A Brief History of the Leslie M. Frost Centre

The Frost Centre Institute sits on a site that has a long history of use that stretches all the way back to the Great Depression. In the early 1920’s fire rangers used the site as a home base. The early rangers (between 1885 to 1916, before the time of the fire towers) worked in pairs and patrolled this area by canoe and on foot. They often used hills as lookouts and had to put out the fire themselves with axes, shovels and pails. Tom Thompson is one of Ontario’s most famous early fire rangers. In several of his paintings he depicted burnt landscapes that he would have come across ‘on the job’. In 1922 Lake St.Nora’s first fire tower was built along with a cabin to accommodate the towerman. This cabin burned down and was rebuilt. It is now occupied by the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails.

It was because of the presence of the fire rangers that the site attracted the interest of a committee sent by the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. They had come to find a home for a Chief Ranger’s Station. Though it was agreed that the shore of Lake St. Nora was an ideal site in 1921, it was not until 1944 that an agreement was made between the University of Toronto (who had recently acquired the land) and the Department of Lands and Forests to start construction of the station. Creation of the Dining Hall and Dorm 70 (now called Highland Lodge) were completed in 1945 and classes were held in these spaces until the main school building was finished four years later. By 1947 the Ranger Station had a full compliment of staff and graduated 52 students from its two-termed twenty-two week in-service training course. By 1961 the training changed to a full Forest Technician course, and as the popularity of the school grew, so did its site. In 1964 “Dorm 90” (now called St. Nora’s Lodge) was built and allowed enrolment to grow to 125 students. More changes came in 1966 as the school adjusted its official title to The Ontario Forest Technical School to recognize the importance of the technical training provided in the program.

The new title only lasted two years. In 1968 Community Colleges were designated responsibility for certifying all technicians and therefore the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests could no longer offer the Forest Technician course. In 1969 the University of Toronto relinquished its lease of the property it held in relationship with the University of Toronto Forest and the operations of the center were turned over to the Department of Education. Debate as to what to do with the center began. Leslie M Frost (former Premier of Ontario) headed a committee to discuss options for the site that included its transformation into a home for Public Works, a Correctional Institute and a Health center. After much deliberation the committee recommended that the newly reformed Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the former Department of Lands and Forests, continue to operate the center to demonstrate various aspects of integrated Natural Resource Management in Ontario.
 

Leslie M Frost (nicked named ‘Old Man Ontario’ for his 12 year tenure as Premier and Minister of Mines) was a great advocate for many issues, one being natural resources. Because of Frost’s influence in this area, when the government approved the recommendation of the committee in 1974 on April 1st, the center was named the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resource Centre to recognize his contributions to this field throughout Ontario, especially in Haliburton County.
 

For the next thirty years the center ran comprehensive programs helping to educate both the private and public sectors about natural resource management, which also helped to foster an understanding of ecosystems and how they could be preserved for future generations. The center also served as a principle training facility for the MNR. Many environmentally focused conferences were founded at the center: the Council of Outdoor Education Ontario, Interpretation Canada and the Canadian Network of Environmental Education and Communications (EECOM).
 

Unexpectedly, on July 6th, 2004, it was announced by David Ramsey’s MNR office that employees of the Leslie M Frost Natural Resource Centre would have until July 14th to clear out their desks. The sudden closure was met with shock, then protest. Meetings were held to discuss action plans that could allow the center to remain open and protestors marched at Queen’s Park. A group formed in the community called ‘Operation Perma Frost’. Its sole focus was to campaign for the reopening of the center. It was because of the loud community outcry that action on the issue finally came. In 2005 the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), which was handed responsibility for the center, agreed to create The Frost Centre Working Committee, whose mandate it was to advise the government on potential plans to re-open the facility. The Committee concluded that the center should either re-open as an education facility dedicated to learning about our natural resources or it should be torn down and made part of the 32,000-hectre Crown land preserve. The ORC welcomed management bids and two were considered: one from The Friends of the Frost and one headed by Al Aubry, The Frost Centre Institute Group (FCI). On November 30th, 2006, the ORC announced its selection of the FCI bid for management. Several months and lots of hard work later the Frost Centre Institute opened its doors to the public for the first time in three years on June 20th, 2007.
 

The Frost Centre Institute management crew and staff are extraordinarily happy to be a part of the center re-opening again. Already the center has hosted a successful summer camp season, several weddings, school groups and business conferences from all over Ontario. We look forward to continuing to provide a top quality learning environment for all ages.