Upper Canada. Emigrant Office

• Emigrant Office

• Upper Canada. Emigrant Agency

The first emigrant office in Upper Canada was opened in 1833 in Toronto, headed by A.B. Hawke. Prior to this period, assistance to emigrants was undertaken by the British Army and by crown land agents.

The office was subordinate to the Office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. Hawke reported to Colborne's Civil Secretary and, as Chief Agent, had the authority to appoint and instruct agents under him. It is not totally clear which communities other than Toronto, Kingston, and Hamilton had proper "offices" as such, but Hawke received reports from agents in Ottawa, Port Hope, Peterborough, Cobourg, Prescott, and other locations at various times. In later years, the ties between the Emigrant Office and the Office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands grew weaker.

In 1838, Governor General Lord Sydenham placed another A.C. Buchanan (the nephew of the first) above Hawke in the chain of command, thus uniting the agents for Lower and Upper Canada under his control. In reality, however, It appears that the agents for Lower and Upper Canada still operated rather independently.

The Emigrant Office for Upper Canada ceased to exist after the union of Upper and Lower Canada into the province of Canada in 1841, when a new Emigrant Office was created which became a single immigrant agency under imperial authority.

The Emigrant Office assisted newly-arrived immigrants to Upper Canada by providing provisions and temporary shelter, and by helping them to find medical care, employment, and transportation to their final destination. Most of those served by the agency were poor or in need of special protection (e.g. widows and orphans). In addition, emigrant agents initiated work projects for immigrants to enable them to earn some income after their arrival. Agents were also responsible for recording statistical information on immigration patterns and local living conditions, including job availability, cost of living, country of origin, age, occupation, arrival, and final destination.

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Bishop, Olga. Publications of the Province of Upper Canada and of Great Britain Relating to Upper Canada 1791-1840. Toronto: Ministry of Citizenship, Recreation and Culture, 1984.

Cameron, Wendy. "Canadian Immigration Records Come Home." Friends of the Archives of Ontario Newsletter, 2001.

Hodgetts, J.E. Pioneer Public Service: An Administrative History of the United Canadas, 1841-1867. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1955.

Turner, Wesley B. "Buchanan, Alexander Carlisle", Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol. VIII 1851-1860, eds. Frances G. Halpenny and Jean Hamelin. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985. Turner, Wesley B. "Hawke, Anthony Bewden", Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol.IX 1861-1870. eds. George W. Brown et al. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1976.

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