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.
^Gates, Lillian F. (1982).
"Price, James Hervey". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. (entry says 20 April 1848 – 27 October 1851)
Richard S. Lambert; Paul Pross (1967). Renewing Nature's Wealth : A Centennial History of the Public Management of Lands, Forests & Wildlife in Ontario, 1763–1967. Toronto: Department of Lands and Forests.
OCLC422118943.