ONTARIO PROVINCIAL SECRETARY (1867 - 1946)

The Provincial Secretary in Ontario was the #2 person in the Provincial Government next to the Premier. An Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities would make an annual check of each County Jail and other Correctional facility and then make an annual report to the Provincial Secretary. The report that came out was known as the “Report of the Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities upon the Prisons and Reformatories of the Province of Ontario”.

Matthew Crooks Cameron (Toronto East) (Parliament 1 & 2)
20 July 1867 – 25 July 1871

Stephen Richards (Niagara) (Parliament 2)
25 July 1871 – 20 December 1871

Alexander MacKenzie (Middlesex West) (Parliament 2)
20 December 1871 – 21 December 1871

Peter Gow (Wellington South) (Parliament 2)
21 December 1871 – 25 October 1872

Timothy Blair Pardee (Lambton West) (Parliament 2)
25 October 1872 – 25 November 1873

Christopher Finlay Fraser (Brockville) (Parliament 2)
25 November 1873 – 04 April 1874

Archibald McKellar (Bothwell, Kent East) (Parliament 2 & 3)
04 April 1874 – 23 July 1875

Samuel Wood (Victoria South) (Parliament 3)
23 July 1875 – 19 March 1877

Arthur Sturgis Hardy (Brant South) (Parliament 3 & 4 & 5 & 6)
19 March 1877 – 18 January 1889

John Gibson (Hamilton, Hamilton West) (Parliament 6 & 7 & 8)
18 January 1889 – 21 July 1896

William D Balfour (Essex South) (Parliament 8)
21 July 1896 – 19 August 1896

Elihu Davis (York North) (Parliament 8 & 9)
28 August 1896 – 21 October 1899

James Robert Stratton (Peterborough West) (Parliament 9 & 10)
21 October 1899 – 22 November 1904

George Graham (Brockville) (Parliament 10 & 11)
22 November 1904 – 08 February 1905

William Hanna (Lambton West) (Parliament 11 & 12 & 13 & 14)
08 February 1905 – 19 December 1916

William McPherson (Toronto Northwest Seat b) (Parliament 14 & 15)
19 December 1916 – 14 November 1919

Harry Nixon (Brant North) (Parliament 15 & 16)
14 November 1919 – 16 July 1923

Lincoln Goldie (Wellington South) (Parliament 16 & 17 & 18)
16 July 1923 – 12 September 1930

Leopold Macaulay (York South) (Parliament 18)
16 September 1930 – 31 July 1931

Georges Holmes Challies (Dundas, Grenville, Dundas) (Parliament 18 & 19)
31 July 1931 – 10 July 1934

Harry Nixon (Brant) (Parliament 19 & 20)
10 July 1934 – 11 March 1940
13 March 1940 – 22 October 1942

Norman Hipel (Waterloo South) (Parliament 20)
27 October 1942 – 18 May 1943

Harry Nixon (Brant) (Parliament 20 & 21)
18 May 1943 – 17 August 1943

George Dunbar (Ottawa South) (Parliament 21 & 22 & 23)
17 August 1943 – 31 March 1946

*** The Province of Ontario formed the Department of Reform Institutions in 1946 (the first organized Correctional Service in Ontario, with about 10 facilities).

George H. Dunbar (Ottawa South) (Parliament #) - PC
01 April 1946 – 15 April 1949 – Department of Reform Institutions

William F. Hamilton (Riding) (Parliament #) - PC
15 July 1949 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

John W. Foote V.C. (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
16 November 1950 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

M.B. Dymond M.D. (Riding) (Parliament 25) – PC
18 July 1957 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

Ray Connell (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
28 April 1958 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

George W. Wardrope (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
22 December 1958 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

Irwin Haskett (Riding) (Parliament 26) – PC
08 November 1961 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

Allan Grossman (Riding) (Parliament 27) – PC
14 August 1963 - ? – Department of Reform Institutions

*** In January 1968 the Province of Ontario took over control of all County and District Jails in Ontario (over 50 facilities)

Charles Joseph Sylvanus Apps (Riding) (Parliament 28) – PC
01 March 1971 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

R.T. Potter M.D. (Riding) (Parliament 29) – PC
26 February 1974 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

John Smith (Riding) (Parliament 30) – PC
07 October 1975 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

Arthur K. Meen Q.C. (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
03 February 1977 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

John MacBeth Q.C. (Riding) (Parliament 31) – PC
23 June 1977 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

Frank Drea (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
21 September 1977 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

Gordon Walker Q.C. (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
18 October 1978 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

Nicholas Leluk (Riding) (Parliament 32) – PC
10 April 1981 – 08 February 1985 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Nicholas Leluk (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
08 February 1985 – 01 May 1985 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Ken Keyes (Riding) (Parliament 33) – LIB
26 June 1985 – 29 September 1987 – Ministry of Correctional Services

David Ramsey (Riding) (Parliament 34) – LIB
29 September 1987 – 02 August 1989 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Richard Patten (Riding) (Parliament #) – LIB
02 August 1989 – 01 October 1990 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Mike Farnan (Riding) (Parliament 35) – NDP
01 October 1990 – 31 July 1991 – Solicitor General & Ministry of Correctional Services

Allan Pilkey (Riding) (Parliament #) – NDP
31 July 1991 - ? – Ministry of Correctional Services

David Christopherson (Riding) (Parliament #) – NDP
23 September 1992 – 03 February 1993 – Ministry of Correctional Services

David Christopherson (Riding) (Parliament #) – NDP
03 February 1993 – 26 June 1995 – Solicitor General & Ministry of Correctional Services

Robert Runciman (Riding) (Parliament 36) – PC
26 June 1995 – 17 June 1999 – Solicitor General & Ministry of Correctional Services

Robert Sampson (Riding) (Parliament 37) – PC
17 June 1999 – 04 December 2000 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Norm Sterling (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
05 December 2000 – 08 March 2001 – Ministry of Correctional Services

Robert Sampson (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
08 May 2001 – 14 April 2002 – Ministry of Correctional Services

*** The Province of Ontario opens the first private prison in Canada at Penetanguishene in 2001 (known as a super jail, it holds 1,192 inmates, and is run by MTC)

Robert Runciman (Riding) (Parliament #) – PC
15 April 2002 – 22 October 2003 – Ministry of Public Safety & Security

Monte Kwinter (Riding) (Parliament 38) – LIB
23 October 2003 – Current – Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services