The evolution from a small French trading post on Lake Ontario to a world-class City: the story of Toronto comes to life in this 90-minute documentary with archival footage from the early 1900s and interviews with leading historians and archaeologists. (Photo: City of Toronto Archives)
In 1879 an annual fair was begun on Toronto’s waterfront as an industrial exhibition to highlight technology in farming. Over the years the CNE or “Ex” as it has become known, has had many incarnations: a staging area for troops during WW2; a post-war showcase for inventions; a fun midway; and a stage that featured super stars such as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Anne Murray. The Ex also included many ethnic groups who subsequently started their own festivals in the City supported by their distinct media groups. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
Stories of Ned Hanlan, Babe Ruth, and Marilyn Bell (the first person to swim Lake Ontario), are combined with the evolution of major sports in the city and the development of stadia from SkyDome to BMO field. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
In October 1954 disaster struck the Humber Valley in Toronto when Hurricane Hazel came inland 960 km from the Carolina coast. Archival film footage and old photos reveal the tragedy unfolding as 10 metres of water came down the valley trapping people in their homes and cars and sweeping them down river. Emergency services were called in to help and volunteers perished as they were struck by a wall of water. Eighty-one people died, 4,000 families were left homeless and flooding rivers took out 20 bridges. Hazel changed the landscape forever leading to dams and water conservation, park and ravine management, and laws banning home building on flood plains. All properties were expropriated from the valley to ensure such a disaster could never occur again and in so doing a wonderful park system was created in the Humber and Don River watershed system. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
Archival film footage of the Great Fire of 1904 reveals fascinating scenes of early Toronto, the streets, stores, citizens along with turn of the century fire-fighting methods. The fire erased 20 acres of the downtown financial district and caused $10 million dollars of damage. This vignette also features one of the old hose towers that is still in existence in the City along with the evolution of fire-fighting equipment from horse-drawn wagons to today’s sophisticated fire engines. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
In the early days of Toronto, every fit man was expected to put in a few nights on watch duty. It wasn’t until 1834 that police officers were officially appointed and the Metropolitan Police Force established. Stories include the evolution of uniforms and horse-drawn paddy wagons, the capture of the infamous Boyd Gang, and how pain-staking detective work solved Hit & Run accidents. The success of the Hold Up Squad made this, one of the oldest police forces in the world, the envy of other jurisdictions. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
Railway Barons took the land reserved for Parks and cut the City of Toronto off from the waterfront. John Howard, the first City Engineer purchased land from Humber Bay to Bloor Street and designed his country home, Colborne Lodge. When he died he left his land, now known as High Park, to the people of Toronto, while his watercolours became a fascinating and enduring record of the City in the 1800s. In time other parks, including The Beach, were added for the people’s enjoyment. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
Archival film footage combines with intriguing stories to reveal the history of Toronto’s transportation system. It all started when Governor Simcoe built Yonge Street, a military road that opened the north to settlers. In the 1830s you could hire a cab or take a stage coach which in time led to horse-drawn urban omnibuses and then, with the advent of electricity, streetcars with wooden seats and coal stoves. When downtown Yonge intersections became a nightmare of horses, cabs, streetcars, pedestrians and omnibuses – the subway was built. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes and information.
Toronto’s streetscapes could pass for anywhere and when major movies are shot in locations such as the Distillery District the city becomes Hollywood North. The two theatres that make up the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre Centre are restored and reveal some major discoveries including the largest collection of vaudevillian flats in the world. Built by Marcus Loew it is the last surviving double-decker theatre in the world. Ed Mirvish ploughs his profits from Honest Ed’s into saving the Royal Alexander and the Princess of Wales and promoting Toronto as a centre for plays and musicals. The city’s position as the cultural capital of Canada is strengthened with innovative architecture, new museums and additions to celebrated structures, and makes its mark with a child-friendly Science Centre and Metro Zoo. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes.
Toronto moves south into the Lake and Union Station is built becoming the busiest transportation hub in Canada. The waterfront is developed and as more land is reclaimed, Redpath Sugar opens a refinery taking advantage of the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway and the larger ships that can now reach Toronto’s port lands. The CN Tower is built and Toronto the Mega City is born. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes.
As the city expands to the west of Yonge Street, William Gooderham decides to build the King Edward Hotel, the first luxury hotel in Toronto to preserve the east end of the city. He fills it with the contents of a Palace shipped from Paris and designs it so that the ladies of the city have their own private entrance and dining room. In 1929 as part of their plans to take advantage of the tourism boom across Canada, the Canadian Pacific Railway builds the City’s next luxury hotel, the Royal York, directly opposite Union Station and the railway lands. See the Toronto 175 category for more episodes.
Since the mid 1970s, producer/host, Anne Martin, has been bringing stories to life through the medium of television. She thrives on tracking down the unusual and her work has encompassed history, geology, heritage and a positive outlook on the world around us. Read more about Anne Martin.