The Ontario Archives: Scope of its Operations

The book opens a clear window onto how a provincial archive functions alongside its national counterpart, defining its role by the limits of provincial jurisdiction. It explains that the Ontario archives are rooted in the British North America Act of 1867, which gave the province its own lieutenant‑governor, executive council and elected legislature, each responsible for everything from land and forests to education and public works. By tracing these constitutional foundations, the author shows why the archive’s collections touch every facet of daily life in the province.

From there, the work walks listeners through the practical side of record‑keeping: how departments such as the attorney‑general, agriculture, and public works funnel their documents to a central bureau, and how those papers are classified, calendared and indexed for future use. It also details the unique legislative holdings—Scrolls of Parliament, signed oaths, original statutes, petitions and sessional papers—illustrating how these items serve both administrative needs and the broader quest for historical truth.