Progress without Planning

From the time of Confederation into the twentieth century, Ontario hurtled headlong into prosperity, reaping the benefits of abundant natural resources, favourable conditions for agriculture, access to shipping routes, proximity to American markets, and burgeoning markets of its own. In this second volume of the province's economic history, Ian Drummond, working with a group of economic historians from across Ontario, presents a comprehensive review of the explosive growth of Ontario's economy from 1867 to 1939.

Emphasizing the structural transformation and development that affected the whole provincial economy, Drummond examines agriculture, mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, urban growth, the auto industry, railways, canals, and finance and commerce. In large part departing from both the traditional staples interpretation of Canadian development and the newer emerging neo-Marxist orthodoxy, he presents a balanced and lucid account of a pivotal period in Ontario's development