Group of people stand and sit along a path that fronts a waterfront view with a city skyline showing the CN tower behind. A person carrying a white umbrella appears on the right.

June 2023

TOURS

Tours season offers brand-new experiences on our city's heritage

Have you signed up? We're excited for the return of our Tours program this weekend. Running from June until October, this engaging program features a total of 74 tours on subjects ranging from Black heritage on King Street East, to early Indigenous history surfaced by Toronto's archaeology, to immigrants working together to build community in Bloorcourt, to 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy in the Church-Wellesley Village.

Upcoming tours in June are featured below. As spots are limited and registration is required for paid tours, we suggest you sign up soon!

2023 Tours Presenting Sponsor

Emerging Historians Champions

A large group of people walk past a portico entrance which is decorated with Greek icon portraits. A sign reads St Irene Chrysovalantou Greek Orthodox Church.

Greektown on the Danforth

Sunday, June 4 | 11:00 AM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Pape Subway Station (743 Pape Avenue)

Learn about Toronto’s Greek community and its settlement on the Danforth during the postwar years. This walk will explore Greektown, from its foundations in faith and family, to milestone community events, and the evolution of businesses and restaurants, including the creation of Flaming Opa Cheese as a tourist spectacle.

Tour developed and led by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation.

Tour Sponsors

Yonge Street Architecture

Wednesday, June 7 | 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

FREE

College Park (444 Yonge Street)

Explore the architecture of the neighbourhood that surrounds Yonge Street at our first tent event! From a large university campus, to beautiful churches, and numerous parks, you'll get an up-close look at the area's side streets, laneways, and the spaces between.

Tour Sponsor

Changing Chinatown

Thursday, June 8 | 6:30 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Huron Square (Huron Street and Dundas Street West)

Discover the past and present along Spadina Avenue; the shifting demographics that saw a thriving Jewish community transition to Toronto’s Chinatown; the advocacy that cancelled destructive expressway plans and now guides efforts to preserve the neighborhood’s cultural heritage; and the evolving definition of public space and art that grounds the community and its shops, homes and businesses.

Tour developed with the support of a generous donation by Andrew and Sharon Himel and the Himel Family.

A long line of people in summer clothing are walking in single file on a curved concrete path with their backs toward the camera. There is lawn to the left of the path and the photo is framed by trees in full leaf.

It Takes a Village

Saturday, June 10 | 3:00 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Barbara Hall Park (519 Church Street)

Join us this Pride Month to discover stories of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community like that of George Hislop, a gay activist who was one of the earliest openly gay candidates for political office in Canada.

Charged in the 1981 Bathhouse Raids, later in 2003, he was involved in a class action lawsuit against the federal government to extend Canada Pension Plan benefits to surviving same-sex partners of pensioners who has passed away prior to 1998.

Writing Change in the Annex

Sunday, June 11 | 11:00 AM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Seaton Park (14 Albany Avenue)

Explore the Annex through the work of women writers who called the neighbourhood home. From Carol Shields to Gwendolyn MacEwen to Kim Moritsugu, these authors spinned stories that inspire self-reflection and community action, tackling issues ranging from domestic violence and sexual abuse, to mental health, to poverty.

Rebels On Stage & Off Script

Sunday, June 11 | 3:00 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

339 Huron Street

Share the spotlight with the characters and locations that helped transform Toronto’s theatre scene from the 1950s to 1980s. Tales include how a show ran amok when Toronto’s morality squad took issue with a play about a pig, and how the Bohemian Embassy hosted Canada’s first and not-so-dignified “happening”.

Group of people stand in front of a long triangular roofed building.

Bad Girls

Thursday, June 15 | 6:30 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

1155 King Street West

Meet the women who overcame persecution and prejudice in their fight for opportunity and justice in 19th- and 20th-century Toronto. From the former site of the Mercer Reformatory, the first women’s prison in Canada, we’ll explore the area’s long-lost factories, immigration centres and rooming houses to uncover the stories of the women who lived and worked here.

Tour developed with the support of a generous donation by Alex Pike.

Group of people gathered around two men dressed in blue tshirts. One has a raised hand and speaks into a microphone.

Creating Toronto

Saturday, June 17 | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

FREE

St. Lawrence Market (Market Street)

Meet us at our tent for a free walk through the history of Toronto! Explore the hidden gems of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood, once the old Town of York, and connect today's bustling city with remnants from the past.

Tour Sponsors

People are standing with their backs to the camera on a dirt path surrounded above by a canopy of trees in leaf looking at a stone and red brick arch.

Lost Toronto

Sunday, June 18 | 11:00 AM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Sculptor's Cabin (Guild park and Gardens)

Discover what remains of the historic buildings of Old Toronto at Guild Park, nestled atop the Scarborough Bluffs. As we wander among the architectural fragment of demolished buildings, we’ll hear stories of the artists, advocates, and architects who helped to shape the early landscape of the city, and preserved these remnants from that time.

This tour developed with Friends of Guild Park.

Modern Scenes on St. Clair

Thursday, June 22 | 6:30 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

St. Clair Subway Station (Deer Park entrance)

Take the modern view of St. Clair Avenue on this interactive photo walk. Anchoring some of Toronto’s most exclusive residential areas, this thoroughfare is also home to impressive Modern architecture, from residential towers to parking garages to bus terminals. Bring along your camera and capture the unique lines and finishes of Modern gems like the award-winning 1969 Avoca Towers.

Tour developed and led by professional photographer Vik Pahwa.

Tour Sponsors

Sculpture of a man working on and positioning large wooden beans with rope. In the background large multi storey buildings are visible.

Rail Lands

Saturday, June 24 | 11:00 AM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Chinese Railway Workers Memorial (9 Blue Jays Way)

Learn how the railways transformed Toronto from a small British settlement to a cosmopolitan city, tracing their role from today’s quick modern commute to their historic contributions to telecommunications and the tourism industry. A means to connect, these same railways carry stories of fraud, abuse and harassment experienced by Indigenous communities, Chinese workers and Black porters.

Tour developed with the support of a generous donation by Andrew and Sharon Himel and the Himel Family.

Image of a road with two buildings. The closer two-storey building has a large sign affixed to its wall reading York Mills Skating Rink. The building to its left is built of brick and has a sign that reads Jolly Miller.

Hogg's Hollow

Saturday, June 24 | 3:00 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Mill Street and Old Yonge Street

Explore the Hogg’s Hollow area on this walk and learn how the neighbourhood’s idyllic charm hides harrowing stories of heroism and heartbreak, from its dramatic role in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion, to the infamous location of the 1960 construction disaster resulting in the deaths of Italian immigrant workers.

Tour developed and led by North York Historical Society.

Woman wearing mask walks on a sidewalk next to a bike share station. Behind her a line of people follow.

St. James Town

Sunday, June 25 | 11:00 AM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

Rekai Family Parkette (625 Bloor Street East)

Discover the history of the largest high-rise community in Canada on this walk. Once featuring grand Victorian houses on every corner, in the 1960s, St. James Town became the centre for young, single lifestyles. It’s now home to many diverse cultures, welcoming new immigrants from around the world.

Tour Sponsors

Space Age at the Park

Sunday, June 25 | 3:00 PM

$9.85 FEE ($8.00 ticket + $1.85 Eventbrite transaction fee)

1 Palace Pier

Stroll through South Humber Park where a Canadian Heritage River meets Lake Ontario. Before we fly to the stars, we’ll learn about the public art that depicts the area’s Indigenous history. Then, it’s a pit stop to discover how a major natural disaster inspired a futuristic comfort station, known as the Oculus, and how its quirky UFO shape embodies the optimism of the postwar era.

Tour developed by ACO Toronto.

Sidewalk angled view of large group of people walking in a line on a sidewalk flanking a road with bus and large construction vehicle.

EQUITY HERITAGE INITIATIVE

Likkle Heritage Treasure Hunt

Saturday, June 3 | 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Green P Lot 664 (1607 Eglinton Avenue West)

Last chance to join us for this free one-day event to uncover the cultural heritage of Little Jamaica. Taste delicious Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine (limited quantity), listen for clues in the groove of the reggae tunes, and try your hand at black hair care, all while while you explore the neighbourhood and tackle trivia questions for amazing prizes.

Heritage Toronto's Equity Heritage Initiative is made possible by TD Bank and funding from:

View of crowd of people in a room at a reception with drink and food being held by many as they congregate in different groups and areas.

HERITAGE TORONTO AWARDS

Open call for nominations!

DEADLINE: Friday, June 30 | 11:59 PM

Nominations are now being accepted from the public for the 48th Heritage Toronto Awards to be held on October 30. Help recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in the field. If you know of an exciting project that showcases Toronto's heritage, nominate it for a Heritage Toronto Award. See the criteria for Book, Public History, and Built Heritage.

NOMINATE NOW

Eight individuals all wearing eclipse glasses look up at the sky. City view appears in the background and includes the St. James Cathedral bell tower and tree canopy of St. James Park.

JOBS & VOLUNTEERING

Help us plan for the future!

Are you an organizer with experience in digital and web-based project work? We're hiring a Website Project Coordinator. The role requires someone who is a critical thinker, great communicator and team motivator, and is knowledgeable about project management and website trends and tools. The deadline for applications is July 2.

APPLY NOW

HERITAGE HAPPENINGS

The historical context behind renaming Dundas Street

Three years after City Hall acted on a petition to change name of Dundas Street, some mayoral candidates are pledging to reopen the debate. (Toronto Star)

The rainbow connection

As Pride Month begins, and LGBTQ communities reflect on troubled times, a new book from The ArQuives opens up its photographic record of Toronto’s queer history. (The Globe and Mail)

'Home on native land:' A new push to change O Canada's lyrics

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie hopes the city will support calling on the federal government to change the lyrics of “O Canada.” (CTV News)

GET SOCIAL WITH US

Image Credits

Indigenous Dialogues tour group, July 3, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Tour participants, St. Irene Chrysovalantou Greek Orthodox Church, July 16, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Tour participants, College Park, May 9, 2019. Image by Ali Mosleh.

Tour participants, Huron Street Public Square, July 17, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

George Hislop Park, Church-Wellesley Village, August 2, 2018.

Tour participants, Gwendolyn MacEwan Park, September 17, 2022.

Buddies staff at 12 Alexander Street, 1992. Courtesy of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

Tour group at Lamport Stadium, location of former Mercer Reformatory, July 30, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Emerging historian Benson Cheung leading the Creating Toronto tour, August 28, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Brick and stone arch, Guild Park, June 8, 2019. Image by Ali Mosleh.

Avoca Towers, 1969. Image by Harold Barkley, Toronto Star/Toronto Public Library collection.

Chinese Workers Memorial, June 25, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Jolly Miller and Hogg Brothers shop, Yonge Street, 1954. Image by James Salmon, Toronto Star/Toronto Public Library collection.

St. James Town tour, September 26, 2021. Image by Herman Custodio.

South Humber Park Pavilion (the Oculus), circa 1960. Image: Toronto Parks, Forestry, and Recreation.

Little Jamaica on Eglinton Avenue West, June 30, 2022. Image by Ashley Duffus.

Reception at Heritage Toronto Awards, October 17, 2022. Image by Herman Custodio.

Heritage Toronto staff taking in the Solar Eclipse, roof of St. Lawrence Hall, August 21, 2017. Image by Sean Michael Blank.