The Regional Municipality of York, also called York 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
Southern Ontario, Canada, between
Lake Simcoe and
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 ...
. 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 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 ...
and the inner ring of the
Golden Horseshoe. The regional government is headquartered in
Newmarket.
The
2021 census population was 1,173,334, with a growth rate of 5.7% from 2016.
The
Government of Ontario
The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor†...
expects its population to surpass 1.5 million residents by 2031. The largest cities in York Region are
Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
,
Vaughan and
Richmond Hill.
History
At 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
William Darcy McKeough, (born January 31, 1933) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1978 who represented the ridings of Kent West and Chatham†...
, the Ontario
Minister of Municipal Affairs, taking about a year to determine municipal boundaries within the new regional government.
The Regional Municipality of York was created by Act of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
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
Stouffville () is the primary urban area within the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville in York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is situated within the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe. The urban area is centred at the inter ...
to create the town of
Whitchurch–Stouffville
Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in the ...
, ceding land to
Aurora,
Newmarket, and Richmond Hill to the west of the proposed
Highway 404
The following highways are numbered 404:
Australia
- Victoria
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 404
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 404
* Ontario Highway 404
Costa Rica
* National Route 404
Israel
* Route 404 (Israel)
Japan
* Japan N ...
and annexing a northern strip of land from the township of
Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
.
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 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
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
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 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 the growth centres for the regional municipality, which was to become a
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 ...
between the denser urban areas of Toronto to the south and
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 ...
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 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 was annexed by Aurora, three East Gwillimbury councillors resided in land annexed by Newmarket, including its future mayor
Ray Twinney
Ray Twinney (November 1935 - 24 December 1994) is the former mayor of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada from 1979 to 1994. Ray Twinney was married to Thelma and fathered two sons. The Newmarket Recreation Complex, officially opened on November 3, 1985, wa ...
, and King councillor Gordon Rowe was a resident of Oak Ridges, which became part of Richmond Hill.
Hydro Commissions
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:
:* the hydro-electric commissions and public utilities commissions that existed at the end of 1970 continued to provide electricity within their respective areas;
:* the councillors of the former Township of Vaughan and the trustees of the former Police Village of King City became members of new Hydro-Electric Commissions for their respective areas;
:*
Ontario Hydro continued to have responsibility for providing electricity to those portions of the Region that were not served by any of the above commissions.
Electric distribution was partially rationalized in 1978, when:
:* hydro-electric commissions were established for all area municipalities except East Gwillimbury (but it could establish a commission later on, subject to Ontario Hydro's consent);
:* effective January 1, 1979, all assets of the former commissions in the Region were transferred to the new commissions;
[1978 Act, s.4]
:* Ontario Hydro withdrew its provision of services from all areas except those in East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King and Whitchurch-Stouffville;
:* Georgina, King and Whitchurch-Stouffville could take over responsibility for such areas at a later date, subject to Ontario Hydro's consent
Police
The
York Regional Police
The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the poli ...
was also created at this time, amalgamating the fourteen town, township, and village police forces.
Geography
York Region covers 1,762 square kilometres from Lake Simcoe in the north to the city of
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 ...
in the south. Its eastern border is shared with
Durham Region
The Regional Municipality of Durham (), informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater Toron ...
, to 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:
*Town of
Aurora
*Town of
East Gwillimbury
*Town of
Georgina
*Township of
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
*City of
Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
*Town of
Newmarket
*City of
Richmond Hill
*City of
Vaughan
*Town of
Whitchurch–Stouffville
Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in the ...
There is also one
First Nation
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
with an
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 ...
, where the
Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation
frame, Map of York Region showing Fox, Snake, and Georgina islands.
Georgina Island, Lake Simcoe, Ontario
The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation ( oj, Waaseyaagmiing Anishinaabek) are an Ojibwa (or Anishinaabeg) people located on Georg ...
reside on
Georgina Island
Georgina Island ( oj, Waaseyaagmiing) is the largest of the lake islands of Lake Simcoe, located in southern Ontario, Canada. The island is a Native reserve populated by the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, a band of Ojibwa people. It i ...
,
Fox Island and
Snake Island.
York Region's landscape includes farmlands, wetlands and
kettle lakes, 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)
Climate
York Region is situated in the
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Dfb) zone with warm summers and cold winters, ample snowfall, more in the northern part of York region much of it derived from the wind driven
snowbelt streamer activity.
Government
The region is governed by
York Regional Council
York Regional Council is the political body for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Created in 1970, it consists of 20 elected representatives plus the Regional Chair. The elected members are the mayors of each of its nine munici ...
, 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:
*1 from Georgina
*1 from Newmarket
*2 from Richmond Hill
*3 from Vaughan
*4 from Markham
The leader of Council is referred to as "
Regional Chair and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
". 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
Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual editorial competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions ...
by Mediacorp Canada Inc.
Federal and provincial representation
Starting with the
2015 federal election, York Region encompasses all or part of the federal
electoral districts of
Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill
Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It has been represented by Leah Taylor Roy, a Liberal, since 2021.
It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of N ...
,
King—Vaughan,
Markham—Stouffville
Markham—Stouffville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Markham—Unionville and Oak Ridges—Markham.; ; see also Statistics CanadaNational ...
,
Markham—Thornhill
Markham—Thornhill is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Markham—Unio ...
,
Markham—Unionville,
Newmarket—Aurora
Newmarket—Aurora is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004.
The district contains the towns of Newmarket, Aurora, and a very small portion of East Gwillimbury. ...
,
Richmond Hill,
Thornhill,
Vaughan—Woodbridge, and
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.
...
.
Provincially, York Region is represented in the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
by Members of Provincial Parliament for the electoral districts of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, Markham—Unionville, Newmarket—Aurora, Markham—Thornhill, Markham—Stouffville, Richmond Hill, Thornhill,
King—Vaughan, Vaughan—Woodbridge, and York—Simcoe.
Economy
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 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.
Shopping
Major shopping centres in York Region include:
*
Aurora North Smart Centre (Aurora)
*
Hillcrest Mall
Hillcrest Mall, or Hillcrest, is a enclosed shopping centre located in the town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, on the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Carrville Road. It has 135 shops, services, and restaurants.
History
Hillcrest Mall ...
(Richmond Hill)
*
Green Lane Centre (East Gwillimbury)
*
King Square Shopping Mall (Markham)
*
Markville Shopping Centre
CF Markville, also known as Markville Shopping Centre in the Cadillac Fairview chain of malls, is a shopping mall of over 140 stores in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Highway 7 East and McCowan Road. Its anchors ar ...
(Markham)
*
Pacific Mall (Markham)
*
The Promenade Shopping Centre (Vaughan)
* Times Square (Richmond Hill)
*
Langham Square (Markham)
*
Upper Canada Mall (Newmarket)
* Woodside Mall (Markham)
*
Vaughan Mills
Vaughan Mills is a regional outlet mall located at the southeast quadrant of the Highway 400 and Rutherford Road interchange in Vaughan, Ontario, just south of Canada's Wonderland. It is one of the largest enclosed shopping centres in Canada, ...
(Vaughan)
* First Markham Place (Markham)
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
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
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 York 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.
York is the third-largest census division in Ontario, following Toronto and
Peel Region, and seventh-largest in Canada.
[
In the ]2021 Canadian census
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...
, 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%). The most common ethnic groups are Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
(22.6%), Italian (12.5%) and English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
(7.4%).[ The most reported religion among the population was ]Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
(45.3%), with Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(25.2%) making up the largest denomination. This was followed by Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالÙإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(7.8%), Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăá¸Å«á¹¯'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
(5.2%), Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(5.0%), Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
(2.6%) and Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
(1.0%). 32.5% of the population did not identify with a particular religion.[
]
Health care
There are currently four hospitals within the Municipality of York including:
* Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital
* Markham Stouffville Hospital
* Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital
Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (formerly York Central Hospital) is a hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and one of four in York Regional Municipality. Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill is part of the Local Health Integration Network (LH ...
* Southlake Regional Health Centre
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
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
.
Transportation
The arterial road network in York Region is a grid, with most roads running north–south or east–west. This was done under the orders of British surveyor Augustus Jones during the 1790s. York Region assigned approximately 50 roads as York Regional Routes, meaning that the cost of maintaining of these roads is paid for by York Region.
The major highways in the Region are:
* Highway 7 (east-west)
* Highway 9 (east-west)
* Highway 48 (north-south)
* Highway 400 (north-south)
*Highway 404
The following highways are numbered 404:
Australia
- Victoria
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 404
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 404
* Ontario Highway 404
Costa Rica
* National Route 404
Israel
* Route 404 (Israel)
Japan
* Japan N ...
(north-south)
*Highway 407
The following highways are numbered 407:
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 407
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 407
* Ontario Highway 407
Costa Rica
* National Route 407
Iceland
* Route 407 (Iceland)
Italy
* State road 407
Japan
* Japa ...
(east-west)
*Highway 427
The following highways are numbered 427:
Canada
*Manitoba Provincial Road 427
* Ontario Highway 427
India
*National Highway 427 (India)
Japan
* Japan National Route 427
United States
* County Road 427 (Seminole County, Florida)
* Indi ...
(north-south)
Former highways include:
* Highway 11 (north-south)
*Highway 27
Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to:
Australia
* Burke Developmental Road (Queensland)
* Zeehan Highway (Tasmania)
Canada
* Alberta Highway 27
* British Columbia Highway 27
* Manitoba Highway 27
* Prince Edward Island Route 27
* Saskatchewan ...
(north-south)
* Highway 47 (east-west)
* Highway 49 (east-west)
*Highway 50
The following highways are numbered 50:
International
* European route E50
Brazil
* BR-050
Canada
* Alberta Highway 50
* Manitoba Highway 50
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 50
* Ontario Highway 50 (Also referred to as Peel Regional Road 50 ...
(north-south)
**Note: Highway 27 and Highway 50 are still referred to as such on municipal road signs, but are no longer provincial highways.
Air transportation
Most air travel is served by Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is outside of York Region and is Canada's largest airport. Buttonville Municipal Airport
Buttonville Municipal Airport or Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a medium-sized airport in the neighbourhood of Buttonville in Markham, Ontario, Canada, north of Toronto. It is operated by Torontair. Due to its proximity to Toronto's ...
is a regional airport in Markham, used for general aviation and business aircraft. There are also a few unpaved airports serving the region: Hare Field in Holland Landing (East Gwillimbury), Belhaven Airport in Georgina, and Stouffville Aerodrome
Stouffville Aerodrome is located northwest of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Stouffville Ontario, Canada.
The private airfield is home to Ultralight aviation aircraft stored in a heated hangar.https://www.ritachemilian.com/listings/13282-ninth-line ...
north of Stouffville.
Public transportation
York Region is served by:
* York Region Transit (YRT), which includes the Viva
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* ...
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
network
*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 ...
, which offers bus and train service
* Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which has several bus routes which cross York's southern border, and which provide service along many north–south arterial streets in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham. Since December 17, 2017, Vaughan has been served by the University portion of the Line 1 Yonge-University
Line most often refers to:
* Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity
* Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system
Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to:
Arts ...
of Toronto's subway system
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
, and a future extension of the Yonge Street portion of the line will eventually serve Richmond Hill and Markham.
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:
* Vaughan Transit
* Markham Transit
* Richmond Hill Transit
Richmond Hill Transit was created in 1960 to provide public transit service in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. It was initially operated by Trailways of Canada Limited, then Travelways starting in 1976 and Laidlaw in the 1980s. Services merged w ...
* Aurora Transit
Aurora Transit operated public transit within the town of Aurora, Ontario, Canada, from 1973 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001 transit service in Aurora was operated by Newmarket Transit. Service in the town is now provided by the current York Region Tr ...
- merged in 1999 with Newmarket Transit Newmarket Transit was a transit system in York Region, Ontario, Canada. While Newmarket was considerably smaller than any of the three cities in the southern part of the York region, it had a quality transit service. Service on some of the routes w ...
* Newmarket Transit Newmarket Transit was a transit system in York Region, Ontario, Canada. While Newmarket was considerably smaller than any of the three cities in the southern part of the York region, it had a quality transit service. Service on some of the routes w ...
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 the relatively small populations in each of those towns.
Water
Water in southern York is provided by Toronto Water
Toronto Water is the municipal division of the City of Toronto under Infrastructure and Development Services responsible for the water supply network, and stormwater and wastewater management in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as parts of Pee ...
and Peel Region by way of 3 pumping stations and reservoirs (Bayview, Dufferin and Milliken (tank and underground reservoir)) using water from Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
. Keswick and Sutton obtain water from Lake Simcoe by way of water treatment plants. The remainder of York obtains water from a combination of water from Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
and underground wells. Some wells are maintained by the Region and the rest privately.
* Georgina -water from Lake Simcoe and private wells
* East Gwillimbury - region and private wells
* Newmarket - region wells and water from Lake Ontario
* Whitchurch-Stouffville - Region wells, water from Lake Ontario, private wells
* Markham - water from Lake Ontario and private wells
* Richmond Hill - water from Lake Ontario and private wells
* Aurora - water from Lake Ontario and private wells
* Vaughan - water from Lake Ontario and private wells
* King - water from Lake Ontario, Region and private wells
Water is distributed from 14 water pumping stations and stored at 37 elevated tanks and reservoirs:
List of water tanks
* Reesor Park water tank - built 1971, now out of service and dismantled
* Newmarket - 211 Harry Walker Parkway South
* Richmond Hill - 81 Coons Road
* Schomberg - 186 Church Street, built 1997
* King - 60 Fisher Street, built 1982
* Stouffville - 12519 Tenth Line, built 1984
* Stouffville - Bethesda Rd, built 2005
* Aurora - 126 Allenvale Drive, 240 Orchard Heights Boulevard, built 1984
* Aurora - 180 Bloomington Road, built 2008
* Markham - 4355 14th Avenue
Treatment Plants
* Sutton Water Treatment Plant - closed
* Georgina Water Treatment Plant - replaces Sutton plant
* Keswick Water Treatment Plant
* Schomberg Water Treatment Plant
Education
Four public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
school boards operate primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
* ...
and secondary
Secondary may refer to: Science and nature
* Secondary emission, of particles
** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products
* The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...
institutions in York Region, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (CSCM), Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV), the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB), and the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). CSV and YRDSB operate as secular public school boards, the former operating French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
institution, whereas the latter operated English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
first language institutions. The other two school boards, MonAvenir and YCDSB, operate as public separate school
In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories ( Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadi ...
boards, the former operating French first language separate schools, the latter operating English first language separate schools.
YRDSB is the largest public school board in the region, operating 175 elementary schools, and 33 secondary schools. YCDSB operates 83 elementary schools, and 15 secondary schools, while MonAvenir operates five elementary schools, and two secondary schools. CSV is the smallest public school board in the York Region, operating three elementary schools, and one secondary school in the region.
Along with public schools, the region also holds a number of religious and private schools including:
* As-Sadiq Islamic School (Vaughan)
* Academy for Gifted Children
The Academy for Gifted Children is a non-denominational elementary and high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (12 Bond Cres). Entrance is by a competitive examination. The school has been designed to support intellectually gifted childr ...
(Richmond Hill)
* Country Day School
The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States during the late 19th century. Country Day Schools sought to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building ...
(King)
* Holy Trinity School (Richmond Hill)
* Leo Baeck Day School
The Leo Baeck Day School is a Greater Toronto Area Reform Jewish day school in Ontario, Canada composed of around nine hundred students from Nursery to Grade Eight. Named in honour of Rabbi Leo Baeck, it has one campus in Toronto and formerly ...
(Vaughan)
* Ner Israel Yeshiva College (Vaughan)
* Netivot HaTorah Day School
Netivot HaTorah Day School ( he, × ×ª×™×‘×•×ª התורה) is a private, coeducational Orthodox Jewish elementary school in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. As of 2008, it enrolls 600 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. The school is affiliat ...
(Vaughan)
* Pickering College
Pickering College is an independent, co-educational school for children in grades from Junior Kindergarten through grade 12. It is located in Newmarket, Ontario, Newmarket, Ontario in Canada on a 17-hectare (42 acre) property on Bayview Avenue. The ...
(Newmarket)
* St. Andrew's College (Aurora)
* St. Thomas of Villanova College
Villanova College is a high school and middle school in King City, Ontario, Canada. Established by lay educators Paul Paradiso and Grant Purdy with the blessing of the Archdiocese Toronto and in cooperation with the Order of Saint Augustine's fr ...
(King)
* Town Centre Montessori Private School (Markham)
* Toronto Waldorf School (Vaughan)
In addition to primary and secondary levels of education, the region is also home to post-secondary institutions such as Seneca College. The college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
operates three campuses spread throughout York Region, in King, Markham and Newmarket, as well as additional campuses in Toronto. The region presently does not host a university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, but a Markham campus of York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
is under construction as of August 2022.
News media
*York Region Media Group
*CKVR
CKVR-DT (channel 3) is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Toronto-based CTV outlet CFTO-DT, channel 9 (although the two stations ...
- CTV Two (based in 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 ...
)
* CFU758
CFU758 is a low-power broadcaster, using the on-air brand ''90.7 RAV FM''. It is the only licensed high school radio station in Thornhill, Ontario and is owned and operated by Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School. RAV FM is part of the school's radio ...
- 90.7 RAV FM ( Vaughan)
* CKDX 88.5FM - ''Foxy 88-5'' ( Newmarket)
*CFMS-FM
CFMS-FM (105.9 FM) is a Canadian radio station, transmitting at 105.9 MHz from Markham, Ontario.[Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...]
)
*CIWS-FM
CIWS-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts a community radio format on 102.9 FM (formerly 102.7 FM) in Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario.
In November 2006, WhiStle Radio was granted a licence by the CRTC to operate as a low power co ...
- WhiStle Community Radio Whitchurch–Stouffville
Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in the ...
York's news media is also served by the outlets based in Toronto.
Attractions
York Region has an unusual assortment of points of interest, ranging from nature reserves to pioneer-era museums, to a modern amusement park.
Vaughan's major attractions include the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, in the community of Kleinburg, that features works by Canadian artists including Inuit
Inuit (; iu, áƒá“„áƒá‘¦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
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:
* Hillary House National Historic Site (Aurora)
*Historic Main Street Newmarket ( Newmarket)
*Georgina Military Museum (Georgina)
*Georgina Village Museum (Georgina)
*King Township Museum
The King Heritage & Cultural Centre in King City, Ontario, Canada is a local history museum for the township of King at 2920 King Road.
It was previously known as ''Kinghorn Museum'', and is located on what was once known as Kinghorn, now subsum ...
(King)
* Markham Museum (Markham)
*RHLS Narrow Gauge Railway (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
*Sharon Temple
The Sharon Temple is an open-air museum site, located in the village of Sharon, Ontario, Sharon, Ontario, that was in 1990 designated as a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada. It is composed of eight distinctive ...
National Historic Site (East Gwillimbury)
*Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
* York-Durham Heritage Railway (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
Following is a sample of other attractions in the area:
*Applewood Farm Winery (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
*Canadian Heritage Humber River
* Fred Varley Art Gallery (Markham)
* Canada's Wonderland (Vaughan)
*Oak Ridges Trail The Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) is an incorporated charitable organisation whose purpose is to develop, maintain, promote and expand the hiking trail system across the Oak Ridges Moraine in south-central Ontario, Canada. ORTA has ten chapter ...
*Puck's Farm (King)
*Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts is a multi-use cultural facility on of land directly on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill's downtown core, at the corner of Yonge and Wright Streets.
History
The Town of Richmond Hill Council app ...
*Sutton-Zephyr Trail
*Willow Springs Winery (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
* Words Alive Literary Festival (East Gwillimbury)
*Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park
Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park is a naturist resort located in southern Ontario, about from Toronto. It encompasses typical amenities for day users, 110 serviced campsites, five cabins, and five guest rooms. The club is situated on of privately ...
(East Gwillimbury)
*York Demonstration Forest (Whitchurch–Stouffville)
Travel Region
York Region lies within the Central Counties of Ontario
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 ...
, a tourism related association.
Protected areas
*Baker Sugarbush Conservation Area
* Boyd Conservation Area
*Bruce's Mill Conservation Area
Bruce's Mill Conservation Area (BMCA) is a conservation area located off Stouffville Road in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Regional Municipality of York, Canada. The conservation area is about 108 hectares (267 acres) in size. BMCA is hom ...
*Duclos Point Provincial Nature Reserve
*Gold Creek Conservation Area
*Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve
*Kortright Centre for Conservation
The Kortright Centre for Conservation is a suburban conservation area and educational facility in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada in the northern part of the Greater Toronto Area. It is operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The area ...
*Lake St. George Conservation Area
*Mabel Davis Conservation Area
*Milne Park
*Pickering Lands Preservation Site
*Rogers Reservoir Conservation Are
*Sheppards Bush Conservation Area
*Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Sibbald Point Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Sutton West, Ontario, Canada on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto. The park is located to the east of the vacation town of Jackson's Point, and The Briars Resort a ...
*Thornton Bales King Conservation Area
*Wesley Brooks Memorial Conservation Area (known as "Fairy Lake" locallyWesley Brooks Memorial :: Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
. Lsrca.on.ca. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.)
*Whitchurch Conservation Area
*Willow Beach Conservation Area
Sister city
* Omsk
Omsk (; rus, ОмÑк, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
(Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
)
The Region of York signed a " Twinning Agreement" with the city of Omsk
Omsk (; rus, ОмÑк, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, on August 28, 1997, after it signed a "Friendship Agreement" one year previous.
Adjacent census divisions
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 ...
*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 ...
* Province of Toronto
* List of secondary schools in Ontario#Regional Municipality of York
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Municipality Of York
1971 establishments in Ontario
Populated places established in 1971
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...