Talk:List of population centres in Ontario

A population centre is not the same thing as a town or city.

A population centre is a series of census dissemination blocks that reach an urban standard of population density, and does not correspond to municipal boundaries. A place's "population centre" can include areas outside of the city if urban development is continuous, and can exclude areas in the city that are less densely populated. Do not ask for this list to be amended and replaced with the population figure of the municipal "city limits" of a city, or to add places not already listed here, because city populations are not what this list is about.

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Quinte West is missing.

I'm not sure how to add Quinte West to the list. I'll probably just make a big mess of it. I just thought I'd point out that it's missing from this list. It should be in around #23 or so. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.156.198.235 (talk) 03:38, 18 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

We don't add anything to this list that isn't in the list as defined by Statistics Canada, and Quinte West isn't part of that list. A population centre is not synonymous with a municipality, but rather a very specific type of thing which excludes some municipalities and includes some things that aren't municipalities — it's defined by the continuous outspread of a minimum population density across a series of census dissemination blocks, not by population size or municipal incorporation. In actual fact, the way "population centre" works is that Trenton is part of Belleville's population centre, Frankford is its own separate population centre, and no other part of Quinte West is any class of population centre at all. Bearcat (talk) 20:40, 12 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Mississauga?

Where's Mississauga? Has over 700,000 people and is in Ontario.Wallingfordtoday (talk) 04:02, 23 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This is a list of population centres, not cities. Mississauga is not a population centre in its own right, it is part of the population centre of Toronto. If you don't think it should be, then take it up with Statistics Canada, because our job is to replicate their list and not to dissent from it.

A population centre is not synonymous with a municipality, but with the continuous outspread of urban development — so a single population centre can include multiple municipalities if their urbanized areas are directly contiguous with each other, such as Toronto and Mississauga. It's also the same reason why the population of the population centre of Toronto is not equal to the population of either the city of Toronto or the census metropolitan area of Toronto: the number here corresponds to how many people live within the specific block of urban sprawl that spreads outward from downtown Toronto. As long as urbanization remains continuous, the population centre continues even if it's shooting past a municipal boundary — which is why Mississauga and Markham and Vaughan and Pickering aren't their own population centres, but are part of Toronto's: the urbanization just keeps going and going. But where urbanization ends, the population centre ends even if the non-urban area past it is still technically inside the same political boundaries — which is why that one subdivision in Caledon that hangs directly off the Brampton-Caledon line, right at the curve where Highway 410 narrows back down into Highway 10, is part of Toronto's population centre but the rest of Caledon isn't.

Here's a map if you need it: [1] Everything in white is the population centre of Toronto, regardless of whether it's in Halton or Peel or Toronto or York or Durham, and everything in grey is not part of the population centre of Toronto, even if it's part of the same municipality as some other area that's white. Each thing with a blue line around it, further, is its own separate population centre: each blue line wraps a self-contained block of continuous urban density, and doesn't have to correspond to municipal boundaries at all. As you can also see, there's even a small corner of northeast Scarborough, up past the zoo, that isn't part of the population centre of Toronto even though it's still inside the city. Bearcat (talk) 04:19, 23 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 8 April 2019

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69.165.146.252 (talk) 21:20, 8 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Please add Mississauga, pop 723,599

Not done Please read the section immediately above this, which specifically explains why Mississauga is not in this list: it is not a population centre in its own right, but merely a part of a larger population centre. Bearcat (talk) 22:26, 8 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Cambridge is missing from the list of Ontario Cities by population

Martin — Preceding unsigned comment added by Martinthumm (talk • contribs) 17:01, 10 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If you're talking about List of cities in Ontario, no, it isn't missing. If you're talking about this list, a "list of cities" is not what this is — it is a list of population centres, not cities, and Cambridge is not a population centre in its own right: it is part of a population centre which is not missing from this list. A population centre is not the same thing as a municipality, so not every place that exists is a population centre in its own right. Bearcat (talk) 14:25, 12 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

RANK BY POPULATION LIST IS MISLEADING AND INACCURATE

The list of Ontario cities by population is misleading and inaccurate... Some cities are listed by metro poulation while others not. Please address this. Hopkins007 (talk) 00:51, 3 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Read the opening paragraph of this article very, very carefully. This is not a list of what you think it is. Hwy43 (talk) 02:12, 3 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ditto Hwy43. This is not a list of cities. Note also that every single number in this article comes directly from Statistics Canada data — so if you think anything in it is incorrect, then by definition the only thing that's incorrect is your understanding of what this is a list of. Bearcat (talk) 02:32, 3 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 13 August 2020

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add in 11th place on chart, 11 Orleans Large urban 128,281 119,247 +7% 2607:FEA8:BF20:130D:3934:5940:78F9:11E7 (talk) 20:31, 13 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Not done This list is not an original research compilation of places that we arbitrarily deem to be "population centres" ourselves — it is a straight replication of Statistics Canada's list as seen here. StatsCan does not deem Orleans as a standalone population centre in its own right, as shown by the lack of an entry for Orleans in that list; it deems Orleans as a constituent part of the population centre of Ottawa, as shown by the map of Ottawa's population centre. Statistics Canada decides what is or isn't a population centre, not us and not you. Bearcat (talk) 20:50, 13 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Grimsby

Add please TheBlueQuasar (talk) 20:36, 13 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@TheBlueQuasar: respectfully take the time to read all threads but the second thread above this thread. This is not a list of what you think it is. Hwy43 (talk) 21:21, 13 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Grimsby is not a population centre in its own right. The densely populated area immediately along the lakeshore is part of the population centre of Hamilton, while the rest of Grimsby is more rural and not an urban area at all. As the article already explains, the borders of a population centre do not correspond to the borders of a municipality — an area outside the city of Hamilton can be part of Hamilton's population centre if its urban development is contiguous with Hamilton's, and an area inside the city of Hamilton can be not part of Hamilton's population centre if it is not densely populated enough to be classified as "urban". See this map for clarification. Bearcat (talk) 23:52, 13 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Huntsville population is incorrectly stated

The 2016 Canada census number is 19,816. It seems that someone only counted the urban portion of the population. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Justme1972 (talk • contribs) 18:53, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Sigh. Read, and consider carefully, the article's introduction: Population centre, in Canadian census data, is a type of census unit which meets the demographic characteristics of an urban area, having a population of at least 1,000 people and a population density of no fewer than 400 persons per square km2.[1] Note that the population of a "population centre" is not the same thing as the population of a municipality; the population centre can include areas outside the municipal boundaries which are directly contiguous with the municipality's urban area, and can exclude areas inside the municipal boundaries which are less densely urbanized.

In other words, yes, somebody — namely Statistics Canada — "only counted the urban portion of the population". That's the point, because "the urban portion of the population" is precisely what a "population centre" is. Bearcat (talk) 04:46, 20 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Alot missing!

Alot of larger cities are missing, like, Brampton 700k, Mississauga 700k, Burlington 190k, Oakville 210k. How the hell is this missng ALL those? 2001:1970:495A:9700:8CA0:14D4:340D:705F (talk) 21:09, 27 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Read the article again, paying special attention to its very clear explanation of what a population centre is. Specifically, the part about how NOT EVERY CITY IS AUTOMATICALLY ITS OWN DISTINCT POPULATION CENTRE. You have not named anything that is classified as its own population centre by Statistics Canada; you have named places that are parts of the population centres of either Toronto or Hamilton, because the boundaries of a population centre have absolutely nothing to do with the city limits of anything. This list is not missing anything from Statscan's list of population centres, and what's actually off is your understanding of what this is a list of — the boundaries of a population centre do not correspond to the city limits of a city. A single population centre can include more than one city if their urban development is contiguous: as I've previously explained in another bout of this nonsense on this talk page, everything that's marked in white in this map is all one single population centre. Do you see how it's not just Toronto itself, but sweeps all the way across from Oakville to Ajax east to west, and then going north it's also Brampton and a bit of Caledon, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket and even part of East Gwillimbury? That's all one population centre, because it's all one continuous block of urban development, and that's what a population centre is. Bearcat (talk) 21:52, 27 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect Population of Toronto

Statistics Canada's population for Toronto 2021 is 2,794,356 (2021)

https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Toronto&DGUIDlist=2021A00053520005&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 Holly2dre (talk) 18:06, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Holly2dre: I would advise you to read this article and talk page very thoroughly and find out what a population centre is.-- Earl Andrew - talk 19:02, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 22 February 2024

Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).

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Please change the population of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 2021 from 64,923 to 72,051. This stat is from Statistics Canada: Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Sault Ste. Marie, City (CY) [Census subdivision], Ontario (statcan.gc.ca)Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page). Cityssm (talk) 14:26, 22 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: I've reviewed the source presented for Sault Ste. Marie (medium population centre of Ontario) and it states the following statistics, which are contrary to your request: (Statistics Canada)

Population (2021): 64,923
Population (2016): 66,313
Population percentage change: -2.1

Am I misunderstanding? If so, please clarify and reopen your request when actionable.
— Urro^{[talk][edits]} ⋮ 17:35, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You are correct. OP has confused census subdivisions with population centres, which is apparently very common despite our best efforts, based on this talk page. -- Earl Andrew - talk 20:26, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]