Peel Region | |
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Regional municipality (upper-tier) | |
Regional Municipality of Peel | |
Motto: Working for you | |
Map showing Peel Region's location in Ontario |
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Coordinates: 43°37′N 79°37′W / 43.617°N 79.617°WCoordinates: 43°37′N 79°37′W / 43.617°N 79.617°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Established | January 1, 1974 |
Seat | Brampton |
Government | |
• Chair Governing Body |
Frank Dale Peel Regional Council |
Area | |
• Total | 1,246.89 km2 (481.43 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,296,814 |
• Density | 1,040.0/km2 (2,694/sq mi) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
Website | peelregion.ca |
The Regional Municipality of Peel (also known as the Region of Peel or Peel Region) is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest of Toronto: the cities of Brampton and Mississauga, and the town of Caledon. The entire region is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of Golden Horseshoe. The regional seat is in Brampton.
With a population of 1,296,814 (2011 census), Peel Region is the second-largest municipality in Ontario after Toronto. Owing to immigration and its transportation infrastructure (with seven 400-series highways serving the region, and Toronto Pearson International Airport located completely within its boundaries).
Mississauga occupies the southernmost portion of the region, and is, with 713,443 residents, the largest in population (the sixth largest in Canada). It reaches from Lake Ontario north to near Highway 407. In the centre is Brampton, a city of 523,911 (ranked 9th by population in Canada). Finally, by far the largest in area and the most sparsely populated part of the region is Caledon, which is home to 59,460 residents.
The Region of Peel was created by the government of Bill Davis in 1974 from the former County of Peel, and was legislated to provide community services to the (then) rapidly urbanizing area of south Peel County (now Mississauga and Brampton).
Peel County (and therefore, Region) are named after Sir Robert Peel, the nineteenth-century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.