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192 plaques found that match your criteria
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Honourable Thomas Laird Kennedy 1878-1959, The
Born on a farm which included this site, Kennedy was educated locally and in Toronto, and became active in local politics. He served with distinction in the First World War, later attaining the rank of colonel in the militia. Elected in 1919 to the provincial parliament as a Conservative member for Peel, he retained this seat, with the exception of one term, until his death. A fruit grower most of his life, he was concerned... -
Frederic W. Cumberland 1820-1881
An outstanding Canadian architect, civil engineer and railway manager, Cumberland was born in England and practiced there before immigrating to Toronto in 1847. He quickly gained recognition, designing such notable buildings as St. James Cathedral (1850-53) and University College (1856-59), Toronto. In 1860 he completed this house, Pendarvis, in which he lived for 21 years. As an engineer, Cumberland became increasingly involved in railway construction and management, and after 1858 achieved wide prominence as managing... -
Colonel Darby Bergin, 1826-1896
Bergin was born in York (Toronto) and received his medical degree from McGill College in Montreal. He practised medicine in Cornwall, where he also assisted at a local typhus hospital. He later worked with the Mohawks of Akwesasne during a devastating smallpox outbreak. Bergin was elected Member of Parliament in 1872. He was a passionate and early advocate for rural affairs, public health and social justice. His innovative efforts and political appeals to improve workplace... -
Archives of Ontario, The
In 1903, responding to public demands for an historical records repository, the Ontario government established a provincial archives under Alexander Fraser, a Toronto editor and historian. As first Archivist of Ontario, he initiated an ambitious acquisition program and began the publication of important documents in a valuable series of annual reports. The Archives Act of 1923 directed the transfer of inactive government records to the Archives and by 1934 it had developed as a major... -
Colonel The Honourable Herbert Alexander Bruce, MD, LLD 1868-1963
Herbert Bruce was born at Blackstock in 1868, and grew up on a farm located on this Port Perry site. In 1893, he graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto. Specializing in surgery, he rose to the top of his profession, and in 1911 founded the Wellesley Hospital, Toronto. During the First World War, he was appointed Inspector-General of the Canadian Medical Services and produced the Bruce Report, a frank criticism of medical care... -
Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association
Between 1948 and 1956, the National Unity Association (NUA) of Chatham, Dresden and North Buxton, under the leadership of Hugh R. Burnett, waged a campaign for racial equality and social justice. Their efforts led to the passage of Ontario's Fair Employment Practices Act (1951) and Fair Accommodation Practices Act (1954), and laid the groundwork for subsequent human rights legislation in Ontario and across Canada. Traditional Anglo-Canadian rights, such as freedom of association and freedom of... -
Hurricane Hazel
On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit southern Ontario with 110 km/h winds and over 200 mm of rain. Many rivers, including the Humber, Don and Rouge overflowed flooding communities in much of southern Ontario. The storm killed 81 people, left 1868 families homeless, and caused extensive property damage. International and local donations to a flood relief fund assisted victims, and all three levels of government shared the expenses of paying for property damage and... -
Law Society of Upper Canada 1797, The
Following the introduction of English civil law into this province in 1792, legislation was passed in 1797 authorizing the establishment of the "Law Society of Upper Canada". A founding meeting was held in "Wilson's Hotel" in this community on July 17, 1797. It was attended by ten practitioners, including the Attorney General, the Hon. John White, who was appointed Treasurer, the Society's principal officer. One of its major functions was the regulation of admission to... -
William Perkins Bull, K.C., LL.D. 1870-1948
Financier, philanthropist and historian William Perkins Bull was born in Downsview, Ontario, in 1870. Bull attended Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1896. He established a law practice but soon broadened his interests to include oil, lumber and land speculation. His business interests took him to England where, during the First World War, he and his wife Maria Brennan Bull established a convalescent hospital for wounded Canadian officers. Following the... -
Syl Apps (1915-1998)
Born in Paris, Ontario in 1915, Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps was a professional hockey player, businessman and politician. Throughout his life, Apps displayed remarkable breadth in his abilities and accomplishments. He was a varsity football star and as a pole vaulter won two national championships and competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. During an extraordinary 10-season hockey career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Apps was renowned for his skill and impeccable sportsmanship. He was... -
"Canada First" Movement, The
Origination in Ottawa, in 1868, with informal meetings of a few youthful patriots, "Canada First" was the name and slogan of a movement to promote nationalist sentiment. Its founding members were Charles Mair, Henry Morgan, William Foster, G.T. Denison and R.G. Haliburton. Two years later the movement created the North-West Emigration Aid Society to encourage British immigration. In 1874 the group, now centred in Toronto, established the "Nation", a weekly journal, entered politics as the... -
"Old" City Hall
City Hall was designed in 1887 by E.J. Lennox to fit this central site at the head of Bay Street. In one structure, these municipal buildings combined a City Hall in the east portion, and Court-house in the west. The building, constructed mostly of Credit River Valley sandstone, was begun in 1889 but not opened until September 18, 1899. Massive, round-arched and richly carved, it is in the Romanesque revival style, then popular in expanding... -
Alexander Cameron Rutherford 1857-1941
The first premier of Alberta, Rutherford was born in Osgoode Township of Scottish parents and educated at McGill University. In 1895, after practicing law in Ottawa and Kemptville, he moved to Strathcona, near Edmonton. Elected to the territorial assembly seven years later, Rutherford achieved prominence as deputy speaker of the legislature. When the province of Alberta was created in 1905, he became premier, provincial treasurer and minister of education in the first government. Rutherford skillfully... -
Alexander Morris 1826-1889
An astute public servant who played a significant role in the development of Western Canada, Morris was born in Perth. In 1861, after establishing a successful law practice in Montreal, he was elected to the legislature as the member for Lanark South. An eloquent advocate of the union of British North America, he supported the coalition that made confederation possible. Leaving federal politics in 1872, Morris became interim administrator, then Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (1872-1877) and... -
Battle of Pelee Island 1838, The
On February 26, 1838, a group of over 300 American supporters of William Lyon Mackenzie's rebellion, led by "Major" Lester Hoadley, captured this island. In response, Colonel John Maitland, commanding the Western District, dispatched five infantry companies supported by militia and Indians across the ice from Amherstburg. On March 3, fleeing a southward sweep by the main force, the Americans were intercepted off-shore from here by a detachment of 126 men led by Captain George... -
Battle of Windsor 1838, The
Early on December 4, 1838, a force of about 140 American and Canadian supporters of William Lyon Mackenzie crossed the river from Detroit and landed about one mile east of here. After capturing and burning a nearby militia barracks, they took possession of Windsor. In this vicinity they were met and routed by a force of some 130 militiamen commanded by Colonel John Prince. Four of the invaders taken prisoner were executed summarily by order... -
Brant County Court House
In July, 1852, the Six Nations Indians sold to Brant County the land upon which this court-house now stands. Designed by John Turner and William Sinon and errected by the Provisional County of Brant, the stone and brick building was largely completed in l852. The original structure containted court rooms, county offices, a law library and a gaol. Additions were made in 1861 and 1886, but the building remains predominantly Greek Revival in style. The... -
Burlington Bay Canal
The first public work undertaken with the financial backing of the provincial government, Burlington Bay Canal was proposed as one of a series of waterways to provide uninterrupted navigation from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean. It was also championed by area residents as a means of rendering Burlington Bay a usable harbour. In 1823, at the urging of Hamilton merchant James Crooks, the House of Assembly authorized the construction of the canal. Work began... -
Captain John Brant 1794-1832
John Brant was born at the Mohawk Village (Brantford), the youngest son of the renowned Joseph Brant. He was educated at Ancaster and Niagara, and fought with distinction during the War of 1812. Brant devoted his life to improving the welfare of his people. He initiated the establishment of schools, and from 1828 served as superintendent of the Six Nations, the first native person appointed to that post. Around 1830 his mother Catharine (Ohtowa?kéhson), clan... -
Captain Samuel Anderson 1736-1836
This property formed part of the extensive lands granted to Capt. Samuel Anderson, U.E.L., one of the first persons to settle on the site of Cornwall. Born in New England of Irish parents, he served with the British forces during the Seven Years War. At the outbreak of the American Revolution Anderson was imprisoned by the rebels after he had refused a commission in the Continental Army. He escaped in 1776 and was appointed a captain in the 1st Battalion K.R.R.N.Y. He became a justice of the peace for this area in 1785 and later served as the first judge of the Eastern District. -
Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton, O.C., C.B.E. 1896-1975
The first woman mayor of Canada's capital, 1951-56 and 1961-64, Charlotte Whitton was born in Renfrew, educated there and at Queen's University. In 1920, she became secretary of the Canadian Council on Child Welfare (later the Canadian Welfare Council) and as its first executive director, 1926-1941, worked energetically to improve the condition of indigent mothers. Fiery and controversial, Charlotte Whitton represented Canada on the League of Nations Social Questions Committee and investigated Alberta welfare practices... -
Colonel Arthur Rankin 1816-1893
Born in Montreal, Rankin moved to this province about 1830 and qualified as a deputy provincial surveyor in 1836. The next year he was commissioned as an ensign in the Queen's Light Infantry and captured the enemy's flag in the "Battle of Windsor" (December 1838). He commanded the Ninth Upper Canadian Military District 1855-1861 and the 23rd Essex Volunteer Light Infantry Battalion 1866-1868. Vigorous and enterprising, Rankin organized the group of Ojibwa Indians which toured... -
Colonel James Givins
This school bears the name of, and is located on land formerly owned by, Colonel James Givins, who came to Canada after fighting on the British side during the American Revolution. In 1791 he was commissioned in the Queen's Rangers and subsequently served as Indian agent at York from 1797. Appointed Provincial Aide-de-Camp to General Brock during the War of 1812, he was highly commended for the courageous manner in which, in command of a... -
Colonel John Prince 1796-1870
Here, on a portion of his former estate, is buried Col. Prince who emigrated from England in 1833 and settled at Sandwich, Upper Canada. As commanding officer of the Essex Militia, he stirred up a violent controversy by ordering the summary execution of four members of an armed force sympathizing with Mackenzie's Rebellion which invaded the Windsor area in December, 1838. He represented Essex in the legislative assembly 1836-40 and 1841-54. Prince was appointed the first judge of the Algoma District in 1860. Colourful and eccentric, he became one of early Sault Ste Marie's best known citizens. -
Colonel Robert Nelles 1761-1842
A Loyalist from the Mohawk Valley, New York, Nelles came to Canada during the American Revolution and from 1780 to 1784 served in the Indian Department. Following hostilities, he settled near the Grand River but by 1792 had moved to this area. Nelles built mills and a store on nearby Forty-Mile Creek and soon became a prominent merchant. About 1798, he constructed a Georgian-style stone manor on this site. Modified by later additions, notably the...