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For over two decades, Heritage Toronto has drawn communities together with a series of tours and walks celebrating some of the many culturally and historically significant locations and personalities that contribute to Toronto's identity. Returning for a 22nd year, the 2016 Tours program, sponsored by TD Bank Group, will offer 65 public tours between April 24th and October 23rd, led by volunteers including historians and community associations.
A list of featured events and their descriptions is included below.
Music on the Yonge Street Strip
Sponsored by the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association (Downtown Yonge BIA), this free tour about the history of music on Toronto's oldest street was fully booked last year, and is expected to be in hot demand. Hosted by historian Nicholas Jennings, the tour will discuss greats like Oscar Peterson, Ronnie Hawkins, and Glenn Gould, and runs on May 19, June 5, July 14, July 24, August 4, August 18, August 21, and September 1.
Yonge Street Architecture
This tour will cover a different angle of Yonge's rich history, focusing in on 220 years of built form. Sponsored by the Downtown Yonge BIA and the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), this tour runs on June 4, June 16, July 7, August 7, September 11, and September 22.
Pride Walks: Parts 1 and 2
Sponsored by DailyXtra and hosted by historians from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA), this tour will highlight the Church-Wellesley community that has been home to Toronto's LGBTQ community for decades. Part 1 of the tour (June 18) covers the area around Church-Wellesley Village, with part 2 (June 25) covering the area around King, Queen and Yonge Streets.
Lost Breweries of Old Town Toronto
Hosted by beer writer Jordan St. John, this tour covers an area where many breweries once existed along the Don Valley, which will be topped off by a tour of the Mill St. Brewery, including a beer tasting. The Mill Street Brewery-sponsored tours run on May 12, June 19 (Father's Day), August 27, and September 15.
A Glimpse of The Ward
Hosted by John Lorinc and Ellen Scheinberg, who worked together on the 2015 book 'The Ward', this tour covers the area surrounding the Bay and Dundas intersection, which was previously part of a large immigrant community known as "The Ward". The tour runs on July 10 and September 17.
Workers' History of Spadina
Toronto's current Chinatown area was once the heart of the city's Jewish community, and at that time was among the largest textile manufacturing districts in the country. Sponsored by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, and hosted by labour historian Professor Craig Heron, the free tour will take place on May 1.
True North Strong and Free: Canadian Citizenship in Toronto
Presented in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, this free tour celebrating Canadian citizenship will run on July 1 (Canada Day), July 2, and during Citizenship Week on October 15 and October 16.
You can pre-register for tours through the Heritage Toronto website at www.heritagetoronto.org. Ticketed tours cost a set price as listed online, while suggested donations for pay-what-you-can tours is $5 to $10 per person.
