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Skip Navigation LinksSimcoe County > Corporate Communications > County of Simcoe Services Overview

County of Simcoe Services Overview

​​The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and, as an upper tier municipality, provides a wide-range of crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia.

Simcoe County has an estimated population of approximately 500,000 residents making it the second largest County based upon population and third largest based upon physical size in Ontario. 

The following information provides a brief overview of County of Simcoe Services:

Transportation and Engineering, including road infrastructure, construction and maintenance: The County delivers the operational (i.e. snow plowing), maintenance, and construction services required for the County's road and bridge system for the safe and efficient operation for both present and future capacities across an inventory of more than 900 kms of roads, 60 signalized intersections, and 202 bridges.

Paramedic Services: Responsible for providing emergency medical response including specialized medical protocols to the region including the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. This regional service employs both Primary Care Paramedics and Advanced Care Paramedics and operates from 23 facilities across the County. Simcoe County Paramedics received more than 78,000 patient calls for service in 2019. Paramedic Services also manages the following programs: CBRNE and tactical medicine, community para-medicine, Save a Life CPR training and the PAD Program including the installation of more than 680 defibrillator units across the County.

Waste/ recycling collection and Waste Management Facilities: Legislated authority for residential waste collection service throughout Simcoe County, serving approximately 145,000 locations (residential and commercial) performing more than 23 million collection 'events' annually. Managing eight public drop-off waste facilities (three with active landfill sites, four permanent and one temporary Household Hazardous Waste depots) and 32 closed sites. The County of Simcoe is one of the top diverting jurisdictions in the Province of Ontario, achieving 57% waste diversion in 2017.

Economic Development: Responsible for regional efforts to support the attraction, retention, and expansion of businesses and business opportunities within Simcoe County. Promotes all areas of Simcoe County to potential investors including key regional assets (e.g. airports, railway). Co-ordinates and supports regional partners to help foster and build capacity for a regional approach to economic development activities.

Tourism Simcoe County: Promotes Simcoe County as a first-class tourist destination by further developing the tourism industry and community partnerships. Supports four pillars​ of tourism: marketing, product development, workforce development and investment attraction.

Social Housing: The County is responsible to plan, fund, and manage the region's social housing system. The County administers funding and programs that are non-mandated such as the Investment in Affordable Housing for Ontario Program and Strong Communities Rent Supplement.

Ontario Works: Provides financial and employment assistance to people in financial need and manages a monthly caseload of approximately 5,600.

Children and Community Services: Responsible for managing the local child care system in Simcoe County, which includes a number of mandated programs as well as Child Care Fee Subsidy Program, Home Child Care Program, and provide a provision of funding to support the overall child care system through more than 240 community contracts including special needs resourcing, indigenous-led preschool and wage subsidy. The County is also responsible for homelessness prevention and poverty reduction, shelter retention, social planning, emergency social services, and works with area partners to operate the Local Immigration Partnership initiative.

Long Term Care and Seniors Services: Provides effective, high quality, safe, and efficient long term care services in a home-like setting for the clients and families. This includes the management of four Long Term Care Homes across Simcoe County: Georgian Manor and Village; Simcoe Manor; Trillium Manor; Sunset Manor and Village.

Emergency Management: Provides resource and response support to local communities during emergency events as well as development and implementation of programs and plans to ensure that the County and its residents are prepared for emergencies and disasters. The Emergency Management Department is also responsible for the area's 9-1-1 contract administration with the OPP, the CBRNE response program, emergency power program including the management of high powered generators for emergency situations, and manages public education including elementary-school based programs and emergency preparedness training.

Planning: Develops and maintains the County of Simcoe Official Plan and ensures conformity to provincial policy. The County of Simcoe is the approval authority for local Official Plans and subdivisions for some municipalities. This Department administers the Trails Connecting program and the Transit Assistance program.

Geographic Information System (GIS):  GIS implements, operates, administers and promotes the use of spatial information technologies within the County of Simcoe, its municipalities and its larger network of partners. GIS services include the provision of complex analytical mapping, 911 and property database maintenance and advanced database services for the general public, partner/stakeholder groups and internal departments.

Forestry: Simcoe County Forests is Ontario's oldest, largest and most productive municipal forest and spans more than 33,000 acres. The County Forestry Department is responsible for the Forest Management Plan, managing recreation uses and Municipal Law Enforcement of County Forests.

By-Law: The County of Simcoe Municipal Law Enforcement Department is responsible for enforcing County by-laws such as the Forest Conservation By-Law, Sign By-law, Traffic and Parking By-Law, Anti-Dumping By-Law, Solid Waste Management By-Law, and County Forest Recreation By-Law amongst others.

Simcoe County Archives: The Simcoe County Archives preserves and promotes Simcoe County's cultural and visible heritage and provides efficient perm​anent-records management services to the executive, management, and administrative departments of the County of Simcoe, and its member municipalities.

Simcoe County Museum: The Simcoe County Museum was created in 1928. The Museum is composed of a five gallery facility with sixteen outdoor heritage and display buildings and has more than 38,000 visitors annually providing education programming, special events and public programming to residents and visitors.

Additional County of Simcoe departments provide support to these core services as well as support directly to businesses, residents and visitors.