A portal is a site that is a starting point for commonly-used services. Some portals specialize in a specific subject such as genealogy. The advantage of a portal is that large amounts of information on the subject are found in one place, but the sheer volume can be overwhelming for beginners, as well as time-consuming. Set a particular goal if you choose to use a portal.
CYNDI’S LIST OF GENEALOGY SITES ON THE INTERNET contains more than 308,912 free links in more than 185 categories. The most precise way to begin is geographically, since it will limit the number of hits for a certain name. Using Categories, scroll down to Canada, where you will find a large number of sites for Ontario. Knowing the county and township will make your search more productive. Under Ontario, scroll down to Maps and Geography and use Ontario Locator to find past and present place names.
FRANCOGENE is a gateway to Franco-Canadian and Franco-American genealogy on the Internet. It also lists sites for French-speaking Europe and the Caribbean as well as mailing lists and newsgroups.