Aurora, Ontario

Aurora is a wealthy suburban town located in York Region approximately 40 km north of Toronto (Latitude: 44.0065, longitude: -79.4505). Aurora has a population of 39,815, and is situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine in a part of the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. Nearly 7% of Aurora's residents are visible minorities.

Many Aurora residents commute to Toronto, and the town is part of the Greater Toronto Area.

Map showing Aurora's location in York Region

Government

The Town of Aurora municipal government is composed of the Mayor and eight Councillors elected on an "at large" basis. The Mayor represents the Town at York RegionCouncil.

The town is part of the federal riding of Newmarket—Aurora. The riding is presently represented in the Canadian House of Commons by Belinda Stronach, a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. She had been elected as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, but on May 17, 2005 she switched parties, citing discomfort with the social policies of the Conservatives as one of the reasons for the switch. She was re-elected as a Liberal in the election on January 23, 2006.

Emergency Services

Local police services are provided by the York Regional Police, who serve all of the municipalities of the region. Fire protection services are provided by Central York Fire Services, a shared arrangement with the town of Newmarket.

Public health services are managed by York Region. There is no hospital within Aurora's boundaries; the nearest one is Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

Education

Public school education is governed by the York Region District School Board, which has two high schools in Aurora:

Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School
Aurora High School
as well as several elementary schools.

The York Catholic District School Board also runs several elementary schools as well as Cardinal Carter Catholic High School.

Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud, which administers French-language Catholic schools, also has an elementary school and École secondaire catholique Renaissance (formerly ÉSC Cardinal-Carter) in Aurora.

Also, St. Andrew's College, an independent school for boys, is located in Aurora.

Community Associations and Services

Aurora is home to:

Aurora Public Library
Aurora Tigers Jr. A Hockey Club
Aurora Cable Internet
Worlds Longest Annual Street Sale (from Yonge St. & Wellington St. to Yonge St. & Allaura Blvd. approx. 1.5 km)
Aurora Youth Soccer Club
Cineplex Odeon Aurora Cinemas
Aurora Jays Senior Baseball Club
140 Aurora Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron

Urban Planning

Currently, an undeveloped portion of Aurora is subject to the Ontario Government's Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe) legislation.

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