Several geographical terms will be used in this report. For the sake of consistency, definitions will be used that correspond to those used in the Province's recently released policy documents. These definitions are:
- The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) includes the City of Toronto and the Regional Municipalities of Halton, Peel, York, and Durham.
- The Inner Ring consists of the GTA plus the City of Hamilton.
- The Outer Ring contains the remainder of the Greater Golden Horseshoe -- the Regional Municipalities of Niagara and Waterloo; the counties of Brant, Dufferin, Haldimand-Norfolk, Northumberland, Peterborough, Simcoe, and Wellington, together with their associated separated cities; and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
- The Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) is made up of the Inner Ring and the Outer Ring.
Some of the analysis makes use of Census Divisions (CDs). These correspond to upper- and single-tier municipalities, with separated cities such as Guelph, Barrie, Orillia, and Orangeville included with their associated counties.