Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

Last updated
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
Conurbation
Toronto August 2017.jpg
Nickname: 
GTHA
GTHA map.png
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Province Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
Area
  Total8,244.42 km2 (3,183.19 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
  Total7,281,694
  Density844/km2 (2,216/sq mi)
 Combined population of the cities of Toronto and Hamilton and the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel, York, and Durham
GDP
  Total CA$479.758 billion
US$361.642 billion (2019) [1]
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
L, M
Area code(s) 226, 519, 548, 416, 437, 647, 249, 705, 905, 289, 365

The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is a contiguous urban region that is composed of some of the largest cities and metropolitan areas by population in the Canadian province of Ontario. The GTHA consists of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the city of Hamilton. The GTA is Canada's most populous metropolitan area that includes the city of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel, York, and Durham. The GTHA forms the core of a larger urban agglomeration known as the Golden Horseshoe.

Contents

Beginning in the late-2000s, the term "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" was introduced by a few public bodies [lower-alpha 1] to refer to the GTA and the city of Hamilton as a single entity. The population of the combined area is 7,281,694 as of 2021, [5] and is projected to grow to 8.6 million by 2031. [6] The main series of roadways that connects all the areas together (going from Durham to Hamilton) includes highways 401, 427, 403, and the Queen Elizabeth Way. The GTHA has regional public transport served by GO Transit and local service by multiple agencies, which mostly use the Presto card as fare payment.

Municipalities and populations

Census divisionPopulation (2016) [5] Population (2021) [5] Change
Toronto 2,731,5712,794,356+2.30%
Hamilton 536,917569,353+6.04%
Halton 548,435596,637+8.79%
Peel 1,381,7391,451,022+5.01%
York 1,109,9091,173,334+5.71%
Durham 645,862696,992+7.92%
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area6,954,4337,281,694+4.71%

See also

Footnotes

  1. Adopters include the regional transportation planning body Metrolinx, [2] the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure [3] and the Regional Municipality of Halton. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Municipality of Durham</span> Regional municipality in Ontario, Canada

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 Toronto Area and part of the Golden Horseshoe region. It has an area of approximately 2,500 km2 (970 sq mi). The regional government is headquartered in Whitby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Toronto Area</span> Metropolitan area in Ontario, Canada

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 Toronto Area begins in Burlington in Halton Region to the west, and extends along Lake Ontario past downtown Toronto eastward to Clarington in Durham Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Horseshoe</span> Secondary region in Ontario, Canada

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 region is the most densely populated and industrialized in Canada. Based on the 2021 census, with a population of 7,759,635 people in its core and 9,765,188 in its greater area, the Golden Horseshoe accounts for over 20 percent of the population of Canada and more than 54 percent of Ontario's population. It is part of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, itself part of the Great Lakes megalopolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO Transit</span> Ontario regional public transit system

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 million across an area over 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) stretching from Kitchener in the west to Peterborough in the east, and from Barrie in the north to Niagara Falls in the south. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 35,234,400. GO Transit operates diesel-powered double-decker trains and coach buses, on routes that connect with all local and some long-distance inter-city transit services in its service area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Hills</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Halton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, located in the northwestern end of the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada with a population of 62,951 (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Municipality of Halton</span> Regional municipality in Ontario, Canada

The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada, located in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. It comprises the city of Burlington and the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills. Policing in the Region is provided by the Halton Regional Police Service. The regional council's headquarters are located in Oakville. Burlington, Oakville, and Milton are largely urban and suburban, while Halton Hills is more rural.

A regional municipality 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. Regional municipalities were formed in highly populated areas where it was considered more efficient to provide certain services, such as water, emergency services, and waste management over an area encompassing more than one local municipality. For this reason, regions may be involved in providing services to residents and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 416, 647, and 437</span> Telephone area codes for Toronto, Ontario

Area codes 416, 647, and 437 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Area code 416 is one of the original North American area codes created by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1947. Area codes 647 and 437 are additional area codes for the same numbering plan area (NPA), forming an overlay numbering plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York County, Ontario</span> Historic county in Canada

York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario. It was organized by the Upper Canada administration from the lands of the Toronto Purchase and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Peninsula Highway</span> Cancelled Ontario freeway

The Mid-Peninsula Highway is a proposed freeway across the Niagara Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although plans for a highway connecting Hamilton to Fort Erie south of the Niagara Escarpment have surfaced for decades, it was not until The Niagara Frontier International Gateway Study was published by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) in 1998 that serious examination and planning began. The study called for an alternative route to the QEW, which runs through tender fruitlands and is not capable of expansion beyond its current configuration. The land on which studies are being performed for this future freeway is referred to as the Mid-Peninsula Corridor or the Niagara–GTA Corrdior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presto card</span> Contactless smart card fare system in Ontario, Canada

The Presto card is a contactless smart card automated fare collection system used on participating public transit systems in the province of Ontario, Canada, specifically in Greater Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Presto card readers were implemented on a trial basis from 25 June 2007 to 30 September 2008. Full implementation began in November 2009 and it was rolled out across rapid transit stations, railway stations, bus stops and terminals, and transit vehicles on eleven different transit systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Move</span> 2008 regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto Area

The Big Move is the regional transportation plan (RTP) published by Metrolinx for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) in Ontario, Canada. It makes specific recommendations for transit projects, resulting from seven "green papers" and two "white papers" released for public discussion. A draft RTP was released alongside draft investment strategy in September 2008. After a series of stakeholder consultations and public meetings, the final RTP was approved and published by Metrolinx on 28 November 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe)</span> Protected area in Southern Ontario, Canada

The Greenbelt is a protected area of green space, farmland, forests, wetlands, and watersheds, located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It surrounds a significant portion of the Golden Horseshoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrolinx</span> Crown agency owned by the Government of Ontario

Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), which comprises much of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region. Headquartered at Union Station in Toronto, the agency was created as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority on June 22, 2006. The agency adopted its present name as a brand name in 2007 and eventually as the legal name in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir</span> Board of education

Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir is a Roman Catholic French first language public-separate school board that manages elementary and secondary schools in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 46 elementary schools, 11 secondary schools, and two combined institutions within that area. Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir is headquartered in the Centre d'éducation catholique Omer-Deslauriers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

GO Transit is an interregional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada, operated by the provincial crown agency Metrolinx. It primarily serves the conurbation referred to by Metrolinx as the "Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area" (GTHA) with operations extending to several communities in the area centred around Toronto and Hamilton.

The Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006 is a regional growth management policy for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area of southern Ontario, Canada. Introduced under the Places to Grow Act in 2005, the Plan was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and enacted on June 16, 2006. Administered by the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI), the plan identifies density and intensification targets, urban growth centres, strategic employment areas, and settlement area restrictions designed to mitigate negative environmental, economic, and human health impacts associated with sprawling, uncoordinated growth in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-Line (Hamilton)</span>

The A-Line is a proposed rapid transit line running along James Street in downtown and Upper James Street on the escarpment in Hamilton, Ontario. It is part of Hamilton's proposed BLAST network, involving four other rapid transit corridors. It is identified by Metrolinx in its regional transportation plan The Big Move as a project to be completed by 2023. The route is currently served by Hamilton Street Railway's Route 20 A-Line Express bus.

King's Highway 413, known as the GTA West Corridor or GTA West until 2021, is a proposed 400-series highway and bus transitway in the western Greater Toronto Area of the Canadian province of Ontario. The approximately 52-kilometre (32 mi) route is currently undergoing planning and analysis under an environmental impact assessment (EA) by both the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and the Government of Ontario, as well as the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. If approved, a new four-to-six lane controlled-access highway would be built between the existing interchange of Highway 401 and the 407 ETR at the Halton–Peel boundary, and Highway 400 north of Vaughan. In addition, two new extensions would be built to connect Highway 410 and Highway 427 with Highway 413.

References

  1. "Statistics Canada. Table 36-10-0468-01 Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) (x 1,000,000)". Statistics Canada.
  2. "About Us". Metrolinx Website. Metrolinx.
  3. "Places to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe" (PDF). Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal. 2006. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06.
  4. "Amendment No. 38 to the Regional Plan (2006)". Regional Municipality of Halton. 2009-12-16. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  5. 1 2 3 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-02-09). "Select from a list of geographies - Ontario". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  6. "The Big Move". Metrolinx. 2008. Retrieved 2014-03-12.

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