Regional Municipality of Peel

The Regional Municipality of Peel (also known as Peel Region) is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest of Toronto: the cities of Brampton and Mississauga, and the town of Caledon. The entire region is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of Golden Horseshoe. The regional seat is in Brampton. With a population of 1,296,814 (2011 census), Peel Region is the second-largest municipality in Ontario after Toronto. Owing to immigration and its transportation infrastructure (with seven 400-series highways serving the region, and Toronto Pearson International Airport located completely within its boundaries), Peel Region is a rapidly-growing area with a young population and an increasing profile.

Mississauga occupies the southernmost portion of the region, and is, with 713,443 residents, the largest in population (the sixth largest in Canada). It reaches from Lake Ontario north to near Highway 407. In the centre is Brampton, a smaller city of 523,911 (ranked 9th by population). Finally, by far the largest in area and the most sparsely populated part of the region is Caledon, which is home to only 59,460 residents.

The Region of Peel was created by the government of Bill Davis in 1974 from the former County of Peel, and was legislated to provide community services to the (then) rapidly urbanizing area of south Peel County (now Mississauga and Brampton). The region is responsible for the services and infrastructure related to water delivery and wastewater treatment, waste collection and disposal, regional roads, public health, long-term care centres, Peel Regional Police, Peel Regional Paramedic Services, planning, public housing, paratransit, judicial and social services. Other municipal functions are provided by the three local-tier municipalities. These responsibilities have changed over time, as functions have been uploaded and downloaded to and from the provincial and regional levels, as directed by the Province of Ontario.

Peel County (and therefore, Peel Region) may be named after Sir Robert Peel, the nineteenth-century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.