Name of Toronto
John Graves Simcoe identified the area as a strategic location to base a new capital for Upper Canada, believing Newark to be susceptible to American invasion. A garrison was established at Garrison Creek, on the western entrance to the docks of Toronto Harbour, in 1793; this later became Fort York. The settlement it defended was renamed York on August 26, 1793, as Simcoe favoured English names over those of First Nations languages, in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York. Residents petitioned to change the name back to Toronto, and in 1834 the city was incorporated with its original name. The name York lived on through the name of York County (which was later split into Metropolitan Toronto and York Region), and continues to live on through the names of several districts within the city, including Yorkville, East York, and North York, the latter two suburbs that were formally amalgamated into the "megacity" of Toronto on January 1, 1998.
City of Toronto Act
The Incorporation of the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834, was a legislative act creating the City of Toronto from the unincorporated town of York. This allowed for the creation of the local government or city council. The act was transferred onto the succeeding governments of Ontario in 1840 and 1867. The incorporation remained in effect throughout Toronto's mergers with other cities and towns within southern York County until the creation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1954.