Canada Company

Canada Company, organization instrumental in colonizing much of the western part of Upper Canada (now Ontario). Many residents of Upper Canada had incurred losses during the War of 1812 and subsequently claimed an indemnity from the British government. The latter agreed to pay a portion of the claims if the government of Upper Canada provided the remainder. At the suggestion of John Galt, an agent of the claimants, the authorities in Upper Canada decided to raise their share of the indemnity by selling the crown lands in the western part of the province to a company that would settle them.

The Canada Company was formed in 1824 and chartered on Aug. 19, 1826. It obtained about 2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 hectares) of land in Upper Canada, for which it made annual payments to the provincial government until 1843.

Galt was named secretary and, in 1827, superintendent of the company. He founded the towns of Galt and Goderich, built a road to Goderich, and brought settlers in to develop the area. His work was considered to be too costly, however, and in 1829 he was replaced by Thomas Mercer Jones. The company, often criticized as a monopoly in its active days, continued in existence until the 1950s.