History
A three-person Board of Censors was established on 27 June 1911 following passage of the Theatres and Cinematographs Act, 1911. The initial members were Chair George E. Armstrong, Robert Wilson and Otter Elliott. From that point, films to be shown in Ontario legally required review and approval by the board. The Board's censorship authority included newsreels, for example footage from a 1937 General Motors strike was banned "to avoid propaganda by either side."
The Board of Censors began to provide basic film classifications from 1 June 1946, initially as a year-long pilot project to designate certain films which were deemed inappropriate for children. Theatre operators were required to identify such films as "adult entertainment" on marquees and advertising. The Blue Dahlia and Her Kind of Man were among the first films to be identified as adult entertainment in Ontario.
Further changes to the Theatres Act in 1975 empowered the board to review and censor videotapes and 8 mm film formats as well as conventional theatrical films.
The Board of Censors name was changed to the Ontario Film Review Board by early 1985, after the provincial government amended the Theatres Act. The Board composition changed from full-time civil servants to part-time members of the public.
In 2005 the original and much amended Theatres Act was replaced by the Film Classification Act
Read more about this topic: Ontario Film Review Board
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