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List of cities in Ontario facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A city in Ontario, Canada, is a type of local government area. Think of it as a big community with its own rules and services. In Ontario, a city can be either a "single-tier" or "lower-tier" municipality. This means how it's managed and how it works with other nearby governments.

Before 2003, a place needed a certain number of people (like 15,000 or 25,000) to be called a city. But now, a community can decide to call itself a city even if it doesn't meet an old population rule.

Ontario has 52 cities. In 2016, these cities had a total population of about 9.9 million people. The biggest city is Toronto, with over 2.7 million residents. The smallest is Dryden, with about 7,700 people. Richmond Hill became Ontario's newest city in 2019, changing from a town. Before that, Markham became a city in 2012.

How Cities Are Formed

In the past, to become a city, a village or town needed at least 15,000 people. A township needed 25,000 people. The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), a special group that helps with local government decisions, would approve these changes. If the community was part of a larger county, the Minister of Municipal Affairs also had to agree.

However, things changed in 2003 with a new law called the Municipal Act, 2001. This law removed the old population rules for becoming a city. Now, any local government can choose to call itself a "city," "town," "village," or "township."

This new law also changed how cities are organized:

  • If a city was part of a county or region, it became a lower-tier municipality. It still kept its name as a city.
  • If a city was not part of a larger county or region, it became a single-tier municipality. It also kept its name as a city.

What are Single-tier and Lower-tier Municipalities?

  • Single-tier municipalities are like independent cities. They handle all local services themselves, such as roads, water, and police.
  • Lower-tier municipalities are part of a larger regional government. They handle some local services, while the regional government handles bigger services like major roads, public health, and social services for the whole region.

Major Cities in Ontario

Ontario is home to many large and important cities. Here are some of the biggest:

Rank (2021) City Population (2021) Population (2016)
1
 Toronto 2,794,356 2,731,571 &10000000000000002298494+2.3% 2731571
2
 Ottawa 1,017,449 934,243 &10000000000000008906248+8.9% 934243
3
 Mississauga 717,961 721,599 Template:Number table sorting/negative−0.5% 721599
4
 Brampton 656,480 593,638 &10000000000000010585912+10.6% 593638
5
 Hamilton 569,353 536,917 &10000000000000006041157+6.0% 536917
6
 London 422,324 383,822 &10000000000000010031212+10.0% 383822
7
 Markham 338,503 328,966 &10000000000000002899083+2.9% 328966
8
 Vaughan 323,103 306,233 &10000000000000005508877+5.5% 306233
9
 Kitchener 256,885 233,222 &10000000000000010146126+10.1% 233222
10
 Windsor 229,660 217,188 &10000000000000005742490+5.7% 217188

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List of cities in Ontario Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.