December 2023

SUPPORT

Will you help us tell more of Toronto’s stories in 2024?

Some people say heritage is a divisive force. Recent headlines show how it can be abused to fuel anger and hateful and racist acts. But we believe heritage is part of the solution. Bringing people together to explore Toronto’s diverse stories, to engage in robust discussion and respectful debate—this work builds empathy, understanding, and community.

This year, Heritage Toronto kicked off some exciting initiatives, delving into the heart of our city's diverse stories. None of this would have been possible without the support of our community of donors, people like you. Today, we're reaching out, asking you to play a crucial role in continuing this important work in 2024.

Consider the work of emerging historian Jingshu Yao. As our Programs Coordinator in 2023, she helped profile stories from Toronto's Chinese community. With donor support, Jingshu led tours, crafted digital experiences, and led the development of engaging events—enriching the narrative of our city.

Why contribute? Now, as we gear up for 2024, your support can fuel more of these impactful moments. Through your donations to the Storyteller Fund, we will hire a new program coordinator, work with 20 emerging historians, and participate in eight community events happening across Toronto. No matter the size, every donation is key to building a stronger, more empathetic, and connected city.

EQUITY HERITAGE INITIATIVE

United through Heritage: Noha's Tribe

Thursday, December 14 | 5:00 - 10:00 PM

FREE (Registration required)

Location: 468 Queen Street West

Engage in this immersive experience on placemaking and how people of African and Caribbean descent have created a place for themselves across the diaspora. A map-making activity will help identify spaces in Toronto where you’ve noticed bottom-up placemaking in the Black community, and places important to Black identity and heritage. We'll craft vision boards using materials from African and Caribbean culture and heritage, while also exploring archival content from our city's Black history. Together, we'll discuss how these locations can act as cultural hotspots in the city, and how the city's modern Black culture can become the heritage of the future.

EXPLORE

Art and Innovation at the Guild of All Arts

Discover how in the middle of the Great Depression, two visionaries, Rosa and H. Spencer Clark, realized their dream of building a self-sufficient artists cooperative, where artists and craftspeople could live, work, and create. 

While that vision has changed over time, this new digital story highlights how the Guild of All Arts has developed a lasting legacy of support for the arts in Toronto and has created a unique environment for artists and visitors alike. 

Rebels on Stage and Off Script: Toronto's Alternative Theatre movement

Meet the companies, directors, writers, and actors who mounted rebellious performances from the 1950s to the 1980s and helped establish Toronto’s now-thriving theatre scene.

This digital tour will take you through the Bloor-Yonge area to dive into the fun, scandalous, and complicated history and stories of Toronto’s alternative theatre movement, which sought to profile distinctly Canadian stories, but whose early history also excluded Indigenous storytelling and performance methods.

TOURS

Open call for Tour proposals

Do you have a great idea for a walking tour that will bring people together to explore our city and to discover the diverse stories and lived experiences that define Toronto? We're encouraging proposals from equity-deserving individuals or communities, or which focus on topics or neighbourhoods related to these communities.

Submit a proposal to lead a volunteer public walk with us during our 2024 season. Proposals will be accepted until January 31, 2024.

PLAQUES

What Toronto stories should have plaques?

We're responsible for almost 900 plaques across the city. Many of these plaques are dated and reflect the understanding of the time they were created. We're reviewing what we do—and we're asking for your help to answer questions like the one above.

If you have not yet, please take a short survey to help us shape the future of the Plaques program.

VOLUNTEERS

Celebrating our volunteers

As a very busy and productive 2023 comes to a close, we would like to acknowledge all our amazing volunteers whose dedication and support made this year a great success. From board and committee meetings to tours and special events, our work would not be possible without you. A huge thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Image Credits

Tour leader, Jingshu Yao, Toronto's First Chinatown tour, July 1, 2023. Image by Johnny Wu.

Architectural fragment at Guild Park, September 2019. Image by Herman Custodio.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre staff at their new home on 12 Alexander Street, 1992. Image from Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

Tour participants, Indigenous Art & Nature, July 23, 2023.Image by Agnes Manivit.

Toronto's First Black doctors, plaque unveiling, February 9, 2023.

Food Memories activity station at the Full Moon Festival, October 1, 2023. Image by Oscar Akamine.