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 a ...

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 to ...

. 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 ...

, 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. T ...

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 ...

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 ove ...

runs through sections of the western part of the county, and the Minesing Wetlands, 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 ...

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 waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

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

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, the 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 Catho ...

, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, 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,

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 C ...

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, Wal ...

). 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 mil ...

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 anch ...

. North Simcoe includes the Township of Clearview, the Township of

Oro-Medonte Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County. The two neighbouring townships of Oro and Medonte were merged in 1994, under a restructuring of Simcoe County. It is divi ...

, the Township of Ramara, the Township of Severn, 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 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, approximat ...

. 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 List of municipalities in Ontario#Single-tier municipalities, single ...

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, 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 and Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, 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 Potawato ...

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 comm ...

, 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 th ...

outside

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. The County, named by Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada

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 watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

in honour of his father Captain John Simcoe, was established as part of the

Home District The Home District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and detached in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. It was abolished with the adoption of the county ...

in 1798 by the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. 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 (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

for elections to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 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 John Cawthra (1789–1851) was a merchant, distiller and political figure in Upper Canada. He represented Simcoe from 1828 to 1830 in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada as a Reformer. He was born in England somewhere near Guiseley, the son ...

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 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 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 t ...

, 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 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. 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 , Straits of Mack ...

and to the east by the former boundary between the

and the Newcastle District as extended to the French River. The unorganized territory, some of which had been surveyed into townships, together with parts of Victoria County and Nipissing District, was withdrawn in 1868-1869 to form the new

District of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching ...

and District of Parry Sound. 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. 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 Bradford West Gwillimbury * Town of Collingwood * Town of Innisfil * Town of Midland * Town of

* Town of Penetanguishene * Town of

* Township of Adjala–Tosorontio * Township of Clearview * Township of Essa * Township of

* Township of Ramara * Township of Severn * 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." In ...

s: *

Christian Island 30 Christian Island 30 is a First Nations reserve located on Christian Island in Georgian Bay, in Ontario. It is one of the reserves of the Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation ( oj, G'Chimnissing) is an Ojibwe First Nation band governm ...

Christian Island 30A Christian Island 30A is a First Nations reserve in Simcoe County, Ontario. It is one of the reserves of the Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation ( oj, G'Chimnissing) is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, ...

Mnjikaning First Nation 32 Mnjikaning First Nation 32 is an Anishinaabe reserve in Simcoe County, Ontario. It is the main reserve of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikanin ...

Demographics

As a

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the 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-level census geographic uni ...

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 cultu ...

, 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 highway department. Route numbering c ...

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 Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place. Reg ...

Federal and provincial representation

Simcoe County encompasses all or part of the federal electoral districts of

Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Barrie, Simcoe—Grey and Simcoe North. History Barrie—Springwater—Oro- ...

, Barrie—Innisfil,

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 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 ...

(

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 in ...

* Terry Dowdall (

), Simcoe—Grey *

Doug Shipley Doug Shipley (born June 10, 1966) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election. He previously served on the Barri ...

(

John Brassard John Brassard (born May 11, 1964) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Barrie—Innisfil in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election. Brassard is a former firefighter. Political care ...

(

), Barrie—Innisfil *

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 in ...

Simcoe County encompasses all or part of the provincial electoral districts of

, Barrie—Innisfil,

, Simcoe—Grey and

. The current Members of Provincial Parliament representing Simcoe County are: * Jill Dunlop ( 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), Simcoe—Grey *

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 Party ...

( Progressive Conservative),

* Andrea Khanjin ( Progressive Conservative), Barrie—Innisfil * Caroline Mulroney ( 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 ...

in Innisfil and Bradford West Gwillimbury; Midland Police Service in Midland, Ontario;

Rama Police Service Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

in Rama, Ontario and for the

Chippewas of Rama First Nation Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation ( oj, Mnjikaning Anishinaabek, also alternatively Rama Anishinaabek), is an Anishinaabe ( Ojibway) First Nation located in the pr ...

; Anishinabek Police Service on

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 Res ...

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 unincorp ...

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 in the Canadian province of Ontario linking the city of Toronto in the urban and agricultura ...

and

Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province, following Highway 17. Highway11 begins at Highway&nbs ...

. Canadian Forces Military Police provides policing and security for

Canadian Forces Base Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CF ...

(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 The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchichin ...

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 Stevenson Memorial Hospital is located in the New Tecumseth community of 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 ...

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 Penetanguishene. Southern parts of the County are also served by the Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario ( York Region). The County operates ambulance and paramedic services (EMS) for the county and the independent cities of

and

. The

(Christian Island) and the

(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 are ...

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,

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 coll ...

, a campus of Lakehead University 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 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. 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, Ontario, Canada. Current county roads The table below lists all currently existing county roads in commission. Former county roads The following table list county roads that once e ...

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 West Gwillimbury (

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 most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

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, s ...

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 statio ...

in Severn. 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 Canad ...

(CPR) and

Barrie Collingwood Railway The Barrie-Collingwood Railway , commonly referred to as the BCRY, is a shortline railway operating between the towns of Innisfil, Ontario, Innisfil and Utopia in south central Ontario, Canada. The line was started in 1998 and runs on abandon ...

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 c ...

. The County is also served by the

Orillia Ramara Regional Airport Orillia Ramara Regional Airport is a Aerodrome#Canada, registered aerodrome located northeast of Orillia, Ontario, Canada. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) ...

in Ramara, 12 km northeast of Orillia. The closest major airport, however, is

Toronto Pearson International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surr ...

Public transit

LINX

The County has operated an intercommunity regional bus service, LINX, since 2018. It also operates a subsidiary

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

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 The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...

. 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 Barrie Transit is a Canadian public transport agency serving the city of Barrie. Daily operation of Specialized Transit (formally known as BACTS) is provided under contract by MVT Canadian Bus. Hubs Barrie Bus Terminal Other hubs Georgian ...

, BWG Transit (Bradford West Gwillimbury), Colltrans (Collingwood),

Orillia Transit oOrillia Transit is operated bTOK Transitunder contract to the City of Orillia in central Ontario, Canada. TOK Transit provides drivers, maintains the vehicles and supplies fuel. Service is provided on six routes throughout the city every day e ...

Midland Penetanguishene Transit Midland Penetanguishene Transit, formerly Midland Transit Service, is a small municipal transit system in the Towns of Midland and Penetanguishene in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Two routes operate from the hub at King and Elizabeth Streets ...

, and

Wasaga Beach Transit Wasaga Beach Transit is a public transportation system for the resort town of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly operated by Georgian Coach Lines from 2008 to 2014 and contracted to Sinton-Landmark using municipally-owned buses. Servic ...

Intercity bus

Intercity bus services serving Simcoe County include

(Route 68), and

Education

* The

Simcoe County District School Board Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 17 and Simcoe County Board Of Education prior to 1999) is an Ontario, Canada, English speaking public school board, serving Simcoe County. The s ...

operates all public schools within Simcoe County. * The

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 44 prior to 1999) administers and governs separate school Catholic education from kindergarten through grade 12 in Simcoe County ...

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 Lakehead University in

. 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 Counties in Ontario