Government System in Toronto

The provincial government has power over the six municipalities.

At crucial times it has exercised power to reshape local administration.

Provincial legislation created the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, or Metro, on January 1, 1954. It included the municipality of Toronto and five surrounding suburban municipalities: the cities of North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, York, and East York.

The second metropolitan regional government on the continent (New York City was the first in 1898), it became a model for other urban consolidations.

Metro had much greater powers than a county: It was responsible for police, sewage and waste disposal, public housing, major social services, a central library, and the financing of education. It also sold water to local municipalities, which then sold it to homes and businesses.

Inside Metro, the Toronto Transit Commission operated the extensive public transit system, including subways.

Local road maintenance, trash collection, maintenance of local parks and recreational areas, tax collection, and fire protection were the responsibilities of the local municipalities.

On January 1, 1998, the Ontario government legislated that all six municipalities within Metro would amalgamate into one City of Toronto.

The new city is governed by a city council of more than 50 members, including the mayor.

The former municipalities each have a community council composed of councilors within their boundaries, but these councils have very limited powers.

In the 1980s the provincial government defined another level of governmental coordination, called the Greater Toronto Area or GTA, which includes Toronto.

At about 7,200 sq km (about 2,800 sq mi) and a population of more than 4.6 million, the GTA includes most of the Toronto CMA, the neighboring Oshawa CMA, and part of Hamilton CMA.

Outside Metro, there were four regional governments containing 24 municipalities.

A task force chartered by the province issued a report in 1996 called the Golden Report that recommended creating a strong GTA-wide governing body to deal with regional issues.

The Toronto Area Services Board has responsibility for GO Transit, the commuter rail and bus service serving a wide area.