Canada Company
The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under an act of the British parliament, which was given royal assent on June 27, 1825. It was originally formed to acquire and develop Upper Canada's undeveloped clergy reserves and Crown reserves, which the company bought in 1827 for £341,000 ($693,000) from the Province of Upper Canada.
The Canada Company's arms | |
| Company type | Chartered company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Land development |
| Founded | 1826 (by royal charter) |
| Founder | John Galt |
| Defunct | 1953 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | No. 13, St. Helen's Place, Bishopsgate Street, London, England |
Number of locations | Huron Tract, Queen's Bush, Clergy Reserves |
Area served | Upper Canada |
Key people | John Galt, William Dunlop, Thomas Mercer Jones, William Allan, Daniel Lizars |
| Services | Land, roads, mills |
| Total equity | 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of land |
Founded by John Galt, who became its first Superintendent, the company was successful in populating an area called the Huron Tract – an achievement later called "the most important single attempt at settlement in Canadian history".
It is unrelated to the modern-day Canadian charity of the same name, founded in 2006, which assists former Canadian military members and their spouses regain civilian employment after service in the Canadian Armed Forces.