Most of the fraternal and benevolent societies owe part of their ritual or conception to the Freemasons.
The history is long and, in Ontario, convoluted. Freemasonry is a very large fraternal organization with a long history of benevolent care of its members. Over time it developed charitable care of non-Masons. There are a number of websites to help those who wish to know more of this very complex subject 1, 2.
History
History in Ontatrio
Structure
Other Masonic Groups
Unorthodox Groups
References:
(1) Stevens has a lengthy article, p 17-86
(2) For example http://www.masonicdictionary.com