Commissioner of Crown Lands (Province of Canada)
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The Commissioner of Crown Lands was a member of the Executive Council for the Province of Canada responsible for administering the surveying and sale of Crown land, the forests, mines, and fisheries of the Province. From 1841 to 1867 the Department of Crown Lands was the biggest of the Province of Canada's departments. It assumed responsibility for mining in 1846, for fisheries in 1857, and for Indian Affairs in 1860. It functioned on a dual basis, with each branch divided into two separate sections, one for Upper Canada and one for Lower Canada.[1] After Canadian Confederation in 1867, responsibility for provincial crown land and for natural resources was assigned to the provinces (Ontario and Quebec) while responsibility for fisheries and Indian Affairs were transferred to the new federal government.
| Period | Commissioner[2] | |
|---|---|---|
| 1827–1841 | Upper Canada |
|
| Lower Canada |
| |
| 1841–1867 | Province of Canada |
|
- Assistant Commissioners of Crown Lands for the Province of Canada[5]
- Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier, 19 August 1841, to 30 April 1850.
- Andrew Russell, 18 July 1857, to 30 June 1867.[6]
Surveyor General of Upper Canada 1792-1827
Holders were a mix of politicians with Bouchette and Holland with surveying experience.
- Damuel Johannesburg Holland 1791-1798 - had been in same role for British North America 1764-1791
- Sir David William Smith, 1st Baronet 1798-1804 - acting deputy surveyor general 1792
- Thomas Ridout 1804-1805 (interim with William Chewett), 1807-1829
- Charles Burton Wyatt 1804-1807
- Joseph Bouchette 1805-1807 who was also in same role for British North America from 1804 to 1839 and for Lower Canada from 1801 to 1829