Appointed Governor General of Canada, John George Lambton, the First Earl of Durham, is directed to report on the political state of the Canadian colonies for the British Parliament.
The Red Ensign carrying the shield of arms of Ontario is confirmed as the province’s official flag in April, 1965.
John Robarts succeeded Leslie Frost as Premier of Ontario in 1961. While in office, he championed Canadian national unity and promoted French language education in Ontario schools. He served as Premier until his retirement in 1971.
Mitchell Hepburn and the Liberal party were elected to office with promises to cut government costs. Hepburn reduced the number of civil servants, sold provincial assets and eventually closed Government House (Chorley Park) in north Rosedale, Toronto.
After a robust decade of growth, the Great Depression is triggered by the stock market crash of 1929.
Seating in the Legislative Chamber is arranged into a horseshoe shape during the 1930s. One reason being that it might make it easier for MPPs to hear each other during debates. At the time, it was also becoming a typical seating style in other legislative jurisdictions.
The legislature acquires the King’s College building in the area of present-day Queen’s Park in 1854 as a potential site for a Canadian federal parliament building.
Ontario’s first two women MPPs were elected in August, 1943 – Agnes Macphail (who had also been Canada’s first woman MP in 1921), and Margaret Rae Luckock, pictured here.
A north wing addition to the Legislative Building was completed in 1912 and soon accommodated a new Legislative Library - the original having been destroyed during a 1909 fire in the west wing.
On September 1st, 1909, a devastating fire breaks out on the west roof of the Legislative Building, destroying nearly its entire west side including the Legislative Library. Over 100,000 books were destroyed.
