Regional Municipality of Halton

Halton Region
Regional Municipality of Halton
Clockwise from top left: Georgetown, Hilton Falls, Bronte Harbour, Royal Botanical Gardens, Oakville, Brant Street Pier,
Coat of arms of Halton Region
Official logo of Halton Region
Motto: 
Absque labore nihil (Latin for: Nothing without effort)
Halton Region's location within Ontario.
Halton Region's location within Ontario.
Coordinates: 43°30′30″N 79°53′16″W / 43.50833°N 79.88778°W / 43.50833; -79.88778[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Established (county)1854
Established (regional municipality)1974
SeatOakville
Government
 • Regional ChairGary Carr
Area
 • Land964.01 km2 (372.21 sq mi)
Population
 • Total596,637
 • Density618.9/km2 (1,603/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Websitewww.halton.ca
Rattlesnake Point, near Milton, Ontario.

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.

Halton is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), although it is the only regional municipality in the GTA that is not situated directly adjacent to Toronto’s city proper. However, the region is split between the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Toronto and Hamilton. Burlington is part of the Hamilton CMA, while the rest of the region is part of the Toronto CMA.

Halton 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. Halton has been ranked by Maclean's national crime ranking report as being the "safest place to live" in the GTA and one of the top five in Canada.[3]

  1. ^ "Regional Municipality of Halton". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ a b "Halton Regional municipality census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  3. ^ Halton Region Ranked Safest Place to Live in GTA, Top 5 in Canada