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Ontario is the second largest province of Canada:

• an area of more than one million square kilometres
• at the 2006 census, total population was just over 12 million
  • about one third of the total Canadian population^[1].

Rural Ontario is home to about four million people^[2] and its industries include agriculture, forestry, mining and manufacturing.

Ontario is divided into regions:

1. North
2. South
3. East
4. West

Regions are divided into counties, for example Lennox and Addington County and Prince Edward County in Eastern Ontario.

Ontario's public policy context

Land use policy

Land use is governed by the Ontario Land Use Policy, specifically the Provincial Policy Statement 2005.

Energy supply and demand

Ontario’s energy resources include crude oil, natural gas, hydro power, nuclear power, wind, biomass and solar. The province uses these and coal to generate electricity. Ontario was a net exporter of refined crude products and electricity and a net importer of crude oil and coal in 2008. The energy industry in Ontario, primarily the utilities sector, accounted for about two percent of the province’s gross domestic product in 2008. In 2008, Ontario collected $2.7 billion in revenue from its energy industry, almost all of which came from electricity generation and transmission. The energy industry in Ontario employed more than 65,5000 people in 2008^[3].

Figure 1 shows peak demand forecasts for 2010-11^[4].

Figure 1: Peak demand forecasts for Ontario 2010-11

Figure 2 shows average demand for key communities in Ontario^[4].

Figure 2: Average electricity demand for Ontario communities

Figure 3 shows existing installed generation capacity in Ontario, giving a total of 35781MW^[4].

Figure 3: Existing installed generation in Ontario

Energy Infrastructure

Figure 4 illustrates the locations of energy sources in Ontario^[3].

Figure 4: Sources of energy in Ontario

Distributed generation

Figure 5 shows the planned expansion for electricity transmission in Ontario as announced by the government in September 2009^[5].

These new facilities will increase the transfer capability of the transmission network, allowing it to accommodate output from renewable generation located in many of Ontario’s remote, yet resource-rich locations^[4].. The 2009 Ontario Reliability Outlook from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) says that this move recognizes that longer lead-times are required for new transmission infrastructure than for generation projects^[4].

Figure 5: Ontario electricity transmission expansion plan

Land use

Figure 6 shows forestry, field and wetland as well as water distribution in Ontario.

Figure 6: Land and Water by Land Class in Ontario^[6]

Agricultural activity

As Ontario farms are often comprised of agricultural land and non-agricultural land, including forests and wetlands, use of the term 'farmland' rather than 'agricultural land' is common. This bio-diverse combination of land use is traditional and is increasingly being recognized as the most environmentally sustainable model for farms^[7].

Between 1981 and 2001, the total amount of farmland, cultivated land and pasture all declined, whereas the amount of cropped land increased slightly,pointing to an intensification of cropping. Total farmland in Ontario decreased from 6.0 million hectares in 1981 to about 5.5 million hectares in 2001^[8].

Infrastructure

Transportation

Road

Every year about 42.5 million vehicles cross the Ontario - US border, including 8.5 million trucks. CAD1.2 billion worth of trade moves along Ontario's strategic trade corridors each year ^[9].

The MacDonald Cartier Freeway (Highway 401) offers express, toll-free delivery of products throughout southern Ontario, with linkages into the Northeastern United States^[10]. The town of Greater Napanee is located on Highway 401.

Further Information Resources

1. Ontario's long term report on the economy - 2010 report by Ontario Ministry of Finance outlining demographic changes, economic projections and the implications for public services and summarising the government’s efforts to improve public infrastructure.
2. Partnering to compete_Strengthening Ontario's economic competitiveness - this report aims to identify economic competitiveness opportunities and challenges facing Ontario municipalities and discusses possible municipal, regional and provincial level strategies, as well as mechanisms for intergovernmental cooperation that could enhance the ability of local governments in Ontario to attract investment and create jobs.

References

1. ↑ Ontario Government web site
2. ↑ Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Centre for Energy web site: Energy facts and statistics Ontario
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} IESO 2009 Ontario Reliability Outlook
5. ↑ Government of Ontario web site: News
6. ↑ Ontario's Forests: Forest Facts
7. ↑ The potential for use of farmland conservation agreements in Ontario
8. ↑ Environmental sustainability of Canadian agriculture
9. ↑ Ontario Ministry of Transportation web site: Southern Highways program
10. ↑ City of Stratford web site

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