Creation of Ontario Districts

See the maps as the creation of Ontario districts change.

1. The Algoma district was created in 1858 from unorganized territories.
2. The Nipissing district was created in 1858 from unorganized territories.
3. The Parry Sound district was created in 1869 from unorganized territories.
4. The Thunder Bay district was created in 1871 from the Algoma district.
5. The Rainy River district was created in 1885 from the Thunder Bay district.
6. The Muskoka district was created in 1888 from unorganized territories.
7. The Manitoulin district was created in 1888 from the Algoma district.
8. The Sudbury district was created in 1907 from the Algoma district.
9. The Kenora district was created in 1909 from the Rainy River district.
10. The Temiskaming district was created in 1912 from the Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing districts.
11. The Cochrane district was created in 1921 from the Temiskaming and Thunder Bay districts.

How it worked in the Province of Ontario and the creation of New Ontario, aka Northern Ontario

The Baldwin Act of 1849 - Robert Baldwin was a York born Toronto lawyer....


The Temporary Judicial Act of 1857 (? April 1858 according to Sudbury: Rail Town to Regional Capital )

"Attempts were also made to develop areas of a province that was rapidly running out of accessible agricultural land. In 1858 two temporary judicial districts (Algoma and Nipissing) were established, tightening the government’s control in these thinly populated northern areas. A network of colonization roads was planned under the direction of Crown Lands to encourage settlement in the southern section of the Canadian Shield beyond the existing areas of cultivation. These roads when built were never successful in their agricultural purpose (though they were helpful to the lumber industry), but the construction of several during Macdonald’s period in office reflected his often-expressed view that there was a “fertile back country” which only needed an improved transportation system to permit it to develop"..John A. MacDonald biography

The Municipal Institutions Act of 1873 - The temporary judicial act above exempted northern Ontario towns from this act.

1982 North Bay and Kenora are first municipal villages incorporated into the New Ontario districts - with their own municipal governments.

Federal Public Works Act rescinded for Sudbury March 1, 1885 - until 1985 CPR, under supervision of the Ontario government, was in charge in Sudbury.
....and so on.....