# Canadian Counties? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665 "2010-01-27T18:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/1 "2010-01-27T18:09:43Z")
Do Canadian Provinces have anything resembling counties (or parishes) like our states? Just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/2 "2010-01-27T18:13:01Z")
Yes, provinces are subdivided into counties. See [Ontario](http://www.ontarioguide.com/counties/) here. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/3 "2010-01-27T18:13:03Z")
Yep, they’re called townships, municipalities, or counties. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/4 "2010-01-27T18:14:40Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Yep, they’re called townships. Counties are made up of townships. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/5 "2010-01-27T18:32:18Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Counties are made up of townships. I suppose it may depend on the jurisdiction. Canadian provinces’ subdivisions are not named the same way in every province. But yes, every province recognizes lower level governments. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/6 "2010-01-27T18:34:10Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Counties are made up of townships. Sorry, correction, I replied too fast. Provinces are divided into Cities, Regions, Districts and Counties. Here is a [link](http://www.amo.on.ca/YLG/ylg/ontario.html) to a list for Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/7 "2010-01-27T19:15:56Z")
[Australia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadastral_divisions_of_Australia) has counties (and parishs & hundreds), but their only purpose is property registration. They don’t actually have any role in government. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/8 "2010-01-27T19:19:28Z")
Also, RMs - Rural Municipalities ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/9 "2010-01-27T19:34:53Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > [Australia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadastral_divisions_of_Australia) has counties (and parishs & hundreds), but their only purpose is property registration. They don’t actually have any role in government. I believe this is also the case for the [Counties of New Brunswick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_New_Brunswick), although the article says that the court system does use them as territorial subdivisions. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/10 "2010-01-27T20:04:31Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I believe this is also the case for the [Counties of New Brunswick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_New_Brunswick), although the article says that the court system does use them as territorial subdivisions. Also true for the counties of Massachusetts, the state having eliminated most county governments a while ago. As for New York, we have 62 counties, five of which are coterminous with the boroughs of New York City, and the other 57 of which are divided into cities and towns, which towns may have incorporated within them zero or more villages. Or a village can be in two towns at once. Or even two counties. Clear as mud, right? ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/11 "2010-01-27T20:07:09Z")
I live in Ontario. I live in Simcoe Country. I used to live in the Township of Collingwood but as far as I know there are no townships anymore. The township of Collingwood is now the town of Collingwood. Some towns are huge and are the amalgamation of several smaller towns. The idea was to save administrative costs. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/12 "2010-01-27T23:13:39Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I believe this is also the case for the [Counties of New Brunswick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_New_Brunswick), although the article says that the court system does use them as territorial subdivisions. I’m in New Brunswick and as far as I know you’re correct. The only time in my life I’ve ever needed to know what county I was in was to know which jokes to deploy since, wherever you are the next county over is always the target for redneck and hillbilly humour. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/13 "2010-01-27T23:34:24Z")
Québec dissolved it’s historical counties in 1980 and reformed regions as “regional county municipalities” (French: municipalités régionales de comté, or MRCs). As far as I know, the purpose is essentially the same - a level of government smaller than the regional level and bigger than local municipalities. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/14 "2010-01-27T23:40:17Z")
> [@blood63](#): > > I live in Ontario. > I live in Simcoe Country. > I used to live in the Township of Collingwood but as far as I know there are no townships anymore. Townships still exist. My family owns property in Simcoe County, in the township of Oro-Medonte. [http://www.oro-medonte.ca/index.htm](http://www.oro-medonte.ca/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/15 "2010-01-28T00:14:35Z")
Yes, the subdivisions of Ontario vary all over the map, so to speak. There are unified cities, which are third-level entities in their own right. Ref: Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton… There are also towns and cities which are fourth-level entities under some form of third-level regional government (the Town of Whitby in the Region of Durham); outside the regional governments, there are the traditional counties and townships (Limerick Township in Hastings County). ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/16 "2010-01-28T00:33:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Also true for the counties of Massachusetts, the state having eliminated most county governments a while ago. > > As for New York, we have 62 counties, five of which are coterminous with the boroughs of New York City, and the other 57 of which are divided into cities and towns, which towns may have incorporated within them zero or more villages. Or a village can be in two towns at once. Or even two counties. > > Clear as mud, right? Don’t forget the special case of the Village of Floral Park, which is half in one county(Nassau), and half in a borough(Queens), hich makes it a village that is partially in a city. Kinda like NYC tried to reproduce by budding, but failed. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/17 "2010-01-28T00:57:37Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Québec dissolved it’s historical counties in 1980 and reformed regions as “regional county municipalities” (French: municipalités régionales de comté, or MRCs). As far as I know, the purpose is essentially the same - a level of government smaller than the regional level and bigger than local municipalities. Quebec is also divided into administrative regions, which are between the MRC level and the province level. As well, many places (mostly cities, but also areas with special status) are not actually part of a MRC. [Here is a list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regional_county_municipalities_and_equivalent_territories_in_Quebec). ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/18 "2010-01-28T03:25:56Z")
Alberta has counties, while its neighbour, BC, does not. It has regional districts. This level of government is relatively weak, I would say. Are there elections on the regional level in the Greater Vancouver Regional District or the Capital Regional District? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/19 "2010-01-28T03:38:14Z")
Ireland has counties, too [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nolenancestry/ireland\_counties.gif](http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nolenancestry/ireland_counties.gif) ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665/20 "2010-01-28T04:02:09Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > Alberta has counties, while its neighbour, BC, does not. It has regional districts. This level of government is relatively weak, I would say. Are there elections on the regional level in the Greater Vancouver Regional District or the Capital Regional District? No, at least in the GVRD, except for one of the the members, each representative is chosen by the city council (and is a member of the council or the mayor). The last member is elected every 3 years by people living in miscellaneous areas within the district (ie the university grounds and other unincorporated areas). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-counties/526665.md?page=2)