Ontario [antikvár]

No one can predict the future with certainty. But few can fail so totally as a fellow named A. Lymburner, who in 1791 forecast the following for the province that was to become Ontario: "It will be the very mockery of a province, 300 or 400 families scattered over a country somé 400 miles in length, not having any towns and scarcely a village in the province." One hundred and ninety five years later, the nine millión men and women who live and work in cities, towns and villages across this province make that prediction a mockery. But one cannot blame the poor fellow who offered such a falsé prophecy. Ontario might never have become the special place it is were it not for the energy, ingenuity and commitment of somé very special people. The vast resources of this province were not easily tapped, nor effortlessly tamed. It took courage to reach out to Ontario's furthest points, and resourcefulness to make the most of what it had to offer. Those few who first came to this province, those natives whom they found when they arrived, and the rest of us who followed from every corner of the world have all made our special contribution. The result has been a legacy in which we can take pride, and a lifestyle in which we can take joy. From the Ottawa River to the Laké ofthe Woods, from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes, we are blessed with a great place to call home. Ontario's greatness is not easily captured - in words or pictures. But the pages that follow provide a glimpse of what this province has to offer. No, we cannot blame Mr. Lymburner, for failing to comprehend this province's vast potential and how well it would be developed. Instead, let us give credit to Father de Brehant de Galinee, who more than 100 years earlier recognized Ontario as "the earthly paradise of Canada.'