Dufferin County

Locating Dufferin County

Dufferin County includes the communities of Amaranth, East Garafraxa, Grand Valley, Melancthon, Mono, Mulmur, Orangeville, and Shelburne. At 1,456km2, Dufferin county is the home of, as of the 2016 Census, 61,735 people.

Located between Peel Regional Municipality, Wellington County, Grey County, and Simcoe County, Dufferin County is a perfect location for people and families who want a small-town feel while still living within a commutable distance from Peel Region and Toronto.

Dufferin County Facts

65% of the population lives in Dufferin County’s three main urban areas: Orangeville, Grand Valley, and Shelburne.

Dufferin County is growing faster than the provincial and national averages! From 2011-2016, there was a population increase of 8.5%

41 years old is the median age of the population

8% of Dufferin County’s population belong to a visible minority group

73% of the population who are 15 or older travel outside of Dufferin County for work

11% of children who are five and younger are living in low-income homes

What You Need to Know About Dufferin County Services

Hospital

Headwaters Healthcare Care Centre is located in Orangeville.

School Boards

There are four school boards in Dufferin County:

• Upper Grand District School Board
• Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board
• Conseil Scolaire Viamonde
• MonAvenir Conseil Scolaire Catholique

Public Health Unit

Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health

Building Permits

Apply for building permits through Dufferin County’s CityView Portal.

Council

Find out what’s going on by reading meeting agendas and minutes, and find out when the next meeting is here. 

Dufferin Housing

Dufferin County offers various housing support, including Rent Geared to Income units and Cooperative Housing Complexes. For a complete list and how to apply, click here.

Roads and Infrastructure

Connect with @DufferinRoads on Twitter for the latest news on Dufferin County Roads! You can also sign up to get email notifications of emergencies, closures, significant weather, and more.

You can access information such as upcoming road construction and load restrictions.

This page also provides information and applications for mailboxes, emergency numbers, entrance permits, and other similar items.

Senior’s Services

Find out more about the not-for-profit long-term care facility operated by Dufferin County, Dufferin Oaks.

Discover programs and services geared towards seniors.

Waste Collection

Find out when your waste collection day is, what waste goes in which bin and other events going on,

like Detox Your Closet! You can also find a link to download their app for Android and iOS.

What you Want to Know About Dufferin County

Dufferin’s Climate Action Plan 2021-2024

Dufferin’s Climate Action Plan’s primary goal is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 0 by 2050 and is focused on community well-being.

There are 6 Focus Areas: On the Move, In Our Buildings, For Our Land, Planning Our County, In Our Bins, and Empowering Our Community. These Focus Areas feature 34 key actions adopted within the county to work towards the 0 emissions goal.

Dufferin County is a member of the Partners for Climate Protection Program, an initiative that includes more than 350 municipalities across Canada.

A report card will evaluate each year’s progress. In addition, regular five-year updates will be created to reflect, review, and make changes to the plan to align with the changing world and community priorities.

Find out more on their website.

Dufferin’s Community Safety & Well-Being Plan

Municipal governments must have a Community Safety & Well-Being Plan as directed by the Police Services Act (2019). The Ontario Government provides a framework for communities to develop a plan. The Ontario Framework has four areas for municipalities to address:

• Social Development – Promoting and maintaining community safety and well-being
• Prevention – Proactively reducing identified risks
• Risk Intervention – Mitigating situations of elevated risk
• Incident Response – Critical and non-critical incident response

Critical success factors are also included in Ontario’s Framework, which helps communities reflect and engage in their plan to ensure that they are fully serving their community.

Dufferin County has identified five priority areas after two years of information gathering, which included analyzing data and engaging the community and community agencies to determine the areas of focus.

The Priority Areas are:

• Mental Health and Well-Being
• Housing and Homelessness
• Substance Use and Addiction
• Discrimination, Marginalization, and Racism
• Community Safety and Gender-Based, Family, and Domestic Violence Prevention

Each area has been examined, and a plan has been put together that indicates significant needs. This plan also includes how they will be addressed.

Read the Report to learn more.

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Developed in 2017 by Global Investment Attraction Group, Dufferin County’s Economic Development Strategic Plan identifies opportunities and constraints on economic growth, the county’s roles in economic development, and the sectors of focus within Dufferin County.

The Vision for Dufferin County Economic Development is stated as follows:

“Dufferin County will be a strong and vibrant local economy rooted in a spirit of collaboration striving to enhance opportunities for growth

while preserving natural and cultural assets and balancing urban and rural values”.

With the goal of economic growth, prosperity, and sustainability, we developed the Economic Strategic Plan in partnership with community stakeholders, the public in various formats, and individual municipal councils.

The report highlights that Dufferin County’s location close to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and within the Greater Golden Horseshoe positions it in a prime location with access to Pearson Airport and Ontario’s 400-series highways.

The Farming Community is also highlighted. Dufferin County is the source of five different river systems that support local agriculture. Because Dufferin County is located on the Ontario highland, the agriculture sector can farm using high-quality Class 1 soils. Agriculture in Dufferin County is a mix of vegetables and animals, providing a stable variety of products.

Sectors of focus that the Economic Development Strategic Plan identified were:

• Agriculture, Food and Beverages
• Tourism
• Creative Industries
• Health and Wellness, Well-Being and Recreation Destinations
• Manufacturing
• Professional, Engineering, Information Technology, and Financial Services

Each sector has been through a thorough analysis during which an objective was identified. These objectives then fit into the overall implementation plan.

Want to know more? Read the Full Report