and Quebec provinces operated in the early 1880s. By the 1890s, North American Adventists were organized into Districts. District 1 included this Canada Conference as well as the mission fields of the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland. The Canadian Union Conference, 1901 In 1901 the Seventh-day Adventist Church introduced new mid-level administrative units called "Union Conferences" that took over much of the oversight of the local conferences from the General Conference Committee. On the East coast of the United States, the Eastern Union Conference was created. The first session of this union conference took place between November 27 and December 5, 1901, at South Lancaster, Massachusetts. During this end-of-year session, a number of meetings were held with members of the General Conference Committee along with representatives from Canada, to organize a Canadian Union Conference. It was voted to proceed with the organization of a Canadian Union Conference. A constitution was established. Even though the new entity was called "The Canadian Union Conference", the territory included was only that of Eastern Canada, i.e. Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and Newfoundland. Work was to go into effect on January 1, 1902, if two thirds of the Canadian churches agreed. Early Adventist work in the western part of Canada first came under Union organizations located in the western United States. Early in 1902, at the organizational meeting for the Pacific Union Conference, it was recommended that the believers in British Columbia be organized into their own separate conference within the Pacific Union. Two Union Conferences (Eastern) Canadian Union Conference The work of the church in Ontario and the eastern provinces retained the name of the Canadian Union Conference when the Western provinces were organized under a separate name. On New Year's Day, 1915, W. C. White, the son of Ellen G. White, visited at the Eastern Canada headquarters in Oshawa, Ontario. He stayed for several days. He spoke four times, three of which were at Buena Vista Academy (now Kingsway College). During his visit, he gave counsel to the leaders regarding how to extend Adventism in Eastern Canada. He urged them to start church work in new places immediately because "the last days are closing in upon us." He said that ministers should be sent into new areas and that the lay people should take care of the existing churches. He also cited recent counsels from his mother calling on families to enter new areas