The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality of Ontario, Canada, located in Southern Ontario in the southwest part of the Greater Toronto Area ("GTA"). It comprises the city of Burlington and the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills and is policed by the Halton Regional Police Service. The regional council's headquarters are located in Oakville.
The Town of Oakville and the City of Burlington are largely urban, while the Towns of Milton and Halton Hills to the north are significantly more rural. Together with urbanization in the neighbouring Regional Municipality of Peel, the urban area of the GTHA is contiguous all the way from Hamilton to Toronto, as is visible on satellite images of the GTHA and the Golden Horseshoe.
Halton has been ranked by Maclean's national crime ranking report as being the "safest place to live" in the Greater Toronto Area, and one of the top five in Canada.[2]
Halton Region experienced a growth rate of 17.1% between 2001 and 2006, and 14.2% between 2006 and 2011, giving it one of the highest growth rates in the country. Despite the unprecedented growth in residential development, agriculture and protected lands along the Niagara Escarpment are still the predominant land uses in the Region.
History
The Regional Municipality of Halton was established on 1 January 1974 as the successor to the former Halton County by the Regional Municipality of Halton Act, 1973.[3] From 1 January 2003, it has been governed by the Municipal Act, 2001.[4]
Until the 2000 municipal elections, the Chairman of the Regional Council had been appointed by the Ontario government. From that date, it has been an elective position. Joyce Savoline was the last appointed Chairman, and was elected and reelected as Chairman until her retirement from the position in 2006. The current Regional Chairman is Gary Carr.
Regional Council
The Council consists of the elected Chairman, the mayors of the local municipalities, and regional councillors elected by wards from the local municipalities (who also sit on their respective municipal councils).
The current membership of the council is as follows:
Chairman | Municipality | Mayor | Regional Councillors |
Gary Carr |
City of Burlington |
Rick Goldring |
- Rick Craven
- Jack Dennison
- Blair Lancaster
- Paul Sharman
- John Taylor
- Marianne Meed Ward
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Town of Oakville |
Rob Burton |
- Tom Adams
- Keith Bird
- Cathy Duddeck
- Allan Elgar
- Alan Johnston
- Jeff Knoll
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Town of Milton |
Gordon Krantz |
- Colin Best
- Mike Cluett
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Town of Halton Hills |
Rick Bonnette |
- Jane Fogal
- Clark Somerville
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Demographics
Canada census – Regional Municipality of Halton community profile |
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| | 2011 | 2006 | 2001 | |
Population: Land area: Population density: Median age: Total private dwellings: Median household income:
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501,669 (14.2% from 2006)
964.01 km2 (372.21 sq mi)
520.4/km2 (1,348/sq mi)
182,304
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439,256 (17.1% from 2001)
967.17 km2 (373.43 sq mi)
454.2/km2 (1,176/sq mi)
38.4 (M: 37.6, F: 39.2)
162,346
$83,496
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375,229 (10.4% from 1996)
967.04 km2 (373.38 sq mi)
388.0/km2 (1,005/sq mi)
37.6 (M: 36.8, F: 38.3)
136,668
$74,496
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Visible Minorities and Aboriginals
Group |
2011 Census |
2006 Census |
2001 Census |
1996 Census |
Population | % of total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total |
Aboriginal | | | 2,640 | 0.6 | 1,800 | 0.5 | 1,325 | 0.4 |
Visible Minority | | | 57,360 | 13.2 | 32,550 | 8.7 | 22,660 | 6.7 |
All other | | | 375,395 | 86.2 | 338,060 | 90.8 | 313,455 | 92.9 |
Total | 501,669 | 100.0 | 435,395 | 100.0 | 372,410 | 100.0 | 337,440 | 100.0 |
Population by mother tongue
Group |
2011 Census |
2006 Census |
2001 Census |
1996 Census |
Population | % of total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total |
English | | | 341,675 | 78.5 | 306,980 | 82.4 | 281,090 | 83.3 |
French | | | 8,105 | 1.8 | 6,900 | 1.9 | 6,250 | 1.9 |
English and French | | | 720 | 0.2 | 820 | 0.2 | 720 | 0.2 |
All other | | | 84,900 | 19.5 | 57,705 | 15.5 | 49,380 | 14.6 |
Total | | | 435,395 | 100.0 | 372,410 | 100.0 | 337,440 | 100.0 |
Mobility over previous five years
Group |
2011 Census |
2006 Census |
2001 Census |
1996 Census |
Population | % of total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total | Population | % of Total |
At the same address | | | 228,860 | 56.2 | 198,690 | 56.8 | 184,295 | 58.7 |
In the same municipality |
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71,335 |
17.5 |
130,000 |
37.2 |
58,560 |
18.7 |
In the same province |
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85,130 |
20.9 |
55,380 |
17.7 |
From another province |
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6,720 |
1.6 |
1,920 |
4.3 |
8,270 |
2.6 |
From another country |
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15,360 |
3.8 |
7,235 |
2.3 |
Total aged 5 or over | | | 407,405 | 100.0 | 349,670 | 100.0 | 313,745 | 100.0 |
Economy
Labour force
Employment activity
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2011 |
2006 |
2001 |
1996 |
Participation rate | | 71.9% | 72.1% | 76.8% |
Employment rate | | 68.5% | 69.3% | 72.8% |
Unemployment rate | | 4.7% | 4.0% | 5.1% |
Employment by industry
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2011 |
2006 |
2001 |
1996 |
Agriculture and resources | | 4,180 | 3,935 | 2,870 |
Construction |
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12,060 |
41,540 |
8,085 |
Manufacturing |
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31,635 |
33,235 |
Wholesale trade |
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18,915 |
38,440 |
14,760 |
Retail trade |
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27,245 |
22,175 |
Financial and real estate | | 23,030 | 19,550 | 16,150 |
Health care and social services |
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19,535 |
29,935 |
15,870 |
Educational services |
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17,060 |
13,250 |
Business services | | 53,975 | 45,120 | 31,045 |
Other services | | 39,565 | 32,935 | 31,490 |
Total | | 247,200 | 211,455 | 188,930 |
Agriculture
Trend per Census of Agriculture
Type |
2011 |
2006 |
2001 |
Halton Hills | Milton | Burlington | Oakville | Total | % change | Halton Hills | Milton | Burlington | Oakville | Total[7] | % change | Total |
Number of farms | 169 | 209 | 70 | 21 | 469 | 15.6% | 206 | 260 | 79 | 21 | 566 | 8.5% | 619 |
Total area of farms (in hectares) | 15,436 | 11,289 | 3,259 | 2,216 | 32,200 | 10.5% | 16,747 | 12,592 | 4,306 | 2,331 | 35,976 | 10.0% | 39,966 |
Area of land in crops | 12,507 | 8,288 | 2,106 | 2,057 | 24,958 | 8.6% | 13,353 | 8,741 | 3,084 | 2,133 | 27,311 | 10.4% | 30,469 |
Gross farm receipts ($ millions) | 39.99 | 57.36 | 23.24 | 3.35 | 123.94 | 6.1% | 57.75 | 40.52 | 30.61 | 3.16 | 132.04 | 6.7% | 141.47 |
Total cattle and calves | 2,672 | 1,854 | x | x | 4,907 | 52.0% | 3,571 | 2,725 | 3,919 | 0 | 10,215 | 11.8% | 11,581 |
Total pigs | x | x | x | x | x | N/A | x | x | x | x | 3,508 | 43.9% | 6,254 |
x = suppressed for reasons of confidentiality
Geography
Identification of urban and rural features of the Region.
While the urban areas of Burlington, Oakville and Milton are experiencing rapid growth, there is still a significant proportion of the Region that is still rural, most of which is protected as part of the provincial Greenbelt or as part of the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
Halton is somewhat unique, in that it has three distinct climate zones within its relatively small area,[8] which are as follows:
- Zone 5a - Halton Hills lying to the north of the Niagara Escarpment, together with the Town of Milton within the Grand River watershed
- Zone 5b - the remainder of Halton Hills, Milton north of Derry Road, and that part of Burlington lying north of the Niagara Escarpment
- Zone 6a - the southern remainder of the Region
Climate charts
GEORGETOWN WWTP
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Climate chart (explanation) |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C |
Precipitation totals in mm | Source: [9] |
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Imperial conversion |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F |
Precipitation totals in inches |
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BURLINGTON TS
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Climate chart (explanation) |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C |
Precipitation totals in mm | Source: [10] |
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Imperial conversion |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F |
Precipitation totals in inches |
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OAKVILLE SE WPCP
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Climate chart (explanation) |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C |
Precipitation totals in mm | Source: [11] |
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Imperial conversion |
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F |
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See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Halton Regional municipality census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
- ↑ Halton Region Ranked Safest Place to Live in GTA, Top 5 in Canada
- ↑ Regional Municipality of Halton Act, 1973, S.O. 1973, c. 70
- ↑ Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25
- ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ↑ "2006 Agricultural community profile". Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ↑ Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada
- ↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
External links
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