Ontario

B

Principal Cities

The five largest cities of Ontario are in the southern portion of the province. Their populations as of the 2001 census were: Toronto, the provincial capital, with 2,481,494 people; Mississauga, an industrial center, with 612,925; Hamilton, a port and manufacturing city, with 490,268; Ottawa, the national capital, with 774,072; and London, a regional commercial center, with 336,539. Other large cities in southern Ontario include Windsor, an important Canadian port of entry; and Kitchener, a service and manufacturing city. Two principal northern centers are Sudbury, a mining city; and Thunder Bay, a shipping and grain-handling center.

Toronto is the center of the largest urban area in Canada. In 2005 what is called the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) had a population of 5.3 million, amounting to two-fifths of the population of Ontario and one-seventh of the population of Canada.

In the mid-1990s the provincial government launched a radical administrative reorganization and amalgamation of the province’s cities in order to reduce costs and eliminate redundancies. When the City of Toronto, a metropolitan federation since 1953, was restructured in 1998, its old internal city and borough structure was collapsed and replaced by what came to be known as a megacity. Similar slimming initiatives are being undertaken in Hamilton and Ottawa. All have met with considerable local opposition.

C

Ethnic Groups and Languages

Ontario is the major immigration portal for Canada, and as such has become a multilingual and multicultural mixing bowl. Fifty-four percent of immigrants settled in the province in 1998. Evidence of this multiethnic blend can be seen easily in cosmopolitan Toronto and in other large cities. More than 60 different cultures find a home in contemporary Ontario, each retaining and maintaining its own traditions and languages. Community centers, newspapers, churches, restaurants, and shopping centers support and are supported by various ethnic groups and organizations. Of those identifying themselves with a single ethnic group in the 2001 census, 28 percent claimed a general European heritage (other than British or French), 18 percent were British, and 23 percent identified themselves as Canadian, people who may be of any ethnic group. Other important groups are East and Southeast Asians, representing 11 percent of the population; South Asians, 7 percent; and French, 3 percent. First Nations, or aboriginal peoples in the province, accounted for 1.3 percent of inhabitants. A multiple ethnic background was claimed by 39 percent of the population.

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English is the first language of 86 percent of Ontarians, and 12 percent speak English and French–Canada’s other official language. Ontario is not an officially bilingual province, although due to the presence of the federal government services in French are widespread. Ontario’s French-speaking community is the largest in the country outside of Québec. Many young Ontarian students attend either bilingual or French immersion schools for part of their education.

First Nations peoples in Ontario fall under two main language groups. The Cree, located primarily in the north of the province, and the Ojibwa and Algonquin, who live throughout Ontario, speak Algonquian. The Iroquois and Huron, who chiefly reside in eastern and southern Ontario, speak Iroquoian.

D

Religion

The majority of religious Ontarians have traditionally belonged to one of three churches. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest, with many members from the French-, Italian-, Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking communities. The United Church of Canada is a union of Methodists and Presbyterians dating back to the 1920s. The Anglican Church was traditionally the church of the British elite. Other major denominations are Presbyterians who chose not to be part of the United Church, Baptists, Lutherans, Jews, Greek Orthodox Catholics, and, increasingly, Muslims and Hindus.

E

Social Issues

In the 19th century religious strife between Catholics and Protestants was common in Ontario and frequently resulted in violence. Ontarians, who were primarily British and Protestant, often discriminated against immigrants, be they Slavs, Germans, or Irish Catholics. The British majority frequently directed animosity toward French Canadians as well. This animosity was sometimes backed up by laws restricting French Canadians from access to benefits such as state-supported education. Similar restrictions were directed towards blacks and indigenous peoples in the mid-19th century, and federal laws restricting immigration from Asia were enacted in the 20th century.

Considering its huge multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural mix, contemporary Ontario is a surprisingly tolerant society. Cultural clashes between North American values and those brought from far-off homelands are inevitable, but they appear to be private and familial issues rather than public ones. Also, since early settlers often made their homes on lands that were occupied by indigenous peoples, resentments linger between these peoples and principally those of European descent regarding land claims issues and the interpretation of ancient treaty rights. In addition, as is the case everywhere, immigrant groups bring to Ontario their own prejudices and problems which can become manifested within the province.

A common social issue at the beginning of the 21st century, and one which affects all ethnic groups in Ontario, is the persistent problem of poverty in a rich society. Government cutbacks in social welfare spending in the 1990s dramatized the issue and sparked a lively debate as to whether the poor should be helped by the state or given the ability to help themselves.

V

Education and Cultural Life

A

Education

School attendance in Ontario is compulsory for children aged 6 through 16. There are two publicly financed school systems in the province: one without religious affiliation, and a separate Roman Catholic system. Schools in both systems are subject to the same regulations and are supervised by the provincial Ministry of Education.

Ontario’s educational system was reorganized in the late 20th century. It was originally designed in the mid-19th century by educational pioneer Egerton Ryerson and was based on British models. While that basic system, which became the model for many other provincial educational systems in Canada, continues to exist, it began undergoing several important changes in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Formerly, Ontario provided 13 years of free primary and secondary education. Grade 13, a final year in high school, had originally been designed to provide an extra year of schooling at a time when a relatively small number of students continued beyond high school. This system was phased out by 2002, and the more common four-year secondary school became universal in Ontario.

Additional restructuring at the elementary and secondary levels was intended to introduce more centralized structures and universal testing. The aim was for a more comprehensive educational system in which each year is solidly based on previously acquired knowledge. The new curriculum also includes a Grade 10 literacy test that students must pass in order to receive a high school diploma.

As of 2006 there were 4,886 elementary and secondary schools throughout Ontario. Secondary education is offered at collegiate institutes, high schools, vocational schools, and technical and commercial high schools. There are also many private schools in Ontario. Most of Ontario’s 2.1 million students study in English; 100,000 study in French.

Leading public institutions of higher education in Ontario include the University of Toronto; Queen’s University at Kingston; and the University of Western Ontario, in London. Also important are the University of Waterloo, which is known for computer science research; the University of Guelph, which contains Ontario Agricultural College and the Ontario Veterinary College; McMaster University in Hamilton, which has a well-known medical school. Regional universities such as Lakehead University in Thunder Bay are important to the province. Bilingual institutions such as the University of Ottawa, offer courses in both English and French and are also important. The Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, attended by officer-cadets of both sexes, also offers bilingual instruction. There are also a number of private universities and colleges that are largely supported by religious denominations.

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