Government of Ontario

Ontario.ca     |    


Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery




Online Exhibits at the Archives of Ontario

As of September 29, 2022 the Archives of Ontario has launched the Archives and Information Management System (AIMS). The AIMS integrates the Archives Descriptive Database, the BIBLiON Library Catalogue, the Government of Ontario Art Collection (GOAC) and the Visual Database into one online tool. As a result, you may encounter broken links to the old databases on our website. We are working at updating these links to the AIMS. If you encounter a broken link and need assistance, please contact us. 


Explore our virtual exhibits, which feature various groups of records, cover a wide range of subjects, and highlight many different aspects of Ontario’s diverse past.

We aim to make our online content accessible for all. If you require assistance accessing our website, and online tools and resources, please contact us.

Exhibit Spotlight -

Moses Brantford Jr. Leading an Emancipation Day parade down Dalhousie Street, Amherstburg, Ontario, [ca. 1894]

Slavery and Abolition in Upper Canada

In the 15 years since its “Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada” was developed, the Archives’ understanding of its responsibility for telling and sharing stories about communities that it has otherwise neglected has shifted considerably. The refreshed exhibit comes as a result of a collaboration with the Ontario Black History Society and takes advantage of the passing of time to address outdated language, problematic approaches to Black histories, and the need for additional research to widen the scope of collections included in the exhibit.

The Archives invites you to view these exhibit side by side to better understand how we are working with communities to bring past narratives into the present. We hope that through the launch of this exhibit, teachers, students and community members will have a resource that can be used to create fuller narratives of Black life and reclaim the humanity of the enslaved.

Exhibit Categories -

A note on exhibit categories: some exhibits are listed in multiple categories. In some cases, the entire exhibit is related to the category; in others, only part(s) of the exhibit is/are connected to the category.

Arts & Architecture


Black Canadian Histories

Collections Spotlight


Indigenous Traditions & Histories


Land, Environment, & Infrastructure


Life in the Past


People & Communities


Wartime Stories


Women in Archives