History
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EVENT: A “Nation” Divided: A Conversation with historian Alan Taylor
ED: Toronto has a long history as a place where the Canadian-American relationship is forged, including during the War of 1812. At this timely, and tense...
By Shawn Micallef -
Winning Is Not Governing
Four years ago, ABC Vancouver won a commanding majority at City Hall. This October, voters elected a very different government, leaving ABC with just one...
By Erick Villagomez -
National Iron Works/Canron Foundry: Photographs, 1916-1986
An oblique aerial photo of the Toronto waterfront taken circa 1965 shows construction of the Gardiner Expressway nearing completion west of the Don...
By Peter MacCallum -
2026 Winners of the Toronto Heritage Awards
On Wednesday night, Heritage Toronto announced the winners of the 51st Annual Heritage Toronto Awards, presented by Aird & Berlis. Six winners were...
By Spacing -
Before the Bentway: CBM Bathurst, 1998
The bent of the Gardiner Expressway flanking the west side of Bathurst Street currently functions as the eastern entrance to the Bentway, but when I...
By Peter MacCallum -
City Primer — Part 4: Why Cities Are Always Short of Money
Many residents assume cities operate financially in roughly the same way as provincial or federal governments. They don’t. Municipal governments are...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 3: Why Housing Dominates Municipal Politics
It’s possible to attend a Vancouver City Council meeting and come away with the impression that municipal government exists almost entirely to debate...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 1 – What Is Municipal Government?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Vancouver is in the midst of profound urban change. Housing costs, population growth, transportation investments, climate adaptation...
By Erick Villagomez -
Yonge Street, Evening, November 6, 1965
A few of weeks ago, while searching the Toronto Telegram online archive for aerial photos of the historic industrial waterfront, I came across a...
By Peter MacCallum -
New Over Old, but not Forgotten in Mexico City
In July 2026, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City for the first time. The metro area of nearly 25 million people has a fascinating history that...
By Andrew Cuthbert -
Book Review – Black Public Joy: No Permit or Permission Required
Author: Jay Pitter (Penguin Random House, 2026) What is public space for? Most planners would answer with some combination of safety, accessibility...
By Erick Villagomez -
The photographic techniques of Toronto’s City Photographers
In May 2026, as part of the Contact Photography Festival, the City of Toronto Archives opened a new didactic exhibition entitled “Subseries 58: Department...
By Peter MacCallum