ONTARIO PREMIERS SINCE 1867

Before 1867
1800-First York County Gaol (Toronto) opened
1824-Second York County Gaol (Toronto) opened
1824-First York County Gaol closed
1825-Prescott and Russell County Gaol (L’Orignal) opened
1833-Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry County Gaol (Cornwall) opened
1834-Prince Edward County Gaol (Picton) opened
1838-Hastings County Gaol (Belleville) opened
1841-Huron County Gaol (Goderich) opened
1842-Leeds and Grenville Gaol (Brockville) opened
1843-Middlesex County Gaol (London) opened
1843-Simcoe County Gaol (Barrie) opened
1845-Third York County Gaol (Toronto) opened,
1845-Second York County Gaol closed
1850-Kent County Gaol (Chatham) opened
1851-Haldimand County Gaol (Cayuga) opened
1852-Brant County Gaol (Brantford) opened
1853-Elgin County Gaol (St Thomas) opened
1853-Oxford County Gaol (Woodstock) opened
1853-Waterloo County Gaol (Kitchener formerly Berlin) opened
1853-Wellington County Gaol (Guelph) opened
1855-Frontenac County Gaol (Kingston) opened
1856-Welland County Gaol (Welland) opened
1857-Norfolk County Gaol (Simcoe) opened
1861-First Lambton County Gaol (Sarnia) opened
1862-Carleton County Gaol (Ottawa) opened
1863-Victoria and Haliburton County Gaol (Lindsay) opened
1864-Lanark County Gaol (Perth) opened
1865-Lennox-Addington County Gaol (Napanee) opened
1865-Fourth York County Gaol (Toronto) opened
1865-Third York County Gaol closed
1866-Bruce County Gaol (Walkerton) opened
1866-Lincoln County Gaol (St Catharines) opened
1866-Peterborough County Gaol (Peterborough) opened
1866-Renfrew County Gaol (Pembroke) opened

1)John Sandfield Macdonald-PC-Premier July1867-December1871
    1)1867-Peel County Gaol opened
    2)1869-Grey County Gaol (Owen Sound) opened

2)Edward Blake-Lib-Premier December1871-October1872

3)Sir Oliver Mowat-Lib-Premier October1872-July1896
     1)1873-Central Prison opened in Toronto, a Provincial facility
     2)1874-First Algoma District Gaol (Sault Ste Marie) opened
     3)1875-Third Wentworth County Gaol (Hamilton) opened, Second Wentworth County Gaol closed
     4)1878-Halton County Gaol (Milton) opened
     5)1878-Parry Sound District Gaol (Parry Sound) opened
     6)1880-Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women opened in Toronto
     7)1881-Dufferin County Gaol (Orangeville) opened
     8)1882-Muskoka District Gaol (Bracebridge) opened
     9)1885-Huntsville Lock-Up opened
    10)1887-Victoria Industrial School for Boys, Mimico opened
    11)1887-Alexandria Industrial School for Girls, Scarborugh opened
    12)1887-Second Perth County Gaol (Stratford) opened, First Gaol opened in 1853 and closed in 1887
    13)1894-St John’s Training School for Boys opened in Toronto, moved to Uxbridge in 1956 (Roman Catholic)

4)Arthur Sturgis Hardy-Lib-Premier July 1896-October1899

5)Georges William Ross-Lib-Premier October1899-February1905
     1)1900-St Mary’s Training School for Girls opened in Toronto, moved to Downsview in 1941 (Roman Catholic)
     2)1904-Reformatory for Boys in Penetanguishene closed

6)Sir James Pliney Whitney-PC-Premier February1905-September1914
     1)1905-Huntsville Lock-Up closed after fire
     2)1906-Northumberland and Durham County Gaol opened
     3)1909-Construction of Ontario Reformatory, Guelph starts
     4)1910-Ontario Parole Commission established
     5)1911-The Ontario Reformatory opens in Guelph
     6)1911-Industrial Farm, Fort William opened
     7)1912-Industrial Farm, Langstaff (Thornhill) opened for Metro Toronto males
     8)1912-Industrial Farm, Concord opened for Metro Toronto females
     9)1913-Mimico Brick and Tile Plant opens
   10)1914-Burwash Industrial Farm opens near Sudbury
   11)1914-First Algoma District Gaol (Sault Ste Marie) closed
   12)1914-Second Algoma District Gaol (Sault Ste Marie) opened

7)Sir William Howard Hearst-PC-Premier October1914-November1919
     1)1915-Central Prison in Toronto closed
     2)1916-First Board of Parole established

8)Ernest Charles Drury-United Farmers of Ontario-Premier November 1919-July1923

9)George Howard Ferguson-PC-Premier July1923-December1930
     1)1923-Thunder Bay District Gaol (Port Arthur now Thunder Bay) opened
     2)1924-Civil Service Association of Ontario (CSAO) founded
     3)1924-Prison for the Criminally Insane (a.k.a. Oakridge) at Penetanguishene opened
     4)1925-Ontario Training School for Boys in Bowmanville opened
     5)1925-Essex County Gaol (Windsor formerly Sandwich) opened
     6)1927-Mimico opens as a reform School
     7)1928-Kenora District Gaol (Kenora) opened
     8)1928-Nipissing District Gaol (North Bay) opened
     9)1928-Sudbury District Gaol (Sudbury) opened

10)George Stewart Henry-PC-Premier December1930-July1934
     1)1931-Mimico becomes Ontario Reformatory, Mimico
     2)1933-St Joseph’s Training School for Boys in Alfred opened

11)Mitchell Frederick Hepburn-Lib-Premier July1934-October1942
     1)1935-Industrial Farm Concord closed, given to Salvation Army
     2)1936-Industrial Farm, Fort William (now Thunder Bay) closed, becomes Ontario Hospital for mentally ill until 1955
     3)1938-Monteith Industrial Farm opened
     4)1939-Industrial Farm, Langstaff closed, given to Salvation Army

12)Gordon Daniel Conant-Lib-Premier October1942-May1943

13)Harry Corwin Nixon-Lib-Premier May1943-October1943

14)Col George Alexander Drew-PC-Premier August1943-October1948
     1)1946-Ontario Department of Reform Institutions born
     2)1946-Muskoka Distrct Gaol (Bracebridge) closed
     3)1948-Burtch Industrial Farm at  Mt Pleasant opened

15)Thomas Laird Kennedy-PC-Premier October1948-May1949

16)Leslie Miscampbell Frost-PC-Premier May1949-November1961
     1)1955-Industrial Farm, Fort William (now Thunder Bay) reopened
     2)1956-Hillsdale Work Camp opened
     3)1957-Ontario Reformatory, Millbrook opened
     4)1958-Ontario County Gaol (Whitby) opened

17)John Parmenter Robarts-PC-Premier November1961-March1971
     1)1965-Second Lambton County Jail (Sarnia) opened, First Lambton County Jail (Sarnia) closed
     2)1968-Ontario County and District Jails taken over by the Province
     3)1969-Vanier Centre for Women opened in Brampton, Mercer closed

18)William Grenville Davis-PC-Premier March1971-February1985
     1)1971-Hastings County Gaol (Belleville) closed, was opened in 1838
     2)1971-Frontenac County Gaol (Kingston) closed, was opened in 1855
     3)1971-Lennox-Addington County Gaol (Napanee) closed, was opened in 1865
     4)1971-Prince Edward County Gaol (Picton) closed, was opened in 1834
     5)1971-Quinte Detention Centre opened
     6)1972-Huron County Gaol (Goderich) closed, was opened in 1841
     7)1972-Carleton County Gaol (Ottawa) closed, was opened in 1962
     8)1972-Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre opened
     9)1973-Waterloo County Gaol (Kitchener) wildcat strike Re: Governor
   10)1973-Lincoln County Gaol (St Catharines) closed, opened in 1866
   11)1973-St Mary’s Training School for Girls in Downsview closed
   12)1973-Welland County Gaol (Welland) closed, was opened in 1856
   13)1973-Niagara Detention Centre opened
   14)1974-Burwash Correctional Centre closed
   15)1974-Haldimand County (Cayuga) Gaol closed, was opened in 1851
   16)1975-The Ontario Public Service Employees Union born from the CSAO
   17)1975-Shapiro Commission starts, and most recommendations are not enacted
   18)1975-Maplehurst Correctional Centre opened
   19)1977-Elgin County Gaol (St Thomas) closed, was opened in 1853
   20)1977-Oxford County Gaol (Woodstock) closed, was opened in 1853
   21)1977-Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre opened
   22)1977-Fourth York County Gaol (Toronto) closed, was opened in 1865, First York County Gaol opened in 1800 and closed in 1824, Second York County Gaol opened in 1824 and closed in 1845, Third York County Gaol opened in 1845 and closed in 1865
   23)1977-Fifth Toronto Jail opened
   24)1977-Metro Toronto West Detention Centre opened
   25)1977-Metro Toronto East Detention Centre opened
   26)1978-Halton County Gaol (Milton) closed
   27)1978-Dufferin County Gaol (Orangeville) opened
   28)1978-Norfolk County Gaol (Simcoe) closed, was opened in 1857
   29)1978-Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre opened, Third Wentworth County Gaol closed
   30)1979-Corrections wide 3 day wildcat strike for their own contract category
   31)1980-Wellington County Gaol closed, was opened in 1853
   32)1980-Wellington Detention Centre opened

19)Frank Stewart Miller-PC-Premier February1985-June1985

20)David Robert Peterson-Lib-Premier June1985-October1990
     1)1989-Largest wage increase ever for Corrections through arbitration
     2)1989-Maplehurst expanded-Detention Centre added

21)Robert Keith Rae-New Democratic Party-Premier October1990-June 1995
     1)1991-Rae Days are initiated on Corrections and Public Service employees
     2)1992-Lanark County Gaol (Perth) closed, was opened in 1864

22)Mike Deane Harris-PC-Premier June1995-April2002
     1)1996-First ever Ontario Public Service contract strike
     2)1998-Temiskaming District Gaol (Haileybury) closed
     3)1998-Northumberland and Durham County Gaol (Cobourg) closed
     4)1998-Prescott and Russell County Gaol (L’Orignal) closed
     5)1998-First privately operated Y.O. ‘Boot Camp’ opens at the old adult Hillsdale Work Camp, north of Barrie called Camp Turnaround
     6)2001-First Private Prison in Canada opened at Penetanguishene
     7)2001-Parry Sound District Gaol (Parry Sound) closed
     8)2002-Second Ontario Public Service contract strike
     9)2002-Guelph Correctional Centre (a.k.a. Ontario Reformatory) closed
   10)2002-Maplehurst Correctional Complex refitted-super jail style pods added

23)Ernie L. Eves-PC-Premier April2002-October2003
     1)2002-Burtch Correctional Centre closed
     2)2002-Second Algoma District Gaol (Sault Ste Marie) closed, Jail incorporated into the Algoma District Treatment Centre (formerly the Northern Treatment Centre) (Sault Ste Marie)
     3)2003-Sault Ste Marie Jail closed
     4)2003-Guelph Treatment Centre closed (former GATU section of GCC)
     5)2003-Vanier Centre for Women moved to Maplehurst site, Brampton facility becomes the Ivictus Young Offender facility
     5)2003-Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry County Gaol (Cornwall) closed, was opened in 1833
     6)2003-Millbrook Correctional Centre closed

24)Dalton McGinty-Lib-Premier October2003-present
     1)2004-Private Y.O. ‘Boot Camp’ closed
     2)2004-Renfrew County Gaol (Pembroke) closed, was opened in 1866