Société historique
du
Canada
ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM
THE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO
The Archivesof Ontario: A Response
The Springédition of the Bulletin carried an essay critical of archivai policy regarding the préservationof Land Registry Officerecords.
What folloïvs is a responseby theArchivesof Ontario.
PréservationofLandRegistryOffice records has been acomplex
and difficultissue for both theArchives of Ontario and the héritage communityin theprovincestretchingback some two décades. The
coopération shown byail partieshasled to a positive environment which will ensure the préservation ofail key information at land
registry offices.
The Archives of Ontario has committed itself to the préservation
of ailLROinformation up to 1955 in two formats: one paperand
one microfilm format for each record sériés. The paper formats
selected will be those offering the most intensive informational
content in the best physical condition (usually the copybooks of registrations prepared and authenticated at the time instruments
and deedswere registered). Préservation ofmicrofilm, asthe doc umentof record under currentlégislation,has been undertaken by the Real Property Registration Branch of the Ministry of Consumerand Commercial Relations, withthe ongoing technical
input ofboth theArchives of Ontarioand the Genealogical Society of Utah.
To ensure préservation of ail key information, the Archives of
Ontario hastaken the following steps:
• Ithas received into itsholdingsail pre-1868 instruments
and deeds(some 1,000cubicfeetof records);
• It will be preserving ail copybooks of registrations (1790-1955) either at the Archives of Ontario or in suitable local repositories on long-termloan. Currently, there are more than 15,000 volumesof such copybooks; • Inthe few instanceswhere copybooks hâvenot survived,
it will be taking ailregistered individual instrumentsand
deeds from 1868 to 1955;
• Through aplacement plan negotiatedwithAPOLROD (Association for the Préservationof Ontario Land
RegistryOffice documents), the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relationsand theArchives of Ontario, the Archives willreceivefor préservationailnon-standard
paper registrationsnot required by the land registry
offices foroperational purposes. Itwill also microfilm
these where resourcesallowand will place microfilm copies of the documents locally;
• Ailparties involved hâve agreed to préservation atland
registry offices of any instrumentor deed with
attached mapsand plans;
• The Archivesof Ontario hasreviewed and inspected ail
pre-confederation maps and surveyplansat land
registryoffices, and has beguna process by which to receive those consideredof historicalvalue;
• TheArchives ofOntario,underthe APOLROD
inventoryprocess, will also take intoits custody for préservationailregularsériés of post-1867instruments and deedswhere significantquantities of non-standard registrations hâve been noted as intermixed throughout suchsériés.
The Archives of Ontario has begun reviewing completed APOLROD inventories in order to identifyand designate those records of provincial significance for long-term préservation by
the archives ofOntario. Provincial héritage organizations hâve been asked to provide input on this process to the Archives of Ontario, and to assist in the localplacement ofrecords deemed
non-operational by land registry offices and not of provincial significance bythe Archives ofOntario. Copies of inventories
completedby APOLROD areavailablein the Archives of Ontario
main readingroomforpublicreviewand examination.
Copies of the document entitled“APlan forOntario’s Pre-1955
Land Registration Records: Joint Approach to Préservation and
PlacementByArchives of Ontario and Real Property Registration
Branch, Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations” (June 1997) are available by writing: Richard Ramsey, Archives of Ontario, 77 Grenville Street, Unit 300, M5S 1B3, or by telephoning (416) 327-1539.
