HOW WAS INDUSTRIALIZATION
CHANGING DAILY
LIFE?
How do you use technology in your life? You may be so used to the
technology in your life that you are not even aware of it. For example,
consider how you get ready for school each day. How does technology
help? You wash with hot water from a water heater, get dressed in clothes
that were most likely made in a factory, use electricity to make your
breakfast, and pack a lunch with food that was harvested and transported
using machines. Technology makes all of this possible. What changes in
technology affected the lives of Canadians at the turn of the 20th century?
The period from 1890 to 1905 was significant in the history of
industrialization in Canada. Industrialization is a process in which
technology and machinery replace the bulk
of traditional manual labour tasks. Before
industrialization, people had produced
goods by hand. During the industrialization
period, newly invented machines were being
used in factories to produce goods more
quickly and at a lower cost. For example,
previously, one carpenter would have
made a chair from start to finish. In the
new industrialized model, several people
using machines would each make a part of
the chair.
Examine Figure 5.1, which is a photo of
a water fountain in Toronto. Many homes
did not yet have indoor plumbing. How do
you think a public water fountain would
affect the daily lives of people living in
those homes?
industrialization a
process in which machines
replace manual labour as
the dominant method of
production
CHANGES IN FARM LIFE
Before industrialization, farm life required very hard work with basic tools.
New farm machines that were available in the late 1800s were usually too
expensive for people living on small, family-run farms to buy. Examine
Figure 5.2, which shows a farmer using horses and technology to do work
that had previously been done by hand. What would be the advantages and
disadvantages of using these new technologies?
Owners of large farms could afford to buy new machines that would
enable them to work more land. Since owners of smaller farms could not
afford the new machinery, they could not compete and struggled financially.
In an attempt to improve their financial situation, many moved to cities
to find work. This trend of moving away from the countryside occurred
across Canada. Read the excerpt in Figure 5.3, which describes what was
happening to many farming families. How are the farmers’ perspectives
revealed in this article?
“Farming districts are becoming depopulated in many places,
and both young men and young women would almost do anything rather
than stay on the farm. It is well known that the greater number of those
who abandon the land do not better their condition. But the failure of
so many who leave the farms to seek their fortunes does not act as a
warning to the young people of the rural districts [the countryside]. They
are becoming more and more impatient [with] what they consider the
dull life and the hard work of the farm, and are continually on the look out
for some opening in the cities of their own or other countries.”
FIGURE 5.1 This photo was taken in 1899 and shows
a boy using a water fountain on Spadina Avenue in
Toronto. Analyze: In addition to the water fountain,
what other signs of technology can you see in
this photo?
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UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914
FIGURE 5.2 This image was part
of an early 1900s advertisement
for a Canadian farm equipment
company. It shows a farmer using
new technology to harvest wheat.
Analyze: Aside from the new farm
equipment, what skills would be
required to accomplish this task?
FIGURE 5.3 This is an excerpt from
a news article in the Victoria Daily
Colonist, published February 12,
1891. Analyze: Why do you think
this article says that many young
people do not find a better life in
the cities?
— Victoria Daily Colonist
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CHAPTER 5: Canada’s Industrial Age: 1890–1905
141
CHANGES IN CITY LIFE
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Montréal was the largest city in Canada in
1901, with a population of 267 730. Toronto’s
population was close behind, with 208 040
people. Within 10 years, the population of
Montréal increased dramatically to 490 504.
Smaller Canadian cities also experienced
rapid growth. Ottawa’s population grew
47 percent in the same decade, to reach
87 000. Examine Figure 5.4, which shows a
street scene in Ottawa. What features do you
see in this photo that might have attracted
people to city life?
Industrialization caused important changes in the economic status (the
income or financial well-being) of different groups in society. Factories
and machinery lowered the cost of manufacturing goods, so profits rose.
However, building the factories and buying the machines required a lot
of money before any profits could be made. This meant it was easier for
wealthy people to take advantage of the advances in technology. In addition,
there were no laws about a minimum amount employees had to be paid.
5.6 In this passage from
Business owners became wealthier as a result, while the economic situation FIGURE
his 1897 book, The City Below the
of their employees often did not improve, or got worse.
Hill, Ames describes a workingWealthy people lived mainly in cities where their businesses were located. class neighbourhood of Montréal.
Analyze: What can you conclude
They had large homes and hosted elaborate parties. Many wealthy people
from this description about the
had a second residence where they would spend their holidays.
living conditions of the working
class in Montréal?
Life for the people who worked in factories, in offices,
and in the homes of the wealthy was less pleasant than that
of their employers. People from the working class made an
“[Griffintown] is thickly
average wage of $32 per month at a time when the cost of
sprinkled with [industrial chimneys]
living for a typical family of five was $48 per month. Read the
and the air hangs heavy with their
quote in Figure 5.6. It was written by Herbert Brown Ames,
smoke ... [the plumbing] is a disgrace
a Montréal businessperson and politician. Ames conducted
to any nineteenth century city on this
or any other continent. I presume there
a study of poverty in the Montréal neighbourhood of
is hardly a house in all the [wealthy
Griffintown and wrote a book about his findings. How does
neighbourhood] without modern
the situation of the families he studied contrast with the
plumbing
... In Griffintown only one
lives of wealthy people?
home in four is suitably equipped.”
Figure 5.7A shows a home in a working-class district
of Montréal. Figure 5.7B shows the home of a wealthy
— Herbert Brown Ames, businessperson
Montréal business owner. What can you learn about the
and politician
daily living conditions of the families living in these homes?
IMMIGRATION
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UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914
FIGURE 5.4 This photo taken in 1898 shows
Rideau Street in Ottawa. Analyze: What forms of
transportation do you see in this photo?
Canadian Population Trends,
Canadian Population Trends, 1891–1911
1891–1911
2 000 000
1 800 000
1 600 000
A
1 400 000
Population
The movement of people from farms to the
cities was not the only reason the urban
population was increasing. Before the 1850s,
most new immigrants began their lives in
Canada as farmers.
During the industrialization period, some immigrants
still sought land to farm, especially in the Prairies. Many,
however, moved to industrial cities to find work in
manufacturing or service industries (such as working in
shops or restaurants). While many of these urban workers
hoped to make enough money in the cities to buy farmland,
others wanted either to find ways of making a good
living in the city or to return to their home country with
their savings.
In this period, the majority of immigrants came to
Canada from Britain, the United States, and some countries
in Europe. Europe was overcrowded, and there was neither
enough farmland nor industrial jobs available for everyone.
In some countries, minorities were mistreated, and they
hoped to move to a country where they could live in peace
and security. For most of the 1800s, European immigrants
hoping to improve their lives moved to the United States.
After 1890, most of the available farmland there had already
been taken up by settlers. Canada advertised relatively
cheap farmland. Its industrial cities offered wage-paying
jobs, and its lumber and mining industries needed labourers.
Close to 2 million immigrants came to Canada between
1891 and 1911. Examine Figure 5.5, which shows trends
in the Canadian population during this period. What does
the graph tell you about where immigrants were settling?
How do you think this trend in immigration affected
Canadian cities?
B
1 200 000
1 000 000
800 000
600 000
400 000
200 000
0
Increase in rural
population
Increase in urban
population
Population trends
FIGURE 5.5 This graph shows the changes in
population between 1891 and 1911 and where in Canada
people settled. Analyze: Based on this graph, what is
the most significant change in Canada’s population?
NEL
FIGURE 5.7 (A) This 1903 photo shows housing in a working-class neighbourhood of
Montréal near the factories. (B) This 1901 photo shows the home of businessperson
Charles Hosmer, located on the outskirts of Montréal. Analyze: What are the most
striking features of each home?
NEL
CHAPTER 5: Canada’s Industrial Age: 1890–1905
143
BICYCLES
CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION
What impact
has the automobile had
on where people work
and live today?
Bicycles were an important method of transportation in the 1890s, and they
grew in popularity as bicycle technology improved. The new bicycles had
two wheels of equal size, making them easier and safer to ride.
A bicycle craze broke out in Canadian cities, particularly among women.
They were able to travel with greater ease and independence. Cycling also
influenced how women dressed, with the introduction of shorter skirts
and split skirts. In what other ways do you think the availability of bicycles
would ease the daily lives of many women?
In factory areas such as Griffintown in Montréal and the Distillery District
in Toronto, workers lived in crowded housing near the factory buildings.
There was not enough housing close to factories for all of the workers, so
working-class districts expanded. Workers living farther away from the
factories needed transportation to get to work.
Gas-powered automobiles like the LeRoy were available for purchase by
the early 1900s, but very few people could afford to buy one. The price of
the Canadian-made LeRoy in 1903 was $650. The average Canadian yearly
income of male and female production workers in 1905 was $375. Most
people had to use other means of transportation developing at that time.
HISTORY AT WORK
ELECTRIC STREETCARS
FIGURE 5.8 In this 1892 photo,
electric streetcar tracks are being
installed in Toronto. This is the
same intersection depicted in
the painting by Frederic Marlett
Bell-Smith on the chapter opener
image. Analyze: What challenges
in daily life do you think the city
residents may have faced during
the construction phase of this new
transportation system?
Between 1880 and 1900, large cities in Canada adopted new transportation
methods to move people around. These included replacing horse-drawn
streetcars with electric streetcars. Improved transportation systems meant
that people could get around more easily and live farther from where
they worked. This caused the cities to spread out. Examine the photo in
Figure 5.8, which shows the installation of many electric streetcar tracks in
Toronto. How do you think the availability of new electric streetcars would
change the lives of city residents?
HERITAGE CONSULTANT
Have you ever seen an old and
crumbling historic building? How do
people restore it back to its original
glory? Donald Luxton (Figure 5.9A)
is a heritage consultant. He has built a
career conserving and restoring historic
sites in Canada. How did Luxton
become a heritage consultant? He
began with two university degrees: one
in art history and one in architecture.
He also volunteered, did research,
gave talks, and led historical walking tours. Luxton
believes history is vital to understanding who we are.
He says, “Every one of us has a significant history,
and, collectively, that is what defines us as people,
communities, and a country.”
FIGURE 5.9 (A) Donald Luxton (B) Flack Block building in
Vancouver, British Columbia
B
One example of Luxton’s restoration
work is the Flack Block (Figure 5.9B).
The Flack Block is a four-storey
building constructed around 1900 in
Vancouver, British Columbia. It was
built by Thomas Flack, who had made
a fortune in the Klondike gold rush.
At that time, it was one of the largest
buildings in Vancouver. By the end of
the 1900s, the Flack Block building was
in poor shape, so Luxton and his team
had a lot of restoration work to do.
There are many steps involved in conserving and
restoring historic sites: research, analysis of the
site, making conservation plans, and working with
the city or town where the site is located. Luxton
also works with many different people, such as
archivists, museum curators, architects, engineers,
archaeologists, and construction workers.
Heritage BC has an annual awards program that
recognizes significant contributions toward heritage
conservation. In 2010, Luxton and his associates
were awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award
for the Flack Block restoration.
A
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1.Choose a historic site that was restored in your
city, town, or province. Research its history and find
information about its restoration. Share what you
learn with a classmate.
2.What skills do you have that could contribute to
restoring a historic site?
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UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914
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CHAPTER 5: Canada’s Industrial Age: 1890–1905
145
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
CHANGING CHILDHOOD
Between 1890 and 1905, there was great variation in the
daily lives of children in Canada. Some children attended
school, while others worked on their family farms or in
factories, and still others did a combination of all three.
A child’s life was largely determined by the economic status
of his or her family. During most of the 1800s, children
were considered to be young adults by the age of 13. In
working-class families, they had to begin helping to support
the family early in life. By the age of 10, most boys and girls
in urban areas had left school to work, some of them in
factories and others as servants in people’s homes. Some
children worked on the city streets delivering newspapers,
shining shoes, or running errands. Look again at the
chapter opener image. What type of work do you see some
children doing?
Examine Figure 5.10, which shows a boy selling newspapers to earn a
living in Montréal. The minimum working age in Québec at this time was
13, but the law did not apply to newspaper vendors. How do you think this
child’s daily life might be different from the daily life of a child who did not
have to work?
FIGURE 5.10 In this 1905 photo, a
boy sells newspapers in Montréal.
Analyze: How do you think this
child may have felt about having to
work at this age?
Class sizes were quite large compared to today’s standards.
In Ontario, the average class size was 70 students for every
teacher. Many Canadian cities had schools similar in size to
modern-day schools. This was because the cities had larger
populations with sufficient numbers of students to attend. By
contrast, rural communities had much smaller schools. Many
rural schoolhouses had one room, with students from all
grades taught by one teacher. Some one-room schoolhouses
could accommodate large numbers of students from the
surrounding countryside. Others served just a few students.
Read Figure 5.11, which describes the first schoolhouse built
in Leduc, Alberta. How do you think the number of students
attending class would affect students’ learning?
The photos in Figure 5.12A and Figure 5.12B show a
country school and a city school in a similar time period.
How similar or different do you think daily school life would
have been for children in the city and the country?
A
“In 1900 when there were six
school-age children in the area, a school
district was formed. Logs were hauled
in and a small building was erected,
and that fall a high school student from
Edmonton was installed as teacher…. In
1901 we had a four month term and also
in 1902, each with a different teacher.”
— Maisie Emery Cook, student
FIGURE 5.11 This passage is from a memoir Cook wrote
in 1968. She was a student in Leduc, Alberta, when
the first schoolhouse was built. Analyze: How does
Cook’s experience compare to your own experience of
elementary school?
B
LAWS FOR CHILDREN
By the end of the 1800s, common attitudes about children were changing.
Many people in the middle class began to see childhood as a time for
education and play, and they no longer saw children as young adults. Laws
were passed that prevented children from participating in activities now
considered to be part of the adult world. Child labour was discouraged.
Children were banned from entering saloons, pool rooms, and dance halls.
They were no longer allowed to beg or perform on the street. Parliament
passed legislation in 1892 that allowed the provinces to create separate
courts for children up to the age of 16 who had been accused of a crime.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Problems associated with immigration, industrialization, and urbanization
were becoming more apparent. There was a growing sense that schools
were needed to educate all children to meet the challenges of adulthood.
Like today, in the late 1800s provincial governments controlled education.
For example, in 1871, the Ontario government made it mandatory for
children to attend elementary school for a few months a year. By 1900,
elementary school was mandatory in all provinces except for Québec.
Despite the new laws, only the children of wealthy families were able
to attend school for long periods of time. In 1911, 40 percent of Canadian
children aged 5 to 9, and 50 percent of children aged 10 to 19, were attending
school. Children in rural areas would attend school seasonally, outside of
busy planting and harvest times.
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UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914
FIGURE 5.12 (A) This 1896 photo shows a school in Renfrew County, Ontario. (B) This 1905
photo shows a school in Pembroke, Ontario. Analyze: What similarities and differences can
you see between these two schools?
How does this
situation compare
to the experience of
First Nations children in
residential schools?
NEL
CHECK-IN
1. CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE Why were people moving
to the cities? What impact did this have on
Canada’s population?
2. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE How is transportation
in Canadian cities today similar to what it was
around 1905? How is it different?
NEL
3. INTERPRET AND ANALYZE Looking back at the
sources in this section, what were some of the
similarities and differences between the lives
of wealthy people and working-class people at
this time?
CHAPTER 5: Canada’s Industrial Age: 1890–1905
147