TayOntario
A town of 11,968 in Ontario. Its population rose 11% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Tay a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Tay’s overall grade is C+, better than 37% of Canadian towns. That places it #636 of 858 in Ontario. The weak point is cost of living (D). Its schools fall short (C−). On safety it is strong (A). It also does well on health (B+).
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Tay grades
Each subject compares Tay with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Tay stand out
The 3 things Tay does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tay.
Few places are as safe from hazards as Tay: it beats almost every Canadian town
Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.011 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Radon is lower than usual: 0.9% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Tay.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.011 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Violent crime weighs less on Tay than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 46
Each year brings 13.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents. Police recorded 7.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, below both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.5 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 46 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 7.6 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Tay is a town of owners: 90% of households own their home, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
18% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, about level with Canadian towns (18%) and below Ontario’s towns (22%). The median home value was $500,000, between Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 90% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $500,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 22% | 22% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Most schools around Tay score below the middle in Ontario: 7 of 7
Schooling here is split between 2 boards, below both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3). Taken together, Tay and its 3 km edge hold 6 elementary schools and 1 secondary school for 3,240 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tay Shores Public School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 630 | English public |
| St Theresa's Separate School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 730 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 8 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
With 0.2 jobs for each resident in work, most of Tay commutes out
Commutes averaged 29 min, close to Ontario’s towns (29 min) and above Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
54% of adults around Tay rate their health very good or excellent
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit
Measured from where Tay’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 8.0 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km. For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 81.5 years at birth, 83.5 for women and 79.5 for men. 12% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, about level with Canadian towns (12%) and above Ontario’s towns (10%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 54% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Winter nights bite in Tay: January lows of −15.3°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
December is the snowiest month, with 42 cm on average. The thermometer drops below freezing on 175 days a year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Summer highs in Tay reach 25.3°C in July.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −15.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 139 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,062 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Muskoka)
More of Tay’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 14%
1.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). Retirement age and beyond: nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 48.9% of Tay
In 2021 there were 5,425 women to 5,665 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Tay | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 50% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Tay, November normally means 5°C afternoons and −3°C nights
November usually brings some 22 cm of snow. The month after, December, normally sees −1°C afternoons and −10°C nights. Expect about 103 mm of rain and snow over November. The year peaks in July (25°C) and bottoms out in January (−15°C).
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −13°C | 235 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 244 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 267 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 2°C | 316 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Muskoka); the forecast is on the Weather page
Tay sends Adam Chambers (Conservative Party of Canada) to the Commons from Simcoe North
Ted Walker was elected mayor of Tay in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats.
| Turnout | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 7% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
3 public library branches serve Tay
Tay Township Public Library serves 8,567 people, only part of Tay, so its figures leave the rest out.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A national park 6.9 km from Tay: Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Protected areas cover 0.5% of the land within 10 km, below both Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). Biggest among them: Severn River Conservation Reserve, 9,912 ha, 10.0 km off. Within 5 km are 5 beaches; Magnus Beach is the nearest. Walkers have 3 mapped routes close by, starting with the Uhthoff Trail (hiking) and Rotary Waterfront Trail (hiking).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.5% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Tay keeps a building from 1639: Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Mission
The registers list 3 historic places inside the town, every one with the highest designation. Homes from before 1961 make up 26% of the stock, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Tay | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 26% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Tay
Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Mission and 5 more in and around Tay
A first look at Tay’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumSainte-Marie Among the Hurons Missionin townMuseumMuseumHuronia Museum2.3 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumKen Snider Memorial Museum2.4 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumColdwater Canadiana Heritage Museum2.4 km outside town, to the eastTheme parkTheme parkThe Castle Village and Enchanted Kindgom Park3.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumWye Marsh Wildlife Centre600 m outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons Mission: P199, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Tay
5 notable people were born in Tay.
Photo credits
Paul Anthony Kelly: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 · Ty Arbour: Unknown author, Public domain · Jack Arbour: Unknown author, Public domain
About Tay
Town in Ontario
TownRatings counts Tay as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in Ontario; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,968 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Simcoe
- Census subdivision
- 3543071
Tay’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tay | 11,968 | — | C+ | D | A | B+ |
| Midland | 19,305 | 8.9 | C | D− | C | A− |
| Penetanguishene | 11,141 | 13 | B− | D | B | A− |
| Tiny | 14,195 | 18 | B | C− | A+ | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Tay
Who are the people of Tay?
1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 14% have an Indigenous identity and 7% are immigrants.
Is Tay growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 10,033 to 11,091 residents (up 10.5%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 11,968.
What kind of homes are in Tay?
Mostly 92% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.4 people on average, and 23% have just one.
How old are the people of Tay?
At 49.2, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).