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 centre for the preservation and public use of documents, maps and photographs related to Ontario. Following the Second World War and the introduction of a comprehensive government records management programme, the Archives of Ontario became one of Canada's foremost archival institutions.

Location

Inside main lobby of Archives building, York University Campus, 134 Ian Macdonald Blvd., Toronto

Themes

• Education
• Politics and law