| Simcoe County | |
|---|---|
| — County — | |
| Location of Simcoe County | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Established | 1843 as Simcoe District |
| County seat | Midhurst |
| Settlements |
List
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| Area[1] | |
| • Land | 4,840.56 km2 (1,868.95 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 422,204 |
| • Density | 87.2/km2 (225.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website | www.simcoe.ca/ |
Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, a densely populated and industrialized region centred around the Greater Toronto Area.
The 2007 population was approximately 266,100 (Source: County of Simcoe 2007 Budget), but Statistics Canada, which includes the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia in its calculations of the Simcoe County census division, states the 2006 population as being 422,204.[1]
The land area of the county is 1,868.95 square miles (4,840.56 km2).[1] The elevated Niagara Escarpment runs through sections of the western part of the county and the Minesing Swamp, a Ramsar Convention Wetland Of International Importance, is located in the central area of the County.
The county administrative centre is located in Midhurst, outside of Barrie.
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Simcoe County, in particular the former Wendake area near Nottawasaga Bay, was the site of the earliest non-First Nations exploration and settlement of Ontario. Several historic sites, including Carhagouha and Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, mark the earliest known contacts between the area's traditional Huron population and European missionaries. The Huron capital, Ossossane, was at one time the largest aboriginal settlement in all of North America outside of Mexico.
The area was originally established as "Simcoe District" in 1843 by the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada[1]. Its original 19 townships at that time were: Adjala, Essa, Flos, West Gwillimbury, Innisfil, Mara, Matchedash, Medonte, Nottawasaga, Orillia (North Division), Orillia (South Division), Oro, Rama, Sunnidale, Tay, Tecumseth, Tiny, Tosorontio and Vespra.
The District was restructured in 1845, changing its composition to the following 24 townships (Source: Statutory Chronology of Canada): 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) and Vespra.
Effective January 1, 1850, An Act for abolishing the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada into Districts abolished Simcoe "District" in favour of the Simcoe "County", still composed of the Townships noted in the Act of 1845.
The most recent restructuring took place in 1994 which resulted in the current 16 local municipalities.
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 system, Ontario Works, childrens 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 Barrie and Orillia, 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, who is elected for a one-year term by the council members at the Inaugural Meeting, held each December. The Warden for the 2010 term is Cal Patterson, mayor of Wasaga Beach.
Though once a consideration according to the Wasaga Sun,[2] Simcoe county has elected not to restructure itself as a regional municipality.[3]
At both the federal and provincial levels, Simcoe County encompasses all or part of the electoral districts of Barrie, York—Simcoe, Simcoe—Grey and Simcoe North.
Simcoe County's 16 local municipalities are:
There are also three Indian reserves:
The economy of Simcoe County is diverse and includes a full range of businesses from agricultural, industrial to high-tech.
Honda of Canada Manufacturing has been established in Simcoe County since 1986 and continues to be one of the County's largest single employers. In addition to the automotive industry, other industries include plastics, glass manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, aggregate resources. The County is also home to internationally known institutions like Casino Rama, Georgian College, Canadian Forces Base Borden, Lakehead University and the Ontario Provincial Police 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 our economy.
Although not politically recognized, Simcoe County is informally split into two subsections, “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 Greater Toronto Area (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. In addition, South Simcoe hosts two GO Train Stations which provide daily commuter rail service to Toronto. South Simcoe includes: the City of Barrie (although politically separate), the Town of Innisfil, the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, the Township of Essa and the Town of New Tecumseth.
North Simcoe 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. North Simcoe includes: the City of Orillia (although politically separate), the Township of Clearview, the Township of Oro-Medonte, the Township of Ramara, the Township of Severn, the Township of Springwater, the Township of Tay and the Township of Tiny, the Town of Collingwood, the Town of Midland, the Town of Penetanguishene and the Town of Wasaga Beach.
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; Ontario Highway 400 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.
GO Transit operates commuter rail sevice from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to South Simcoe. In South Simcoe, GO Stations are located in Barrie as well as Bradford.
There are three main rail freight operators in Simcoe County, namely, Canadian National Railway (CN), Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Barrie Collingwood Railway.
The Lake Simcoe Regional Airport is a registered airport located almost midway between Barrie and Orillia, in the township of Oro-Medonte. The airport is operated by both the City of Barrie and the Township of Oro-Medonte. The airport is equipped to accommodate propeller and jet aircraft, and is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Some of the County's larger urban centres have public transit operations consisting of bus services. There are local bus services in Barrie, Orillia, Midland, and Collingwood. These transit services are run by the local municipalities as well as private bus operators with regularly scheduled services and charter services throughout the County.
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.
Post-secondary education is offered by Georgian College in Barrie, Midland, Orillia and Collingwood and by Lakehead University and Laurentian University in Orillia. A number of additional universities offer programs through the University Partnership Centre (UPC) in Georgian College.