Government Houses in Canada
In Canada, Government House is a title given to the royal residences of the country's monarch, various viceroys (the governor general, the lieutenant governors), and territorial commissioners.[lower-alpha 1] Though not universal, in most cases the title is also the building's sole name; for example, the sovereign's and governor general's principal residence in Ottawa is known as Government House only in formal contexts, being more generally referred to as Rideau Hall. The use of the term Government House is an inherited custom from the British Empire, where there were and are many government houses.
There is currently no government house for the lieutenant governors of Ontario (repurposed in 1937 and demolished in 1961), Quebec (destroyed by fire in 1966), Alberta (closed in 1938 and repurchased and repurposed in 1964), or the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. The lieutenant governor of Ontario has a suite within the Ontario Legislative Building, as does the lieutenant governor of Quebec in the Édifice André-Laurendeau.
Present government houses
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes and Details | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideau Hall | Monarch of Canada and Governor General of Canada (1867–present) | Ottawa |  |
Functioning official residence; primary residence | Canada |
| Citadelle of Quebec | Monarch of Canada and Governor General of Canada (1872–present) | Quebec City | _01.jpg.webp) |
Functioning official residence; secondary residence | Canada |
| Government House | Governor of Nova Scotia (1805–1867) Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1867–present) |
Halifax |  |
Functioning official residence | Nova Scotia |
| Government House | Governor of New Brunswick (1828–1867) Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (1867–1890; 1999–present) |
Fredericton | .gif) |
Other uses 1896–1988; presently functioning official residence | New Brunswick |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (1885–present) | Winnipeg |  |
Functioning official residence | Manitoba |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1959–present) | Victoria |  |
Functioning official residence | British Columbia |
| Fanningbank | Governor of Prince Edward Island (1834–1873) Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (1873–present) |
Charlottetown |  |
Functioning official residence | Prince Edward Island |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories (1889–1905) Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan (1905–1945) |
Regina |  |
Other uses 1945–1984; presently functioning viceregal offices | Saskatchewan |
| Government House | Governor of Newfoundland (1827–1949) Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (1949–present) |
St. John's | .jpg.webp) |
Functioning official residence | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Taylor House (412 Main Street) | Commissioner of Yukon (2015–present) | Whitehorse | Private residence 1937–2015; presently functioning official residence | Yukon | |
| Commissioner's Residence - 2554 Iqaluit | Commissioner of Nunavut (1999–present) | Iqaluit | Functioning official residence | Nunavut |
Former government houses
| Building name | Residents' positions | Location | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner's Residence[1] | Commissioner of Yukon (1898–1953) | Dawson City | Now a Parks Canada historic site | |
| Chateau St. Louis[2] | Governor of Quebec (1760–1791) Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America (1791–1834) |
Quebec City |  |
Destroyed by fire, 1834; now site of Château Frontenac |
| Chateau de Ramezay[2] | Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America (c. 1834) |
Montreal |  |
Now a museum. |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (1800–1813) | York | Destroyed by explosion, 1813. Site is located with current day Fort York. | |
| Elmsley House | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (1800–1813) Governor General of the Province of Canada (1849–1852, 1856–1858) |
Toronto |  |
Destroyed by fire, 1862. Now occupied by Metro Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. |
| Alwington House | Governor General of the Province of Canada (1841–1844) | Kingston | Damaged by fire, 1958; demolished, 1959. Site now Alwington Place as well as retaining wall for Llynlea (Arthur Davies home) 1963. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1868–1912) | Toronto |  |
Sold and demolished, 1912. |
| Chorley Park | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1915–1937) | Toronto |  |
Other uses, then demolished 1961. Now site of city park. |
| Spencerwood | Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1870–1966) | Quebec City |  |
Destroyed by fire in 1966. |
| Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (1870–1876) | Fort Garry | Capital moved to Fort Livingstone. | ||
| Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (1876–1877) | Fort Livingstone | Capital moved to Battleford. Now site of Fort Livingstone National Historic Site. | ||
| Cary Castle | Governor of Vancouver Island (1865–1866) Governor of the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia (1868–1871) Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1871–1903) |
Victoria |  |
Destroyed by fire 1903. |
| Governor of British Columbia (18??–1866) Governor of the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia (1866–1868) |
New Westminster | Capital moved to Victoria. Now Royal City Manor. | ||
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (190?–1957) | Victoria | Destroyed by fire 1957. Government House rebuilt after fire. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (1883–1889) | Regina | Replaced 1889, demolished 1908. Now site of Luther College. | |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (1913–1938) | Edmonton |  |
Other uses 1948 – 1964, now the Alberta Government Conference Centre. |
| 58 St. George's Crescent[3] | Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (1966–2004) | Edmonton | Demolished 2005. | |
| Government House in Fort Townshend | Governor of Newfoundland (1781–1831) | St. John's | ||
| The Monklands | Governor General of the Province of Canada (1844–1849) | Montreal |  |
Capital moved (1849), now Catholic high school, Villa Maria. |
| Government House | Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (1878–1883) | Battleford | Capital moved to Regina (1883), building destroyed by fire 2003. Still National historic site with archaeological remains of the destroyed structure. | |
| Lieutenant Governor's Residence | Lieutenant Governor of Cape Breton Island 1786–1820 | Sydney, Nova Scotia | Built after 1786 (temporary Government House was used) and used until 1820 when colony dissolved back into Nova Scotia. Later site of Court House and Jail. Since redeveloped into residential area bounded by Desbarres, George, Amelia and Charlotte Streets. |
See also
References
- "Commissioner's Residence - Commissioner of Yukon". Archived from the original on 2009-10-09.
- Aylmer
- "Archived copy". www2.canada.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Notes
- Though not technically viceroys, the Commissioners of the Canadian territories fill a similar role and their residences are listed here for completion
Sources
- Aylmer, L. A.; Wylie, E. A. (1975). "Some Notes on Architecture, Interiors, and Gardens in Quebec 1831". Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology. 7 (2): 2–8. doi:10.2307/1493491. JSTOR 1493491.
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