This plaque commemorates the grand opening of a small segment of Kings Highway 9. Specifically, it commemorates the grand opening of a 7 kilometer (4.4 mile) stretch of Highway 9 between Highway 27 and Highway 400.
The plaque is located at a small roadside rest area approximately 1 kilometer west of Highway 400. The plaque text reads:
ONTARIO
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS
This plaque commemorates the official opening of Highway 9 from Highway 27 to Highway 400 on July 28 1970, by the Honourable George E. Gomme, Minister of Highways, and the Honourable Charles S. MacNaughton, Treasurer of Ontario. It is dedicated to the memory of Major A. Alexander Mackenzie, M.C., (1885-1970), Member for York North in the Ontario Legislature from 1945 to 1967, whose efforts contributed greatly to the development of the area.
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About Kings Highway 9
(from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_9)
King's Highway 9, commonly referred to as Highway 9, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Often cited as an example of poor planning, Highway 9 has been divided into two segments since January 1, 1998, when the segment between Harriston and Orangeville was downloaded to the various counties in which it resided. The western segment of the highway begins at Highway 21 in Kincardine, near the shores of Lake Huron. It travels 73 km (45 mi) to the junction of Highway 23 and Highway 89 in Harriston. The central segment is now known as Wellington County Road 109 and Dufferin County Road 109. At Highway 10 in Orangeville, Highway 9 resumes and travels east to Highway 400. The highway once continued east to Yonge Street in Newmarket, but is now known as York Regional Road 31.
About the Honourable George E. Gomme
(from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gomme)
George Ellis Gomme (1910 - 1996)[1] was a Canadian politician, who represented Lanark in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1958 to 1971 as a Progressive Conservative member. He was appointed as Minister of Highways on November 24, 1966. A time of tremendous growth in Ontario, particularly in Toronto and surrounding suburbs, Gomme was actively involved in the development of new highways, such as Highway 410 in the Brampton area, as well as the expansion of other 400-series highways. Prior to his election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Gomme served as the Mayor of Almonte, Ontario and was the owner and operator of a local business, Almonte Lumber Store. Gomme was married to Rose Edith Watchorn (died 1991) and had two children, William George (Bill) and Jennifer.
About the Honourable Charles S. McNaughton
(from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_MacNaughton)
Charles Steel McNaughton (May 1911 – November 20, 1987) was a Canadian politician, who served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the electoral district of Huron from 1958 to 1973. McNaughton was born in Strasbourg, Saskatchewan in 1911 and grew up and lived in Brandon, Manitoba, before moving to Exeter, Ontario in 1944. He was elected as MPP in a 1958 by-election, and was successful in being re-elected in the 1959, 1963, 1967, and 1971 general elections. He was treasurer from 1968 to 1971 and also served as Minister of Transportation and Communications, Chair of the Treasury Board (subsequently Chair of the Management Board), and Minister of Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs. McNaughton died in Exeter on November 20, 1987.