Ministry of Infrastructure (Ontario)

Last updated
Ministry of Infrastructure
Ministère de l’Infrastructure (French)
Ministry overview
Formed2016
Preceding Ministry
Jurisdiction Government of Ontario
Ministers responsible
Website www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-infrastructure

The Ministry of Infrastructure is a ministry responsible for public infrastructure in the Canadian province of Ontario. The current minister is Kinga Surma.

Contents

It is currently responsible for two crown agencies: Waterfront Toronto and Infrastructure Ontario (which was merged with the Ontario Realty Corporation in 2011). [1]

History

The maintenance and management of public infrastructure has consistently been a key function of the government since well before Confederation.

The Board of Works in the Province of Upper Canada was responsible for superintending, managing and controlling public works in the province. It was merged with a similar board in Lower Canada in 1841. The board was replaced in 1846 by the commissioners of public works who were responsible for "managing and controlling the construction, maintenance and repair of all canals, harbours, roads or parts of roads, bridges, slides, and other public works and buildings". Although legislations did not specifically designate the office of the commissioners as the Department of Public Works, that is how the commissioners refer to it in their first annual report.

At Confederation in 1867, responsibility for public works in Ontario was taken over by the Department of Public Works for Ontario, administered by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works. In 1874, legislation was passed establishing a standalone commissioner to be responsible for the Department of Public Works. From 1896 to 1900 the Provincial Instructor in Road-Making was under the department.

In 1900, both the Office of the Commissioner of Highways and the Bureau of Labour were established as part of the Department of Public Works. In 1914, the Office of the Commissioner of Highways (by then renamed the Highways Branch), was elevated to Department status, becoming the Department of Public Highways. Similarly, by 1919, the Bureau of Labour had become the Department of Labour. Also in 1900, the Colonization Roads Branch was transferred to the Department of Public Works. Formerly with the Department of Crown Lands and responsible for constructing and repairing roads in sparsely settled areas of the province, this Branch was transferred to the Department of Lands, Forests and Mines in 1919.

The Department of Public Works continued to exist until 1972, when the government was considerably re-organized as the various Departments were restructured and renamed as Ministries. The Ministry of Government Services was created, assuming most of the functions of the former Department of Public Works, including the functions of constructing and maintaining government buildings.

In 1987, the Realty Group was formed within the Ministry of Government Services to provide accommodation and real estate services for the Ontario Government. In 1993, The Ontario Realty Corporation was established as the successor entity to the Realty Group, the Ontario Mortgage Corporation, and the Ontario Land Corporation. It was established as a Crown corporation and reported through the Management Board Secretariat . The Ministry of Government Services also ceased to exist in 1993, transferring most of its corporate services function, including buildings and facilities management, to the Management Board Secretariat.

In 2003, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal was created out of the winding-up of the Ontario Superbuild Corporation, inheriting its advisory and policy development and coordination responsibilities. Between 2003 and 2008, it assumed oversight of various agencies including the Smart Growth Secretariat, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Ontario Realty Corporation, Infrastructure Ontario, and Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Between 2008 and 2010, the Ministry was briefly merged with the Ministry of Energy to form the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2016, it was again briefly merged, this time with the Economic Development Ministry to form the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.

List of ministers

NameTerm of officeTenurePolitical party
(Ministry)
Note
Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works Liberal
Conservative

(MacDonald)
John Carling July 16, 1867December 20, 18714 years, 157 days
Archibald McKellar December 20, 1871October 25, 18722 years, 94 days Liberal
(Blake)
October 25, 1872March 24, 1874 Liberal
(Mowat)
Commissioner of Public Works
Christopher Finlay Fraser April 4, 1874May 30, 189420 years, 56 daysResigned due to poor health.
William Harty May 30, 1894July 21, 18965 years, 144 days
July 21, 1896October 21, 1899 Liberal
(Hardy)
Francis Robert Latchford October 21, 1899November 22, 19045 years, 32 days Liberal
(Ross)
William Andrew Charlton November 22, 1904February 8, 190578 days
Joseph Octave Reaume February 8, 1905May 25, 19059 years, 236 days Conservative
(Whitney)
Minister of Public Works
Joseph Octave Reaume May 25, 1905October 2, 1914
Findlay George MacDiarmid October 2, 1914November 14, 19195 years, 43 days Conservative
(Hearst)
Concurrently Minister of Highways (April 8, 1915 to November 14, 1919)
Frank Campbell Biggs November 14, 1919July 16, 19233 years, 244 days United Farmers
(Drury)
Concurrently Minister of Highways
George Stewart Henry July 16, 1923September 16, 19307 years, 62 days Conservative
(Ferguson)
Concurrently Minister of Highways
Joseph Monteith September 16, 1930December 15, 19303 years, 114 daysConcurrently Minister of Highways and Minister of Labour
December 15, 1930January 8, 1934 Conservative
(Henry)
Concurrently Minister of Labour
Leopold Macaulay January 12, 1934July 10, 1934179 daysConcurrently Minister of Highways
Thomas McQuesten July 10, 1934October 12, 19373 years, 94 days
(first instance)
Liberal
(Hepburn)
Concurrently Minister of Highways
Colin Campbell October 12, 1937January 23, 19413 years, 103 days
Farquhar Oliver January 23, 1941October 27, 19421 year, 277 days
(first instance)
Concurrently Minister of Welfare, resigned to protest Gordon Conant being named Premier.
Thomas McQuesten October 27, 1942May 18, 1943203 days
(second instance)
(3 years, 297 days in total)
Liberal
(Conant)
Concurrently Minister of Highways and Minister of Municipal Affairs
Farquhar Oliver May 18, 1943August 17, 194391 days
(second instance)
(2 years, 6 days in total)
Liberal
(Nixon)
George Doucett August 17, 1943October 19, 19488 years, 46 days PC
(Drew)
Concurrently Minister of Highways
October 19, 1948May 4, 1949 PC
(Kennedy)
May 4, 1949October 2, 1951 PC
(Frost)
Fletcher Stewart Thomas October 2, 1951January 20, 19531 year, 110 days
William Griesinger January 20, 1953May 6, 19585 years, 106 daysResigned from the provincial cabinet in 1958 after he was implicated in a stock trading scandal involving Northern Ontario Natural Gas.
James Allan May 14, 1958December 22, 1958222 days(interim)
Ray Connell December 22, 1958November 8, 196110 years, 165 days
November 8, 1961June 5, 1969 PC
(Robarts)
Jack Simonett June 5, 1969March 1, 19711 year, 269 days
James Auld March 1, 1971February 2, 1972338 days
(first instance)
PC
(Davis)
Minister of Government Services
James Snow February 2, 1972October 7, 19753 years, 247 daysMinistry was formally renamed from Public Works to Government Services on April 7, 1972
Margaret Scrivener October 7, 1975February 3, 19771 year, 119 days
John Smith February 3, 1977June 23, 1977140 days
James Auld June 23, 1977September 21, 197790 days
(second instance)
(1 years, 63 days in total)
George McCague September 21, 1977January 21, 1978122 days
Lorne Henderson January 21, 1978August 30, 19791 year, 221 days
Douglas Wiseman August 30, 1979July 6, 19833 years, 310 days
George Ashe July 6, 1983February 8, 19851 year, 217 days
Bob Runciman February 8, 1985May 17, 198598 days PC
(Miller)
Jim Gordon May 17, 1985June 26, 198540 days
Elinor Caplan June 26, 1985June 16, 1986355 days Liberal
(Peterson)
Sean Conway June 17, 1986September 9, 19871 year, 84 days
Richard Patten September 29, 1987August 2, 19891 year, 307 days
Chris Ward August 2, 1989October 1, 19901 year, 60 days
Frances Lankin October 1, 1990April 22, 1991203 days NDP
(Rae)
Fred Wilson April 22, 1991February 3, 19931 year, 287 days
Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet In 1993, most of the functions performed by the Ministry of Government Services were transferred to the Secretariat of the Management Board of Cabinet.
Brian Charlton February 3, 1993June 26, 19952 years, 143 days
David Johnson June 26, 1995October 10, 19972 years, 106 days PC
(Harris)
Chris Hodgson October 10, 1997February 8, 20013 years, 121 days
David Tsubouchi February 8, 2001April 15, 20022 years, 256 days
April 15, 2002October 22, 2003 PC
(Eves)
Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal Liberal
(McGuinty)
David Caplan October 23, 2003June 20, 20084 years, 241 days
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure
George Smitherman June 20, 2008November 9, 20091 year, 142 days
Gerry Phillips November 9, 2009January 18, 201070 days
Brad Duguid January 18, 2010August 18, 2010212 days
(first instance)
Duguid continued to be Minister of Energy until 2011
Minister of Infrastructure
Bob Chiarelli August 18, 2010February 11, 20132 years, 177 days
(first instance)
Glen Murray February 11, 2013June 24, 20141 year, 133 days Liberal
(Wynne)
Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure
Brad Duguid June 24, 2014June 13, 20161 year, 355 days
(second instance)
(2 years, 202 days in total)
Minister of Infrastructure
Bob Chiarelli June 13, 2016June 29, 20182 years, 16 days
(second instance)
(4 years, 193 days in total)
Monte McNaughton June 29, 2018June 20, 2019356 days PC
(Ford)
Laurie Scott June 20, 2019June 18, 20215 years, 9 days
Kinga Surma June 18, 2021Present PC

(Ford)

Related Research Articles

The following list outlines the structure of the federal government of Canada, the collective set of federal institutions which can be grouped into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In turn, these are further divided into departments, agencies, and other organizations which support the day-to-day function of the Canadian state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Ontario)</span> Canadian provincial agriculture ministry

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is an Ontario government ministry responsible for the food, agriculture and rural sectors of the Canadian province of Ontario. The Minister is currently Lisa Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade</span>

The Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for programs to attract and retain business and economic development in the province. This is pursued through research and development funding, business advisory services, career exploration opportunities and business startup programs for youth, skills development and marketing Ontario to potential international business investors.

The Ministry of Energy and Electrification’s responsibility is ensuring that Ontario's electricity system functions with reliability and productivity, and promoting innovation in the energy sector. In April 2002, it was renamed the Ministry of Energy, with the newly created Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation taking over responsibility for its science and technology portfolio. It was integrated as the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure between 2007 and 2010, before it was split back into the Ministry of Energy on August 18, 2010. Since June 6, 2024, The Minister of Energy is the Honourable Stephen Lecce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Transportation of Ontario</span> Government ministry in Ontario

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario, Canada. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building Instructors. In 1916, the Department of Public Highways of Ontario (DPHO) was formed and tasked with establishing a network of provincial highways. The first was designated in 1918, and by the summer of 1925, sixteen highways were numbered. In the mid-1920s, a new Department of Northern Development (DND) was created to manage infrastructure improvements in northern Ontario; it merged with the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) on April 1, 1937. In 1971, the Department of Highways took on responsibility for Communications and in 1972 was reorganized as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), which then became the Ministry of Transportation in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines</span> Ministry of the Government of Ontario

The Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM) was the ministry responsible for developing a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply across the province, overseeing Ontario’s mineral sector and promoting northern economic and community development. The ministry's head office is located in Sudbury. The last Minister of Northern Development and Mines was Hon. Greg Rickford. The Ministry's programs also include the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and the creation and funding of local services boards to provide essential services in remote Northern Ontario communities which are not served by incorporated municipal governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry</span> Ontario provincial government department

The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province. Its offices are divided into Northwestern, Northeastern and Southern Ontario regions with the main headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario. The current minister is Greg Rickford.

Manitoba Municipal and Northern Relations is a department of the Government of Manitoba that deals with local administrations and bodies, including municipalities, planning districts, and non-governmental organizations. This includes the provision of training, ongoing consultation, technical analysis, and funding related to land management, community renewal, infrastructure, and the building of capacity of local governments to provide services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Public Works and Highways</span> Executive department of the Philippine government

The Department of Public Works and Highways, abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering and construction arm” and, as such, it is “tasked to carry out the policy” of the State to “maintain an engineering and construction arm and continuously develop its technology, for the purposes of ensuring the safety of all infrastructure facilities and securing for all public works and highways the highest efficiency and the most appropriate quality in construction” and shall be responsible for “(t)he planning, design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure facilities, especially national highways, flood control and water resources development systems, and other public works in accordance with national development objectives,” provided that, the exercise of which “shall be decentralized to the fullest extent feasible.”

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is the British Columbia government ministry responsible for transport infrastructure and law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is currently led by Rob Fleming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Newfoundland and Labrador</span> Provincial government

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is the provincial government of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was established by the Newfoundland Act and its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867.

Crown corporations in Canada are government organizations with a mixture of commercial and public-policy objectives. They are directly and wholly owned by the Crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Main Roads (New South Wales)</span>

The Department of Main Roads (DMR) was an agency of the New South Wales Government, responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining major road infrastructure. The DMR directly managed highways and major roads and provided funding to local councils for regional and local roads. The agency was merged with other agencies to form the Roads & Traffic Authority in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (New Brunswick)</span>

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is a part of the Government of New Brunswick. It is charged with maintenance of government facilities and the province's highway network. From 1855 to 1912, it was known as the Board of Public Works. From 1912 to 1967, it was known as Department of Public Works and Highways. In 1967, its functions were divided between the Department of Public Works and the Department of Transportation. In 2012, the Department of Transportation and the infrastructure management components of the Department of Supply and Services were merged back together.

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery is a ministry of the Government of Ontario. It is responsible for ServiceOntario, which, among other responsibilities, issues driver's licenses, health cards, birth certificates and other provincial documents to Ontario residents. Additionally, it oversees the Archives of Ontario, and numerous boards and administrative authorities charged with consumer protection in specific sectors and industries, such as condominiums and travel.

The Department of Public Works of the Government of Nova Scotia is responsible for transportation, communications, construction, property, and accommodation of government departments and agencies in the province.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was created on January 18, 2010 when the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism were combined under one ministry. Sport was added to the portfolio in 2011. It is responsible for the development of policies and programs and the operation of programs related to tourism, arts, cultural industries, heritage sectors and libraries, in Ontario. The Ministry works in partnership with its agencies, attractions, boards and commissions and the private sector to maximize the economic, cultural and social contributions of its agencies and attractions, while promoting the tourism industry and preserving Ontario's culture and heritage.

Manitoba Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism is the department of the Government of Manitoba responsible for managing government programs and services that support the sport, art, culture, and heritage of the province, through developing, supporting, promoting, and celebrating the identity and well-being of Manitoba and its communities.

The Department of Home Affairs is the Australian Government interior ministry with responsibilities for national security, law enforcement, emergency management, border control, immigration, refugees, citizenship, transport security and multicultural affairs. The portfolio also includes federal agencies such as the Australian Border Force and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. The Home Affairs portfolio reports to the Minister for Home Affairs, currently held by Clare O'Neil, and was led by the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, Mike Pezzullo, until his sacking in November 2023 for breaching the code of conduct. In 2022, the Australian Federal Police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Australian Transaction and Analysis Center were de-merged from the department and moved to the Attorney General portfolio.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure is the provincial government department responsible for managing infrastructure in Manitoba. It is in charge of "the development of transportation policy and legislation, and [of] the management of the province’s vast infrastructure network."

References

  1. "Infrastructure Ontario and Ontario Realty Corporation To Merge". Ministry of Finance. January 25, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2013.