The Soldier Settlement Board was established in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1917 to assist returned servicemen to set up farms. The Board would give assistance to any man who had served abroad with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

, to any former Canadian serviceman who had not left Canada but was in receipt of a service pension, to any member of the

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forces who had lived in Canada before the war, or to any member of the Imperial or Dominion forces who had served outside their own country and who had since emigrated to Canada. The last category were required to first work on a Canadian farm for a time to prove that they had the capability to farm on their own, to have sufficient working capital to establish themselves, and to make a down payment of 20 per cent for land, stock, implements and buildings. Applicants for a loan were first investigated as to their fitness, moral character, assets and abilities. If they did not have sufficient farming experience, they could be asked to work on a farm first for a period, and until 1 May 1921 pay and allowances could be granted for such training, especially to men with families. Special training centres for this purpose were established in some places, but these were all closed in 1921. By 1921, nearly 60,000 applications for loans had been made, of which 43,000 had been deemed suitable. Loans were made at 5 per cent interest. They were repayable in six annual instalments in the case of loans for stock and equipment, and in 25 annual instalments in the case of loans for land and buildings. Loans on land to be purchased could be made up to a total of $7,500, including: *up to $4,500 for land *up to $2,000 for stock and equipment *up to $1,000 for permanent improvements Loans on land already owned by the applicant could be made up to a total of $5,000, including: *up to $3,500 for removal of encumbrances *up to $2,000 for stock and equipment *up to $1,000 for permanent improvements

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

were the most popular provinces for settlement, followed by

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. There were far fewer applications for the other provinces. All Dominion lands within of a railway were reserved for veterans. In the three

Prairie Provinces The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

, every eligible soldier was entitled to a grant of and also had the right of any civilian to

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

a further {{convert, 160, acre, km2. Other Dominion lands were also opened for settlement, including

Forest Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s and

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

s. All settlers helped by the Soldier Settlement Board were regularly visited by field supervisors to check on their progress and give advice. A Home Service Branch was established to give help and advice to wives, including free courses in

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

and farm subjects.

References

*Dominion Bureau of Statistics, ''Canada Year Book 1921'', Ottawa, 1922 Former Canadian federal departments and agencies Veterans' affairs ministries Veterans' affairs in Canada 1917 establishments in Canada Veterans' settlement schemes

See also

References