55. RG 3 Premier's Office
BACKGROUND.
This record group contains official papers of Ontario premiers,
beginning in 1899. Unfortunately, the records of long-serving
Premier Oliver Mowat (1872-1896) have not survived. The
dates given in the finding aid are somewhat misleading,
in that the records of certain others are virtually nonexistent.
The Archives also holds private papers of many premiers,
so researchers should check the appropriate private papers
(eg. F 5 Sir James Whitney Papers).
CONTENT.
There are few references in the finding aid and its appendices
which relate directly to Native people. Researchers checking
out main policy areas will need to know how various topics
interconnect. Many files involving game and fish legislation,
or the construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario
Railway are likely to contain material of interest. Some
examples are given below.
FINDING AID.
See the various headings below. There is a useful Inventory
to RG 3. For the latest papers (of Premiers Robarts through
Miller), researchers should consult the portfolio archivist.
56. RG 3 Series 03-01
Premier G. W. Ross General Office Records. - 1899-1905.
- 1.3 linear feet.
BACKGROUND.
For four decades after 1867, Ontario was involved in a series
of arbitrations with Québec and the Dominion government
over both provincial boundaries and liability for various
accounts from the pre-Confederation period. The latter matters
included the provision of Indian Reserves, and the payment
of Treaty annuities to Indians. The Sir Aemilius Irving
Papers (F 1027) have an enormous amount of material on these
topics.
CONTENT.
A few files in this series deal with arbitration and aboriginal
questions. See, for example:
RG 03-01-0-006 Arbitration between Ontario and Dominion
1901-1905
RG 03-01-0-007 Arbitration between Ontario and Québec.
1901-1905
RG 03-01-0-020 Georgian Bay Islands 1900. (Dispute between
Ontario and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development over ownership of various islands).
FINDING AID.
See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 01.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
57. RG 3 Series 03-02
Premier J. P. Whitney General Office Records. -
1905-1914. - 3 linear feet.
CONTENT.
Like the preceding series, this series contains a few files
on arbitration matters, such as:
RG 03-02-0-008 and RG 03-02-0-009 Boundaries of Ontario
(2 files)
RG 03-02-0-043 Indian Treaty #3 Federal Claim
FINDING AID.
See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 02.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
58. RG 3 Series 03-03
Premier W. H. Hearst, General Office Records. -
1914-1919.
CONTENT.
Because Hearst was himself from Northern Ontario, researchers
should check those files relating generally to northern
development, such as:
RG 03-03-0-008 Cochrane Judicial District
FINDING AID.
See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 03.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
59. RG 3 Series 03-04
Premier E. C. Drury, General Correspondence. - 1919-1923.
- 11 linear feet.
60. RG 3 Series 03-05
Premier E. C. Drury, General Office Records. -
1919-1923. - 1.6 linear feet.
CONTENT.
The number of potentially valuable files in these two Series
seems limited. Titles of at least some relevance to aboriginal
topics include:
RG 03-04-0-016 Pulp and Paper Mill, Moose Factory 1919
RG 03-04-0-093 Game Conservation 1920
RG 03-05-0-072 Timber - James Bay Forest
FINDING AID.
See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 04 and 05.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
61. RG 3 Series 03-06
Premier G. H. Ferguson, General Correspondence
Records. - 1923-1930. - 37 linear feet.
62. RG 3 Series 03-07
Premier G. H. Ferguson, General Office Records.
- 11 linear feet.
CONTENT.
Both series contain a number of potentially valuable materials
on northern development and related topics - such as the
extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway
to James Bay. The correspondence series (RG 03-06) also
has files dealing specifically with Native people. See,
for example:
RG 03-06-0-039 Six Nations Indian Investigation 1923
RG 03-06-0-1116 Indians - Re: treaty of (Treaty #9)
FINDING AID.
See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 06 and 07.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
63. RG 3 Series 03-08
Premier G. S. Henry General Correspondence Records.
- 1930-1934. - 16.8 linear feet.
CONTENT.
This series includes several files dealing with the building
of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway terminus
at Moosonee -- which lies just opposite the Aboriginal community
of Moose Factory. For example:
RG 03-08-0-192 T & N.O. Railway - Moose Factory
RG 03-08-0-194 Official opening James Bay Extension, Moosonee.
FINDING AID. See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix
08.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE?
This series has been microfilmed but has not yet been assigned
an MS number. See the reference archivist for further assistance.
ACCESS. Open.
64. RG 3 Series 03-09
Premier Mitchell Hepburn, Public General Correspondence.
- 1934-1943.
65. RG 3 Series 03-10
Premier Mitchell Hepburn, Private General Correspondence.
- 1934-1943. - (163 Boxes).
CONTENT.
Though these series are much more voluminous than those
of the proceeding, none of the file headings in the Inventory
suggest material of immediate relevance to Aboriginal people.
Researchers should check such headings as game and fisheries,
Hydro Electric Power Commission and Temiskaming and Northern
Ontario Railway. The same observation applies to the records
of Liberal Premiers G.D. Conant (RG 3 Series 15) and H.C.
Nixon (RG 3 Series 16), who were Hepburn's Liberal successors
from 1942-1943. Premier Hepburn's private papers (F 10 Mitch
Hepburn Papers), though physically substantial, appear to
contain no relevant documents either.
FINDING AID. See the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix
9 and 10.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE? None.
ACCESS. Open.
66. RG 3 Series 03-17
Premier George Drew: General Correspondence. -
1943-1948. - (39 Boxes).
CONTENT.
As with most of the preceding series, the file headings
do not disclose much of interest. Researchers could check
files on development issues in areas of high Indian population.
For example:
Box 439 File Code 137-G Hydro-Electric Power Commission
Kagawong Development at Manitoulin Island 1944, 1946.
FINDING AID. There is a detailed list
of file headings in the RG 3 Inventory, Appendix 17.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE? None.
ACCESS. Open.
67. RG 3 Series 03-23
Premier Leslie Frost. General Correspondence Files.
- 1949-1961. - (219 Boxes).
CONTENT.
There are a few files in the alphabetical list which relate
to "Indians". The fact that they are all contained
in the same box makes the researcher's task somewhat easier.
See, for example:
Box 80 File Code 138-G
Indians, Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, Oshweken,
Ontario. 1961
FINDING AID.
The portfolio archivist has a file list to the Frost correspondence.
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE? None.
ACCESS. Open.
68. RG 3 Series 03-26
Premier John P. Robarts. General Correspondence
Files. - 1961-1971. - (566 Boxes). UNPROCESSED.
CONTENT.
Provincial involvement in aboriginal issues, particularly
those involving off-Reserve and Métis/ non-status
people, increased greatly during the Robarts administration.
One initiative was the creation of the Native Community
Development Services Branch (see entry for RG 8-5). Several
files in the Robarts correspondence deal specifically with
"Indian" matters. For example:
Box 537
Indians - Committee of Conferences - Indian Affairs
1961-1967. 4 folders
Box 539 Indians
Moosonee 1961-1970. 7 folders.
FINDING AID.
The portfolio archivist has an alphabetical file list to
the Robarts correspondence, which is further broken down
by main topic. There is a separate sub-division for "Indians".
Researchers should also check file headings such as Department
of Lands and Forests (Fisheries) and Tourism and Information
(Historic Branch).
MICROFILM VERSION AVAILABLE? None.
ACCESS. Subject to FOI/P Act restrictions.
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