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Leisure Time
Circa 1950
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada

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The Boys Training School first opened on Monday, August 24th, 1925. By 1932, the school was called the Ontario Training School for Boys. Its population continued to grow and it was held up as a model training school. From its beginnings of 16 boys transferred from Opportunity Lookout Farm in Weston in 1925, it grew to house 200 boys and was the central processing point for all boys entering the training school system. By 1941, it was the largest boys' training school in Ontario. In 1967 it was renamed the Pine Ridge School. This school served as a reception centre for all boys admitted by the juvenile courts of Ontario. Here they were screened prior to being allocated to other schools based upon their needs. In 1979 with another change in the philosophy of handling juvenile delinquents, the school was closed on October 31st. It had operated as a training school from 1925 until 1979 with the exception of 1941-1945.