail service 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 ...

. North Simcoe includes the Township of Clearview, the Township of Oro-Medonte, the Township of

Ramara Ramara is a lower-tier township (Canada), township municipality in Simcoe County, Ontario, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Ramara was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of the townships of Rama Township, Ontario, Rama and Mara. The municipal ...

, the Township of

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

, the Township of Springwater, the Township of

Tay Tay may refer to: People and languages * Tay (name), including lists of people with the given name, surname and nickname * Tay people, an ethnic group of Vietnam ** Tày language *Atayal language, an Austronesian language spoken in Taiwan (ISO 639 ...

and the Township of Tiny, the Town of Collingwood, the Town of Midland, the Town of

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a populat ...

and the Town of

Wasaga Beach Wasaga Beach (or simply Wasaga) is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Situated along the longest freshwater beach in the world, it is a popular summer tourist destination. It is located along the southern end of Georgian Bay, approximate ...

. The cities of

and

Orillia Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Cent ...

are geographically within North Simcoe, but both are politically independent single-tier municipalities.

History

Simcoe County, in particular the former Wendake area near

Nottawasaga Bay Nottawasaga Bay is a sub- bay within Georgian Bay in Southern Ontario, Canada located at the southernmost end of the main bay. The communities located on Nottawasaga Bay are Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Tiny. Th ...

, was the site of the earliest French exploration and settlement of

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 ...

; they were the first Europeans in the area. Several historic sites, including

Carhagouha The historic site Carhagouha (near Lafontaine, Ontario) is the Huron/Wendat name for the site of the first Catholic Mass celebrated in Ontario, Canada on August 12 (or June 24 Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Sainte-Marie among the Hurons (french: Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons) was a French Jesuit settlement in Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the ...

, mark the earliest known contacts between the area's traditional

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

population and French

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. The Huron capital,

Ossossané The Huron Feast of the Dead was a mortuary custom of the Wyandot people of what is today central Ontario, Canada, which involved the disinterment of deceased relatives from their initial individual graves followed by their reburial in a final commun ...

, was at one time the largest aboriginal settlement in all of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

outside

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The County, named by

Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada The following is a list of lieutenant governors of Ontario and the lieutenant governors of the former colony of Upper Canada. The office of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario was created in 1867, when the Province of Ontario was created upon Confed ...

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the Drainage basin, watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. ...

in honour of his father Captain John Simcoe, was established as part of the Home District in 1798 by the

Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected part of the legislature for the province of Upper Canada, functioning as the lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada. Its legislative power was subject to veto by the appointed Lis ...

. Its initial territory was described as follows: At its beginning, the County existed only for purposes of military enlistment. In 1823, it became a separate

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

for elections to the

, but, as eligibility to vote was dependent upon having title to property, and Simcoe's first registrar of deeds was not appointed until 1826, it did not send a separate member to the Assembly until the election of John Cawthra in 1828. It was withdrawn from the Home District in 1837, with its territory divided as follows: Between 1837 and 1841 several acts were passed by the Legislature of Upper Canada which set apart Simcoe District. These acts named the townships that the County would encompass and authorized the levying of taxes for the purpose of constructing a jail and court house. On January 11, 1843, the jail and court house having been duly erected, the Governor General proclaimed the County of Simcoe to be a separate and distinct District. The province of Canada also appointed James R. Gowan as the first judge of the District of Simcoe. The District was restructured in 1845, changing its composition to the following 24 townships: * Adjala * Artemesia * Collingwood * Essa * Flos * West Gwillimbury * Innisfil * Medonte * Matchedash * Mulmur * Mono * Nottawasaga * Osprey * Oro * North Orillia * South Orillia * Saint Vincent * Sunnidale * Tay * Tecumseth * Tosorontio * Tiny * Uphrasia ''(sic)'' * Vespra Effective January 1, 1850, Simcoe District was abolished, and Simcoe County was organized for municipal purposes. Between 1845 and 1851, there had been a campaign to have the part of West Gwillimbury south of the

Holland River The Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada, that drains the Holland River watershed into Cook's Bay, the southern extremity of Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally north, and its headwaters lie in the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Holland Ri ...

annexed to York County. The County Council finally agreed to this action in 1851, subject to arbitration as to the division of liabilities. It was implemented by an Act of the

Parliament of the Province of Canada The Parliament of the Province of Canada was the legislature for the Province of Canada, made up of the two regions of Canada West (formerly Upper Canada, later Ontario) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada, later Quebec). Creation of the Parl ...

later that year. On January 1, 1852, after transferring its five western townships to

Grey County Grey County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario. Grey County is also a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the ...

, the County was defined as including the following townships: * Adjala * Essa * Flos * Gwillimbury West * Innisfil * Matchedash * Medonte * Mono * Mulmur * Nottawasaga * Orillia * Oro * Sunnidale * Tay * Tecumseth * Tiny * Tossorontio ''(sic)'' * Vespra Together with the

unorganized territory Unorganized territory may refer to: * An unincorporated area in any number of countries * One of the current or former territories of the United States that has not had a government "organized" with an "organic act" by the U.S. Congress * Unorganize ...

bounded to the north by the French River, to the south by the Severn River and Rama Township, to the west by

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

and to the east by the former boundary between the Home District and the

Newcastle District The Newcastle District was a historic district in Upper Canada which existed until 1849. It was formed in 1802 from the Home District, consisting of the counties of Durham and Northumberland. History The legislature had enacted in 1798 that "as so ...

as extended to the French River. The unorganized territory, some of which had been surveyed into townships, together with parts of

Victoria County Victoria County is the name of several locations: In Australia: *Victoria County, Western Australia * County of Victoria, South Australia In Canada: * Victoria County, New Brunswick * Municipality of the County of Victoria and the eponymous histo ...

and

Nipissing District Nipissing District is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858. The district seat is North Bay. In 2016, the population was 83,150. The land area is ; the population density was , making it o ...

, was withdrawn in 1868-1869 to form the new District of Muskoka and

District of Parry Sound Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its boundaries are District of Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District to the north-northwest, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing Distric ...

. However, any municipalities established in them still formed part of the original counties for municipal purposes, and they were still responsible for the administration of justice, which proved to be problematic. The portions of the districts that were not part of Simcoe County were transferred to it in 1877. This lasted until 1888, when the territory contained within the districts was separated from Simcoe County. Mono and Mulmur Townships were withdrawn from Simcoe County in 1881 and transferred to the newly formed

Dufferin County Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Wade Mills. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard. Dufferin covers an area of , ...

. Mara and Rama Townships were transferred to Simcoe County following the dissolution of Ontario County in 1974.

Restructuring (1994)

In 1994, the County was restructured into 16 local municipalities: * Town of

* Town of Collingwood * Town of

* Town of Midland * Town of

* Town of

* Township of

Adjala–Tosorontio Adjala–Tosorontio is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the County of Simcoe. A predominantly rural area, Adjala–Tosorontio contains numerous small villages and hamlets. Many communities were started in Adjala by Irish Catholi ...

* Township of Clearview * Township of Essa * Township of Oro-Medonte * Township of

* Township of

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

* Township of Springwater * Township of

* Township of Tiny The cities of

and

are separated from the County, as are three

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

s: *

Christian Island 30 Christian Island 30 is a First Nations reserve located on Christian Island in Georgian Bay, in Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, bu ...

Christian Island 30A Christian Island 30A is a First Nations reserve in Simcoe County Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in th ...

* Mnjikaning First Nation 32

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 ...

, Simcoe County 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.

Government

The Corporation of the County of Simcoe comprises 16 local municipalities. As an "upper tier" municipality, the County of Simcoe is responsible for municipal services which include social housing, land ambulance and emergency planning, environmental services (solid waste management), a

County road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the County (United States), county highway departme ...

system, Ontario Works, children's services, homes for the aged, a library co-operative, museum, archives, County forest management, tourism, a Geographic Information System (computer mapping) and land use policy planning. The local, or "lower tier" municipalities are responsible for water and sewer services, local roads, public libraries, recreation services, fire and police services, land use development control and licensing and permitting services. The cities of

and

, although separate politically and administratively from the County, are geographically and economically part of the County and send elected representatives to serve on County committees which provide services to the residents of the cities, including paramedic services, long term care facilities, social services, social housing, archives and Museum. They are counted within the census division. County Council is composed of the mayors and deputy mayors of each of the sixteen towns and townships which comprise the County of Simcoe. The head of County Council is called the Warden and is elected for a one-year term by the council members at the Inaugural Meeting, held each December. Though once a consideration according to the ''Wasaga Sun'', Simcoe County has elected not to restructure itself as 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 ...

Federal and provincial representation

Simcoe County encompasses all or part of the federal electoral districts of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte,

Barrie—Innisfil Barrie—Innisfil is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Barrie and York—Simcoe. History Barrie—Innisfil was created by the 2012 federal electoral ...

York—Simcoe York—Simcoe is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979, from 1988 to 1997 and since 2004. It covers part of the region north of Toronto by Lake Simcoe. ...

Simcoe—Grey Simcoe—Grey is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. It was created in 1996 from parts of Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, Bruce—Grey, Simcoe Centre, Simcoe Nor ...

and

Simcoe North Simcoe North (french: Simcoe-Nord) is a federal electoral district in central Ontario, Canada. It was established as a federal riding in 1867. Demographics :''According to the Canada 2011 Census''; 2013 representation'' Ethnic groups: 87.8% ...

. The current Members of Parliament representing Simcoe County are: *

Bruce Stanton Ronald Bruce Stanton (born December 20, 1957) is a Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament for the riding of Simcoe North from 2006 to 2021. Stanton first ran as a member of the Conservative Party in the 2006 federal election an ...

(

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

* Terry Dowdall (

Doug Shipley Doug Shipley (born June 10, 1966) is a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these ...

(

), Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte * John Brassard (

Scot Davidson Scot Davidson is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on February 25, 2019.Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Simcoe County encompasses all or part of the provincial electoral districts of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte,

and

. The current Members of Provincial Parliament representing Simcoe County are: *

Jill Dunlop Jill Dunlop is a Canadian politician who is the Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities since June 18, 2021. She represents the riding of Simcoe North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Progressive Conservative Part ...

( Progressive Conservative),

Brian Saunderson Brian Saunderson (born 16 November 1961) is a Canadian politician and formerly a rower. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics. Political career In 2018, Saunderson was elected mayor of the town of Collingwood. F ...

( Progressive Conservative),

Doug Downey Doug Downey is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 general election. He represents the riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, and is a member of the Progressive Conservative Part ...

( Progressive Conservative), Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte *

Andrea Khanjin Andrea Daria Khanjin (born December 27, 1987 in Moscow) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2018 Ontario general election, 2018 general election representing the riding of Barrie� ...

( Progressive Conservative),

Caroline Mulroney Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham (born June 11, 1974) is a Canadian businesswoman, lawyer and politician who currently serves as the Ontario Transportation Minister, Ontario Minister of Transportation and Ministry of Francophone Affairs, Minister ...

( Progressive Conservative),

Local services

Law enforcement and policing

Six police services provide law enforcement and local policing in Simcoe County:

Barrie Police Service The Barrie Police Service (BPS) is the police service of the city of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It is made up of 218 police personnel and 94 civilians that serve a population of 135,711, as of 2011, in an area covering . The chief of police is the ...

;

South Simcoe Police Service South Simcoe Police Service is a municipal police force in Ontario, Canada, providing service to the municipalities of Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury. It came into existence on January 1, 1997, through the amalgamation of the Innisfil Po ...

and

; Midland Police Service in

Midland, Ontario Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Located at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, ...

; Rama Police Service in

Rama, Ontario Rama is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations community on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. It is the home of Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the ho ...

and for the Chippewas of Rama First Nation;

Anishinabek Police Service The Anishinabek Police Service (APS) is the shared police force for 15 of 40 communities in the Anishinabek Nation (Formerly "Union of Ontario Indians") and 1 community in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). Created in 1994, the force has 71 sworn ...

Christian Island Christian Island is a large island in Georgian Bay close to the communities of Penetanguishene and Midland, Ontario. The island, with its neighbours Hope Island and Beckwith Island, is a Ojibwa reserve, known as Christian Island Indian Re ...

and for the

Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation ( oj, G'Chimnissing) is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. The main settlement of the Beausoleil First Nation is on Christian Island, Ontario, Canada in southern Georgian Bay. ...

; and

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorpo ...

for the rest of the county including

, and enforcement on provincial highways, especially

Ontario Highway 400 King's Highway 400, commonly referred to as Highway400, historically as the Toronto–Barrie Highway, and colloquially as the400, is a 400-series highway The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the sou ...

and

Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the ...

Canadian Forces Military Police The Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP; french: Groupe de la Police militaire des Forces canadiennes) provide police, security and operational support services to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) wo ...

provides policing and security for Canadian Forces Base Borden (25 km southwest of Barrie).

Public health

The local public agency for the county, the cities of

and

, and the neighbouring District Municipality of Muskoka is the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. It is responsible for delivering public health programs and services, enforcing public health regulations, and advising local officials and local governments on health issues. Simcoe County has 5 hospitals:

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (formerly the Royal Victoria Hospital) is an Advanced Level II facility with stroke designation, serving the needs of the population of the City of Barrie and the surrounding area. The facility is located ...

in Barrie; Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital; Stevenson Memorial Hospital in

Alliston, Ontario Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has been part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth. The p ...

(

); Collingwood General And Marine Hospital; and Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland and

. Southern parts of the County are also served by the

Southlake Regional Health Centre Southlake Regional Health Centre (formerly York County Hospital) is a hospital located in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Through various expansions during its history, it has grown into a university-affiliated teaching and research facility, specifi ...

Newmarket, Ontario Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from the ...

(

York Region 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 M ...

). The County operates ambulance and paramedic services (EMS) for the county and the independent cities of

and

. The

(Christian Island) and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation (Rama) operate their own EMS services for their territories.

Economy

The economy of Simcoe County is diverse and includes a full range of businesses from agricultural, industrial to high-tech.

Honda of Canada Manufacturing Honda of Canada Manufacturing (french: Honda Canada Inc.) is located in Alliston, Ontario and is the automobile manufacturing division of Honda Canada Inc. Manufacturing The Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM) plants in Alliston have a land area ...

has been established in Simcoe County since 1986 and is one of the county's largest single employers. In addition to the automotive industry, other industries include plastics, glass manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and aggregate resources. The county is also home to other institutions including

Casino Rama Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel, and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and ...

Georgian College Georgian College is a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, Canada. It has 13,000 full-time students, including 4,500 international students from 85 countries, across seven campuses, the largest being in Barrie. History The colle ...

, Canadian Forces Base Borden, a campus of

Lakehead University Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, grad ...

and the

Headquarters. Agri-business is a diverse, multi-faceted industry and farmland in the region is among the best in all of Canada, including a section of the

Holland Marsh The Holland Marsh is a wetland and agricultural area in Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. It lies entirely within the valley of the Holland River, stretching from the northern edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Schomberg to the river mo ...

in Bradford. Tourism is a vital industry in Simcoe County, providing a diversity of jobs and economic impact in a variety of sectors including accommodation, restaurants, destinations, events and retail. Simcoe County plays host to over eight million visitors annually that contributes more than 570 million dollars in spending to its economy.

Transportation

Road

The road network in Simcoe County is based on a grid pattern, with most roads running north–south or east–west. The topography of the land has permitted roads to be set in predominantly straight lines. Simcoe County is traversed by many Provincial Highways;

being the most significant. Other provincial highways in Simcoe County include: Highway 11, Highway 12, Highway 26, Highway 89 and

Highway 93 Route 93 or Highway 93 can refer to: International * European route E93 Australia - Victoria Canada * Alberta Highway 93 * British Columbia Highway 93 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 93 * Ontario Highway 93 China * G93 Chengyu Ring Expr ...

. Simcoe County also maintains an extensive series of County Roads, see

List of numbered roads in Simcoe County A list of current and former county roads in Simcoe County Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east ...

Rail

operates daily commuter rail services to and from downtown

along its

Barrie line Barrie is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto in a generally northward direction to Barrie, and includes ten stations along its route. From ...

with three stops in Simcoe County: one stop in

(

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

) and two stops in

( Barrie South and Allandale Waterfront).

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

's ''

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

'' Toronto-

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

transcontinental passenger train makes

request stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

s at the

Washago railway station Washago station is a passenger railway station in the community of Washago, Ontario, Canada (part of the Township of Severn). The station is located immediately south of Simcoe County Road 169, east of Highway 11. It is the first station ...

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

. There are three main rail freight operators in Simcoe County;

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CN),

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CPR) and Barrie Collingwood Railway.

Air

Lake Simcoe Regional Airport Lake Simcoe Regional Airport , formerly the Oro Barrie Orillia Regional Airport, is a registered aerodrome that operates as a regional airport located near Highway 11 in the township of Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada. The airport is operated by ...

is a registered airport located almost midway between Barrie and Orillia, in the township of Oro-Medonte. The airport is owned jointly by the City of Barrie (60%), the Township of Oro-Medonte (20%), and the County (20%). The airport is equipped to accommodate propeller and jet aircraft, and is classified as an airport of entry by

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act' ...

and is staffed by the

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...

. The County is also served by the Orillia Ramara Regional Airport in

, 12 km northeast of Orillia. The closest major airport, however, is Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Public transit

LINX

The County has operated an intercommunity regional bus service, Simcoe County LINX, LINX, since 2018. It also operates a subsidiary paratransit service called LINX+. The LINX system connects population centres in the area such as Barrie, Orillia, Midland, Penetanguishene, Wasaga Beach, and Collingwood, and acts as an intermediate transit layer between local community bus services and higher-order regional transit, such as

and Ontario Northland. Planned future routes would connect Alliston with Bradford West Gwillimbury, and Midland with Orillia.

Local transit

Some of the County's larger urban centres have local public transit operations, which consist of bus services. These include Barrie Transit, Bradford, Ontario#Transportation, BWG Transit (Bradford West Gwillimbury), Colltrans (Collingwood), Orillia Transit, Midland Penetanguishene Transit, and Wasaga Beach Transit.

Intercity bus

Intercity bus services serving Simcoe County include

(Route 68), and Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services, Ontario Northland.

Education

* The Simcoe County District School Board operates all public schools within Simcoe County. * The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board operates the separate Catholic school system within Simcoe County. * The Conseil scolaire Viamonde operates all French language public schools within Simcoe County. * The Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
CSDCCS
operates all French language Catholic schools within Simcoe County. Undergraduate and graduate university programs are offered at

. Post-secondary education is also offered by

, Midland,

and Collingwood. A number of additional universities offer programs through the University Partnership Centre (UPC) in

References

External links

* {{Authority control Simcoe County, Counties in Ontario

Geography

History

Restructuring (1994)

Demographics

Government

Federal and provincial representation

Local services

Law enforcement and policing

Public health

Economy

Transportation

Road

Rail

Air

Public transit

LINX

Local transit

Intercity bus

Education

See also

Further reading

References

External links