Ontario is bordered by the province ofManitoba to the west,Hudson Bay andJames Bay to the north, and Quebec to the east and northeast. To the south, it is bordered by theU.S. states of (from west to east)Minnesota,Michigan,Ohio,Pennsylvania, andNew York. Almost all of Ontario's 2,700 km (1,700 mi) border with the United States follows rivers and lakes: from the westerlyLake of the Woods, eastward along the major rivers and lakes of theGreat Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system. There is only about 1 km (5⁄8 mi) of actual land border, made up of portages includingHeight of Land Portage on the Minnesota border.[13]
The great majority of Ontario's population andarable land is inSouthern Ontario, and whileagriculture remains a significant industry, the region's economy depends highly onmanufacturing. In contrast,Northern Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation,[14] withmining andforestry making up the region's major industries.
Ontario is a term thought to be derived from Indigenous origins, eitherOntarí:io, aHuron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake",[15] or possiblyskanadario, which means "beautiful water" or "sparkling water" in theIroquoian languages.[16] Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes.[17] The first mention of the name Ontario was in 1641, when "Ontario" was used to describe the land on the north shore of the easternmost part of the Great Lakes.[18] It was adopted as the official name of the new province atConfederation in 1867.[18]
Despite the rarity of mountainous terrain in the province, there are large areas of uplands, particularly within the Canadian Shield which traverses the province from northwest to southeast and also above theNiagara Escarpment which crosses the south. The highest point isIshpatina Ridge at 693 metres (2,274 ft)above sea level inTemagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m (1,640 ft) are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands and in hilltops near theMadawaska River inRenfrew County.
TheCarolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. The temperate and fertile Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Valley in the south is part of theEastern Great Lakes lowland forestsecoregion where the forest has now been largely replaced by agriculture, industrial and urban development. A well-known geographic feature isNiagara Falls, part of theNiagara Escarpment. TheSaint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from theAtlantic Ocean as far inland asThunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario.Northern Ontario covers approximately 87% of the province's surface area; conversely, Southern Ontario contains 94% of the population.
Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario (nearWindsor andDetroit, Michigan) that is the southernmost extent of Canada's mainland.Pelee Island andMiddle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of42°N – slightly farther south than the northern border ofCalifornia.
Ontario's climate varies by season and location.[19] Three air sources affect it: cold, dry, arctic air from the north (dominant factor during the winter months, and for a longer part of the year in far northern Ontario); Pacific polar air crossing in from the western Canadian Prairies/USNorthern Plains; and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.[20] The effects of these major air masses on temperature and precipitation depend mainly on latitude, proximity to major bodies of water and to a small extent, terrain relief.[20] In general, most of Ontario's climate is classified as humid continental.[20]
Ontario has three main climatic regions:
The surrounding Great Lakes greatly influence the climatic region of southern Ontario.[19] During the fall and winter, the release of heat stored by the lakes moderates the climate near the shores which[21] give parts of southern Ontario milder winters than mid-continental areas at lower latitudes.[21] Parts of Southwestern Ontario and the Niagara region (generally south of a line from Sarnia–Toronto) have a moderatehumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfa), similar to the inlandMid-Atlantic states and theGreat Lakes portion of theMidwestern United States. The region has warm to hot, humid summers and cold winters. Annual precipitation ranges from 750–1,000 mm (30–39 in) and is well distributed throughout the year. Most of this region lies in the lee of the Great Lakes, making for abundant snow in some areas. In December 2010, thesnowbelt set a new record when it was hit by more than a metre of snow within 48 hours.[22]
The next climatic region is Central and Eastern Ontario, which has a moderatehumid continental climate (KöppenDfb). This region has warm and sometimes hot summers with colder, longer winters, ample snowfall (even in regions not directly in the snowbelts) and annual precipitation similar to the rest of Southern Ontario.[20]
In the northeastern parts of Ontario, extending south as far asKirkland Lake, the cold waters of Hudson Bay depress summer temperatures, making it cooler than other locations at similar latitudes. The same is true on the northern shore ofLake Superior, which cools hot, humid air from the south, leading to cooler summer temperatures.[20] Along the eastern shores of Lake Superior andLake Huron winter temperatures are slightly moderated but come with frequent heavylake-effect snow squalls that increase seasonal snowfall totals to upwards of 3 m (10 ft) in some places. These regions have higher annual precipitation, in some places over 100 cm (39 in).
Cold northwesterly wind over theGreat Lakes creatinglake-effect snow. Lake-effect snow most frequently occurs in thesnowbelt regions of the province.
The northernmost parts of Ontario – primarily north of 50°N – have asubarctic climate (KöppenDfc) with long, severely cold winters and short, cool to warm summers with dramatic temperature changes possible in all seasons. With no major mountain ranges blocking sinking Arcticair masses, temperatures of −40 °C (−40 °F) are not uncommon; snow remains on the ground for sometimes over half the year. Snow accumulation can be high in some areas.[19] Precipitation is generally less than 70 cm (28 in) and peaks in the summer months in the form of rain or thunderstorms.[19]
Severe thunderstorms peak in summer.Windsor, inSouthern(Southwestern) Ontario, has the most lightning strikes per year in Canada, averaging 33 days of thunderstorm activity per year.[23] In a typical year, Ontario averages 11 confirmedtornado touchdowns. Ontario had a record 29 tornadoes in both 2006 and 2009.Tropical depression remnants occasionally bring heavy rains and winds in the south, but are rarely deadly. A notable exception wasHurricane Hazel which struck Southern Ontario centred on Toronto, in October 1954.[24]
Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Ontario
Paleo-Indians were the first people to settle on the lands of Ontario, about 11,000 years ago, after crossing theBering land bridge from Asia to North America between 25,000 and 50,000 years ago.[35][36] During theArchaic period, which lasted from 8000 to 1000BC, the population slowly increased, with a generallyegalitarianhunter-gatherer society and a warmer climate. Trading routes also began emerging along theSt. Lawrence River and around theGreat Lakes.[37] Hunting and gathering remained predominant throughout the earlyWoodland period, and social structures and trade continued to develop.[38] Around 500AD, corn cultivation began, later expanding to includebeans andsquash around 1100 AD.[c] Increased agriculture enabled more permanent, fortified, and significantly larger settlements. Insouthern Ontario during the 1400s, the population of some villages numbered in the thousands, withlonghouses that could house over a hundred people. Around this time, large-scale warfare began in southern Ontario, leading to the emergence ofIroquoian groups, including theNeutral Confederacy,Erie andWendat (Huron).[39] Groups innorthern Ontario were primarilyAlgonquian and included theOjibwe, who traded with the Iroquois.[40]
In the 15th century, theByzantine Empire fell, prompting Western Europeans to search for newsea routes to theFar East. Around 1522–1523,Giovanni da Verrazzano persuadedKing Francis I of France to commission an expedition to find a western route toCathay (China) via aNorthwest Passage. Though this expedition was unsuccessful, it established the name "New France" for northeastern North America.[42] After a few expeditions, France mostly abandoned North America for 50 years because of its financial crisis; France was involved in theItalian Wars and there were religious wars betweenProtestants andCatholics.[43] Around 1580 however, the rise of thefur trade (particularly the demand forbeaver pelts), reignited French interest.[44]
In 1608,Samuel de Champlain established France's first colonial settlement in New France, theHabitation de Québec (nowQuebec City), in thecolony of Canada (now southern Quebec). Afterwards, French explorers continued to travel west, establishing new villages along the coasts of the Saint Lawrence River. French explorers, the first of which wasÉtienne Brûlé who explored the Georgian Bay area in 1610–1612,[45] mappedSouthern Ontario and called the region thePays d'en Haut ("Upper Country"), in reference to the region being upstream of the Saint Lawrence River. The colony of the Pays d'en Haut was formally established in 1610 as an administrative dependency of Canada, and was for defence and business rather than a settlement colony. The territory of the Pays-d'en-Haut was quite large and would today include the province of Ontario, as well as, in whole or in part, the American states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Indigenous peoples were the vast majority of the Pays d'en Haut population.[46]
As for Northern Ontario, the English explorerHenry Hudson sailed intoHudson Bay in 1611 and claimed its drainage basin for England. The area would become known asRupert's Land.
Samuel de Champlain reached Lake Huron in 1615, and French missionaries, such as theJésuites andSupliciens, began to establish posts along the Great Lakes. The French allied with most Indigenous groups of Ontario, all for the fur trade and for defence against Iroquois attacks (which would later be called theIroquois Wars). The French would declare their Indigenous allies to be subjects of the King of France and would often act as mediators between different groups. The Iroquois later allied themselves with the British.[47]
From 1634 to 1640, the Huron were devastated by European infectious diseases, such asmeasles andsmallpox, to which they had no immunity.[48] By 1700, the Iroquois had been driven out or left the area that would become Ontario and the Mississaugas of the Ojibwa had settled the north shore of Lake Ontario. The remaining Huron settled north of Quebec.
In 1782–1784, 5,000United Empire Loyalists entered what is now Ontario following theAmerican Revolution.[50] The Kingdom of Great Britain granted them 200 acres (81 ha) land and other items with which to rebuild their lives.[47] The British also set up reserves in Ontario for theMohawks who had fought for the British and had lost their land in New York state. Other Iroquois, also displaced from New York were resettled in 1784 at theSix Nations reserve at the west end of Lake Ontario. The Mississaugas, displaced by European settlements, would later move to Six Nations also.
After the American War of Independence, the first reserves for First Nations were established. These are situated atSix Nations (1784),Tyendinaga (1793) andAkwesasne (1795). Six Nations and Tyendinaga were established by the British for those Indigenous groups who had fought on the side of the British, and were expelled from the new United States. Akwesasne was a pre-existing Mohawk community and its borders were formalized under the 1795Jay Treaty.
In 1788, while part of the province of Quebec, southern Ontario was divided into fourdistricts:Hesse,Lunenburg,Mecklenburg, andNassau. In 1792, the four districts were renamed: Hesse became the Western District, Lunenburg became the Eastern District, Mecklenburg became the Midland District, and Nassau became the Home District. Counties were created within the districts.
The population of Canada west of the St. Lawrence-Ottawa River confluence substantially increased during this period, a fact recognized by theConstitutional Act of 1791, which split Quebec intothe Canadas:Upper Canada southwest of the St. Lawrence-Ottawa River confluence, andLower Canada east of it.
John Graves Simcoe was appointed Upper Canada's firstLieutenant governor in 1793.[51] A second wave of Americans, not all of them necessarily loyalists moved to Upper Canada after 1790 until the pre-war of 1812, many seeking available cheap land, and at the time, lower taxation.
By 1798, there were eight districts: Eastern, Home,Johnstown,London, Midland,Newcastle,Niagara, and Western. By 1826, there were eleven districts:Bathurst, Eastern,Gore, Home, Johnstown, London, Midland, Newcastle, Niagara,Ottawa, and Western. By 1838, there were twenty districts: Bathurst, Brock, Colbourne,Dalhousie, Eastern, Gore, Home, Huron, Johnstown, London, Midland, Newcastle, Niagara, Ottawa, Prince Edward,Simcoe, Talbot, Victoria,Wellington, and Western.
American troops in theWar of 1812 invaded Upper Canada across theNiagara River and theDetroit River, but were defeated and pushed back by the British, Canadianfencibles and militias, andFirst Nations warriors. However, the Americans eventually gained control of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The 1813Battle of York saw American troops defeat the garrison at the Upper Canada capital ofYork. The Americans looted the town and burned the Upper Canada Parliament Buildings during their brief occupation. The British wouldburn the American capital of Washington, D.C. in 1814.
After the War of 1812, relative stability allowed for increasing numbers of immigrants to arrive from Europe rather than from the United States. As was the case in the previous decades, this immigration shift was encouraged by the colonial leaders. Despite affordable and often free land, many arriving newcomers, mostly from Britain and Ireland, found frontier life with the harsh climate difficult, and some of those with the means eventually returned home or went south. However, population growth far exceeded emigration in the following decades. It was a mostly agrarian-based society, but canal projects and a new network of plank roads spurred greater trade within the colony and with the United States, thereby improving previously damaged relations over time.
Meanwhile, Ontario's numerous waterways aided travel and transportation into the interior and suppliedwater power for development. As the population increased, so did the industries and transportation networks, which in turn led to further development. By the end of the century, Ontario vied with Quebec as the nation's leader in terms of growth in population, industry, arts and communications.[52]
Although both rebellions were put down in short order, the British government sentLord Durham to investigate the causes. He recommendedresponsible government be granted, and Lower and Upper Canada be re-joined in an attempt to assimilate theFrench Canadians. Accordingly, the two colonies were merged into the Province of Canada by theAct of Union 1840, with the capital initially atKingston, and Upper Canada becoming known asCanada West.[55] Responsible government was achieved in 1848. There were heavy waves of immigration in the 1840s, and the population of Canada West more than doubled by 1851 over the previous decade. As a result, for the first time, the English-speaking population of Canada West surpassed the French-speaking population ofCanada East, tilting the representative balance of power.
In 1849, the districts of southern Ontario were abolished by theProvince of Canada, andcounty governments took over certain municipal responsibilities. The Province of Canada also began creatingdistricts in sparsely populated Northern Ontario with the establishment ofAlgoma District andNipissing District in 1858.
An economic boom in the 1850s coincided with railway expansion across the province, further increasing the economic strength of Central Canada. With the repeal of theCorn Laws and a reciprocity agreement in place with the United States, various industries such as timber, mining, farming and alcohol distilling benefited tremendously.
A political stalemate developed in the 1850s, between finely balanced political groups: conservative and reform groups from Canada West and Canada East aligned against reform and liberal groups from Canada East each group having some support fromFrench-Canadian and English-Canadian legislators. There was also a fear of aggression from the United States during and immediately after theAmerican Civil War. These factors led to the formation of theGreat Coalition in the elected Legislative Assembly, which initiated a series of conferences in the 1860s to effect a broader federal union of allBritish North American colonies. TheBritish North America Act took effect on July 1, 1867, establishing the Dominion of Canada, initially with the four provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. The Province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec so that each linguistic group would have its own province. Both Quebec and Ontario were required by section 93 of theBritish North America Act to safeguard existing educational rights and privileges of the Protestant and Catholic minorities. Thus, separate Catholic schools andschool boards were permitted in Ontario. However, neither province had a constitutional requirement to protect its French- or English-speaking minority. Toronto was formally established as Ontario's provincial capital.
An animated map of the changes to the borders of Canada. The borders of Ontario were last changed in 1912.
The borders of Ontario, its new name in 1867, were provisionally expanded north and west. When the Province of Canada was formed, its borders were not entirely clear, and Ontario claimed eventually to reach all the way to theRocky Mountains andArctic Ocean. With Canada's acquisition of Rupert's Land, Ontario was interested in clearly defining its borders, especially since some of the new areas in which it was interested were rapidly growing. After the federal government asked Ontario to pay for construction in the new disputed area, the province asked for an elaboration on its limits, and its boundary was moved north to the51st parallel north.[56]
Once constituted as a province, Ontario proceeded to assert its economic and legislative power. In 1872, the lawyerOliver Mowat becamePremier of Ontario and remained as premier until 1896. He fought for provincial rights, weakening the power of thefederal government in provincial matters, usually through well-argued appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. His battles with the federal government greatlydecentralized Canada, giving the provinces far more power thanJohn A. Macdonald had intended. He consolidated and expanded Ontario's educational and provincial institutions, created districts in Northern Ontario, and fought to ensure that those parts of Northwestern Ontario not historically part of Upper Canada (the vast areas north and west of the Lake Superior-Hudson Bay watershed, known as theDistrict of Keewatin) would become part of Ontario, a victory embodied in theCanada (Ontario Boundary) Act, 1889. He also presided over the emergence of the province into the economic powerhouse of Canada. Mowat was the creator of what is often calledEmpire Ontario.
Beginning with Macdonald'sNational Policy (1879) and the construction of theCanadian Pacific Railway (1875–1885) through Northern Ontario and theCanadian Prairies toBritish Columbia, Ontario manufacturing and industry flourished. However, population increases slowed after a large recession hit the province in 1893, thus slowing growth drastically but for only a few years. Many newly arrived immigrants and others moved west along the railway to the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia, sparsely settling Northern Ontario.
The northern and western boundaries of Ontario were in dispute afterCanadian Confederation. Ontario's right to Northwestern Ontario was determined by theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1884 and confirmed by theCanada (Ontario Boundary) Act, 1889 of theParliament of the United Kingdom. By 1899, there were seven northern districts: Algoma, Manitoulin, Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay. Four more northern districts were created between 1907 and 1912: Cochrane, Kenora, Sudbury and Timiskaming.[57]
Mineral exploitation accelerated in the late 19th century, leading to the rise of important mining centres in the northeast, such asSudbury,Cobalt andTimmins. The province harnessed its water power to generate hydro-electric power and created the state-controlled Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, laterOntario Hydro. The availability of cheap electric power further facilitated the development of industry. TheFord Motor Company of Canada was established in 1904 and theMcLaughlin Motor Car Company (laterGeneral Motors Canada) was founded in 1907. The motor vehicle industry became the most lucrative industry for the Ontario economy during the 20th century.
In July 1912, theConservative government ofJames Whitney issuedRegulation 17 which severely limited the availability of French-language schooling to the province's French-speaking minority. French Canadians reacted with outrage, journalistHenri Bourassa denouncing the "Prussians of Ontario". The regulation was eventually repealed in 1927.
Law enforcement confiscate stores of alcohol inElk Lake in an effort to enforceprohibition. The prohibition measures were introduced in 1916 and were not repealed until 1927.
Influenced by events in the United States, the government ofWilliam Hearst introducedprohibition of alcoholic drinks in 1916 with the passing of theOntario Temperance Act. However, residents could distil and retain their own personal supply, and liquor producers could continue distillation and export for sale, allowing this already sizeable industry to strengthen further. Ontario became a hotbed for the illegal smuggling of liquor and the biggest supplier into the United States, which was under completeprohibition. Prohibition in Ontario came to an end in 1927 with the establishment of theLiquor Control Board of Ontario under the government ofHoward Ferguson. The sale and consumption of liquor, wine, and beer are still controlled by some of the most extreme laws in North America to ensure strict community standards and revenue generation from the alcohol retail monopoly are upheld.
The post-World War II period was one of exceptional prosperity and growth. Ontario has been the recipients of most immigration to Canada, largely immigrants from war-torn Europe in the 1950s and 1960s and following changes in federalimmigration law, a massive influx of non-Europeans since the 1970s. From a largelyethnically British province, Ontario has rapidly become culturally very diverse.
The nationalist movement in Quebec, particularly after the election of theParti Québécois in 1976, contributed to driving many businesses and English-speaking people out of Quebec to Ontario, and as a result, Toronto surpassedMontreal as the largest city and economic centre of Canada.[58] Depressed economic conditions in theMaritime Provinces have also resulted in de-population of those provinces in the 20th century, with heavy migration into Ontario.[59][60]
Ontario's official language is English, although there exists a number ofFrench-speaking communities across Ontario.[61] French-language services are made available for communities with a sizeable French-speaking population; a service that is ensured under theFrench Language Services Act of 1989.
In the2021 census, Ontario had a population of 14,223,942 living in 5,491,201 of its 5,929,250 total dwellings, a 5.8 percent change from its 2016 population of 13,448,494. With a land area of 892,411.76 km2 (344,562.11 sq mi), it had a population density of15.9/km2 (41.3/sq mi) in 2021.[2] The largestpopulation centres in Ontario areToronto,Ottawa,Hamilton,Kitchener,London andOshawa, which all have more than 300,000 inhabitants.
The percentages given below add to more than 100 per cent because of dual responses (e.g., "French and Canadian" response generates an entry both in the category "French Canadian" and in the category "Canadian").
The majority of Ontarians are ofEnglish or otherEuropean descent including large Scottish, Irish and Italian communities. Slightly less than 5 per cent of the population of Ontario isFranco-Ontarian, that is those whose native tongue is French, although those with French ancestry account for 11 per cent of the population. Compared to natural increase orinterprovincial migration,immigration is a huge population growth force in Ontario, as it has been over the last two centuries. More recent sources of immigrants with large or growing communities in Ontario includeEast Asians,South Asians, Caribbeans, Latin Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Most populations have settled in the larger urban centres.
In 2021, 34.3% of the population consisted ofvisible minorities and 2.9% of the population wasIndigenous, mostly ofFirst Nations andMétis descent. There was also a small number ofInuit in the province. The number of Indigenous people and visible minorities has been increasing at a faster rate than the general population of Ontario.[62]
Visible minority and Indigenous population (Canada 2021 Census)[63]
In 2021, 52.1% of the population was Christian, with the largest religious denominations being theRoman Catholic Church (with 26.0% of the population) and theUnited Church of Canada with (4.1%). Other religions includedIslam (6.7%),Hinduism (4.1%). 31.6% of Ontarians had no religious affiliation.[64]
The major religious groups in Ontario in 2021 were:
Map of French language ability according to the 2021 census.English and French displayed on a gantry sign. Communities with sizeable francophone populations are able to receive provincial services in French.
As of the2021 Canadian Census, the ten most spoken languages in the province included English (13,650,230 or 97.28%), French (1,550,545 or 11.05%), Mandarin (467,420 or 3.33%), Hindi (436,125 or 3.11%), Spanish (401,205 or 2.86%), Punjabi (397,865 or 2.84%), Cantonese (352,135 or 2.51%), Arabic (342,860 or 2.44%), Italian (312,800 or 2.23%), and Urdu (295,175 or 2.1%).[67][note 2]
The principal language of Ontario is English, the province'sde facto official language,[68] with approximately 97.2 per cent of Ontarians having proficiency in the language, although only 69.5 per cent of Ontarians reported English as their mother tongue in the 2016 Census.[69] English is one of twoofficial languages of Canada, with the other being French. English and French are the official languages of the courts in Ontario. Approximately 4.6 per cent of the population identified as francophone,[70][note 3] and a total of 11.5 per cent of Ontarians reported having proficiency in French.[69] Approximately 11.2 per cent of Ontarians reported being bilingual in both English and French.[69] Approximately 2.5 per cent of Ontarians have no proficiency in either English or French.[69]
Franco-Ontarians are concentrated in the northeastern, eastern, and extreme southern parts of the province, where under theFrench Language Services Act,[71] provincial government services are required to be available in French if at least 10 per cent of a designated area's population report French as their native language or if an urban centre has at least 5,000 francophones.
Other languages spoken by residents include Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Dutch, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Malayalam, Mandarin, Marathi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Sinhalese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Telugu, Tamil, Tibetan, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.[72]
Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province, accounting for 52% of the total national manufacturing shipments in 2004.[73] Ontario's largest trading partner is the American state ofMichigan. As of April 2012[update],Moody's bond-rating agency ratedOntario debt at AA2/stable,[74] whileS&P rated it AA−.[75]Dominion Bond Rating Service rated it AA(low) in January 2013.[76] Long known as a bastion of Canadian manufacturing and financial solvency, Ontario's publicdebt-to-GDP ratio is projected to be 38.4% infiscal year 2023–2024.[77]
Container ship atAlgoma Steel. TheGreat Lakes provide ocean access for industries in the province's interior.
Mining and the forest products industry, notablypulp and paper, are vital to the economy of Northern Ontario. As of 2011, roughly 200,000 ha areclearcut each year;herbicides forhardwood suppression are applied to a third of the total.[78] There has been controversy over theRing of Fire mineral deposit, and whether the province can afford to spend CAD$2.25 billion on a road from theTrans-Canada Highway nearKenora to the deposit, currently valued at CAD$60 billion.[79]
An abundance ofnatural resources, excellent transportation links to the North American heartland and the inland Great Lakes making ocean access possible viacontainer ships, have all contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry of the province, found mainly in the Golden Horseshoe region, which is the largest industrialized area in Canada, the southern end of the region being part of the North AmericanRust Belt. Important products include motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, electrical appliances, machinery, chemicals, and paper.
Hamilton is the largest steel manufacturing city in Canada followed closely bySault Ste. Marie, andSarnia is the centre forpetrochemical production. Construction employed more than 6.5% of the province's work force in June 2011.[80] Ontario's steel industry was once centred inHamilton. Hamilton harbour, which can be seen from theQEW Skyway bridge, is an industrial wasteland;U.S. Steel-ownedStelco announced in the autumn of 2013 that it would close in 2014, with the loss of 875 jobs. The move flummoxed a union representative, who seemed puzzled why a plant with capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum would be shut while Canada imported 8 million tonnes of steel the previous year.[81]Algoma Steel maintains a plant inSault Ste Marie.
Ontario surpassed Michigan in car production, assembling more than 2,696,000 vehicles in 2004. Ontario hasChrysler plants inWindsor and Bramalea, twoGM plants in Oshawa and one in Ingersoll, aHonda assembly plant inAlliston,Ford plants in Oakville and St. Thomas andToyota assembly plants in Cambridge and Woodstock. However, as a result of steeply declining sales, in 2005,General Motors announced massive layoffs at production facilities across North America, including two large GM plants inOshawa and adrive train facility inSt. Catharines, that resulted in 8,000 job losses in Ontario alone. In 2006,Ford Motor Company announced between 25,000 and 30,000 layoffs phased until 2012; Ontario was spared the worst, but job losses were announced for theSt Thomas facility and theWindsor Casting plant. However, these losses will be offset by Ford's recent announcement of ahybrid vehicle facility slated to begin production in 2007 at itsOakville plant and GM's re-introduction of theCamaro which will be produced in Oshawa. On December 4, 2008,Toyota announced the grand opening of theRAV4 plant inWoodstock,[82] andHonda also plans to add an engine plant at its facility in Alliston. Despite these new plants coming online, Ontario has not yet fully recovered following massive layoffs during theGreat Recession; its unemployment rate was 7.3% in May 2013,[83] compared to 8.7 percent in January 2010[84] and approximately 6% in 2007. In September 2013, the Ontario government committed CAD$70.9 million to the Ford plant inOakville, while the federal government committed CAD$71.1mn, to secure 2,800 jobs.[85] The province has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the decade from 2003, and the Bank of Canada noted that "while the energy and mining industries have benefitted from these movements, the pressure on the manufacturing sector has intensified, since many firms in this sector were already dealing with growing competition from low-cost economies such as China."[86][87]
Toronto'sFinancial District serves as the centre for Canada's financial services.
Toronto, the capital of Ontario, is the centre of Canada'sfinancial services and banking industry. Neighbouring cities are home to product distribution, IT centres, and manufacturing industries. Canada's Federal Government is the largest single employer in theNational Capital Region, which centres on the border cities of Ontario's Ottawa and Quebec'sGatineau.[88][89]
Tourism contributes heavily to the economy of Central Ontario, peaking during the summer months owing to the abundance of fresh water recreation and wilderness found there in reasonable proximity to the major urban centres. At other times of the year,hunting,skiing andsnowmobiling are popular. This region has some of the most vibrant fall colour displays anywhere on the continent, and tours directed at overseas visitors are organized to see them. Tourism also plays a key role in border cities with large casinos, among them Windsor,Cornwall, Sarnia andNiagara Falls, the latter of which attracts millions of US and other international visitors.[92]
Aerial view of farms inWaterloo. A significant portion of the land inSouthern Ontario is used as farmland.
Once the dominant industry, agriculture now uses a small percentage of the workforce.Massey Ferguson, afarm-implement manufacturer, was originally founded in the province in 1847, before eventually expanding internationally.[93] As the following table shows, while the number of individual farms has steadily decreased and their overall size has shrunk at a lower rate, greater mechanization has supported increased supply to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of a growing population base; this has also meant a gradual increase in the total amount of land used for growing crops.
Ontario Farming
1986
1991
1996
2001
2006
Number of Farms
72,713
68,633
67,520
59,728
57,211
Total
Hectares
5,646,582
5,451,379
5,616,860
5,466,233
5,386,453
Acres
13,953,009
13,470,652
13,879,565
13,507,358
13,310,217
Planted Crops
Hectares
3,457,966
3,411,667
3,544,927
3,656,705
3,660,941
Acres
8,544,821
8,430,438
8,759,707
9,035,916
9,046,383
Source: Statistics Canada,Census of Agriculture.[94]
Common types of farms reported in the 2001 census include those for cattle, small grains and dairy. The fruit- andwine industry is primarily on theNiagara Peninsula,Prince Edward County, and along the northern shore of Lake Erie, wheretobacco farms are also situated. Market vegetables grow in the rich soils of theHolland Marsh nearNewmarket. The area nearWindsor is also very fertile.
The area defined as theCorn Belt covers much of the southwestern area of the province, extending as far north as close to Goderich, but corn and soy are grown throughout the southern portion of the province. Apple orchards are a common sight along the southern shore ofNottawasaga Bay (part of Georgian Bay) near Collingwood and along the northern shore of Lake Ontario near Cobourg. Tobacco production, centred inNorfolk County, has decreased, allowing an increase in alternative crops such ashazelnuts andginseng.Southern Ontario's limited supply of agricultural land is going out of production at an increasing rate.Urban sprawl and farmlandseverances contribute to the loss of thousands of acres of productive agricultural land in Ontario each year. Over 2,000 farms and 150,000 acres (61,000 ha) of farmland in the GTA alone were lost to production in the two decades between 1976 and 1996. This loss represented approximately 18%". of Ontario's Class 1 farmland being converted to urban purposes. In addition, increasing rural severances provide ever-greater interference with agricultural production.[95] In an effort to protect the farmland and green spaces of the National Capital Region, and Greater Toronto Area, the Federal[96] and Provincial Governments introducedgreenbelts aroundOttawa[97] and theGolden Horseshoe, limiting urban development in these areas.[98]
Ontario's rivers make it rich in hydroelectric energy.[99] In 2009,Ontario Power Generation generated 70 percent of the province's electricity, of which 51 percent isnuclear, 39% ishydroelectric and 10% isfossil-fuel derived.[100] By 2025, nuclear power is projected to supply 42%, while fossil-fuel-derived generation is projected to decrease slightly over the next 20 years.[101] Much of the newer power generation coming online in the last few years is natural gas or combined-cycle natural gas plants. OPG is not, however, responsible for the transmission of power, which is under the control ofHydro One.
Despite its diverse range of power options, problems related to increasing consumption, lack of energy efficiency and ageing nuclear reactors, Ontario has been forced in recent years to purchase power from its neighbours Quebec and Michigan to supplement its power needs during peak consumption periods. Ontario's basic domestic rate in 2010 was 11.17 cents per kWh; by contrast. Quebec's was 6.81.[102] In December 2013, the government projected a 42 percent hike by 2018, and 68 percent by 2033.[101] Industrial rates are projected to rise by 33% by 2018, and 55% in 2033.[101]
TheGreen Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 (GEA), takes a two-pronged approach to commercializing renewable energy; first, it aims to bring morerenewable energy sources to the province; and secondly, it aims to adopt moreenergy-efficiency measures to helpconserve energy. The bill envisaged appointing a Renewable Energy Facilitator to provide "one-window" assistance and support to project developers to facilitate project approvals.[103]
The approvals process for transmission projects would also bestreamlined and (for the first time in Ontario) the bill would enact standards for renewable energy projects. Homeowners would have access to incentives to develop small-scale renewables such as low- or no-interest loans to finance the capital cost of renewable energy generating facilities like solar panels.[103]
TheBritish North America Act 1867 section 69 stipulated "There shall be a Legislature for Ontario consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and of One House, styled theLegislative Assembly of Ontario." The assembly currently has 124 seats (increased from 107 as of the 42nd Ontario general election) representingridings elected in afirst-past-the-post system across the province.
The legislative buildings atQueen's Park are the seat of government. Following theWestminster system, the leader of the party holding the most seats in the assembly is known as the "Premier and President of the Council" (Executive Council Act R.S.O. 1990). The Premier chooses thecabinet orExecutive Council whose members are deemedministers of the Crown.
Although theLegislative Assembly Act (R.S.O. 1990) refers to "members of the assembly" in English anddéputés à l'Assemblée in French, the legislators are now commonly called MPPs (Members of the Provincial Parliament) in English, but they have also been called MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly); both are acceptable but the latter is uncommon. The title of Prime Minister of Ontario, correct in French (le Premier ministre), is permissible in English but now generally avoided in favour of the title "Premier" to avoid confusion with the Prime Minister of Canada.
Ontario has grown, from its roots inUpper Canada, into a modern jurisdiction. The old titles of the chief law officers, the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General, remain in use. They both are responsible to the Legislature. The Attorney-General draughts the laws and is responsible for criminal prosecutions and the administration of justice, while the Solicitor-General is responsible for law enforcement and the police services of the province. TheMunicipal Act[105] is the mainstatute governing the creation, administration and government ofmunicipalities in theCanadian province of Ontario, other than theCity of Toronto. After being passed in 2001, it came into force on January 1, 2003, replacing the previousMunicipal Act.[106] Effective January 1, 2007, theMunicipal Act (the Act) was significantly amended by theMunicipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006 (Bill 130).[107][108]
The2018 provincial election resulted in a Progressive Conservative majority government under party leaderDoug Ford, who was sworn in asPremier on June 29. Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath was sworn in as the leader of her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
Administrative divisions differ primarily in the services that they provide to their residents, with the differing structures of these administrative regions resulting in disparities among Ontario's different regions. The administrative regions of Ontario are roughly coterminous with thecensus divisions used byStatistics Canada, although some exceptions do exist.[note 4]
Statistics Canada's measure of a "metro area", theCensus Metropolitan Area (CMA), roughly bundles together population figures from the core municipality with those from "commuter" municipalities.[109]
CMA (largest other included municipalities in brackets)
*Parts of Quebec (includingGatineau) are included in the Ottawa CMA. The population of the Ottawa CMA, in both provinces, is shown. The Ontario portion of the CMA is about 75% of the total population of the CMA.[110]
Ontario operates four publicly funded school systems, with there being both English and French equivalents of the public school system and the Catholic school system.[112] About half of Ontario's government-funded District School Boards are Catholic (37 out of 72).[113] There are some publicly funded schools with non-Catholic religious affiliation: these includeEden High School (under theDistrict School Board of Niagara)[114] and the Burkevale Protestant Separate School (under thePenetanguishene Protestant Separate School Board).[115] Legislation regarding primary and secondary level education in Ontario is outlined in theEducation Act.[116] As of 2021[update], two million children were enrolled as students within the province.[117]Elementary schools teach children enrolled in kindergarten and grades 1–8, whilesecondary schools teach adolescents in grades 9–12. Four and five year olds may enterkindergarten programs but are not required by law to do so until they turn six that calendar year.[118]
Higher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by theMinistry of Colleges and Universities, whose current minister isJill Dunlop.[119] Recognized institutions include universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges.[120] While there is some overlap between the purpose of universities and colleges in Canada, they generally serve different purposes. Universities place greater emphasis on academics while colleges place greater emphasis onwork-integrated learning. Both colleges and universities can offerundergraduate degree programs.[121] There are also programs that involve a partnership between a college and a university. Some students choose to attend college over university because it is the more affordable option.[122]
Outdoor recreation is popular in Ontario and the region is home to numerous cultural events and festivals. There is no single regional dish in Ontario. Local fish and wild game, such aswalleye andmoose, are sometimes consumed. Poutine, a dish that originated in Quebec, is also popular in Ontario.
As of 2022[update], Ontario has 357 newspapers, 32 of which aredaily, the highest in any province.[143] Ontario is home to the largest newspaper[d] in Canada, theToronto Star,[144] and Canada'snewspaper of record,The Globe and Mail.[145][146][147][148] There are also numerous weekly newspapers for individual communities, though print publications for these papers have been on a downwards trend due to local news being shared on sites likeFacebook.[149][150]
In 1973, the first slogan to appear onlicence plates in Ontario was "Keep It Beautiful". This was replaced by "Yours to Discover" in 1982,[151] which was originally used as a tourism slogan beginning in 1980.[152] Plates with the French equivalent,Tant à découvrir, were made available to the public beginning in May 2008.[153] (From 1988 to 1990,[154] "Ontario Incredible"[155] gave "Yours to Discover" a brief respite.) In 2020, as part of a licence plate redesign, the slogan was changed to "A Place to Grow," inspired by the songA Place to Stand, a Place to Grow. This decision was reversed in the same year, due to visibility concerns.[156][157] The slogan on licence plates remains "Yours to Discover".[158]
Transportation in Ontario is under the purview of theMinistry of Transportation of Ontario andTransport Canada. Infrastructure and laws relating to road transport is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation, while infrastructure and laws relating to air, rail and marine transport is the responsibility of Transport Canada.[161][162]
A number of Ontario cities also have regional airports,[167] many of which have scheduled commuter flights fromJazz Aviation or smaller airlines and charter companies – flights from mid-size cities such asSudbury andSault Ste. Marie, to larger airports in Toronto and Ottawa.[168][169]Bearskin Airlines also runs flights along the northerly east–west route, connecting North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay directly.[170]
TheSaint Lawrence Seaway, which extends across most of the southern portion of the province and connects to the Atlantic Ocean, is the primary water transportation route for cargo, particularlyiron ore and grain.[191] In the past, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River were also a major passenger transportation route, including with the early 20th century growth ofCanada Steamship Lines, but in the 1930s, passenger traffic greatly declined,[192][193] and though some cruise lines still exist,[194] as of 2022 less than 20% of traffic were non-cargo or passenger ships.[195] Ontario's three largest ports[note 5] are thePort of Hamilton,Port of Thunder Bay and the Port of Nanticoke.[196] Ontario's only saltwater port is located in the town ofMoosonee onJames Bay.[197]
^Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
^The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses.
^The following figure is taken from the province's "Inclusive Definition of Francophones", (IDF) which includes those whose mother tongue is French, and those whose mother tongue is not French, but have proficiency in the language, and use French as the primary language at home.
^ab"Discover Canada - Canada's Regions". Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. July 1, 2012.Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. RetrievedOctober 7, 2023.
^Canada/United States International Boundary Commission (2006)."St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes"(PDF).Presentation at 2006 IBRU Conference, p. 21. Durham University.Archived(PDF) from the original on November 2, 2012. RetrievedMay 6, 2014.
^"About Canada // Ontario".Study Canada. pp. Last Paragraph–second–last sentence.Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. RetrievedApril 23, 2011.The name "Ontario" is generally thought to be derived from the Iroquois word Skanadario, meaning "beautiful water"
^"Lakes and Rivers".Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. RetrievedMarch 23, 2014.
^ab"Ontario – Canada.ca".canada.ca. Government of Canada. August 15, 2017.Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. RetrievedNovember 22, 2021.
^"WeatherStats: Weather Winners".Amateur Weather Statistics for Ottawa (Kanata – Orléans), Ontario.Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. RetrievedJune 29, 2020.
^Marsh, James."Hurricane Hazel".The Canadian Encyclopedia. RetrievedJune 2, 2024.
^"Windsor A, Ontario".Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. October 31, 2011.Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. RetrievedApril 12, 2014.
^Neill, R. (2005). Atlantica: partial recovery and partial decline: the context of Maritime emigration, 1870–1970. in Atlantic Canada Economics Association Conference 2005 Working Papers Series (Vol. 2005). Retrieved fromhttp://economics.acadiau.ca/id-2005.htmlArchived October 19, 2021, at theWayback Machine
^"Ottawa's Greenbelt Master Plan"(PDF). Faculty of Environmental Design The University of Calgary. September 15, 2019.Archived(PDF) from the original on October 23, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 15, 2019.
^"Ontario's Greenbelt". Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government of Ontario. August 27, 2019.Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2019.
Michael Sletcher, "Ottawa", in James Ciment, ed.,Colonial America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History, (5 vols., M. E. Sharpe, New York, 2006).
Celebrating One Thousand Years of Ontario's History: Proceedings of the Celebrating One Thousand Years of Ontario's History Symposium, April 14, 15 and 16, 2000. Ontario Historical Society, 2000. 343 pp.
Chambers, Lori, and Edgar-Andre Montigny, eds.Ontario Since Confederation: A Reader (2000), articles by scholars.
Winfield, Mark S.Blue-Green Province: The Environment and the Political Economy of Ontario (University of British Columbia Press; 2012) 296 pages; environmental policies since 1945.
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