City of Toronto Act

City of Toronto Act is the name of a series of different acts of parliament that have governed the organization and political powers of the city since Toronto's original incorporation as a city in 1834.

The Incorporation of the City of Toronto on 1834 March 6 was a legislative act creating the City of Toronto from the unincorporated town of York. This allowed for the creation of the local government or city council. The act was transferred onto the succeeding governments of Ontario in 1840 and 1867. The incorporation remained in effect throughout Toronto's mergers with other cities and towns within southern York County until the creation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1954.

The Metropolitan Toronto Act was a provincial act passed on April 2, 1953 to co-ordinate the services in the various municipalities of southern York County. The southern municipalities, being East York, Etobicoke, Forest Hill, Leaside, Long Branch, Mimico, New Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Swansea, Toronto, Weston, and York, were separated from York County and organized under a new regional federation, titled the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.

The act went into effect on April 15, 1953, and Metro's taxation and legislative powers took effect on January 1, 1954. The federation was governed by a council made up of representatives of the member municipalities and a chairman to oversee the council. The first chairman was Fred Gardiner, appointed by the Province of Ontario. Subsequent chairmen were selected by Council itself, and later directly elected.

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