# Ministry of Infrastructure (Ontario)

The Ministry of Infrastructure is a ministry responsible for public infrastructure in the Canadian province of Ontario. The current minister is Kinga Surma.
It is currently responsible for two crown agencies: Waterfront Toronto and Infrastructure Ontario (which was merged with the Ontario Realty Corporation in 2011).

## History

The maintenance and management of public infrastructure has consistently been a key function of the government since well before Confederation.
The Board of Works in the Province of Upper Canada was responsible for superintending, managing and controlling public works in the province. It was merged with a similar board in Lower Canada in 1841. The board was replaced in 1846 by the commissioners of public works who were responsible for "managing and controlling the construction, maintenance and repair of all canals, harbours, roads or parts of roads, bridges, slides, and other public works and buildings". Although legislations did not specifically designate the office of the commissioners as the Department of Public Works, that is how the commissioners refer to it in their first annual report.
At Confederation in 1867, responsibility for public works in Ontario was taken over by the Department of Public Works for Ontario, administered by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works. In 1874, legislation was passed establishing a standalone commissioner to be responsible for the Department of Public Works. From 1896 to 1900 the Provincial Instructor in Road-Making was under the department.
In 1900, both the Office of the Commissioner of Highways and the Bureau of Labour were established as part of the Department of Public Works. In 1914, the Office of the Commissioner of Highways (by then renamed the Highways Branch), was elevated to Department status, becoming the Department of Public Highways. Similarly, by 1919, the Bureau of Labour had become the Department of Labour. Also in 1900, the Colonization Roads Branch was transferred to the Department of Public Works. Formerly with the Department of Crown Lands and responsible for constructing and repairing roads in sparsely settled areas of the province, this Branch was transferred to the Department of Lands, Forests and Mines in 1919.
The Department of Public Works continued to exist until 1972, when the government was considerably re-organized as the various Departments were restructured and renamed as Ministries. The Ministry of Government Services was created, assuming most of the functions of the former Department of Public Works, including the functions of constructing and maintaining government buildings.
In 1987, the Realty Group was formed within the Ministry of Government Services to provide accommodation and real estate services for the Ontario Government. In 1993, The Ontario Realty Corporation was established as the successor entity to the Realty Group, the Ontario Mortgage Corporation, and the Ontario Land Corporation. It was established as a Crown corporation and reported through the Management Board Secretariat. The Ministry of Government Services also ceased to exist in 1993, transferring most of its corporate services function, including buildings and facilities management, to the Management Board Secretariat.
In 2003, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal was created out of the winding-up of the Ontario Superbuild Corporation, inheriting its advisory and policy development and coordination responsibilities. Between 2003 and 2008, it assumed oversight of various agencies including the Smart Growth Secretariat, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Ontario Realty Corporation, Infrastructure Ontario, and Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
Between 2008 and 2010, the Ministry was briefly merged with the Ministry of Energy to form the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2016, it was again briefly merged, this time with the Economic Development Ministry to form the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.

## List of ministers

| | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Tenure | Political party (Ministry) | Note |
| | Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works | Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works | Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works | | Liberal Conservative (MacDonald) | |
| | John Carling | July 16, 1867 | December 20, 1871 | 4 years, 157 days | |
| | Archibald McKellar | December 20, 1871 | October 25, 1872 | 2 years, 94 days | Liberal (Blake) | |
| | Archibald McKellar | October 25, 1872 | March 24, 1874 | 2 years, 94 days | Liberal (Mowat) | |
| | Commissioner of Public Works | Commissioner of Public Works | Commissioner of Public Works | | |
| | Christopher Finlay Fraser | April 4, 1874 | May 30, 1894 | 20 years, 56 days | Resigned due to poor health. |
| | William Harty | May 30, 1894 | July 21, 1896 | 5 years, 144 days | |
| | William Harty | July 21, 1896 | October 21, 1899 | 5 years, 144 days | Liberal (Hardy) | |
| | Francis Robert Latchford | October 21, 1899 | November 22, 1904 | 5 years, 32 days | Liberal (Ross) | |
| | William Andrew Charlton | November 22, 1904 | February 8, 1905 | 78 days | |
| | Joseph Octave Reaume | February 8, 1905 | May 25, 1905 | 9 years, 236 days | Conservative (Whitney) | |
| | Minister of Public Works | Minister of Public Works | Minister of Public Works | 9 years, 236 days | |
| | Joseph Octave Reaume | May 25, 1905 | October 2, 1914 | 9 years, 236 days | |
| | Findlay George MacDiarmid | October 2, 1914 | April 8, 1915 | 188 days | Conservative (Hearst) | |
| | Ministry of Public Works and Highways | Ministry of Public Works and Highways | Ministry of Public Works and Highways | | |
| | Findlay George MacDiarmid | April 8, 1915 | November 14, 1919 | 4 years, 220 days | |
| | Frank Campbell Biggs | November 14, 1919 | July 16, 1923 | 3 years, 244 days | United Farmers (Drury) | |
| | George Stewart Henry | July 16, 1923 | September 16, 1930 | 7 years, 62 days | Conservative (Ferguson) | |
| Joseph Monteith | September 16, 1930 | December 15, 1930 | 90 days | Concurrently Minister of Labour |
| | Ministry of Public Works | Ministry of Public Works | Ministry of Public Works | | |
| | Joseph Monteith | December 15, 1930 | January 8, 1934 | 3 years, 24 days | Conservative (Henry) | Concurrently Minister of Labour |
| Leopold Macaulay | January 12, 1934 | July 10, 1934 | 179 days | Concurrently Minister of Highways |
| | Thomas McQuesten | July 10, 1934 | October 12, 1937 | 3 years, 94 days (first instance) | Liberal (Hepburn) | Concurrently Minister of Highways |
| | Colin Campbell | October 12, 1937 | January 23, 1941 | 3 years, 103 days | |
| | Farquhar Oliver | January 23, 1941 | October 27, 1942 | 1 year, 277 days (first instance) | Concurrently Minister of Welfare, resigned to protest Gordon Conant being named Premier. |
| | Thomas McQuesten | October 27, 1942 | May 18, 1943 | 203 days (second instance) (3 years, 297 days in total) | Liberal (Conant) | Concurrently Minister of Highways and Minister of Municipal Affairs |
| | Farquhar Oliver | May 18, 1943 | August 17, 1943 | 91 days (second instance) (2 years, 6 days in total) | Liberal (Nixon) | |
| | George Doucett | August 17, 1943 | October 19, 1948 | 8 years, 46 days | PC (Drew) | Concurrently Minister of Highways |
| | George Doucett | October 19, 1948 | May 4, 1949 | 8 years, 46 days | PC (Kennedy) | Concurrently Minister of Highways |
| | George Doucett | May 4, 1949 | October 2, 1951 | 8 years, 46 days | PC (Frost) | Concurrently Minister of Highways |
| | Fletcher Stewart Thomas | October 2, 1951 | January 20, 1953 | 1 year, 110 days | |
| | William Griesinger | January 20, 1953 | May 6, 1958 | 5 years, 106 days | Resigned from the provincial cabinet in 1958 after he was implicated in a stock trading scandal involving Northern Ontario Natural Gas. |
| | James Allan | May 14, 1958 | December 22, 1958 | 222 days | (interim) |
| | Ray Connell | December 22, 1958 | November 8, 1961 | 10 years, 165 days | |
| | Ray Connell | November 8, 1961 | June 5, 1969 | 10 years, 165 days | PC (Robarts) | |
| | Jack Simonett | June 5, 1969 | March 1, 1971 | 1 year, 269 days | |
| | James Auld | March 1, 1971 | February 2, 1972 | 338 days (first instance) | PC (Davis) | |
| | Minister of Government Services | Minister of Government Services | Minister of Government Services | | |
| | James Snow | February 2, 1972 | October 7, 1975 | 3 years, 247 days | Ministry was formally renamed from Public Works to Government Services on April 7, 1972 |
| | Margaret Scrivener | October 7, 1975 | February 3, 1977 | 1 year, 119 days | |
| | John Smith | February 3, 1977 | June 23, 1977 | 140 days | |
| | James Auld | June 23, 1977 | September 21, 1977 | 90 days (second instance) (1 years, 63 days in total) | |
| | George McCague | September 21, 1977 | January 21, 1978 | 122 days | |
| | Lorne Henderson | January 21, 1978 | August 30, 1979 | 1 year, 221 days | |
| | Douglas Wiseman | August 30, 1979 | July 6, 1983 | 3 years, 310 days | |
| | George Ashe | July 6, 1983 | February 8, 1985 | 1 year, 217 days | |
| | Bob Runciman | February 8, 1985 | May 17, 1985 | 98 days | PC (Miller) | |
| | Jim Gordon | May 17, 1985 | June 26, 1985 | 40 days | |
| | Elinor Caplan | June 26, 1985 | June 16, 1986 | 355 days | Liberal (Peterson) | |
| | Sean Conway | June 17, 1986 | September 9, 1987 | 1 year, 84 days | |
| | Richard Patten | September 29, 1987 | August 2, 1989 | 1 year, 307 days | |
| | Chris Ward | August 2, 1989 | October 1, 1990 | 1 year, 60 days | |
| | Frances Lankin | October 1, 1990 | April 22, 1991 | 203 days | NDP (Rae) | |
| | Fred Wilson | April 22, 1991 | February 3, 1993 | 1 year, 287 days | NDP (Rae) | |
| | Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet | | NDP (Rae) | In 1993, most of the functions performed by the Ministry of Government Services were transferred to the Secretariat of the Management Board of Cabinet. |
| | Brian Charlton | February 3, 1993 | June 26, 1995 | 2 years, 143 days | NDP (Rae) | In 1993, most of the functions performed by the Ministry of Government Services were transferred to the Secretariat of the Management Board of Cabinet. |
| | David Johnson | June 26, 1995 | October 10, 1997 | 2 years, 106 days | PC (Harris) | |
| | Chris Hodgson | October 10, 1997 | February 8, 2001 | 3 years, 121 days | PC (Harris) | |
| | David Tsubouchi | February 8, 2001 | April 15, 2002 | 2 years, 256 days | PC (Harris) | |
| | David Tsubouchi | April 15, 2002 | October 22, 2003 | 2 years, 256 days | PC (Eves) | |
| | Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal | Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal | Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal | | Liberal (McGuinty) | |
| | David Caplan | October 23, 2003 | June 20, 2008 | 4 years, 241 days | |
| | Minister of Energy and Infrastructure | Minister of Energy and Infrastructure | Minister of Energy and Infrastructure | | |
| | George Smitherman | June 20, 2008 | November 9, 2009 | 1 year, 142 days | |
| | Gerry Phillips | November 9, 2009 | January 18, 2010 | 70 days | |
| | Brad Duguid | January 18, 2010 | August 18, 2010 | 212 days (first instance) | Duguid continued to be Minister of Energy until 2011 |
| | Minister of Infrastructure | Minister of Infrastructure | Minister of Infrastructure | | |
| | Bob Chiarelli | August 18, 2010 | February 11, 2013 | 2 years, 177 days (first instance) | |
| | Glen Murray | February 11, 2013 | June 24, 2014 | 1 year, 133 days | Liberal (Wynne) | |
| | Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure | Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure | Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure | | |
| | Brad Duguid | June 24, 2014 | June 13, 2016 | 1 year, 355 days (second instance) (2 years, 202 days in total) | |
| | Minister of Infrastructure | Minister of Infrastructure | Minister of Infrastructure | | |
| | Bob Chiarelli | June 13, 2016 | June 29, 2018 | 2 years, 16 days (second instance) (4 years, 193 days in total) | |
| | Monte McNaughton | June 29, 2018 | June 20, 2019 | 356 days | PC (Ford) | |
| | Laurie Scott | June 20, 2019 | June 18, 2021 | 1 year, 363 days | |
| | Kinga Surma | June 18, 2021 | present | 3 years, 201 days | |