[rdaner]

There are several threads where this could be placed, but I'll go with this one.

@AshNavabi has an excellent Front Page Story looking at population growth in Toronto, both proper and the CMA, and comparing it to housing starts and completions and placing all that in a broader North American context.

Well worth a read!

How Toronto Is Responding as the Fastest Growing City in North America | UrbanToronto

That Toronto is growing is not surprising to anyone; that it is the fastest growing city on the continent does put our growth in a new light. So let’s illuminate how the City is changing with respect to construction, infrastructure, and policy.

urbantoronto.ca

Very interesting! Curious to see what the numbers like when comparable zones used or even the measure used by the OECD that allows more international comparisons. Will look.

Btw made an IG reel in honour of the news:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Mr.Tang]

Am I the only one skeptical of why Oshawa remains separated in a separate CMA and not just part of the GTA? I think 50 years go - sure, but now it seems outdated as I dont see it meaningfully different from Pickering or Newmarket...

 

[ImmenselyMental]

Am I the only one skeptical of why Oshawa remains separated in a separate CMA and not just part of the GTA? I think 50 years go - sure, but now it seems outdated as I dont see it meaningfully different from Pickering or Newmarket...

Statistics Canada does not consider Oshawa to be part of the GTA because it does not allow for merging CMAs with each other. However, it allows for expanding a CMA by merging with adjacent CAs (with a population less than 100,000), which is what happened with Ottawa and Windsor in 2021.

I agree that Oshawa should be considered part of the GTA, due to its proximity to Toronto and the frequency of GO Transit service to that area. In addition, the once-rural lands in western Whitby separating Oshawa's urban area from the rest of the GTA are filling in with new residential developments, enhancing the case that Statistics Canada should merge Oshawa into the GTA.

 

[Towered]

Statistics Canada does not consider Oshawa to be part of the GTA because it does not allow for merging CMAs with each other. However, it allows for expanding a CMA by merging with adjacent CAs (with a population less than 100,000), which is what happened with Ottawa and Windsor in 2021.

I agree that Oshawa should be considered part of the GTA, due to its proximity to Toronto and the frequency of GO Transit service to that area. In addition, the once-rural lands in western Whitby separating Oshawa's urban area from the rest of the GTA are filling in with new residential developments, enhancing the case that Statistics Canada should merge Oshawa into the GTA.

It's pretty stupid at this point. The entire urban area from Hamilton all the way to Oshawa is continuous.

 

[rdaner]

There are are resources that use Urban Area measures that bring a lot of clarity and great global rankings.

 

[evandyk]

This was brought to my attention on twitter recently. Toronto CMA population estimates from Statscan. It seems really unlikely to me that the Toronto CMA grew by almost 600,000 people (or almost 10%) in two years. What would explain such explosive growth? If you expand the chart to 2014, it took 8 years to add the previous 600,000 people.

Toronto (CMA), Ontario (map)	6,491,939	6,472,951	6,582,012	6,837,468	7,106,379

Population estimates, July 1, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, 2021 boundaries

Annual population estimates as of July 1st, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, single year of age, five-year age group and gender, based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021.

www150.statcan.gc.ca

 

[stevedean]

This was brought to my attention on twitter recently. Toronto CMA population estimates from Statscan. It seems really unlikely to me that the Toronto CMA grew by almost 600,000 people (or almost 10%) in two years. What would explain such explosive growth? If you expand the chart to 2014, it took 8 years to add the previous 600,000 people.

Toronto (CMA), Ontario (map)	6,491,939	6,472,951	6,582,012	6,837,468	7,106,379

Population estimates, July 1, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, 2021 boundaries

Annual population estimates as of July 1st, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, single year of age, five-year age group and gender, based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021.

www150.statcan.gc.ca

have you not been following the news about immigration over the last 2 years?
Canada brought in roughly 2 million people in 2 years.

 

[evandyk]

I suppose if a third of all immigrants go to the GTA, that makes sense.

 

[picard102]

I suppose if a third of all immigrants go to the GTA, that makes sense.

Almost 20% of the country lives in the GTA. Southern Ontario is 50% of the country.

 

[Northern Light]

Almost 20% of the country lives in the GTA.

Yes

Southern Ontario is 50% of the country.

No.

Ontario as a whole is ~16.2M - that divided into Canada at 41.6M gives 38.9%

Southern Ontario is 60% of Ontario's number; if you throw in Central Ontario you get to 82% of the above.

That gives a range of 23% of the Country to 31.9% of the Country.

Big numbers but well shy of 1/2 the country!

 

[picard102]

Southern Ontario is 60% of Ontario's number; if you throw in Central Ontario you get to 82% of the above.

Must have been looking at Ontario's numbers then.

 

[evandyk]

Generally, Ontario + Quebec has for decades made up around half of the country's population (a little over that right now).

 

[ethan.l.cecc]

Statistics Canada does not consider Oshawa to be part of the GTA because it does not allow for merging CMAs with each other. However, it allows for expanding a CMA by merging with adjacent CAs (with a population less than 100,000), which is what happened with Ottawa and Windsor in 2021.

I agree that Oshawa should be considered part of the GTA, due to its proximity to Toronto and the frequency of GO Transit service to that area. In addition, the once-rural lands in western Whitby separating Oshawa's urban area from the rest of the GTA are filling in with new residential developments, enhancing the case that Statistics Canada should merge Oshawa into the GTA.

To add to this, merging CMA with CMA (and CA with CA) is not allowed for the sake of statistical continuity. I remember seeing somewhere that StatCan has considered creating a higher-level statistical region similar to the US's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) which is formed of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA equivalent of CMA) and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSA equivalent of CA), but I can't seem to find anything to confirm that.

 

[rdaner]

Story in The Star about latest CMA/MSA growth in NA. GTA #1 again.

 

[rdaner]

^I am unsure if this is new information or a rehash of Jan 2025 data as there is nothing anywhere else about this. Maybe the US numbers were just released? If these are current to April then I am curious to see where our density is at and whereas we were very high for NA before and this might put us close to UK/EU values.