Ontario Facts

Ontario Facts

• The Iroquois called Ontario “Kanadario” meaning “sparkling water”
• Toronto was formerly known as York
• Toronto is Canada’s largest city
• Ontario entered Confederation July 1, 1867
• Four of the five Great Lakes are in Ontario - Huron, Superior, Erie, Ontario
• Water covers about 1/6 of the province
• Forests cover 2/3 of Ontario
• The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean

Famous People from Ontario:
• Dr. Roberta Bondar - Canada’s first female astronaut
• Banting and Best - developed insulin winning the Nobel Prize in 1923
• J. Naismith - invented Basketball
• Emily Stow - the first woman doctor in Canada in 1867
• Wayne Gretzky - hockey player from Brantford
• Karen Kain - famous ballerina
• Dan Aykroyd and Jim Carrey - actors/comedians