THE HEART OF THE CITY
CANADA BUSINESS COLLEGE
58 King Street East
D.A. McLachlan and James Tennant established a
school of commerce in Hamilton in 1862, which was called the Canada Business College. This
was the first business institution of its kind in Canada, and over time proved to be one
of the leading business schools in the Dominion.
The school offered a thorough and complete course of instruction in all matters dealing with General Business Transactions, Commerce, and Finance. Much of the instruction given was practical, and included a wide range of subjects such as Bookkeeping, Commercial Arithmetic, Penmanship, Correspondence, Commercial Law, Phonography, Shipping, Banking, and Insurance. The school also offered specialty courses in International Business Correspondence. The main objective of this institution was to train students in the necessary knowledge that would fit them for Trade, Commerce, and Finance.
The Canada Business College was registered with the Ontario Government through the Ontario Department of Education. Courses offered by the school were approved by the Department thereby assuring a quality education for those enrolled.
The school was housed in many different buildings
over the years. Some of these included the Lister Block, the
Y.M.C.A., the Bell Telephone building, the Imperial building, and their location at 58
King Street East (which later became the site which housed the Levy
Bros. business). Students came from every province of Canada, as well as parts of the
United States, Cuba, and even the West Indies. Many of the graduates even before finishing
their programs, accepted positions from highly renowned professional firms. "Numbered
among its graduates are men of prominence in the commercial and financial world, not only
in Ontario, but scattered to the four corners of the globe" (Spectator, September 1,
1937). The Canada Business College, a first-class institution unique to the City of
Hamilton, closed its doors in 1968.
REFERENCES:
Clipping File – Hamilton – Schools –
Canada Business College. Special Collection, HPL.
Victorian Hamilton Scrapbook, Vol. 21. Special Collections, HPL.
