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If you are a bred and born Torontonian, or a new resident living in Toronto you may at different times try to define where "Northern Ontario" really begins and, "Southern Ontario" ends. At a recent luncheon, a new Toronto resident informed me that she drove "a way up north to Barrie". This is where perception and reality sometimes diverge as the City of Barrie billboard on Highway 400, indicated that Barrie is in Southern Ontario. There is continued controversy over the location of "Muskoka". For political purposes, or financial funding Muskoka was placed in Northern Ontario, and is now being re-located to Southern Ontario by the new Liberal McGuinty government.

Barrie Ontario, being located on one of the closest to Toronto, outdoor recreation lakes, Lake Simcoe, is still considered by many to be in Ontario's cottage country. At the same time many will tell you it is "the fastest growing city in Southern Ontario". When one sees the signs Highway 400 and Highway eleven merging just north of Barrie one must ask is this really the Gateway to Northern Ontario, or Ontario's Cottage Country. Is Ontario's Cottage Country and Northern Ontario one and the same??

Many Southern Ontario residents often define going north as anything north of "Highway 7". There is a standard joke that anything up from Toronto past highway 7 is nosebleed country. Being an early convert to "going North from Toronto" and having spent most of my life trying to convince Torontonians, that life only begins north of Highway 7, I am continually perplexed by the perception of locating geographic Ontario destinations relative to a North-South relationship.

With the new "Bass Pro" mega Store on Highway 400 just south of Canada's Wonderland in the popular Vaughn Mills mall, the average GTA resident will be getting north of Highway 7, and they will be feeling, listening and seeing a part of Northern Ontario in a retail setting. This is good for Travel and Tourism north of Toronto, regardless of where Northern Ontario begins or Southern Ontario ends.
Where do you think Northern Ontario begins??

As a child growing up, in Etobicoke a Toronto suburb, now part of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), a northern outing for the family was a summer trip to Heart Lake, or the Albion Hills regional conservation area. Many now consider this to be a part of the GTA; it was at Heart Lake where I caught my first trout. It was here that Sunday's have
fond memories, as family time with outdoor barbeques, playing catch, potato salad, picnics, swimming and card games with the parents. This was a Taylor family tradition for many years.

My first long trip north was in the early 60's to the Town of Dorsett, and Bigwin Island to see my best friend who started a job as a sous chef at the then famous Bigwin Inn on Lake of Bays.

We traveled north on Highway 400 to Highway 11 to Highway 60, South on Highway 35 to Dorset. My most outstanding memory was the trip along Highway 35 to Dorset with the winding roads, and incredibly tall trees. We then took a water taxi to the resort, one of the Grand Old Ontario Resorts in Ontario, which was made famous with their entertainment line-ups and catering to the rich and famous. My eyes were wide open walking and visiting the magnificent old resort facilities. Seeing guests dress in white jackets and ties for dinner introduced me to a new world of elegance and luxury that I had never experienced. The introduction to resorts Ontario properties took me into a career path that continues now. The original Resorts-Ontario Association was called the Association of Tourist Resorts in Ontario. (ATRO).

Defining Northern Ontario Part 1