Politics, Roads & the Law

1792	Counties were formed when Simcoe divided Upper Canada into 19 counties. They served as electoral ridings, land registration, military organization, census purposes. Districts existed for administrative purposes. The London District covered most of present day Middlesex, Oxford, Elgin, Norfolk, Huron, Perth, and Bruce Counties.
1796	[Feb.1] Upper Canada's capital moved from Newark (Niagara-On-The-Lake) to York (Toronto)
1796	[June 17] Scarborough settled
1800	[April 1 at 12 noon] Lieutentant James Monro's 2-story frame home/tavern in Vittoria, Ontario first served as seat for district court. This arrangement lasted until September 1802. From then til 1804 court was held in the home of Job Lodar. The first Sheriff was Joseph Ryerson who had to confine the district's prisoners in his own home as there was no gaol, much to his family and neighbour's dismay. In Dec. 1800 he threatened to resign.
1804	[June 12] A new court house opened in Vittoria. (Turkey Point/ Charolotteville ... Gov.Simcoe had chosen Fort Norfolk and Charoletteville as District capital and military garrison for the area.)
1803	[March] James Monro was dismissed as gaoler for failing to complete the temporary gaol in Charlotteville, however he eventually completed the 20 ft by 14 ft 2 room structure. One room was for debtors and one for criminals. Job Lodar was the first gaoler of the new gaol.
1825	[Nov.14] Vittoria's gaol & courthouse was destroyed by fire. Innkeeper Horace Foster was first to notice the fire and as able to free the prisoners. Courts moved to London and initially met in a log structure in which both cells and court were. In 1828 it was replaced by a 2 story fram building that also contained court and cells but was larger.
1837	[Dec.30] Gov. John Graves Simcoe partitioned London District into 3 separate districts. Woodstock was made capital of Brock District, Simcoe made captial of Talbot District. The District of Huron (Huron, Perth and Bruce Counties) separated in 1841.
1842	[Jan.1] District Councils Acts came into effect.
1842	District council took over road administration and power to levy taxes. At this same time, the Province of Canada was busy building mainy roads linking towns across the country.
1849	Baldwin Act (Municipal Act) passed classifying upper Canada's municipal corporations into townships, countries, police villages, incorporated villages, towns and cities. Districts were abolished and replaced by counties.
1853	The first county road system was started.
1860	Middlesex county had piled up a large debt mainly in road and bridge construction. The most bridges were in Deleware and Warsville. Many were toll-run to off-set costs. In 1881 the county removed all tolls on local roads.
1863	[March 18] Simcoe, Ontario's courthouse burned to the ground. (It was rebuilt October 21, 1864)
1867	[July 1] 'Canada West' renamed 'Ontario'
1867	[Oct.20] Ottawa became Canada's capital
1867	Councillors, trying to control the costs of justice, deliberated as to how much whiskey the prisoners should be supplied at county's expense in the gaols.
1869	[Feb.11] Canada's last public execution witnessed by hundreds of people (in Ottawa).
1870	'Provincial Lunatic Asylum' (now known as the London Psychiatric Hospital or LPH) was opened east of the city. Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke served as superintendent from 1877-1902 and became internationally recognized as a pioneer in humane care of the insane.
1871	[Apr.02] Canada's first nation census taken - total population was 3.6 million. (In the second census, held on April 4, 1881, the population of Canada had risen to 4.3 million)
1871	Middlesex County ordered a second registry office be built, this one in Glencoe, to handle the needs of western townships.
1871	London council noted that pollution, mainly from area oil refineries and other industry, in the Thames River was damaging the fish.
1875	Two fine wroght iron bridges of a whole new design than the wooden ones were erected over the Tames. Blackfriars Bridge was on of these and is believed to be the only one of it's kind left in Canada.
1889	[Aug.12] Boundry between Ontario and Manitoba established
1893	Children's Aid Society started in Ontario (first appeared in London in 1894).
1907	Proof Line Road Co. sold what is now known as hwy 4 between London and Elginfield to London township council. It's toll gates were burned by excited residents during a street party.
1917	Provincial highways were taken over by Ontario and renamed the Kings Highways in 1930.
1957	Construction began by the provinces to build hwy 401 (now MacDonald- Cartier freeway) which crossed the country. (finished in 1959)
1933	Much of Middlesex County was taken over by OPP from smaller town police.
1943	School health services were set up. Ms Margaret S. Smith of Morristown, Ontario, was the first Public Health Nurse and held the position for 20 years.
1946	Conservation Authorities for formed.
1951	Old Age Security Pensions started.
1962	[July 30] TransCanada Highway officially opened to traffic
1974	The new 15 story provincial courthouse was erected in London.

Politics, Roads & the Law in Southern Ontario

Politics, Roads & the Law in
Southern Ontario