History History

Early European explorers ventured into present-day Ontario: Henry Hudson explored the James Bay coast, while Etienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain travelled along the Ottawa River to central Ontario. Brûlé, considered the first Franco-Ontarian European, lived among the Amerindians until his death.

The French Jesuits found the St. Mary's Mission among the Hurons, one of the first European inland colonies in North America.

The various Amerindian tribes allied themselves with the Europeans in the fur trade, leading to a series of attacks between these different nations seeking to profit from this lucrative commercial activity. The best known are the Iroquois (or haudenosaunee) wars that pitted them against other Iroquoian groups (notably the Huron-Wendat, whom they would drive out) and French colonial forces.

René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle had the ship Griffon built to explore the Great Lakes, linking the French colonies in Quebec City with trading posts along the Mississippi River to Louisiana.

On the Great Lakes side, several French trading posts played a key role in the fur trade, including Fort Frontenac (Kingston), Fort Niagara, Fort Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac.

Franco-British conflicts in Europe had repercussions on the colonies: the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of Spanish Succession, allowed the British to annex the territories of Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Acadia, renamed Nova Scotia.

The Franco-British War of 1741-1748 will end with the Treaty of Aachen which will allow the restoration of the status quo.

The British burned Fort Frontenac and captured Fort Niagara, taking control of the area.

The Treaty of Paris cedes New France to Great Britain. France definitively lost its Canadian possessions, except for the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

Great Britain recognizes the independence of the United States, its former American colonies. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 drew the southern border of Ontario, dividing the Great Lakes on both sides.

The first American Loyalists, who remained loyal to the British Crown, arrived in Canada and took refuge in southern Ontario. They numbered about 6,000 to 10,000, followed by other Americans attracted by the low price of land.

The Constitution Act establishing representative government divides the country into two provinces : English-speaking Upper Canada (Ontario) and French-speaking Lower Canada (Quebec).

John Graves Simcoe, Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, chose York (now Toronto) as the capital of Upper Canada and had Fort York built nearby.

The Anglo-American war broke out and concluded with the signing of the peace treaty in Ghent, which restored the status quo.

The population of Upper Canada was about half a million, a figure that would double by 1851. Most of these were immigrants from the British Isles, more than half of whom were Irish. This forced the expansion of the colony, which gradually moved away from the Great Lakes to the north of the province.

Signing of several treaties concerning the majority of Upper Canada's arable land in the Great Lakes region, notably with the First Nations in order to acquire their ancestral territories. They will be compensated with various products and other promises and, eventually, will obtain a fraction of their lands under reserve status. Several other treaties were subsequently signed up to the 20th century.

In 1834, the agglomeration of York became Toronto and was incorporated as a city, the first in Ontario.

Rebellions against the British Crown broke out in Upper and Lower Canada. The political situation was also at the heart of the matter, especially in Lower Canada, where the uprising was much more violent. In Upper Canada, the radical Anglophones were led by William Lyon Mackenzie, who rebelled against the nepotist system of government administration in the colony. The whole thing would end in failure.

Following the suspension of the 1791 Constitution, British Governor General Lord Durham proposed the union of Lower and Upper Canada, known as the Act of Union, creating United Canada.

Government reform makes Cabinet accountable to the Legislative Assembly and to voters.

For some historians, Canada would not have been born in 1867 but a few years earlier, thanks to these two men. One a French-speaking Catholic, the other an English-speaking Protestant, they maintained a solid political collaboration from 1848 to 1851 and helped establish the founding principles for the unification of the country. Within their government, for the first time, decisions were no longer made by the colonial powers but by representatives elected by the citizens. This defining moment for representative democracy in Canada laid the legal foundation for a more just nation based on inclusion and egalitarianism. Among other major developments, they established a public education system, opted for a non-violent approach to politics, and laid the foundation for the country's immigration policy. Regarded as visionaries, their memory is recalled each year at the LaFontaine-Baldwin Conference, created by John Ralston Saul, which honours a great public intellectual.

Farming, especially for wheat, is at the heart of Ontario's economy, before moving on to dairy and vegetable farming. The decade also saw urban and industrial growth with the development of textiles, metalwork and agricultural equipment and machinery, among others.

Toronto was also growing, becoming a manufacturing hub, an important railway centre and the provincial capital.

The British North America Act created the Canadian Confederation, bringing together the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The new state, also known as the Canadian Dominion, gained full control of its foreign affairs, but the British Crown remained represented.

Premier of Ontario, he served as both Minister and Attorney General of Ontario from 1867 until December 1871. He was a highly popular man, known for his integrity and political savvy, and opposed Lord Elgin's policies. Before Canadian Confederation, he advocated the principle of a double majority, which would more adequately safeguard the particularities of the two parts of United Canada. When his attempt to apply the double majority principle failed, he proposed a coalition of various ideological tendencies within the same government to counter the political instability in Canada. This coalition was eventually implemented by George Brown, John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier.

The Indian Act, which concerns only First Nations, was introduced by the federal government and aims to eradicate the culture of the Amerindians and promote their assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. It is this same law, unfortunately still in force today, that governs the reserves on which they live across the country.

Ontario's western border is formalized, extending to Lake of the Woods. It is there that a survey error remains, leaving a small American parcel north of the 49th parallel in the state of Minnesota. It is known as the Northwest Angle.

Ontario's mining, automotive, steel, iron, iron and pulp and paper industries are booming. Attracted by jobs, immigrants are arriving primarily from Europe and Asia.

Meanwhile, Toronto ranks ^second in Canada in terms of economy and population, just behind Montreal.

Architectural boom during which Toronto's first skyscrapers rose, including the Royal York Hotel with its 100-metre height.

The Toronto Stock Exchange becomes the largest in the country.

Construction by the Canadian National Railway of the CN Tower, a communication and observation tower that is the emblem of the city. Until 2009, it was the tallest tower of its kind in the world.

Toronto becomes the most populous city and the main economic centre of the country.

The outbreak of Severe Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) strikes the province, with about 40 people dying. SARS has had a significant impact on Ontario's economy, causing slower growth but not for long.

Toronto is hosting the G20 Summit and the Muskoka region is hosting the G8.

Toronto hosts the Pan/Parapan American Games with a dozen venues spread throughout the greater metropolitan area.

Celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. Several festivities were held in the province, including in Ottawa, the federal capital.

On October 17, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize and regulate the recreational use of cannabis.

The Ontario government and the City of Toronto have reached an agreement to begin construction of a new subway line in the city. The Ontario Line will connect Ontario Place to the Ontario Science Centre via the downtown core and is scheduled to open in 2027.