This article is about the Canadian province. For other uses see Ontario (disambiguation). Ontario Flag Coat of arms Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin) ("Loyal she began thus she remains") Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Largest metro Greater Toronto Area Official languages English (de facto) Demonym Ontarian Government Type Constitutional monarchy Monarch Elizabeth II Lieutenant Governor David Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Legislature Legislative Assembly of Ontario Federal representation in Canadian parliament House seats 106 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1 1867 (1st with QC NS NB) Area 1 Ranked 4th Total 1076395 km2 (415598 sq mi) Land 917741 km2 (354342 sq mi) Water (%) 158654 km2 (61257 sq mi) (14.8%) Population  Ranked 1st Total (2010) 13210667 2 Density 13.8 /km2 (36 /sq mi) GDP  Ranked 1st Total (2009) C$578.2 billion3 Per capita C$43847 (6th) Abbreviations Postal ON ISO 3166-2 CA-ON Time zone UTC-5 & -6 Postal code prefix K L M N P Flower White Trillium Tree Eastern White Pine Bird Great Northern Loon Website www.ontario.ca Rankings include all provinces and territories

Ontario /nterijo/ is a province of Canada located in east-central Canada.45 It is Canada's most populous province6 and second largest in total area.1 It is home to Canada's most populous city Toronto7 and Ottawa the national capital of Canada.

Ontario is bordered by Manitoba on its west Hudson Bay on its north Quebec on its east and by three states of the United States to its south (from west to east): Minnesota Michigan and New York. Ohio and Pennsylvania are across Lake Erie. All but a small portion of Ontario's 2700 km (1677 mi) border with the United States follow inland waterways: from the west at Lake of the Woods eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River drainage system. These are the Rainy River Lake Superior the St. Mary's River Lake Huron the St. Clair River Lake St. Clair Lake Erie the Niagara River Lake Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River from Kingston Ontario to the Quebec boundary just east of Cornwall Ontario.

Ontario is sometimes broken into two regions Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The great majority of Ontario's population and its arable land is located in the south mostly along the northern lakeshores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. In contrast the northern three-quarters of Ontario is sparsely populated.

The province is named after Lake Ontario which is thought to have been derived from Ontar:io a Huron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake"8 or possibly skanadario which means "beautiful water" in the Iroquoian languages.9 Ontario contains about 250000 freshwater lakes. Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 History 2.1 Territorial evolution 2.2 European contact 2.3 Upper Canada 2.4 Canada West 2.5 Provincehood 3 Demographics 3.1 Religion 4 Economy 4.1 Agriculture 4.2 Energy 5 Transportation 5.1 Roads 5.2 Waterways 5.3 Railways 5.4 Air travel 6 Government 6.1 Politics 7 Urban areas 8 Education 8.1 Higher education 9 Songs and slogans 10 Famous residents 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links Geography Main article: Geography of Ontario See also: Census divisions of Ontario and Geography of Canada See also List of parks and protected areas of Ontario Toronto the capital of Ontario. Ottawa the capital of Canada.

The province consists of three main geographical regions: The thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions which comprises over half the land area of Ontario; though this area mostly does not support agriculture it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests studded with lakes and rivers. Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions: Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario. The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast mainly swampy and sparsely forested. Southern Ontario which is further sub-divided into four regions; Central Ontario (although not actually the province's geographic centre) Eastern Ontario Golden Horseshoe and Southwestern Ontario (parts of which were formerly referred to as Western Ontario).

Despite the absence of any 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 the Niagara Escarpment which crosses the south. The highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres (2274 ft) above sea level located in Temagami Northeastern Ontario. In the south elevations of over 500 m (1640.42 ft) are surpassed near Collingwood above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands and in hilltops near the Madawaska River in Renfrew County.

The Carolinian 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 the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion where the forest has now been largely replaced by agriculture industrial and urban development. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls part of the Niagara Escarpment. The Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 87% of the surface area of the province; conversely Southern Ontario contains 94% of the population.

Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario (near Windsor and Detroit Michigan) that is the southernmost extent of Canada's mainland. Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42N  slightly farther south than the northern border of California. Climate Summer at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario. The Niagara Escarpment on the Bruce Peninsula.

Ontario has three main climatic regions. Parts of Southwestern Ontario have a moderate humid continental climate (Kppen climate classification Dfa) similar to that of the inland Mid-Atlantic States and the Great Lakes portion of the Midwestern United States. The region has warm humid summers and cold winters. Annual precipitation ranges from 75100 cm (3039 in) and is well distributed throughout the year with a usual summer peak. Most of this region lies in the lee of the Great Lakes making for abundant snow in some areas. Point Pelee and Middle Island the southernmost parts of the country are at the dividing line of a humid continental climate and a humid subtropical climate (Dfa/Cfa). Central and Eastern Ontario have a more severe humid continental climate (Kppen Dfb). This region has warm and sometimes hot summers with colder longer winters with ample snowfall and roughly equal annual precipitation as the rest of Southern Ontario. Along the eastern shores of Lake Superior and Lake Huron frequent heavy lake-effect snow squalls increase seasonal snowfall totals upwards of 3 m (120 in) in some places. The northernmost parts of Ontario  primarily north of 50N have a subarctic climate (Kppen Dfc) 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 Arctic air masses temperatures of 40 C (40 F) are not uncommon snowfall remains on the ground for sometimes over half the year. Precipitation is generally less than 70 cm (28 in). Severe and non-severe thunderstorms peak in summer. London situated in Southern (Southwestern) Ontario has the most lightning strikes per year in Canada averaging 34 days of thunderstorm activity per year. In a typical year Ontario averages 15 confirmed tornado touchdowns though they are rarely destructive (the majority between F0 to F2 on the Fujita scale). Tropical depression remnants occasionally bring heavy rains and winds in the south but are rarely deadly. A notable exception was Hurricane Hazel which struck Toronto in October 1954. Winter storms can disrupt power supply and transportation severe ice storms can also occur especially in the east. History See also: History of Ontario and Timeline of Ontario history Territorial evolution Evolution of the borders of Ontario. Land was not legally subdivided into administrative units until a treaty had been concluded with the native peoples ceding the land. In 1788 while part of the Province of Quebec (17631791) southern Ontario was divided into four districts: Hesse Lunenburg Mecklenburg and Nassau. 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. 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. In 1849 the districts of southern Ontario were abolished by the Province of Canada and county governments took over certain municipal responsibilities. The Province of Canada also began creating districts in sparsely populated Northern Ontario with the establishment of Algoma District and Nipissing District in 1858. 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 to eventually reach all the way to the Rocky Mountains and Arctic Ocean. With Canada's acquisition of Rupert's Land Ontario was interested in clearly defining its borders especially since some of the new areas it was interested in 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 the 51st parallel north.10 The northern and western boundaries of Ontario were in dispute after Confederation. Ontario's right to Northwestern Ontario was determined by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1884 and confirmed by the Canada (Ontario Boundary) Act 1889 of the Parliament 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.11 European contact Statue of United Empire Loyalists in downtown Hamilton on Main Street East. Before the arrival of the Europeans the region was inhabited both by Algonquian (Ojibwa Cree and Algonquin) in the northern/western portions and Iroquois and Wyandot (Huron) tribes more in the south/east.12 During the 17th century the Algonquians and Hurons fought a bitter war against the Iroquois.13 The French explorer tienne Brl explored part of the area in 1610-12.14 The English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into Hudson Bay in 1611 and claimed the area for England. Samuel de Champlain reached Lake Huron in 1615 and French missionaries began to establish posts along the Great Lakes. French settlement was hampered by their hostilities with the Iroquois who allied themselves with the British.15 From 1634 to 1640 Hurons were devastated by European infectious diseases such as measles and smallpox to which they had no immunity.16 The British established trading posts on Hudson Bay in the late 17th century and began a struggle for domination of Ontario. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War by awarding nearly all of France's North American possessions (New France) to Britain.17 The region was annexed to Quebec in 1774.18 From 1783 to 1796 the Kingdom of Great Britain granted United Empire Loyalists leaving the United States following the American Revolution 200 acres (81 ha) of land and other items with which to rebuild their lives.15 This measure substantially increased the population of Canada west of the St. Lawrence-Ottawa River confluence during this period a fact recognized by the Constitutional Act of 1791 which split Quebec into the Canadas: Upper Canada southwest of the St. Lawrence-Ottawa River confluence and Lower Canada east of it. John Graves Simcoe was appointed Upper Canada's first Lieutenant-Governor in 1793.19 Upper Canada Main article: Upper Canada American troops in the War of 1812 invaded Upper Canada across the Niagara River and the Detroit River but were defeated and pushed back by British regulars Canadian fencibles and militias and First Nations warriors. The Americans gained control of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario however. During the Battle of York they occupied the Town of York (later named Toronto) in 1813. The Americans looted the town and burned the Parliament Buildings but were soon forced to leave. 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 deliberate 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 decades that followed. 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. Lower Ontario in 1718 Guillaume de L'Isle map approximate province area highlighted. Meanwhile Ontario's numerous waterways aided travel and transportation into the interior and supplied water 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.20 Many in the colony however began to chafe against the aristocratic Family Compact who governed while benefiting economically from the region's resources and who did not allow elected bodies the power to effect change (much as the Chteau Clique ruled Lower Canada). This resentment spurred republican ideals and sowed the seeds for early Canadian nationalism. Accordingly rebellion in favour of responsible government rose in both regions; Louis-Joseph Papineau led the Lower Canada Rebellion and William Lyon Mackenzie led the Upper Canada Rebellion. Canada West Although both rebellions were put down in short order the British government sent Lord Durham to investigate the causes of the unrest. He recommended that self-government be granted and that Lower and Upper Canada be re-joined in an attempt to assimilate the French Canadians. Accordingly the two colonies were merged into the Province of Canada by the Act of Union 1840 with the capital at Kingston and Upper Canada becoming known as Canada West. Parliamentary self-government was granted 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 of Canada East tilting the representative balance of power. 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 the Corn Laws and a reciprocity agreement in place with United States various industries such as timber mining farming and alcohol distilling benefited tremendously. A political stalemate between the French- and English-speaking legislators as well as fear of aggression from the United States during and immediately after the American Civil War led the political elite to hold a series of conferences in the 1860s to effect a broader federal union of all British North American colonies. The British North America Act took effect on July 1 1867 establishing the Dominion of Canada initially with four provinces: 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 the British North America Act to safeguard existing educational rights and privileges of Protestant and the Catholic minority. Thus separate Catholic schools and school 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. In 1868 the coat of arms and motto of Ontario are created. Curiously the motto "Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet" (Loyal she began loyal she remains) was added to Ontarios coat of arms by Sir Henry William Stisted The first Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario; who was a great friend of the Spanish General Jos of Bascarn and Federic the 27th Lord of Olvera. In one of his visits to him Sir Henry observed the mentioned motto in the coat of arms that was hung on the wall of the lounge of the house of the General Bascarn and Sir Henry requested authorization from his friend to include in the coat of arms of Ontario the motto of the Spanish city because he thought that it was representing perfectly the feelings of the Ontarians. Provincehood Downtown London at night. Once constituted as a province Ontario proceeded to assert its economic and legislative power. In 1872 the lawyer Oliver Mowat became Premier of Ontario and remained as premier until 1896. He fought for provincial rights weakening the power of the federal government in provincial matters usually through well-argued appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. His battles with the federal government greatly decentralized Canada giving the provinces far more power than John 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 the District of Keewatin) would become part of Ontario a victory embodied in the Canada (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 called Empire Ontario. Beginning with Sir John A. Macdonald's National Policy (1879) and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (18751885) through Northern Ontario and the Canadian Prairies to British Columbia Ontario manufacturing and industry flourished. However population increase slowed after a large recession hit the province in 1893 thus slowing growth drastically but only for a few short years. Many newly arrived immigrants and others moved west along the railway to the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia sparsely settling Northern Ontario. Mineral exploitation accelerated in the late 19th century leading to the rise of important mining centres in the northeast like Sudbury Cobalt and Timmins. The province harnessed its water power to generate hydro-electric power and created the state-controlled Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario later Ontario Hydro. The availability of cheap electric power further facilitated the development of industry. The Ford Motor Company of Canada was established in 1904. General Motors Canada was formed in 1918. The motor vehicle industry would go on to become the most lucrative industry for the Ontario economy during the 20th century. In July 1912 the Conservative government of Sir James Whitney issued Regulation 17 which severely limited the availability of French-language schooling to the province's French-speaking minority. French Canadians reacted with outrage journalist Henri Bourassa denouncing the "Prussians of Ontario". It was eventually repealed in 1927. Influenced by events in the United States the government of Sir William Hearst introduced prohibition of alcoholic drinks in 1916 with the passing of the Ontario Temperance Act. However residents could distil and retain their own personal supply and liquor producers could continue distillation and export for sale which allowed this already sizable 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 complete prohibition. Prohibition in Ontario came to an end in 1927 with the establishment of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario under the government of Howard 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 that strict community standards and revenue generation from the alcohol retail monopoly are upheld. In April 2007 Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Kim Craitor suggested that local brewers should be able to sell their beer in local corner stores; however the motion was quickly rejected by Premier Dalton McGuinty. The post-World War II period was one of exceptional prosperity and growth. Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area in particular have been the recipients of most immigration to Canada largely immigrants from war-torn Europe in the 1950s and 1960s and after changes in federal immigration law a massive influx of non-Europeans since the 1970s. From a largely ethnically British province Ontario has rapidly become very culturally diverse. The nationalist movement in Quebec particularly after the election of the Parti Qubcois in 1976 contributed to driving many businesses and English-speaking people out of Quebec to Ontario and as a result Toronto surpassed Montreal as the largest city and economic centre of Canada. Depressed economic conditions in the Maritime Provinces have also resulted in de-population of those provinces in the 20th century with heavy migration into Ontario. Ontario has no official language but English is considered the de facto language. Numerous French language services are available under the French Language Services Act of 1990 in designated areas where sizable francophone populations exist. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Ontario The percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French and Canadian" response generates an entry in both the category "French Canadian" and the category "Canadian"). Groups with greater than 200000 responses are included. The majority of Ontarians are of English or other European descent. Slightly less than 5% of the population of Ontario is Franco-Ontarian that is those whose native tongue is French although those with French ancestry account for 11% of the population. In relation to natural increase or inter-provincial 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 include Caribbeans Asians Latin Americans Europeans and Africans. Most populations have settled in the larger urban centres. Ontario is the second most diverse province in terms of visible minorities after British Columbia with 22.8% of the population consisting of visible minorities.21 The Greater Toronto Area Ottawa Windsor Hamilton and Waterloo Region are quite diverse metropolitan areas. Aboriginal peoples make up 2% of the population with two-thirds of that consisting of North American Indians and the other third consisting of Mtis. The number of Aboriginal people has been increasing at rates greater than the general population of Ontario.22 Ethnic origins Responses % Total population 12028895 100 English 2971360 24.7 Canadian 2768870 23.0 Scottish 2101100 17.5 Irish 1988940 16.5 French 1351600 11.2 German 1144560 9.5 Italian 867980 7.2 Chinese 644465 5.4 East Indian 573250 4.8 Dutch (Netherlands) 490995 4.1 Polish 465560 3.9 Ukrainian 336355 2.8 North American Indian 317890 2.6 Portuguese 282870 2.4 Filipino 215750 1.8 British not included elsewhere 205755 1.7 Jamaican 197540 1.6 Welsh 182825 1.5 Jewish 177255 1.5 Russian 167365 1.4 Hungarian (Magyar) 151750 1.3 Spanish 149160 1.2 Greek 132440 1.1 American (USA) 113050 0.9 Pakistani 91160 0.8 Mtis 87090 0.7 Sri Lankan 85935 0.7 Vietnamese 83330 0.7 Romanian 80710 0.7 African not included elsewhere 75500 0.6 Finnish 72990 0.6 Korean 72065 0.6 Croatian 71380 0.6 Iranian 70590 0.6 Year Population Five-year % change Ten-year % change Rank among provinces 1851 952004 n/a 208.8 1 1861 1396091 n/a 46.6 1 1871 1620851 n/a 16.1 1 1881 1926922 n/a 18.9 1 1891 2114321 n/a 9.7 1 1901 2182947 n/a 3.2 1 1911 2527292 n/a 15.8 1 1921 2933662 n/a 16.1 1 1931 3431683 n/a 17.0 1 1941 3787655 n/a 10.3 1 1951 4597542 n/a 21.4 1 1956 5404933 17.6 n/a 1 1961 6236092 15.4 35.6 1 1966 6960870 11.6 28.8 1 1971 7703105 10.7 23.5 1 1976 8264465 7.3 18.7 1 1981 8625107 4.4 12.0 1 1986 9101695 5.5 10.1 1 1991 10084885 10.8 16.9 1 1996 10753573 6.6 18.1 1 2001 11410046 6.1 13.1 1 2006* 12160282 6.6 11.6 1 *2006 Census24252627 Religion The largest denominations by number of adherents according to the 2001 census were the Roman Catholic Church with 3866350 (34%); the United Church of Canada with 1334570 (12%); and the Anglican Church of Canada with 985110 (9%).28 The major religious groups in Ontario as of 2001 are:29 Religion in Ontario in 2001.30 Religion People % Total 11285545 100 Protestant 3935745 34.9 Catholic 3911760 34.7 No Religion 1841290 16.3 Muslim 352530 3.1 Other Christians 301935 2.7 Christian Orthodox 264055 2.3 Hindu 217555 1.9 Jewish 190795 1.7 Buddhist 128320 1.1 Sikh 104785 0.9 Eastern Religions 17780 0.2 Other Religions 18985 0.2 Economy Main article: Economy of Ontario The CN Tower in Toronto has the highest public observation level in the Western Hemisphere. Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Home of the federal government. The Acura ZDX is built in Alliston. Ontario is the largest producer of automobiles in North America as of 2010. A Porter Airlines Q400 aircraft. The aircraft is built in Downsview Toronto while the airline is headquartered in Downtown Toronto. Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province accounting for 52% of the total national manufacturing shipments in 2004.31 Ontario's largest trading partner is the American state of Michigan. The government of Ontario posted a record C$21.3 billion ($20.7 billion) deficit for the 2009-10 fiscal year.32 The provinces net debt will rise to C$220 billion in 2010-11 or a record 37% of gross domestic product.32 Ontario's rivers including its share of the Niagara River make it rich in hydroelectric energy.33 In 2009 Ontario Power Generation generated 70% of the electricity of the province of which 51% is nuclear 39% is hydroelectric and 10% is fossil fuel derived.34 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 of Hydro One. Despite its diverse range of power options problems related to increasing consumption lack of energy efficiency and aging 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. An abundance of natural resources excellent transportation links to the American heartland and the inland Great Lakes making ocean access possible via container ships have all contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry 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 American Rust Belt. Important products include motor vehicles iron steel food electrical appliances machinery chemicals and paper. Ontario surpassed Michigan in car production assembling 2.696 million vehicles in 2004. Ontario has Chrysler plants in Windsor and Bramalea two GM plants in Oshawa and one in Ingersol a Honda assembly plant in Alliston Ford plants in Oakville and St. Thomas and Toyota 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 in Oshawa and a drive train facility in St. Catharines resulting in 8000 job losses in Ontario alone. In 2006 Ford Motor Company announced between 25000 and 30000 layoffs phased until 2012; Ontario was spared the worst but job losses were announced for the St. Thomas facility and the Windsor Casting plant. However these losses will be offset by Ford's recent announcement of a hybrid vehicle facility slated to begin production in 2007 at its Oakville plant and GM's re-introduction of the Camaro which will be produced in Oshawa. On December 4 2008 Toyota announced the grand opening of the RAV4 plant in Woodstock35 and Honda also has plans to add an engine plant at its facility in Alliston. Despite these new plants coming online Ontario has been hurt by layoffs created cause by the global recession its unemployment rate is steadied at 9.2% (as of Jan. 2010) vs. roughly 6% in 2007. Toronto the capital of Ontario is the centre of Canada's financial services and banking industry. Neighbouring cities in the Greater Toronto Area like Brampton Mississauga and Vaughan are large product distribution and IT centres in addition to having various manufacturing industries. The information technology sector is also important particularly in the Silicon Valley North section of Ottawa as well as the Waterloo Region where the world headquarters of Research in Motion (the developers of the BlackBerry smartphone) is located. Government is the single largest employer in the National Capital Region employing hundreds of thousands. Hamilton is the largest steel manufacturing city in Canada and Sarnia is the centre for petrochemical production. Construction employs at least 7% of the work force this sector has slowed down somewhat after a ten year plus boom. Mining and the forest products industry notably pulp and paper are vital to the economy of Northern Ontario. More than any other region 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 and snowmobiling 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 and Niagara Falls which attract many U.S. visitors.36 Agriculture Once the dominant industry agriculture occupies a small percentage of the population but still a large part of Southern Ontario's land area. The number of farms has decreased from 68633 in 1991 to 59728 in 2001 but farms have increased in average size and many are becoming more mechanized. Cattle small grains and dairy were the common types of farms in the 2001 census. The fruit grape and vegetable growing industry is located primarily on the Niagara Peninsula and along Lake Erie where tobacco farms are also situated. The Corn Belt covers much of the southwestern area of the province extending as far north as close to Goderich. Apple orchards are a common sight along the southern shore of Georgian Bay near Collingwood and along the northern shore of Lake Ontario near Cobourg. Tobacco production centred in Norfolk County has decreased leading to an increase in some other new crop alternatives gaining popularity such as hazelnuts and ginseng. The Ontario origins of Massey Ferguson once one of the largest farm implement manufacturers in the world indicate the importance agriculture once had to the Canadian economy. Southern Ontario's limited supply of agricultural land is going out of production at an increasing rate. Urban sprawl and farmland severances contribute to the loss of thousands of acres of productive agricultural land in Ontario each year. Over 2000 farms and 150000 acres (61000 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. The 500000 or so acres (200000 ha) comprising the black peat soil Holland Marsh located just south of Lake Simcoe and near the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury (35 mi (56 km) north of Toronto) continues to be Canada's premier vegetable production center. Energy See also: Energy in Canada Renewable energy in Canada and Smart grid Niagara Falls is a large supplier of hydroelectric energy for the province. The CANDU Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is the second largest nuclear power plant in the world. The Green Energy and Green Economy Act 2009 (GEA) takes a two-pronged approach to creating a renewable-energy economy. The first is to bring more renewable energy sources to the province and the second is the creation of more energy efficiency measures to help conserve energy. The bill would also appoint a Renewable Energy Facilitator to provide "one-window" assistance and support to project developers in order to facilitate project approvals.37 The approvals process for transmission projects would also be streamlined 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.37 Ontario is home to Niagara Falls which supplies a large amount of clean hydroelectric energy for the province. The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station the second largest nuclear power plant in the world is also in Ontario and uses 8 CANDU reactors to power the province with clean reliable energy. Transportation Historically the province has used two major east-west routes both starting from Montreal in the neighbouring province of Quebec. The northerly route which was pioneered by early French-speaking fur traders travels northwest from Montreal along the Ottawa River then continues westward towards Manitoba. Major cities on or near the route include Ottawa North Bay Sudbury Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay. The much more heavily travelled southerly route which was driven by growth in predominantly English-speaking settlements originated by the United Empire Loyalists and later other European immigrants travels southwest from Montreal along the St. Lawrence River Lake Ontario and Lake Erie before entering the United States in Michigan. Major cities on or near the route include Kingston Oshawa Toronto Mississauga Kitchener-Waterloo Hamilton London Sarnia and Windsor. This route was also heavily used by immigrants to the Midwestern US particularly in the late 19th century. Most of Ontario's major transportation infrastructure is oriented east-west and roughly follows one of these two original routes. Roads Main article: Roads in Ontario Highway 401 is the busiest highway in North America and among the busiest highways in the World.3839 400-Series Highways make up the primary vehicular network in the south of province and they connect to numerous border crossings with the U.S. the busiest being the DetroitWindsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge (via Highway 401) and the Blue Water Bridge (via Highway 402). The primary highway along the southern route is Highway 401/Highway of Heroes the busiest highway in North America3839 and the backbone of Ontario's road network tourism and economy3839 while the primary highways across the north are Highway 417/Highway 17 and Highway 11 both part of the Trans-Canada Highway. Highway 400/Highway 69 connects Toronto to Northern Ontario. Other provincial highways and regional roads inter-connect the remainder of the province. Waterways The Saint 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 particularly iron ore and grain. In the past the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River were also a major passenger transportation route but over the past half century passenger travel has been reduced to ferry services and sightseeing cruises. Railways The Toronto streetcar system is the busiest in North America. Via Rail operates the inter-regional passenger train service on the Quebec City Windsor Corridor along with The Canadian a transcontinental rail service from Toronto to Vancouver and the Sudbury White River train. Additionally Amtrak rail connects Ontario with key New York cities including Buffalo Albany and New York City. Ontario Northland provides rail service to destinations as far north as Moosonee near James Bay connecting them with the south. Freight rail is dominated by the founding cross-country Canadian National Railway and CP Rail companies which during the 1990s sold many short rail lines from their vast network to private companies operating mostly in the south. Regional commuter rail is limited to the provincially owned GO Transit and serves a trainbus network spanning the Golden Horseshoe region with its hub in Toronto. The Toronto Transit Commission operates the province's only subway and streetcar system one of the busiest in North America. The O-Train Light rail line operates in Ottawa with expansion of the line and proposals for additional lines. Air travel Air Canada operates its largest hub out of Toronto Pearson International Airport. Toronto Pearson International Airport is the nation's busiest and the world's 29th busiest handling over 30 million passengers per year. Other important airports include Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport and Hamilton's John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport which is an important courier and freight aviation centre. Toronto/Pearson and Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier form two of the three points in Canada's busiest set of air routes (the third point is Montral-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport). Most Ontario cities have regional airports many of which have scheduled commuter flights from Air Canada Jazz or smaller airlines and charter companies  flights from the larger cities such as Thunder Bay Sault Ste. Marie Sudbury North Bay Timmins Windsor London and Kingston feed directly into Toronto Pearson. Bearskin Airlines also runs flights along the northerly east-west route connecting Ottawa North Bay Sudbury Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay directly without requiring connections at Toronto Pearson. Isolated towns and settlements in the northern areas of the province rely partly or entirely on air service for travel goods and even ambulance services (MEDIVAC) since much of the far northern area of the province cannot be reached by road or rail. Government Further information: Monarchy in Ontario and Executive Council of Ontario The Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto. The wordmark of the Government of Ontario featuring a stylized version of the provincial flower the trillium. This wordmark was introduced in late 2007. The previous wordmark of the Government of Ontario which was in use from the late-1960s until 2007 (apart from the lettering used here). The British North America Act 1867 section 69 stipulated "There shall be a Legislature for Ontario consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and of One House styled the Legislative Assembly of Ontario." The assembly has 107 seats representing ridings elected in a first-past-the-post system across the province. The legislative buildings at Queen's Park in Toronto are the seat of government. Following the Westminster 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 the cabinet or Executive Council whose members are deemed "ministers of the Crown." Although the Legislative Assembly Act (R.S.O. 1990) refers to members of the assembly the legislators are now commonly called MPPs (Members of the Provincial Parliament) in English and dputs de l'Assemble lgislative in French but they have also been called MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) and both are acceptable. 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. Politics Main article: Politics of Ontario Ontario has traditionally operated under a three-party system. In the last few decades the liberal Ontario Liberal Party conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and social-democratic Ontario New Democratic Party have all ruled the province at different times. Ontario is currently under a Liberal government headed by Premier Dalton McGuinty. The present government first elected in 2003 was re-elected on October 10 2007. In the 2011 Canadian Federal Election in Ontario the Conservatives were elected in 73 ridings 22 went to the NDP and 11 to the Liberals. The Green's once again failed to get a candidate elected in Ontario. Urban areas See also: Golden Horseshoe and Detroit-Windsor Statistics Canada's measure of a "metro area" the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) roughly bundles together population figures from the core municipality with those from "commuter" municipalities.40 CMA (largest other included municipalities in brackets) 2006 2001 Toronto CMA (Region of Peel Region of York Pickering) 5113149 4682897 Ottawa CMA (Gatineau Clarence-Rockland)* 1130761* 1067800* Hamilton CMA (Burlington Grimsby) 692911 662401 London CMA (St. Thomas Strathroy-Caradoc) 457720 435600 Kitchener CMA (Cambridge Waterloo) 451235 414284 St. Catharines CMA (Niagara Falls Welland) 390317 377009 Oshawa CMA (Whitby Clarington) 330594 296298 Windsor CMA (Lakeshore LaSalle) 323342 307877 Barrie CMA (Innisfil Springwater) 177061 148480 Sudbury CMA (Whitefish Lake Wanapitei Reserve) 158258 155601 Kingston CMA 152358 146838 *Parts of Quebec (including Gatineau) are included in the Ottawa CMA. The entire population of the Ottawa CMA in both provinces is shown. Clarence-Rockland and Russell Township are not the second and third largest municipalities in the entire CMA they are the largest municipalities in the Ontario section of the CMA. Ten largest municipalities by population24 Municipality 2006 2001 1996 Toronto (Provincial capital) &00000000025032810000002503281 &00000000024814940000002481494 &00000000023854210000002385421 Ottawa (National capital) &0000000000812129000000812129 &0000000000774072000000774072 &0000000000721136000000721136 Mississauga &0000000000668549000000668549 &0000000000612925000000612925 &0000000000544382000000544382 Hamilton &0000000000504559000000504559 &0000000000490268000000490268 &0000000000467799000000467799 Brampton &0000000000433806000000433806 &0000000000325428000000325428 &0000000000268251000000268251 London &0000000000352395000000352395 &0000000000336539000000336539 &0000000000325669000000325669 Markham &0000000000261573000000261573 &0000000000208615000000208615 &0000000000173383000000173383 Vaughan &0000000000238866000000238866 &0000000000182022000000182022 &0000000000132549000000132549 Windsor &0000000000216473000000216473 &0000000000209218000000209218 &0000000000197694000000197694 Kitchener &0000000000204668000000204668 &0000000000190399000000190399 &0000000000178420000000178420 Education Main article: Education in Ontario Higher education Main article: Higher education in Ontario See also: List of colleges in Ontario and List of universities in Ontario Songs and slogans During the John Robarts government of the 1960s the slogan "Is There Any Other Place You'd Rather Be" was in use to promote tourism. During a blizzard early in 1971 highway travellers who were stranded at a Highway 401 service centre with Premier Robarts (already in his last months of office) asked him the slogan in an ironic twist. In 1967 in conjunction with the celebration of Canada's centennial the song "A Place to Stand" was introduced at the inauguration of Ontario's pavilion at the Expo 67 World's Fair and became the background for the province's advertising for decades. In 1973 the first slogan to appear on licence plates in Ontario was "Keep It Beautiful". This was replaced by "Yours to Discover" in 198241 apparently inspired by a tourism slogan "Discover Ontario" dating back to 1927.42 Plates with the French equivalent "Tant dcouvrir" was made available to the public beginning in May 2008.43 (From 1988 to 199044 "Ontario Incredible"45 gave "Yours to Discover" a brief respite.) In 2007 a new song replaced "A Place to Stand" after four decades. "There's No Place Like This" is featured in current television advertising performed by Ontario artists including Molly Johnson Brian Byrne Keshia Chant46 as well as Tomi Swick and Arkells. The new song is featured on the Ontario Tourism website. Famous residents Please see List of people from Ontario. See also Coat of arms of Ontario Flag of Ontario Great Seal of Ontario Caledonia Land Dispute Order of Ontario Scouting and Guiding in Ontario Symbols of Ontario Index of Ontario-related articles Ontario portal Geography Northern Ontario Northeastern Ontario Northwestern Ontario Southern Ontario Central Ontario Eastern Ontario Golden Horseshoe Southwestern Ontario Lists List of airports in Ontario List of cities in Ontario List of communities in Ontario List of premiers of Ontario List of lieutenant governors of Ontario List of professional sports teams in Ontario Law Ontario Provincial Police Ontario Superior Court of Justice Court of Appeal for Ontario Book: Canada Wikipedia Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print. Notes a b "Canada's provinces and territories total area land area and water area.". Statistics Canada. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/phys01.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  "Canada's population estimates: Table 2 Quarterly demographic estimates". Statcan.gc.ca. 2010-09-29. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100929/t100929b2-eng.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-15.  "Gross domestic product expenditure-based by province and territory". statcan.gc.ca. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/econ15-eng.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-21.  "Ontario." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th ed. 2003. (ISBN 0-87779-809-5) New York: Merriam-Webster Inc." Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada (along with Manitoba). "Ontario is the largest province in the country by population". Statistics Canada. http://www40.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/getcans/sorth.cgilaneng&dtypefina&filenamedemo02a.htm&sortact2&sortf6. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  "Population of census metropolitan areas (2001 Census boundaries)". Statistics Canada. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo05a.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  Mithun Marianne (2000). The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 312.  "About Canada // Ontario". Study Canada. pp. Last Paragraph-second last sentence. http://www.studycanada.ca/english/about-ont.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-23. "The name "Ontario" is generally thought to be derived from the Iroquois word Skanadario meaning "beautiful water""  Mills David (1877). Report on the Boundaries of the Province of Ontario. Toronto: Hunter Rose & Co.. p. 347. http://books.google.com/booksidBlYCAAAAMAAJ&sourcegbsnavlinkss. Retrieved 2009-09-14.  "Early Districts and Counties 1788-1899". Archives of Ontario. 2006-09-05. http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/maps/ontario-districts.aspx. Retrieved 2006-11-29.  "About Ontario; History: Government of Ontario". http://www.gov.on.ca/ont/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/70A/.s/70252/s.70A/70252/l/endocidEC001034. Retrieved 2007-01-05. dead link "Native America on the Eve of Contact". Digital History. "tienne Brl's article on Encyclopdia Britannica". Encyclopdia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9016763/Etienne-Brule. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  a b "About Ontario; History; French and British Struggle for Domination". Government of Ontario. http://www.gov.on.ca/ont/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/70A/.s/70252/s.70A/70252/l/endocid004520. Retrieved 2007-01-05. dead link "The Contact Period". Ontarioarchaeology.on.ca. "The Treaty of Paris (1763)". http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/TreatyofParis%281763%29. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  "The Quebec Act of 1774". http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/PreConfederation/qa1774.html. Retrieved 2007-01-15.  "The Constitutional Act of 1791". Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829152801/http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/sprague/con91.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-15.  Virtual Vault an online exhibition of Canadian historical art at Library and Archives Canada "Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables 2006 Census". 2.statcan.ca. 2008-04-02. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfmLangE&GeoPR&Code01&Table1&DataDist&StartRec1&Sort5&DisplayPage&CSDFilter5000. Retrieved 2009-06-16.  StatCan - Native Population "Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables 2006 Census". Statistics Canada. 2008-04-02. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfmLangE&GeoPR&Code35&DataCount&Table2&StartRec1&Sort3. Retrieved 2009-07-08.  a b "Population and dwelling counts for Canada provinces and territories and census subdivisions (municipalities) 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data". Statistics Canada 2006 Census of Population. 2007-03-13. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfmT302&SR1&S3&OD&RPP25&PR35. Retrieved 2007-03-13.  "Population urban and rural by province and territory (Ontario)". Statistics Canada. 2005-09-01. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo62g.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-29.  "Canada's population". The Daily. Statistics Canada. 2006-09-27. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060927/d060927a.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-29.  "Selected Ethnic Origins1 for Canada Provinces and Territories - 20% Sample Data". Statistics Canada. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/ETO/Table1.cfmLangE&T501&GV1&GID35. Retrieved 2007-12-18.  "Selected Religions for Canada Provinces and Territories - 20% Sample Data". 2.statcan.ca. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/Religion/Page.cfmLangE&GeoPR&View1a&Code35&Table1&StartRec1&Sort2&B135&B2All. Retrieved 2010-10-17.  "Population by religion by province and territory (2001 Census) (Quebec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan)". Statistics Canada. 2005-01-25. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo30b.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-07.  Statistics Canada "2001 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. 2006-12-14. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfmLangE&Geo1PR&Code135&Geo2PR&Code201&DataCount&SearchTextontario&SearchTypeBegins&SearchPR01&B1All&Custom Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2007-01-12.  Government of Ontario. "Ontario Facts: Overview". Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070129072416/http://www.2ontario.com/facts/fact01.asp. Retrieved 2007-01-05.  a b "Ontario to Sell C$39.7 Billion in Debt to Fund Gap (Update1)". Bloomberg.com. March 25 2010. "Ontario is rich in hydroelectricity especially areas near the Niagara River". Ontario Facts. Archived from the original on 2007-02-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20070218231700/http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oout508.asp. Retrieved 2007-02-02.  "Ontario Power Generation: Power Generation". Opg.com. http://www.opg.com/power/. Retrieved 2011-02-23.  "Toyota's opening a new chapter in Woodstock's industrial history". Woodstocksentinelreview.com. http://woodstocksentinelreview.com/ArticleDisplay.aspxe1346620. Retrieved 2010-10-17.  "Ontario". Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Archived from the original on 2006-10-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20061024224855/http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oo000.asp. Retrieved 2006-11-29.  a b "Ontario Unveils Green Energy and Green Economy Act 2009". Renewableenergyworld.com. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/02/ontario-unveils-green-energy-and-green-economy-act-2009cmpidWNL-Friday-February27-2009. Retrieved 2010-10-17.  a b c Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) (August 6 2002). "Ontario government investing $401 million to upgrade Highway 401". Archived from the original on 2007-09-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20070914064434/http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2002/08/06/c0057.htmllmatch&lange.html. Retrieved 2006-12-20.  a b c Brian Gray (2004-04-10). "GTA Economy Dinged by Every Crash on the 401 - North America's Busiest Freeway". Toronto Sun transcribed at Urban Planet. http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.phpshowtopic3459. Retrieved 2007-03-18. "The "phenomenal" number of vehicles on Hwy. 401 as it cuts through Toronto makes it the busiest freeway in the world..."  Statistics Canada "Population and dwelling counts for Canada provinces and territories census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data". Statistics Canada. 2008-11-05. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfmT202&PR35&S0&OA&RPP50 Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2009-04-01.  "Ontario". 15q.net. 2007-02-24. http://www.15q.net/on.html. Retrieved 2009-05-06.  " Library University of Waterloo". Lib.uwaterloo.ca. http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/locations/umd/cart/ontroadchart.html. Retrieved 2009-05-06.  "New French Slogan Licence Plate for Passenger Vehicles". Government of Ontario. 2010-06-10. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/frenchplate/frenchplate.shtml. Retrieved 2010-07-29.  "Official Ontario Road Maps Produced 1971-2006". Ontarioroadmaps.ca. http://www.ontarioroadmaps.ca/OfficialOntario/OfficialMapsproducedB.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-17.  http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/37/1/12 "There's more to discover in Ontario". Ontariotravel.net. http://www.ontariotravel.net/TcisCtrlsiteconsumers&key1home&languageEN&modusotsplmen01. Retrieved 2010-10-17.  References 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). Virtual Vault an online exhibition of Canadian historical art at Library and Archives Canada Further reading Beckett Harry (2001). Ontario. Weigl. ISBN 189699085. http://books.google.ca/booksid9Jx0lQMN53sC&lpgPA1&dqOntario&pgPA1#vonepage&q&ftrue.  White Randall (1985). Ontario 1610-1985 : a political and economic history. Dundurn Press. ISBN 0919670989. http://books.google.ca/booksidiH444blkDgC&lpgPP1&dqOntario&pgPP1#vonepage&q&ftrue.  Montigny Edgar-Andr; Chambers Anne Lorene (2000). Ontario since Confederation : a reader. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802044441. http://books.google.ca/booksidoSfenc15ISUC&lpgPA3&dqOntario&pgPP1#vonepage&q&ftrue.  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. Baskerville Peter A. Sites of Power: A Concise History of Ontario. Oxford U. Press. 2005. 296 pp. (first edition was Ontario: Image Identity and Power 2002). online review Chambers Lori and Edgar-Andre Montigny eds. Ontario Since Confederation: A Reader (2000) articles by scholars External links Find more about Ontario on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Canadian Government Atlas - Official Map of Ontario. CBC Digital Archives - Ontario Elections: Twenty Tumultuous Years Government of Ontario - Official website of the Provincial government. Ontario Visual Heritage Project - Non-profit documentary project about Ontario's history Tourism Ontario - Official tourism website of the Province of Ontario  Links to related articles v d eProvince of Ontario Government Premier of Ontario Departments and agencies Ontario Legislative Building more... Geography Subdivisions Regions Islands Lakes Mountains Rivers more... Culture Festivals Museums Music Religion Theatres Franco-Ontarian culture Visitor attractions Economy Ontario based companies Mining Toronto Stock Exchange Transportation Airlines Airports Public transport Railways Roads and highways History First Nations history Upper Canada Province of Canada Timeline Natural history Political history Category:Ontario   Portal:Ontario   WikiProject:Ontario v d e Subdivisions of Ontario Regions Southern Ontario (Central Ontario  Eastern Ontario  Golden Horseshoe  Southwestern Ontario)  Northern Ontario (Northeastern Ontario  Northwestern Ontario)  Great Lakes Counties Bruce  Dufferin  Elgin  Essex  Frontenac  Grey  Haliburton  Hastings  Huron  Lambton  Lanark  Leeds and Grenville  Lennox and Addington  Middlesex  Northumberland  Perth  Peterborough  Prescott and Russell  Renfrew  Simcoe  Stormont Dundas and Glengarry  Wellington Districts Algoma  Cochrane  Kenora  Manitoulin  Nipissing  Parry Sound  Rainy River  Sudbury  Thunder Bay  Timiskaming Regional municipalities Durham  Halton  Muskoka  Niagara  Oxford  Peel  Waterloo  York Single-tier municipalities Brant  Brantford  Chatham-Kent  Greater Sudbury  Haldimand  Hamilton  Kawartha Lakes  Norfolk  Ottawa  Prince Edward  Toronto Separated municipalities Barrie  Belleville  Brockville  Gananoque  Guelph  Kingston  London  Orillia  Pembroke  Peterborough  Prescott  Quinte West  Smiths Falls  St. Marys  St. Thomas  Stratford  Windsor See also: Ontario communities  Ontario municipalities  Ontario electoral districts  Historic counties of Ontario  Geography of Ontario Category:Ontario  Portal:Ontario  WikiProject:Ontario v d eProtected areas in Ontario National parks Bruce Peninsula  Fathom Five  Georgian Bay Islands  Lake Superior  Point Pelee  Pukaskwa  St. Lawrence Islands Provincial parks Algonquin  Bon Echo  Finlayson Point  French River  Frontenac  Killarney  Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater  Lake Superior  Polar Bear  Quetico  Sandbanks  Sleeping Giant  more... Conservation areas Boyd  Claireville  Cold Creek  Guelph Lake  Heber Down  Kortright Centre  Lake Laurentian  Mer Bleue  Mount Nemo  Rattlesnake Point  Spencer Gorge / Webster's Falls  more... UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Georgian Bay Littoral  Long Point  Niagara Escarpment (including Cheltenham Badlands)  Thousand Islands - Frontenac Arch  Wasaga Beach National Historic Sites of Canada Central Experimental Farm  Dundurn Castle  Laurier House  Massey Hall  Montgomery's Tavern  Osgoode Hall  Parliament  Rideau Canal  Rideau Hall  more... Other areas Ontario Greenbelt  Ottawa Greenbelt  Rouge Park v d e  Provinces and territories of Canada Provinces Alberta  British Columbia  Manitoba  New Brunswick  Newfoundland and Labrador  Nova Scotia  Ontario  Prince Edward Island  Quebec  Saskatchewan Territories Northwest Territories  Nunavut  Yukon Related Former colonies & territories   Territorial evolution Book   Category   Portal   WikiProject v d e Canada History Timeline Pre-colonization  New France (1534-1763)  Under British Control (1763-1867)  Post-Confederation (1867-1914)  World Wars and Interwar Years (1914-1945)  Modern times: 1945-1960  1960-1981  1982-1992  since 1992 Topics Constitutional   Crown & Aboriginals   Economic   Former colonies & territories   Immigration Military   Monarchical   National Historic Sites   Persons of significance   Territorial evolution Provinces & Territories Provinces Alberta  British Columbia  Manitoba  New Brunswick  Newfoundland and Labrador  Nova Scotia  Ontario  Prince Edward Island  Quebec  Saskatchewan Territories Northwest Territories  Nunavut  Yukon Government Law  Constitution  The Crown  Governor General  Parliament (Senate  House of Commons)  Prime Minister (List) Courts (Supreme Court)  Military  Local Government  Foreign relations  Law enforcement Politics Elections  Gun politics  LGBT rights  Multiculturalism Geography Regions (west to east) Coast Mountains  Interior Plateau  Columbia Mountains  Rocky Mountains  Prairies  Western Canada  Northern Canada  Canadian Shield  Great Lakes  Central Canada  Saint Lawrence Lowlands  Appalachian Mountains  Arctic Cordillera  Atlantic Canada  Maritimes Topics Animals  Cities  Extreme communities  Islands  Mountains  National parks  Plants  Great Lakes  Regions  Rivers  Volcanoes Economy Agriculture  Banking  Bank of Canada  Canadian dollar  Communications  Companies  Energy  Fishing  Oil  Stock Exchange  Taxation  Tourism  Transportation  Social programs  Poverty Society Education  Health care  Crime  Obesity   Smoking Demographics Topics Canadians   Immigration  Languages  Religion  1996 Census  2001 Census  2006 Census  Population by year Top 100s Metro areas  Urban areas  Municipalities Culture Architecture  Art  Cinema  Cuisine  People  Holidays  Identity  Literature  Music  Nationalism  Protection of  Sport  Theatre Symbols Coat of Arms  Flags  National Flag  Provincial and territorial  Regional tartans  Royal symbols  Heraldry Related Bibliography  Index  Outline  Topics Book   Category   Portal   WikiProject Coordinates: 5042N 863W / 50.7N 86.05W / 50.7; -86.05 (Ontario)