by Donna Easto
The first official celebration of Queen Victoria’s birth (May 24, 1819) in the United Province of Canada (Ontario and Quebec) was held in 1845. One account states that it was decided to set aside the day because they feared she’d not live much longer. Not to worry, the woman who launched the Victorian era was on the throne for 83 years and 7 months, dying in 1901 leaving behind nine children, many of whom married into European royal families, earning her the nickname “Grandmother of Europe.”
The Canada of 1845 was far different from today. There was no Maple Leaf Flag, no electricity, telephones, radios or televisions. People lived in small towns or farming communities. Toronto with a population of around 20,000, was becoming a financial and industrial centre and major publisher of English language newspapers and books; Montreal, population near 45,000, was our busiest inland port due to its location on the St. Lawrence River. Toronto led the way in whiskey production, while Montreal boasted a thriving economy in breweries and the production of cigarettes. Ottawa, known as Bytown, population 6-7,000 was primarily a rowdy frontier logging town ( Queen Victoria proclaimed it the capital of Canada in 1857.)
We can thank the Victorian era for the development of the telephone, electric light bulbs, photography, typewriters, modern sewing machines, sewer systems and public transportation. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, Toronto’s population had reached 208,000, Montreal 267,000 and Ottawa 59,000.
Repose en paix, Queen Victoria
