Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario

The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario is a masonic Grand Lodge with jurisdiction over 578 [Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario, 153rd Annual Communication, July 2008] masonic lodges located in the province of Ontario. Its current Grand Master is M.W. Bro. Allan J. Petisor. The National Office of the Supreme Council 33° of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Canada whose Grand Orient is in Hamilton, Ontario, is located adjacent to this historic [http://scottishritemasons-can.org/ Scottish Rite building] .

Provincial Grand Lodge

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada was formed at the request of Alexander Wilson, by the Grand Lodge of England in 1792. Its first Provincial Grand Master was William Jarvis. However, unlike HRH Prince Edward, the P.G.M. for the Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower Canada, William Jarvis was not endowed by the G.L.E. with the power to grant warrants for new lodges.

Formation of the Grand Lodge of Canada

Growing dissatisfaction within the members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada with the slow responses of the Grand Lodge of England in forwarding warrants, certificates and the like led to the question of whether it was time to create an independent grand lodge in Canada. After a Provincial Grand Lodge meeting in which the idea was ruled out of order by the Deputy Grand Master, the officers met and formed the Grand Lodge of Canada on 10 November 1855. Its officers were elected the next day, with W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson being elected the first Grand Master of the newly created Grand Lodge, and installed on 2 December.

Growth, Split and Name Change

Over the next few years the Grand Lodge went about petitioning the lodges of Canada West to come under the fold of their newly-created Grand Lodge. Within a few years, not only were almost all the masonic lodges of Canada West under the jurisdiction of the GLC, but, since 1859, so were most of the lodges of Canada East. However, in 1869, sixteen of the lodges in Québec (formerly Canada East) formed their own Grand Lodge, and in 1874 the Grand Lodge of Canada completely withdrew from the province of Québec, and twenty-four more lodges moved from the Grand Lodge of Canada to the Grand Lodge of Québec. In 1887 the name of the Grand Lodge was changed to the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, a compromise name which reflects both the Ontario-only jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge as well as its history of being the first Grand Lodge in Canada.

References

External links

* [http://www.grandlodge.on.ca Grand Lodge website]
* [http://www.grandlodge.on.ca/150thAnniversary/GL_History.htm The 150 year history of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario]