User:HumberPark/sandbox: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

Finished writing a draft article? Are you ready to request review of it by an experienced editor for possible inclusion in Wikipedia? Submit your draft for review!

Award

White Owl Conservation Awards
Awarded for	greatest contribution to the preservation of the Canadian environment
Sponsored by	General Cigar Co., a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco
Country	Canada
Presented by	government minister or senator
Rewards	varied by year and recipient
First award	1968
Final award	1975, then as the Imperial Tobacco Environment Awards in 1976 only

The White Owl Conservation Awards were established in 1968. Initially, a single award was given annually to the person or group (among those nominated) that was considered to have made the greatest contribution to the preservation of Canada’s natural environment. The award could be shared by two persons or groups. Later, separate prizes were given annually for individuals and groups. A system of grants for worthy environmental projects was introduced in 1970.

The awards and grants were discontinued at the end of 1976 due to controversy over their sponsor. The original sponsor of the programme was the General Cigar Company of Montréal, Québec, maker of the White Owl brand of cigars. In late 1973, sponsorship was assumed by Imperial Tobacco, of which General Cigar was a subsidiary.

• 1968–1970: “doing the most for the preservation of the Canadian environment”
• 1971–1972: “outstanding contribution to the preservation of the Canadian environment”
• 1973: : “outstanding contribution to the ecology of Canada”

1968 “considered to have contributed [the] most toward conservation in Canada”
Hugh Best, “The Sportsman”, Brandon Sun, March 15, 1968, p. 7.

1970 “contributed the most to the preservation of the Canadian environment”
NB General Cigar Co.
“White Owl Awards: People want pollution stopped not advertisement – cigar head, Brandon Sun, May 25, 1971, p. 5

1971 General Cigar Co.
“GRant restores wild rice area near Kenora”, Brandon Sun, Sep 22, 1971. p.25.

1971 “outstanding contribution to the preservation of the Canadian environment”
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2982565?docsearchtext=outstanding

1973 “outstanding contributions to the ecology of Canada in 1973”
“Awards for conservation can be obtained now”, Brandon Sun, Mar 24, 1973, p. 3.

1975 $35 000 in grants up to $2500 each, Imperial Tobacco, awards $10 000 & $3000
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2944374?docsearchtext=owl

According to the Inflation Calculator on the web-site of the Bank of Canada

https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/
$1000
1968 $8700.00
1969 $8306.53
1970 $8102.94
1971 $7797.17
1972 7412.56
1973 6830.58
1974 6099.63
1975 5546.98
1976 5214.51

The first White Owl Conservation Award was a single honour, comprising a trophy and $5000, presented to the individual or organization considered by an independent panel of judges (the Awards Committee) “to have contributed the most to conservation in Canada“. Nominations for the first award opened in March 1968 and it was presented the following December. These first candidates could be proposed only by members of the Outdoor Writers Association of Canada. Starting in 1969, nominations could be made by the general public in Canada.^[1][2][3][4]Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).

In 1970, the criteria for the award was changed to the nominee considered “to have contributed the most to anti-pollution and preservation of the environment in Canada“. In April 1970, the availability of grants of up to $2500 were announced for conservation and anti-pollution projects with “immediate need“ being a key criteria.^[5][6]

In 1971, the amount of the award was doubled to $10 000, the specific reference to anti-pollution work was dropped from the criteria, and the amount per grant was set at $1000 to $2500.^[7]

During 1971, the critera for the award was shifted to “the most outstanding contribution“ . . . .

,

Initially, four grants were made per year. Starting January 1974, the intention was to issue grants “on a near-monthly basis“.
with grants under $1000 introduced in 1974.

when the declared intention

it was announced “Grants of up to $2,500 will be distributed on a near-monthly basis throughout 1974.“ (See ###### table below.)

–^[8]
– ^[9]

Imperial Tobacco assumed the sponsorship of the awards in by November 1973
“Un groupe de 800 jeunes a sauvé un sanctuaire naturel de la destruction”, La Presse (Montréal), Nov 17, 1973, p. B2.

The name of the White Owl Conservation Awards programme has been changed to the Imperial Tobacco Environmental Awards to better reflect the corporate nature of the programme and the increasingly wider range of the eligible activities for which awards are granted.
^[10]

Annual amounts available for grants
^[11]

– 1971 – $8000 grants – $10 000 prix
Don Thomas, “Herald Outdoors”, Calgary Herald, Feb 26, 1971, p. 33.

|-
| colspan=”5″ |† Note: There was a maximum total for the grants each year: 1970 – less than $8000, 1971 – $8000,^[A]

– 1975 – $35 000 in grants – $10 000 group, $3000 individual
– 1976 – $35 000 in grants – $10 000 group, $3000 individual

“mon oeil sur Montréal: Encouragement à la conservation”, La Presse (Montréal), Feb 10, 1975, p. A9.

“mon oeil sur Montréal: Programme Imperial Tobacco”, La Presse (Montréal), Mar 12, 1976, p. D2.

Summary of the White Owl Conservation Awards and Grants, 1968-1976
Year	Annual Prize(s)			Grants available for Projects	Ref.
	Person or Group		TV Commercial
1968	$5000		—	—	[12]
1969	$5000		—	—	Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).
1970	$5000		—	– Up to $2500 each.	[13]
1971	$10 000		$1000/$300/$100	– From $1000 to $2500 each.[B]	[15][16]
	Group	Person
1972	$10 000	$2000	$1000/$300/$100	– From $1000 to $2500 each.	[17]
1973	$10 000	$2000	—	– From $1000 to $2500 each.	[18]
1974	$10 000	$2000	—	– Up to $2500 each.	[19]
1975	$10 000	$3000	—	– Up to $2500 each.	[20]
1976	$10 000	$3000	—	– Up to $2500 each.	[21]

The annual White Owl Conservation Awards were established in 1968 by Robert B. Alexander (born 1915 at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) an ardent conservationist and the marketing Vice-President (April 1969, President) of the General Cigar Company Ltd. The company used part of its advertising budget to sponsor the awards. In November 1967, it had introduced new packaging and collectible insert cards for the four varieties of its White Owl brand of cigars. The cards were illustrated by J. Fenwick Lansdowne, an internationally noted painter of Canadian birds.

^{[22][23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28]}

General Cigar was a subsidiary of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada Ltd. In January 1969, General Cigar was placed under Imperial Tobacco Products Ltd., in one of the three new operating divisions of a reorganized Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada. To avoid confusion, the latter company was renamed Imasco Ltd. (from Imperial Associated Companies) in September 1970.

^{[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]}

During 1973–1975, first the administration and then the operations and equipment of General Cigar were transferred in stages into the facilities of Imperial Tobacco Products Limited. The latter company was renamed Imperial Tobacco Limited-Limitée in February 1975 to comply with the new Québec Official Language Act. General Cigar’s federal charter was surrendered in 1976, and formally cancelled in March 1977. As a result, five corporate names were associated with the White Owl Awards at various times.

^{[33]
[34]
[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]}

By 1971, General Cigar was being challenged over its sponsorship of the White Owl grants and awards. These objections ultimately led to the discontinuation of the monies at the end of 1976. The company’s support for an environmental programme was regarded as incompatible with the pollution created by tobacco smoking.

Public concern regarding the sponsorship by General Cigar and Imperial Tobacco of the White Owl grants and awards were being expressed by 1971.^[23] These objections led to the discontinuation of the monies at the end of 1976. The pollution created by tobacco smoking was regarded as incompatible with support for an environmental programme.

Objections to the sponsorship by General Cigar and Imperial Tobacco of the grants and awards led to their discontinuation at the end of 1976. The pollution created by tobacco smoking was regarded as incompatible with support for an environmental programme.

^{[23]
[39]
[40]
[41]}

Recipients of the White Owl Conservation Award(s), 1968–1975
Year	Recipient(s)	Trophy & Prize	Presenter
1968	Albion Hills Conservation School, northwest of Toronto, Ontario: for “its educational programs for a wide variety of youth and student groups[C] in many aspects of conservation and the outdoor environment.[D] … Its seven day a week programs are so successful that they are booked one year in advance.“[42] The judges hoped that the selection of the Albion Hills School would “encourage the establishment of more such facilities.“ for the betterment of children and adults everywhere in Canada.[43]	$5000	Jean Chrétien [E]
1969	John R. Heron, author, Royal Bank of Canada‘s monthly newsletter: for using the publication since 1946 to promote conservation to its 700 000 readers (in 1969) and for publishing two booklets on the conservation of flora and fauna. B.C. Wildlife Federation: for creating “public awareness of the need to accommodate outdoor recreational values“ and inserting “a conservation viewpoint into the decision making process“ regarding the development and management of the province’s natural resources.[44][45][46]	$5000 shared	Alan Macnaughton [F]
1970	Pollution Probe (founded 1969 at the University of Toronto): for raising public awareness of the problem of phosphates in detergents and for being a key player in getting Ontario to ban the insecticide DDT.[47][48]	$5000	Jean Chrétien
1971	Tony LeSauteur, conservationist and director of the Fédération québécoise de la faune (Quebec Wildlife Federation): for numerous contributions, including the development of a widely used method of stocking lakes with fish, the establishment of 50 local lake associations to prevent pollution, and his work to restore the shoreline and islands of the St. Lawrence River as public parklands. LeSauteur was a very active and vocal opponent of water pollution, notably industrial pollution in the Ottawa River and untreated sewage from the City of Montreal. He was described as “the ranking water pollution expert in Montreal and maybe Quebec“.	$10 000	Victor Goldbloom [G]
	Competition among post-secondary educational institutions for the production of a television commercial promoting conservation:
1972	Canadian Wildlife Federation: for its education programme, its submissions to the government on proposed environmental legislation, and its contribution to the creation of the Canadian Arctic Resources Commission.	Group $10 000	Jean Chrétien
	Dr. Fred Knelman of Sir George Williams University: for raising public awareness of key environmental issues and representing Canada at international environmental meetings.	Person $2000
	Competition among post-secondary educational institutions for the production of a television commercial promoting conservation:
1973	Students’ Park Fund: for raising money to purchase parkland in the Hamilton, Ontario, area of the Niagara Escarpment for the creation of a nature park by the local conservation authority in lieu of commercial development. National and Provincial Parks Association: for its successful opposition to the residential and commercial development of the Lake Louise area in the Alberta Rockies.	Group $10 000 shared	Maurice Lamontagne [H]
	Dr. Donald Chant, Chair of the Department of Zoology at the University of Toronto, outspoken environmentalist, a founder of Pollution Probe (1969), the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, and the Canadian Environmental Law Research Foundation: for crystallizing public opinion on the need for genuine action on environmental problems.[59][60][61]	Person $2000
1974	Canadian Environmental Law Research Foundation: for its efforts to enforce environmental laws through the courts and for its book Environment on Trial: A Citizen’s Guide to Ontario Environmental Law.	Group $10 000	Jeanne Sauvé [I]
	Jack O’Dette: for “an estimated 22,000 hours of conservation work“ as a founder of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and a longtime officer of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.[62][63]	Person $2000
1975	Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, comprising scientists, sociologists, lawyers, engineers, business people, and indigenous people: for its work to ensure that development projects in the Arctic are fully studied before being implemented.	Group $10 000	George Albert Kerr [J]
	Anthony Barrett, a founder of Pollution Probe (1969) and an environmental consultant: for his efforts to increase public awareness of environmentally destructive activities in Canada.[64][65]	Person $3000
Recipients of the Imperial Tobacco Environment Awards, 1976
Year	Recipient(s)		Trophy & Prize
1976	Energy Probe: for its participation in the development of a Canadian energy policy that maximizes the use of renewable sources.[66][67][68][69][70]		Group $10 000
	Gary Gallon, director of the Canadian Scientific Pollution and Environmental Control Society in Vancouver: for his strong advocacy for the prevention and elimination of petroleum pollution in marine environments.[71] Douglas Pimlott, professor at the University of Toronto, member of the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, vocal opponent of the drilling for oil and gas in Canada’s Arctic waters.[72]		Person $3000 shared
Notes: †

Grants by the White Owl Conservation Award Committee for projects, 1970–1976
(List of recipients is not comprehensive as it is derived from reports in print media.)
Year	Recipient(s)	Amount
1970	Pollution Probe of Toronto, Ontario: to finance its Summer Project ’70 in which a group of university students studied water pollution in Ontario’s resort areas and held discussion groups with seasonal residents regarding means of reducing such pollution.[73]	$2000
	Society for Pollution and Environmental Control (SPEC) of Vancouver, British Columbia: for its anti-pollution projects, including an “Ecology Caravan” travelling around BC to publicize the need for immediate action on pollution, equipment for a laboratory to test air and water, and sound metering equipment.[74]	$2500
	Society to Overcome Pollution (STOP) of Montreal, Quebec: to defray its office expenses.[75]	$1000
	Conseil québécois de l’environnement (Quebec Council on the Environment): to publish an information bulletin. The initial purpose of the newly formed group (November 1970) was to co-ordinate conservation information, publicity, and activities among Quebec businesses, industries, and citizen-led conservation organizations. However, due to the dominance of corporations on the Council, it was immediately boycotted by the principal conservation groups in the province and evolved into an advisory committee of scientists and engineers.[75][76][77][78][79]	$1000
	The White Owl Committee sponsored and hosted an Anti-Pollution Conference in the Laurentians at Lac-Écho, north of Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, July 31 and August 1–2, for anti-pollution organizations from across Canada. Robert Alexander, President of General Cigar Co. and founder of the White Owl Conservation Award, was personally involved in the promotion of the event. The conference resulted in the adoption of The Canadian Association on Human Environment (incorporated federally April 1970) as a national co-ordinating office for the groups. The Association was dissolved in September 1975.[80][81][82][83][84][85][86]
1971	Algonquin Wildlands League: to support its campaign against further logging in Quetico Provincial Park. (Noted as being the first grant in 1971.)[87][88]	$1300
	Douglas Pimlott, professor of forestry and zoology at the University of Toronto: to finance “a cross-Canada study of environmental quality“.[89][90]	$2500
	Ojibwe youth of the Rat Portage Reserve near Kenora, Ontario: to establish a wild rice paddy in a ravine near Lake of the Woods.[91]	$1500
	### for	$#000
	Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, formed June 1971: in support of its efforts to assess research done by government, universities, and industry on northern development.[92][93]	$2500
1972	### for	$#000
	National and Provincial Parks Association of Canada: to finance the printing of its booklet Gatineau Park: A Proposal for its Conservation and Use in which the group argued for the preservation of the park in its current semi-wilderness state.[94][Add citation to Dalhousie Archives]	$2000
	Murray Schafer, professor of communications studies at Simon Fraser University: to publish a new edition of his book The Book of Noise, which described the dangers of noise pollution.[95]	$2125
	Canadian Environmental Law Research Foundation: to set up a law advisory office at Sudbury, Ontario, to assist the public in legal fights against pollution.[56][96]	$2500
	Bruce Litteljohn, director of the Algonquin Wildlands League, former Quetico Park ranger, and opponent of logging and mining in provincial parks: to enable him “to complete an environmental survey of the Canadian shore of Lake Superior“ with the intention of publishing a photographically illustrated book of the area.[97][56][98][99][100]	$2500
1973	Comité pour la défense de la Baie James (James Bay Defence Committee) of Montreal: to enable it to hold public hearings on the ecological, social, and economic aspects of a vast hydroelectric project in the James Bay region.[101][102]	$2500
	B.C. Wildlife Federation: for the publication of a booklet promoting the establishment of provincially protected “wild rivers“, which were “to be preserved in their natural, free-flowing state.“[103][104]	$1850
	Ecology Action Centre of Halifax, Nova Scotia: for its representations to governments and public information campaigns regarding recycling, public transit, large-scale energy projects (off-shore oil drilling, oil refinery on the Strait of Canso, proposed nuclear reactor), and the provincial Environmental Protection Act.[105]	$2500
	Calgary Boy Scouts: for the production and distribution to other scout groups of a booklet promoting a revised form of their traditional camping in which nature is no longer viewed as something to be conquered.[106][107]	$2262
	Centre for Environmental Law (Le Centre d’assistance juridique pour l’environnement) of the Society to Overcome Pollution (STOP) of Montreal: to translate two of its books into French, Environment and the Law: The Citizen’s Role (as L’Environnement et la Loi) and Environment Index: Jurisprudence, Legislation, and Doctrine (as Index juridique sur l’environnement).[108][109][110][111]	$2500
1974	April – Le Centre de l’éducation sur l’environnement (Centre for Environmental Education) established by members of the Society to Overcome Pollution (STOP) of Montreal: to help the Centre complete the current year of teacher-training in environmental studies.[112][113]	$2500
	May – Alberta Wilderness Association of Calgary, Alberta: to supply high schools in the province with copies of its studies on the preservation and recreational use of wildlands in the Alberta Rockies.[114]	$2500
	June – Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon (Port-au-Saumon Ecological Centre) near the village of Saint-Fidèle-de-Mont-Murray, Québec: to subsidize the free admission for visitors to guided tours of the nature trails, which included marine fauna and flora at low tide.[115][116][117]	$700
	July – Nova Scotia Teachers College of Truro: to assist its development of a wilderness training centre comprising 600 acres of woods, fields, streams, and ponds on the bank of the Salmon River.[118]	?
	July – Natural Recovery Systems of Moncton, New Brunswick: to promote its recycling system among the residents of the city. The company operated a facility where recyclable glass containers and paper products were sorted and packed following their retrieval from a number of collection depots. In 1974, it had a proposal before the city council for curbside collection.[119][116][120]	$2500
	Canadian Committee for the International Biological Programme, Panels 9 and 10, at Edmonton, Alberta: August – to promote the Committee’s proposal to create protected ecological reserves in Canada’s Arctic ($1500). September – for the reprinting of its information booklet Arctic Ecological Reserves ($1500).[121][122][123]	$3000
	September – James Kevin O’Neil, graduate student at Macdonald College, Montréal: in support of his research into the “activity of small mammals in a woodland community.“[122]	$200
	October – Citizens United to Restore our Environment of Brockville, Ontario: to support their symposium for area municipalities and residents to discuss the problems of solid waste disposal and the implementation of recycling.[124]	$2000
	November – Raptor Research Centre at Macdonald College, Montreal: in support of its program to revive birds of prey in areas from which they have been driven out by humans.[125][126]	$2500
1975	Project Jonah Canada (formed December 1972 by Farley Mowat): for its work in preventing the killing of whales and other cetaceans. (January 1975 for 1974 programme.) [127][128][129][130]	$2500
	Dr. Michel Famelart and students of Université de Montréal: for a feasibility study to extend protected parkland status to all of the isolated mountains of the Monteregian Hills from the City of Montreal towards the City of Sherbrooke. This status would allow for the future establishment of a series of recreational trails on and between the mountains. (January 1975 for 1974 programme.) [127][130][131]	$2500
	March – Kay and Larry McKeever in the Vineland community of Lincoln, Ontario: for their care and rehabilitation of injured birds of prey.[132][133]	$2500
	???? – Yukon Conservation Society: for the publication of its illustrated newsletter about Yukon wildlife and related matters.[134]	$500
	April – Pollution Probe – Ottawa: to support their protest against recent Ontario legislation that did not impose a ban on all non-returnable soft-drink containers. An information caravan toured twelve centres in the central and eastern parts of the province, and public information campaigns were conducted elsewhere with the assistance of local groups.[135][136][137][138]	$2500
	May/June – Kindness Club of Fredericton, New Brunswick: to publish in French the club’s Golden Rules of Conservation. The focus of the group was the education of children in the humane treatment of animals.[139][140]	$500
	June – British Columbia Environmental Law Centre: for its efforts to educate the public on their environmental rights, to advise people of the legal remedies available, and to reform environmental law.[141]	$2500
	June – Comité pour la défense de la Baie James (James Bay Defence Committee) of Montreal: to enable it to research the socio-ecological effects of a proposed uranium enrichment plant in the James Bay region and to publish the results for the information of the general public.[142][143]	$2500
	July – John Devlin of Halifax, Nova Scotia: to permit him to research and confirm the historical rights of the City’s inhabitants to access the ocean via certain designated plots of land.[144]	$2300
	August – Gordon Edwards, editor (since 1970) of the ecology magazine Survival (house organ of the Survival movement) and co-founder (1975) of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: for the production and free extended distribution of special issues of Survival concerning nuclear energy. [145][146][147]	?
	August – Saskatoon Environmental Society: for the publishing of its Probe magazine to promote public awareness of, and action on, environmental issues.[148][149]	$2000
	September – Natural Recovery Systems of Moncton, New Brunswick: to assist its information campaign regarding its new curbside collection program for glass containers in the adjacent Town of Riverview so as to increase household participation. The company had distributed a dedicated plastic pail (called a “Glass Gobbler”) to each home in the community. They hoped to extend the program to Moncton itself.[150][151][152]	$2500
	September – Chinook Trail Association of Calgary, Alberta: “to build stiles and footbridges for a new hiking trail … from the Bearspaw Reservoir to Cochrane.“[150]	$400
	September – Canadian Nature Federation of Ottawa, Ontario: to defray the costs of publishing a directory of local, provincial, national, and international environmental organizations.[150]	$2500
1976	Feb – Pollution Probe of Toronto: – in support of a campaign to encourage businesses to use environmentally friendly packaging ($2500). – for a campaign to increase public interest in renewable sources of energy ($2500).[153][154][155]	$5000
	Feb – Tetra Media Productions (independent filmmakers and members of the Toronto Filmmakers’ Co-op, which provided the Post Production facilities and a contact address): for their short film A Matter of Choice: Nuclear Energy Ontario, which examined the negative environmental effects of the nuclear energy industry. (Director – Allan Goldstein, Producer – Jason Paikowsky)[156][153][157][158][159][160][161]	$2500
	March – Alberta Wilderness Association and National and Provincial Parks Association (Edmonton Chapter): to publish a study entitled The Western Swan Hills: Alberta’s Forgotten Wilderness for free distribution to Alberta and federal legislators, high-school libraries, and certain high-ranking provincial officials.[162][163]	$1250
	Mar – Les Forestiers (The Foresters), a group of young naturalists at Rivière-à-Pierre in Portneuf County: to improve the nature trails around a local lake by constructing walkways and to encourage public use via a visitor’s guide and an outdoor theatre.[164]	$400
Grants by the Imperial Tobacco Environment Programme for projects, 1976
(List of recipients is not comprehensive as it is derived from reports in print media.)
Year	Recipient(s)	Amount
1976	May – Groupe d’étude de l’autoroute 73 (Highway 73 Study Group): to publish an illustrated pamphlet regarding the environmental damage being done during the construction of the highway through the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Laurentides (fr), immediately north of Quebec City.[165]	$500
	May – Pollution Probe – Ottawa: to help fund the Community Museum of Energy Conservation at the National Museum of Science and Technology. The project featured means of reducing energy consumption as well as the use of heat pumps and renewable sources, such as solar, wind, greenhouses, and heat pumps.[166][167][168]	$2500
	June – Canadian Environmental Law Association of Toronto: to develop a draft by-law for municipalities for the protection of trees, to produce a promotional information pamphlet on the matter, and to support other actions for the preservation of urban green-spaces.[169]	$2500
	Jun – Group to Arrest Dryden-Minamata Disease, comprising residents of the native communities on the lower English and Wabigoon rivers in Northwestern Ontario: to sponsor a cross-Canada information tour on the effects of mercury pollution and poisoning.[166]	$2500
	July – Comité des Citoyens du Quartier Saint-Sauveur (Saint-Sauveur Neighbourhood Citizens’ Committee) of Quebec City: to permit them to continue their efforts to reduce local noise and air pollution by closing a transit bus garage in the disadvantaged community of the Lower Town of the City.[170]	$2500
	July – Victoria Community Video Services Society: to produce a video highlighting the problems associated with the waterways traversing the City of Victoria, British Columbia, to educate the public and enable their intervention to avoid such problems in future planning.[171]	$2500
1977	### for	$#000
	### for	$#000
	### for	$#000
	### for	$#000
	### for	$#000
(Sources: The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Executive Committee Minutes, “Staff Progress Reports”, 1965, pp. B133, B257, B384; 1966, pp. B120, B252, B392; 1967, pp. B165, B381, B597; 1968, pp. B151, B344–B345, B536; 1969, p. B512; 1970, pp. B206–207, B397, B651; 1971, p. B614; 1972, pp. B665–B666; 1973, p. B398. Authority Minutes, 1973, pp. A13a, A13b, A14a.)
Notes: †

Grants in
1970 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2716736?docsearchtext=white%20owl%20pollution%20probe
Grants in 1971
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2773913?docsearchtext=conservation%20white%20owl

The Church of the Advent in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto was founded in 1911 as a mission (satellite congregation) in the parish of the Church of St. John’s, West Toronto. Advent’s original building was a small, sheet-metal-clad, wood-framed structure at the corner of Runnymede Road and St. Clair Avenue West. The location suffered from pollution generated by the adjacent steam-engine roundhouse (opened 1912) of the Canadian Pacific Railway, as well as odours produced by nearby stockyards and abattoirs.^{[172][173][174]}

New premises on Pritchard Avenue for The Church of the Advent were built in 1914 and opened that December. Initially, the new building consisted of just a brick-walled basement with a roof. Following Advent’s elevation in January 1923 from a mission to a parish, a very basic church building was constructed that year above the structure and then upgraded over time. The basement became the church hall. The facilities of the hall were greatly extended in 1962 when a small wing at the back of the building was extended to become the bi-level “Christian Education Centre”. In 1948, a house on Delemere Avenue (across the street from that of Florence Gell) was purchased to be the parish rectory.^{[172][173][174][175][176]}

– Jonathan Michael Eayrs. (2010). At The Edge: 100 years of life at ‘The Advent’ 1911–2011. Toronto, Ontario: Church of the Advent, 2010. (ISBN 978-0-9867713-0-9)

In November 1970, Florence Gell co-hosted a second seminar on conservation education for representatives from conservation authorities and the Ontario Department of Education. It occurred over three days and had 40 attendees.^[177][178]

… (with Walter M. Tovell ^[K])

All four of the facilities were very popular and well attended. Their regular education programmes operated at capacity and were booked by area schools well in advance each year.^[189][190]

The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Executive Committee Minutes, “Staff Progress Reports”, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. 1965, pp. B133, B257, B384; 1966, pp. B120, B252, B392; 1967, pp. B165, B381, B597; 1968, pp. B151, B344–B345, B536; 1969, p. B512; 1970, pp. B206–207, B397, B651; 1971, p. B614; 1972, pp. B665–B666; 1973, p. B398.

Student attendance in regular education programmes of one-, two-, or five-day duration at Authority field centres, Albion Hills, Cold Creek, and Claremont, 1965–1973

Year	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973
Centres	1 †	1	1	2 ‡	2	3 ¶	3	3	3
Total Students	2149	2337	3026	5413	9402	10 891	10 851	14 719	12 616
5-Day	1385	1456	1666	1545	1408	2327	2757	2832	2652
2-Day	764	881	1360	1221	1468	2237	2286	2804	1973
Cold Creek 1-Day ‡	—	—	—	2647	6526	6327	5808	5889	5773
Albion Farm 1-Day †	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3194	2218
(Sources: The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Executive Committee Minutes, “Staff Progress Reports”, 1965, pp. B133, B257, B384; 1966, pp. B120, B252, B392; 1967, pp. B165, B381, B597; 1968, pp. B151, B344–B345, B536; 1969, p. B512; 1970, pp. B206–207, B397, B651; 1971, p. B614; 1972, pp. B665–B666; 1973, p. B398. Authority Minutes, 1973, pp. A13a, A13b, A14a.)
Notes: † The Albion Hills School/Field Centre had only 5-day and 2-day visits. In 1972, one-day visits were introduced only for its conservation farm facilities. ‡ The Cold Creek Field Centre opened September 9, 1968. Its visits were almost entirely 1-day trips, with a small number of 2-day camping trips. ¶ The Claremont Field Centre opened March 31, 1970, with 5-day and 2-day visits.

Mr. Chancellor, I have the honour to present Arthur Herbert Richardson, the distinguished Canadian conservationist, in order that you may confer on him the degree of Doctor of Law.

A.H. Richardson was known as “Mr. Conservation”.

In addition, Richardson was a member of the Ausable River Conservation Authority near Lake Huron. In 1957, he was the interim Chair of the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

For her extensive community and public service, Florence Gell was named York’s first Citizen of the Decade in 1978. Likewise, she received the Ontario Bicentennial Medal in 1984 and the Ontario Senior Achievement Award in 1989.^[197][198]

• Ontario Senior Achievement Award (1989);^[198]

In 1993, the Conservation Authority appointed Florence Gell as Honorary Deputy Reeve of Black Creek Village for a one-year term beginning July 1. She was also named Honorary Reeve for the subsequent year. Since 1974, these honorary officials had presided over various events and ceremonies, including the official opening of new buildings and the annual re-enactment of the militia muster. They also promoted the Village and did walkabouts among the visitors.^{[199][200][201]}

^[202]

• Honorary Deputy Reeve (1993) and then Honorary Reeve (1994) of Black Creek Village (one-year terms from July).^{[199][200][201]}

The Ontario Traffic Conference (OTC) was formed in October 1950 and received its provincial charter as a not-for-profit corporation in June 1956. It changed its name to Ontario Traffic Council in June 2010.^{[203][204][205]}

The OTC is a voluntary association of Ontario municipalities, municipal organizations (transit, planning, parking), police services, transportation services, and other organizations and people with an interest in traffic matters. The organization provides information, education, training, and symposiums on all traffic-related topics, including engineering, planning, safety, and law enforcement.^[205][206]

The OTC

The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority was established February 1, 1957, as an amalgamation of four existing authorities in the Toronto area. As was the case with its predecessors, the new regional authority was given jurisdiction over river watersheds (drainage basins) for the purpose of the conservation and restoration of the natural environment and the prevention of floods and water pollution. With the exception of the provincially appointed Chair, the members (51 in 1957) of the Toronto Conservation Authority were appointed by the participating municipalities^[N] (22 in 1957) from their residents living within the jurisdiction of the Authority.^{[207][208][209][210][211]}

In February 1957, Florence Gell was appointed to the Toronto Conservation Authority by the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. During her time (1957–1984) at the Conservation Authority, Gell served on its Information and Education Advisory Board, first as Vice-Chair (1957) and then as Chair (1967), prior to becoming the Vice-Chair (1975) and then Chair (1983) of the entire Authority. The latter two positions made her an ex officio member of all advisory boards.^[212][213]

Florence Gell’s presence on the Information and Education Advisory Board of the Conservation Authority allowed her to play an important role in the establishment and promotion of its conservation school and education field centres. The purpose of these facilities was to develop amongst children and youth an awareness of the natural environment and the need for its protection.^{[218][219][220][221]}

In 1959, while Vice-Chair of the Advisory Board, Florence Gell was Chair of its Conservation Camp School Sub-committee. This sub-committee selected the architect for the proposed Albion Hills Conservation School and approved the plans for submission to the Authority’s Executive Committee for final approval.^[222][223]

The direct inspiration for the Albion Hills School was the annual Conservation Camp School organized since 1953 by Blanche Snell,^[R] Catherine Scholes,^[S] and other staff of York Memorial Collegiate Institute (secondary school) in York Township. Authority staff instructed the students on conservation matters during the annual tenting trip. Due to limited facilities, the York Camp School comprised only one three-day session each May for one grade-nine class. During 1954–1956, plans were made in the Humber Valley Conservation Authority (amalgamated 1957) for permanent buildings at Albion Hills to permit numerous class visits to an expanded Camp School that operated all year round.^{[229][230][231][232]}

Florence Gell was a school trustee in 1953 and accompanied the class to the York Memorial Camp School.^[233] In 1956, Gell was a member of the Humber Valley Conservation Authority where the Albion Hills School was first proposed.^[234]

Following a period of fundraising for the project, construction of the Albion Hills Conservation School began in November 1962. Florence Gell continued her involvement in the project and was a frequent visitor to the site during its construction.^{[235][236][237]}

The Albion Hills Conservation School opened in September 1963 and was renamed a “Field Centre” in May 1969.^[238][239] In January 1968, the Albion Hills School received the Conservation Education Award of the Ontario Forestry Association. It was the first organization to receive this annual award since the establishment of the honour.^{[240][241][242][243]} In December 1968, the Albion School received the first White Owl Conservation Award for its work in promoting the preservation of the Canadian environment. The annual White Owl Award was sponsored by the General Cigar Company of Imperial Tobacco Canada.^[244][245]

Florence Gell became Chair of the Information and Education Advisory Board in February 1967. She was elected by acclamation upon her nomination by Charles Sauriol.^[246] This promotion made Gell an ex officio member of the Executive Committee of the Conservation Authority.^[247]

The Executive Committee appointed Florence Gell in November 1967 to a special three-person delegation to school boards to present the Authority’s plans for the establishment of conservation field centres.^[248] In December 1968, she organized and hosted (with other Authority personnel) an all-day seminar on all aspects of conservation education for 73 representatives from Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities.^[249][250] The three-person delegation to school boards was repeated with Gell in February 1977 on the subject of “planning, development, and management of outdoor and conservation education programmes”.^[251]

During Florence Gell’s tenure as Chair of the Information and Education Advisory Board (1967–1975), three additional education field centres were opened: Cold Creek in September 1968, Claremont in March 1970, and Boyd in November 1974.^{[252][253][254][255][256]} Gell served on the Management (1969 Conservation Education) Advisory Committee (1963–1973) for these facilities and was Committee Chair (1964–1969). This dedicated committee within the Advisory Board was discontinued in 1973.^[213] Gell also served (1970–1975) on the executive’s standing sub-committee for the conservation farm that was attached to the Albion Hills Field Centre.^{[257][258][259]}

Florence Gell was also active in the promotion and educational programme of the Authority’s living history museum, The Village at Black Creek, then known as Black Creek Pioneer Village.^{[260][261][262]} In May 1967, she was one of the two persons holding the rope that was cut by Ontario Premier John Robarts at the ceremonial official opening^[T] of the Village.^[264]

Florence Gell was appointed in October 1969 to an ad hoc, four-person sub-committee of the Executive Committee to study the financing of the educational programme at Black Creek Village and to request assistance in that regard from the provincial government. This sub-committee was also tasked with approaching the Ontario Minister of Tourism and Information for additional assistance in making the facility better known to tourists. This sub-committee continued to operate into 1970.^[265][266] In November 1971, Gell was one of two co-ordinators appointed by the Executive Committee to form an ad hoc committee of the Historical Sites Advisory Board for the preparation and presentation of a brief to the Minister of Education seeking financial support for the Black Creek Village education programme.^[267]

On June 21, 1985, the Conservation Authority unveiled the Florence Gell Garden on the grounds of Black Creek Village in recognition of Gell’s “remarkable contribution to conservation“. The attendees at the dedication ceremony included William Foster, Authority Chair; Alan Tonks, Mayor of the City of York; Edward Fulton, MPP and Authority member; and the Honourable Pauline Mills McGibbon, former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.^[216][268]

The Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Foundation was incorporated in April 1961 as a charitable organization to raise and hold funds in support of the work of the Conservation Authority. Its name was changed to The Conservation Foundation of Greater Toronto in June 1990.^[215][U] The impetus and first major project of the Foundation was the Albion Hills Conservation School.^[270][271]

The Authority appointed Florence Gell to the Conservation Foundation in 1973. Gell served as a Foundation Director (1973–1990), President (1985–1988), and Deputy Chair (1988–1990). She retired from the organization in October 1990.^[272][215]

Upon her retirement, Florence Gell was given the honour of Director Emeritus of the Conservation Foundation for “outstanding and long-term service“ with the organization. She was one of the first two persons^[V] to receive this honorary position, which was created in 1990.^[273]

• March 1970 — One of two Authority executives greeting the first class of students attending the Claremont Conservation Field Centre at its opening.

[

ADD to Pioneer Village:
“As Vice-chair then Chair of the ….. Florence Gell was . . .

The Authority was financed by a levy on municipal taxpayers. It could purchase and expropriate land for conservation purposes

Blanche Edgington Snell was a prominent and innovative educator ^[274] and a member of the Toronto Authority’s Camp School Sub-committee in 1959. As a paid consultant during 1962–1963, Snell prepared the preliminary operational plan for the Albion Hills School, assembled its library, and composed the first edition of the detailed pre-planning guide for teachers using the facility.^[275] She joined the school’s Management Advisory Committee in January 1964 as a non member of the Authority.^[276] The Canadian Weekly magazine of January 18th, 1964 (page 12), noted “The $200,000 Albion Hills Conservation School is the culmination of the efforts of many enthusiasts. But, most of all, it is the dream come true of Blanche Snell.”

Add note: This was the title in use at the time for the Star Weekly magazine published by the Toronto Star newspaper.

The Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Executive Committee Minutes, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. 1962. pp. B234, B333, B351. (Accessed Oct 18, 2025.)
The Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Executive Committee Minutes, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. 1963. pp. B41, B66, B148, B188, B282, B343. (Accessed Oct 18, 2025.)

A second Conservation Field Centre opened at Cold Creek in September 1968. Florence Gell…..
The third Field Centre opened at Claremont in March 1970 . . . .

1958. pp. 302–303, 527, 546–548, 551. (Accessed Aug 15, 2025)

At the time, the principal church of the parish was located at the intersection of St. John’s Road and Dundas Street West on the land now occupied by Malta Park.

, whose primary site was then located at the corner of St. John’s Road and Dundas Street

Florence Gell’s committee at The Church of the Advent raised money via its annual Victoria Day fireworks by donation canvassing, prize draws, and selling refreshments to attendees. The fireworks were purchased by the Church but handled and ignited by the York Fire Department. From 1966 to 1972, the pyrotechnic display was the main attraction of a much larger community event involving other local groups and comprising multiple activities.^{[277][278][279][280][281][282][283][284]}

The details of the event varied over the years. It typically began in the afternoon with a parade north along a major street^[W] to Smythe Park from the office (near Pritchard Ave.) of the sponsor of York’s Smythe Park baseball league for youth. This parade was followed by baseball matches^[X] and by competitions among children for the decoration of bicycles and doll carriages. The evening entertainments in Smythe Park included performances by local majorettes, Scottish dancers, square dancers, choirs, and musical groups. These community performers included the Optimist Yorkettes, York Majorettes & Fire Drill Baton, York Lions Steel Band, Clans of York Pipe Band, Optimist Lancers Drum & Bugle Corps, Centennial Irish Accordion Band, and rock bands.^{[277][278][279][280][281][282][283]}

The event was very popular. In May 1968, the Weston Times reported that “Advent’s Victoria Day celebration at Smythe Park was a huge success with over 8,000 people milling about the grounds”.^[279] The estimated attendance in 1970 was 7500.^[281]

The Advent fireworks were discontinued after 1972. At that year’s event, a spectator was killed and three others were injured when a multi-stage rocket misfired and then exploded when it landed in the crowd. From 1973 onwards, there were no public Victoria Day pyrotechnics anywhere in the Borough of York and no community Victoria Day events in Smythe Park.
^[285]

^{[286][287][288]}

The additional revenue from the fundraising allowed capital improvements to Advent’s properties: church, hall, and rectory. These improvements included the following items:

• In 1969, funds raised by the Fireworks Committee paid for new eavestroughs on the church, an external coat of paint, and the rehabilitation of the outdoor bulletin board.
• In 1971, the revenue from the fireworks was dedicated to replacing the church’s leaky roof.
• From 1973 onwards, the substantial monies raised by the annual Avenue of Boutiques were deposited in a fund for a new heating system in the church and hall, which was installed in 1976.
• Also in 1976, money raised by the sale of advertisements in the Advent Bulletin paid for new cupboards, additional carpeting, and repairs to the church bell and furnace room.
• In 1977, Bulletin revenue paid for the complete renovation of the washrooms in the hall.^[289][283]

In 1968, fundraising efforts intensified with the introduction of the Church’s first two flea markets. More work was done to raise funds via donation canvassing, prize draws, and refreshments provided for the Victoria Day fireworks. In 1970, a more elaborate bazaar, the Avenue of Boutiques

Net revenues from Bulletin and fundraising projects in The Church of the Advent, 1972–1974

Project	Flea Market	Socials	Avenue of Boutiques	Bulletin Balance	Fireworks	Total
1972 – Net Amount	$25.00	$311.49	$1751.94	not stated	$1424.13	$3512.56
Share of Total Revenue	0.15%	1.83%	10.28%	—	8.36%	20.61%
Total revenue for 1972 from all sources[Y] = $17 041.27
1973 – Net Amount	$766.75	$89.23	$2058.45	$1366.93	discontinued	$4281.36
Share of Total Revenue	4.06%	0.47%	10.90%	7.24%	—	22.66%
Total revenue for 1973 from all sources = $18 890.55
1974 – Net Amount	$462.51	$670.16	$2711.50	$637.75	—	$4481.92
Share of Total Revenue	2.01%	2.91%	11.77%	2.77%	—	19.46%
Total revenue for 1974 from all sources = $23 034.88
Note: Firework displays were discontinued after 1972 due to a change in municipal regulations.
(Source: Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives, Accession 2016-09, Box 2, Advent’s Vestry Reports for 1972, 1973, & 1974.)

Florence Ellis Gell (; ) was a
Florence Ellis Gell (; ) was a

Advent’s Avenue of Boutiques was an elaborate autumn bazaar

“Jane Park and Mount Dennis”, Weston-York Times, Nov 2, 1972, p. 10.

^[Z]

^[291]

A member since at least 1941^[AA], Florence Gell’s most active period in The Church of the Advent began in February 1967 when she joined the parish’s Advisory Board. This body, which usually met monthly, organized activities in the parish and provided assistance and recommendations to its Rector (priest-in-charge) and Churchwardens^[AB]. Gell remained on the Advisory Board until February 1989, with an eight-month gap from June 1986.^[294][295]

The Advisory Board was the operating committee of the Church’s Vestry (parish council). Florence Gell became Advent’s Vestry Clerk in January 1968. She served in the position 1968–1976, 1981–1986 (June), and 1990–1995 (July). The entire Vestry usually met once annually in late January.^[294][295]

The Board was itself divided into committees for different purposes. Florence Gell served for years as Chair of the following sub-groups: Flea Market (1968–1971+), Avenue of Boutiques (annual bazaar) (1970–1976), Fireworks (1967–1972), and Property Maintenance (1977–1981, 1983–1986, 1987–1988). She was also a member (1967–1977, 1980–1982) of the Finance Committee.^[295]

Gell was also active for many years in the production of the Advent Bulletin, the Church’s monthly communication to its members, which was reactivated in 1968. Over the 1968–1988 period, she served in a series of roles in the production of the publication: committee secretary, committee chair, business agent & advertising manager (1971/72–1986), and co-ordinator.^[295][296]

In 1967, The Church of the Advent was in financial trouble. The Church had been previously forced to make a series of cuts to the amount of its quarterly payments on the demand-note held by the bank, and necessary repairs to Church properties were being postponed. In July 1967, the Church suspended its monthly payments to the Toronto Synod, and by August it did not have sufficient funds to meet any of its regular expenses. Payments resumed later that year following an appeal to parishioners for financial support, the introduction of fees for the use of Church facilities by non-church organizations, and the receipt of a grant from the Borough of York for a Victoria Day display of fireworks the previous May.^{[297][296][298]}

In 1968, fundraising efforts intensified with the introduction of the Church’s first two flea markets. More work was also done to raise funds via the Victoria Day fireworks. In 1970, a more elaborate bazaar, the Avenue of Boutiques, replaced the autumn flea market. Florence Gell chaired the organizing committees for these events.^{[299][300][301]}

The additional revenue from the fundraising allowed capital improvements to Advent’s properties: church, hall, and rectory. In 1969, funds raised by the Fireworks Committee paid for new eavestroughs on the church, an external coat of paint, and the rehabilitation of the outdoor bulletin board. From 1973 onwards, the substantial monies raised by the annual Avenue of Boutiques were deposited in a fund for a new heating system in the church and hall, which was installed in 1976. Also in 1976, money raised by the sale of advertisements in the Advent Bulletin paid for new cupboards, additional carpeting, and repairs to the church bell and furnace room. In 1977, Bulletin revenue paid for the complete renovation of the washrooms in the hall.^[302]

Following Florence Gell’s death in 2001, The Church of the Advent set up a fund for scholastic bursaries in her memory, the first five of which were given out in 2005.^[197][AC]

^[297]

^[296]

^[294]

^[295]

, including the salary of the Rector
The previous fiscal year (ended December 31st, 1966) had a deficit of $1469, or 12% of total receipts.
In 1967, The Church of the Advent was in financial trouble. The Church had been previously forced to make a series of cuts to its quarterly mortgage payments and by 1967 was paying just $500 (plus accumulated interest) of the $1250 specified in the original agreement.

Florence Gell was a mem

As a private citizen, Florence Gell was very active in the organization of recreational activities in the Township of York. In February 1946, the Municipal Council appointed Gell to its new citizen’s Advisory Recreation Committee. This first Committee of volunteers was established by a resolution of the Council and was discontinued in January 1947. It was re-established the following May under a March by-law. Gell’s appointment to the new Committee of volunteers was rejected by the Council in a 5 to 2 vote. She was then reinstated in January 1948 by a unanimous vote. She remained a citizen-member through December 1953, after which she joined the Council itself. Elected members of the Council sat on the Committee from January 1949 onwards.^{[303][304][305][306][307]}

The purpose of the Advisory Recreation Committee was to advise and assist the Township Council and its Director of Recreation in the administration of recreational activities and to encourage community participation. The actions of the Committee dealt with a broad range of items, such as the following:

• Organization of Township sports days, annual fairs, conferences, and recognition dinners for athletes and sports organizers;
• Specific recommendations regarding
  • – the use, hours, seasons, equipment, infrastructure, and establishment of Township playgrounds, sports fields, swimming pools, arenas, and outdoor ice rinks;
  • – the appointment of administrative staff, the external affiliations of the Parks & Recreation Department as well as conferences for its employees;
  • – the use by individual community groups of rooms in Township buildings.^[308][309]

Florence Gell was Chair of the Advisory Recreation Committee in 1946–1947 and then Corresponding Secretary in 1949–1953. As Secretary, Gell received an honorarium from the Township, unlike all other positions on the Committee.^{[310][311][312]}

In February 1948, Florence Gell was a co-presenter to the York Township Council of a joint proposal by the Advisory Committee and the York Community Council (of which Gell was also a member) for the creation of a Recreation Commission. The Township Council rejected the proposal since it required authorizing legislation by the Province of Ontario.^[AD] If established, the Commission would have been a separate legal entity with members from the Township Council, Board of Education, and other interested groups. It would have administered all public recreational facilities and services in the Township in place of a municipal recreation department.^[313][314]

^[310]
[311]

During the 1960s, Florence Gell supported the Council’s plans for the extensive construction of high-rise apartment buildings to increase the tax base (“assessment”) in residential areas then comprising single-family dwellings. She was one of the Township’s negotiators in agreements with land developers. Gell’s position on the matter was contrary to strong popular opinion, including that of the Warren Park Ratepayers’ Association.

In April 1968, Florence Gell joined the Board of Governors of the public Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology (established 1967). The Ontario Council of Regents, which supervised all such colleges in the province, recommended Gell’s initial appointment and first renewal for approval by the Minister of Education. The Council itself approved her two subsequent renewals. Gell reached the eight-year term limit for a provincial appointee at the end of 1975. The Borough of York then appointed her to the Humber Board in January 1976 as its representative for a four-year term.^{[315][316][317][318][319]}

^{[319]
[318]
[320]}

In February 1974, the Humber Board elected Florence Gell as its Vice-Chair. This appointment was renewed in 1975 and 1976. She was then elected Chair of the Board in February 1977 and 1978. Gell was succeeded as Chair in February 1979 and left the Board at the end of that year.^{[321][319][322][320][323]}

Humber College’s original campuses were located in the Borough of Etobicoke, which bordered the Borough of York. In 1969, Florence Gell strongly advocated for the establishment of a campus in York. In September 1970, the College opened its Keelesdale Campus in the Kodak Heights industrial area of York’s Mount Dennis neighbourhood, immediately west of its Keelesdale/Silverthorn neighbourhood. Gell was the Board’s representative to this facility, which closed at the end of 1995 due to a lack of land and funding for necessary upgrades.^{[320][324][325][326][327]}

During her time on the Humber Board, Florence Gell served as Chair of its Program Committee. This Committee evaluated existing and proposed educational programs and changes at the College. A similar committee operated at the Council of Regents to coordinate programs across the college system.^{[318][320][328]}

Gell also served on the Social Services Advisory Committee, which advised the Board on the curricula of the social service programs offered at the College. This Committee included representatives from social organizations, such as Big Brothers, Catholic Children’s Aid Society, Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, Ontario Welfare Council, Toronto Social Planning Council, Veteran’s Affairs Department, and the YMCA. Members of the Committee also included Humber staff and students.^{[329][330][331]}

In 1979, a group of women affiliated with Humber College established the Florence Gell Award, which was given annually to one or more female students for high performance in the College’s journalism program.^[332][333]

True to her hands-on approach to her community activities, Florence Gell was a regular visitor to the Humber College campuses. She organized and led in person the annual sale at the Humber campuses and the York Borough municipal office of daffodils to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.^{[334][335][336][337]}

— york campus

— daffodils
— F. Gell Award

— daffodils
— F. Gell Award

In April 1961, the delegates to the annual convention of the Ontario Traffic Conference (OTC) (now the Ontario Traffic Council, established 1950, incorporated 1956) elected Florence Gell as a Director on its governing board, where she sat until June 1969. Gell was promoted within the board in May 1966 to the position of Vice-President and then in April 1967 to President for the standard one-year term. She was the first woman to serve in each of these three positions at a time when there was very little representation by women at the annual conventions (e.g., only three of 241 registered delegates in 1965 and only a reported one of 250 delegates in 1960).
^{[203][338][339][340][341][342]}

Since 1950, member-volunteers had run the Ontario Traffic Conference out of their homes and workplaces, with a volunteer Secretary-Treasurer responsible for its day-to-day operations. In January 1965, the group’s first dedicated physical office with a single paid employee (a clerk) was opened following the October 1964 resignation of the incumbent Secretary-Treasurer due to work commitments.
^{[343][344][345]}

In her President’s Report to the April 1968 convention, Florence Gell recommended that the OTC employ a second person as a “full-time secretary-treasurer-manager” to succeed a volunteer that had resigned the previous January due to work commitments. The proposal was not adopted, and Gell served as a volunteer Acting Secretary-Treasurer for two years (Apr 1968 – May 1970) following her term as President. In 1972, this administrative role was split into two volunteer positions, Secretary and Treasurer.^{[203][345][346][347]}

During Florence Gell’s term as OTC President, the annual convention was reorganized to separate the educational activities from the suppliers’ exhibits. The main sessions comprised only workshops, with a greater emphasis on audience participation, an earlier adjournment for the day, and no refreshment breaks. The exhibits were moved to suites for viewing after the adjournments.^[348]

Florence Gell was named an Honourary Life Member of the Ontario Traffic Conference in the early 1970s for her work with the organization. As of 2025, she has been the only woman to serve as its President out of 53 office-holders.^{[349][350][351]}

^[344][345]

^{[203]
[344]
[345]}

.
.
. In her introductory message in the convention magazine, Gell stated, “Every minute of the day and evening has been focused on your learning, participation and enjoyment.”
| awards = § Honours

Since 1950, member-volunteers had run the Ontario Traffic Conference out of their homes and workplaces, with the Secretary-Treasurer as the administrative officer. The group’s first dedicated physical office with its single paid employee (a clerk) was not opened until January 1965, following the October 1964 resignation of the incumbent volunteer Secretary-Treasurer. In her President’s report to the April 1968 convention, Florence Gell recommended that the OTC employ a second person as a “full-time secretary-treasurer-manager“ to succeed a volunteer that had resigned the previous January. The proposal was not adopted, and Gell served as a volunteer Acting Secretary-Treasurer for two years. In 1972, this administrative office was separated for a time into two volunteer positions, Secretary and Treasurer.
OMIT: Subsequent female Directors were individually elected in 1967, 1979, skcnakscb, respectively. A second woman was elected to the board in April 1967 and served for three years. The next female Director was elected in May 1979 for four years.

During her time on the York Township Council, Florence Gell was involved in all of its functions: health & welfare, traffic, housing, parks & recreation, library services, finance, planning, etc. She took a hands-on approach to all aspects of her work. Gell commonly engaged in direct, personal consultations with her constituents. She kept a list of every person who phoned her with their concerns.^{[352][353][354][355][356]}

Gell was a well-regarded representative and was re-elected by large margins (see Table below). In 1956, the Township Council established Florence Gell Park at the request of a group of her constituents, the Warren Park Ratepayers’ Association.^{[357][358][359]}

In her 1964 testimony before an Ontario Royal Commission, Florence Gell strongly supported a system of small civic departments organized by lower-tier municipalities within the greater Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. She held that smaller municipal departments, under the supervision of local elected representatives, were more efficient and better able to meet local needs.^[360]

During the 1960s, Florence Gell supported the Council’s plans for the extensive construction of high-rise apartment buildings to increase the tax base (“assessment”) in residential areas then comprising single-family dwellings. This position was contrary to strong popular opinion, including that of the Warren Park Ratepayers’ Association.^{[361][362][363][364][365][366][367][368]}

In September 1965, the Commissioner (head) of the York Parks and Recreation Department accused Gell of repeated interference in its operations, which significantly reduced its efficiency. Many people and community organizations publicly supported the Commissioner, who, along with several other employees, resigned in 1966 over the Gell matter and other administrative obstructions imposed by the York Council.^{[369][370][371][372]}

The controversies surrounding the erection of numerous apartment buildings and the administration of the Parks and Recreation Department contributed to Florence Gell’s electoral defeat in December 1966 (see Table Notes). The Warren Park Ratepayers’ Association had actively campaigned against her.^[373][374]

Florence Gell’s share of December election vote in Ward Three of York Township
(for a one- or two-year term starting the following January 1st)

Election	1953	1954	1955	1956	1958	1960	1962	1964
Gell’s Share	57.8%†[a]	81.3%	68.1%‡	72.5%	74.4%	50.3%§	63.9%	64.9%
Candidates	3	2	3	2	2	2	2	2
Position	Councillor∆				Deputy Reeve
(Source: City of Toronto Archives, York Council Minutes, Fonds 211, Series 646, Files 42–45, 47, 49, 51, & 53. Official election results prefixed in each bound volume.)
Notes: † In Gell’s first Council election, Charles Cashman, the incumbent Councillor, was elected to the position of Deputy Reeve for Ward Three. ‡ In 1955, voters approved a two-year term for subsequent elections. ∆ In May 1958, Gell was appointed Deputy Reeve by the Council to fill the vacancy created by the death of Charles Cashman.[375] § Gell’s relatively poor polling in 1960 was a result of the scandal (Mar 1959) surrounding the purchase by Reeve Chris Tonks of Township land and the subsequent provincial inquiry (May–Sep 1959) into the general land financial affairs of the Council, which were condemned in the Report of the inquiry (Apr 1960). These events led to a campaign by a Citizens’ Committee to unseat all incumbents.[376][377][378][379][380][381][382] Re: 1966 Election for the new Borough of York — Gell finished third with 17.9% in a field of five candidates for the two positions of Controller on the Council of the new Borough of York. The respective vote shares were 30.3%, 28.1%, 17.9%, 17.4%, and 6.4%. The Toronto Star reported that Gell had been one of two York veterans that had been “swept under in the ‘anti-vote’ “.[383] The editor of the Weston Times described these two losses as “the greatest surprise“ of the York election.[384]

During her time (1957-1984) at the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (established 1957), Florence Gell served on its Information and Education Advisory Board, first as Vice Chair (1957) and then as Chair (1967), prior to becoming the Vice Chair of the entire Authority (1975) and an ex officio member of all of its advisory boards.^[385]

Gell played an important role in the establishment and promotion of the Authority’s Conservation Schools (also called Field Centres) for children and youth to encourage the protection of the natural environment.^[386] In December 1968, the first of these schools (opened in 1963 at Albion Hills) received the first White Owl Conservation Award for its work.

Florence Gell was also active in the development and promotion of the Authority’s living history museum, The Village at Black Creek.^{[387][388][389]} In May 1967, she was one of the two persons holding the rope that was ceremonially cut by Ontario Premier John Robarts at the official opening of The Village.^[390] In 1985, the Authority established the Florence Gell Garden on the grounds of The Village in recognition of her “remarkable contribution to conservation“.^[391]

For her extensive public service, Florence Gell was named York’s first Citizen of the Decade in 1978 and awarded the Ontario Bicentennial Medal in 1984.^[392]

DRAFT below to be deleted
Since its formation in 1950 (incorporated 1956), the OTC had been a volunteer-run, home-based organization. Its first permanent office and one paid employee (a clerk) were not in place until or just before January 1965. In her report to the 1968 convention, Florence Gell recommended that the OTC employ (finances permitting) a full-time person to serve as the Secretary, Treasurer, and Manager of the Organization in lieu of volunteers.

One of Our Members has been Honoured: Many’s the time in our bulletin we have paid tribute to Florence Gell, one of our long-time members and a most ardent worker in our Church. We have much to thank her for. Recently, she was honoured for her many accomplishments on behalf of the Borough of York, be being presented with a special Civic Award Plaque as Citizen of the Decade. … Countless numbers of people seek and get help from Flo. Gell. Our heartiest congratulations to Flo. No honour was more deserved.

Carrie Brunet. (2001). “York politician Florence Gell was always a lady”, The York Guardian, March 30, 2001, Vol. 5, № 13, p. 3.
John Gell. (2000). “Mrs. Florence Gell: The First Lady of York” in Memories of Lambton Park. Toronto, Ontario: John Gell, August 2000, pp. 143–146. (ISBN 0-9687461-0-1)

Florence Gell — known to her family and friends as Jo — was the heart of the Lambton Park Community in which she was always active and to which she gave her live for many years. … She was very friendly, chatty, self-confident, and direct. She was highly regarded by many people. …

Florence Gell had a very strong personality that at times could irritate those with whom she dealt. She was stubborn, and determined to achieve her desired ends using all means at her disposal in the face of any opposition. She could provoke both strongly positive and strongly negative reactions.

Gell broke social norms of the day in the progressive elements of her wardrobe. She worn shorts in public at a time when it was not considered proper by many for a woman to do so, especially for an elected woman.

She was a real pillar in our community. Everybody in York knew Flo Gell. She didn’t just pave the way for woman politicians, but she paved the way for politicians to be honest and accountable.

— Frances Nunziata, in Carrie Brunet, “York politician Florence Gell was always a lady”, The York Guardian, Mar. 30, 2001, 5 (13) 3

She raised her family and participated in public life, when it was a male dominated blood-sport.

You had to have Flo Gell on side. She was such an integral part of community politics.

Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).