POPULATION: 12 million
One third of Canadians live in Ontario, more than any other province. Southern Ontario has ninety per cent of Ontario’s population.
SIZE: The second largest province in Canada.
Quebec is the largest province in Canada.
CAPITAL: Toronto
One third of Ontarians live in Toronto.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: none, but mainly English is spoken
TIME ZONES: most of Ontario operates on Eastern Standard Time. Some of Western/Northern Ontario operates on the Central Time Zone.
OFFICIAL FLAG: The Red Ensign, which includes the Union Jack. This represents Ontario’s ties to Great Britain and the Coat-of-Arms of the province.
COAT-OF-ARMS: Consists of a green shield with three golden maple leaves within the banner of St. George and a red cross on a silver background.
The banner connotes Ontario’s close ties with Britain; green and gold are Ontario’s official colours; and the green represents the land. The bear, moose and deer all connote the rich animal life in Ontario. The Latin motto means, “Loyal she began; Loyal she remains.” The shield was granted by Queen Victoria in 1868, and the crest, supporters and motto by King Edward VII in 1909.
OFFICIAL FLOWER: The trillium.
A delicate, three-petal flower that grows in abundance in the wilderness of Ontario in early spring.
OFFICIAL GEM: Amethyst.
Large deposits of this purple semi-precious stone are found in Northwestern Ontario.
OFFICIAL TREE: The Eastern White Pine.
During the days of early settlement, this tree was an important source of income and trade and continues to be a valuable resource for Ontario today.
OFFICLA BIRD: The Common Loon.
Since June 23, 1994. The loon is pictured on Canada’s $1 coin.
FIRST PEOPLE: Huron, Iroquois, Neutral, Ojibwa, Cree, Nipissin and Algonquin.
RESOURCES: Water, Land, Agriculture, Hydro-Electric power, and minerals
HISTORY: After being explored and occupied by French and British explorers, parts of Ontario had enough settlers and had established itself enough to be coveted by the United States. The War of 1812 saw American troops invading Upper Canada (now Southern Ontario) but were eventually defeated by Canadian and British troops in Fort Erie.
As provincial government erected and Canada became more like what it is today, post-WWII showed exceptional growth for Ontario. European immigrants moved to Ontario, then non-European immigrants, causing Ontario to be more and more culturally diverse. After the 1976 election of the Parti Quebecois, English-speakers were driven out of Quebec and into Ontario cities such as Toronto. This meant that Toronto became the largest city and economic center of Canada, no longer Montreal.
