View source for Order of Ontario

{{Short description|Civilian honour for merit in Canada}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox order
| title           = Order of Ontario
| image           = File:OntarioOrder.svg
| caption         = Insignia of the Order of Ontario
| awarded_by      = the [[lieutenant governor of Ontario]]<br/>[[File:Badge of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.svg|50px]]
| type            = [[Order of merit]] ([[Orders, decorations, and medals of the Canadian provinces|provincial]])
| motto           =
| day             =
| eligibility     = All present or former long-term residents of Ontario who are not elected representatives in government
| for             = Demonstrations of excellence in any field or outstanding contributions to society in Ontario and elsewhere
| status          = Currently constituted
| grades          = Member
| post-nominals   = OOnt
| former_grades   =
| established     = 1986
| founder         = [[Lincoln Alexander]] representing [[Elizabeth II]]
|head_title=Chancellor|head=[[Edith Dumont]]
| first_induction = 1987
| last_induction  =
| total           = {{#property:P2124|from=Q742162}}{{wikidata|reference|P2124|eid=Q742162}}
| recipients      = 
| individual      =
| higher          = [[Saskatchewan Order of Merit]]
| lower           = [[Order of British Columbia]]
| image2          = [[Image:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|150px]]
| caption2        = [[Ribbon bar]] of the order
}}

The '''Order of Ontario''' ([[Quebec French|French]]: {{Lang|fr|l'Ordre de l'Ontario}}) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of [[Ontario]].<ref name=MCI2>{{Citation| last=Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration| title=ORDER PO-2279| page=2| date=7 May 2004| publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario| url=http://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Findings/Attached_PDF/PO-2279.pdf| access-date=18 August 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192725/http://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Findings/Attached_PDF/PO-2279.pdf| archive-date=6 July 2011| url-status=dead}}</ref> Instituted in 1986 by [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Lincoln Alexander]],<ref name=CE>{{Citation| last=Bingham| first=Russell| contribution=Culture > Awards > Order of Ontario| title=The Canadian Encyclopedia| editor-last=Marsh| editor-first=James H.| place=Toronto| publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada| url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/order-of-ontario/| access-date=18 August 2009}}</ref> on the [[Advice (constitutional)|advice]] of the [[Executive Council of Ontario|Cabinet]] under [[Premier of Ontario|Premier]] [[David Peterson]], the civilian order is administered by the [[Queen-in-Council|Lieutenant Governor-in-Council]] and is intended to honour current or former Ontario residents for conspicuous achievements in any field.<ref name=MCI2 /><ref name=CE /><ref name=OOnt>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/honours/orderofontario/ |last=Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration |title=Honours and Awards > Order of Ontario |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |access-date=4 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618144542/http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/honours/orderofontario/ |archive-date=18 June 2009 }}</ref>

==Structure and appointment==
[[File:Installation of 30th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario ONT 8323 (53336518203).jpg|thumb|left|The chancellor's collar, first unveiled for the Order's 30th Anniversary]]

{{further|List of members of the Order of Ontario}}
The Order of Ontario is intended to honour any current or former longtime resident of [[Ontario]] who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, demonstrating "the best of Ontario's caring and diverse society and [whose] lives have benefited society in Ontario and elsewhere."<ref name=MCI1>{{Harvnb| Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration| 2004| p=1}}</ref> Canadian citizenship is not a requirement<ref name=OOnt /> and elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office. There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be invested at one time, though the average number of new members stands at 24 per year.<ref name=MCI1 />

The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat, which consists of the [[Court of Appeal for Ontario#Current judges|Chief Justice of Ontario]] (who serves as the chairperson), the [[Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario|Speaker of the Legislative Assembly]], the Secretary of the Cabinet, and up to six members of the Order of Ontario.<ref name=MCI1 /> This committee then meets once or twice yearly to make its selected recommendations to the Cabinet and works with that body in narrowing down the potential appointees to a list that will be submitted to the lieutenant governor.<ref name=CE /><ref name=PAS>{{cite web| url=http://www.pas.gov.on.ca/scripts/en/BoardDetails.asp?boardID=1287| last=Public Appointments Secretariat| title=Ministries and Agencies > Agencies > Agency Details| publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario| access-date=20 August 2009}}</ref> Since appointments to the Order of Ontario rely in part on ministerial [[Advice (constitutional)|advice]], records of such proceedings are not publicly revealed, as affirmed in court proceedings undertaken in 2002 by an individual who had been mistakenly informed that she had been appointed to the order.<ref name=MCI2 /> Posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after their name was submitted to the Honours and Awards Secretariat can still be retroactively made a Member of the Order of Ontario. The lieutenant governor, ''[[List of Latin phrases: E#ex officio|ex officio]]'' a member and the Chancellor of the Order of Ontario,<ref name=PAS /> then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an [[Order in Council]] that bears the [[Royal sign-manual|viceroyal sign-manual]]; thereafter, the new members are entitled to use the [[post-nominal letters]] ''OOnt''.

==Insignia==
[[File:Order of Ontario.jpg|thumb|The full-size insignia of the Order of Ontario, along with a miniature medal and [[lapel pin]]s]]

Upon admission into the Order of Ontario, new members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a [[gold]] medallion in the form of a stylized [[Trillium grandiflorum|trillium]], the official provincial flower. The obverse is white [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]] with gold edging, bearing at its centre the [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] of the [[Coat of arms of Ontario|arms of Ontario]], all surmounted by a [[St. Edward's Crown|St Edward's Crown]] symbolizing the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian monarch]]'s role as the [[fount of honour]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hon/nat-honour-honneur/index-eng.htm| last=Royal Canadian Mounted Police| title=Honours and Recognition Programs > Canadian National Honours| publisher=[[Queen's Printer for Canada]]| access-date=20 May 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323114038/http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hon/nat-honour-honneur/index-eng.htm| archive-date=23 March 2009}}</ref> The name of the member is engraved on the reverse, along with the date of their investiture.<ref name=OOnt /> The order's ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in red, green, white, and gold, reflecting the colours within the provincial coat of arms. The insignia is worn suspended from this ribbon at the collar; women may carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members also receive two lapel pins that can be worn during less formal occasions, and an official certificate.<ref name=CE />

To mark the 30th anniversary of the first investiture of the Order of Ontario, a collar featuring the insignia of the order and symbols of Canada and Ontario was unveiled for the use of the Lieutenant Governor as Chancellor of the Order of Ontario.

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
* [[Symbols of Ontario]]
* [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the Canadian provinces]]
* [[Canadian honours order of wearing]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=McCreery |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher McCreery |date=2015 |title=The Canadian Honours System |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-4597-2415-0 |edition=2}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* {{official|https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario}}

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order of Ontario}}
[[Category:Provincial and territorial orders of Canada|Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario|*]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Ontario awards]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1986]]