Strong support for prohibition came from religious elements of society such as the Ontario Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which sought to eliminate what it considered the societal ills and vices associated with liquor consumption, including violent behaviour and familial abuse.
A non-binding plebiscite in 1894 failed because Judicial Committee of the Privy Council rulings disallowed provincial control over the importation of alcohol.
[8] The onset of World War I gave advocates further impetus to push the cause by arguing that temperance would reduce waste, inefficiency, and distractions.
In March 1918, the Government of Canada issued an order-in-council that prohibited the manufacture, importation, and transportation of alcohol into Ontario and other provinces in which the purchase was illegal.
[13] In 1921, another referendum showed a slight slip in support for prohibition, but the province now became "bone dry" by banning the importation of alcohol.
[15] Some communities maintained a ban on the sale of liquor under local option until the 1970s and The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto remained "dry" until 2000, largely because of the efforts of former Ontario CCF Member of Provincial Parliament for High Park, "Temperance Bill" William Temple.