Ontario since Confederation

In the more than two decades since the publication of Ontario Since Confederation: A Reader, Ontario, Canada, North America, and the world have experienced a whirlwind of profound changes. This new edition brings together leading scholars to present a new and expansive view of Ontario’s social, political, and economic history.

Building on the strengths of the first edition, the second edition reflects on the dramatic changes in historical practice and understanding that have marked the last two decades. Taking a chronological approach and broadening the theme of state and society, the book explores important topics such as the environment, gender, continentalism, urban growth, and Indigenous issues. This timely update to Ontario Since Confederation features new and revised chapters, as well as new discussion questions designed to stimulate and guide readers to make connections between and across the entire book.

Bringing together a wide range of perspectives, approaches, and frameworks, Ontario Since Confederation sheds light on historical changes in Canada’s most populous province across more than one and a half centuries.

Essential reading for history students, this collection examines the evolution of Ontario since Confederation, demonstrating how earlier changes inform present-day Ontario.

• Imprint: University of Toronto Press
• Published: November 2024
• Pages: 432

• epub: 9781487534004
• pdf: 9781487533991
• paperback: 9781487524296
• hardcover: 9781487534011

Lori Chambers is a professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at Lakehead University.

Edgar-Andre Montigny is an independent scholar and lawyer living in Toronto.

James Onusko is the principal of Champlain College and an adjunct graduate professor at Trent University.

Dimitry Anastakis is the L.R. Wilson and R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History in the Department of History and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

“The new edition of Ontario Since Confederation examines monumental changes in both the province’s history and the field of historical research, including methodology and thematic coverage. Well-written and engaging, the volume’s major strengths lie in how the individual chapters situate their particular topics within the long sweep of Ontario and Canadian history, taking them up to the present day. This approach allows students to connect current issues and controversies with their historical roots, particularly in the chapters on disease, daycare, and social policies such as poverty reduction.”

Kevin Brushett, Associate Professor of History, Royal Military College of Canada

“Ontario since Confederation examines the social, political, and economic history of Ontario. The volume integrates the ‘transformational changes’ in Ontario’s history and reflects on recent trends in historical scholarship and historical practice that have emerged in the last two decades. It explores the relentless change and the resilience of Ontarians, all within the context of Ontario’s declining political and economic centrality in Canada. With up-to-date scholarship, this collection makes a valuable contribution to the field, filling a void as Ontario, despite being the most populous and economically powerful province, seems to have received less attention from historians than most other regions in the country.”

David MacKenzie, Professor of History, Toronto Metropolitan University