in the Foyer of Ontario's Legislature
Queen's Park, Toronto
October, 2009 - March, 2010
The walls are bright but the stone is cold. Rows of square pillars suggest solid, unyielding footings upon which have been based the many governments that the Province of Ontario has known throughout its relatively brief history. Staring down from the walls are portraits of some of the speakers who have presided over the business of Canada's central province, one of the important economic engines of Canada.
In the two wings which split away from the foyer of the legislature, a programme of community exhibits breaks the monotony and quiet of these wide hallways.
They allow community groups the opportunity of sharing their passions and their stories with the province's elected officials, its civil servants and thousands of visitors who come to Queen's Park to learn more about Ontario and its government.
It is quite fitting, and well passed due, that Ontario's ancient history finally find a place along these corridors of power. At last, visitors and legislators alike can learn that Ontario is not part of "such a young country with such a short history." Instead, they can at least be exposed to the notion that for millenia people have called Ontario home. They soon learn that the provincial licence plate motto, "Yours to discover", also applies to Ontario's rich and diverse past.
This is an important part of the legacy that we have inherited and which we will pass on.
The following pages present the contents of the exhibit. Please take a few moments to examine them and explore them. And if you happen to live in the Toronto area or are planning to pass through in the near future, stop by and discover your legislature and the OAS' place in it.