Settling In: Central Neighbourhood House – Ratna Omidvar & Ranjit Bhaskar Timothy Eaton’s Stern Fortifications – Michael Valpy The Avenue Not Taken – Michael McClelland William James: Toronto's First Photojournalist – Vincenzo Pietropaolo WeaverĪrthur Goss: Documenting Hardship– Stephen Bulgerįresh Air: The Fight Against TB – Cathy Crowe The Consulate, the Padroni and the Labourers – Andrea AddarioĮxcerpt: The Italians in Toronto – Emily P. Strange Brew: The Underground Economy of Blind Pigs – Ellen Scheinberg 'Fool's Paradise': Hastings' Anti-Slum Crusade – John Lorinc Policing the Lord’s Day – Mariana Valverde Where the Rich Went for Vice – Michael RedhillĪ Fresh Start: Black Toronto in the 19th Century – Karolyn Smardz Frost Missionary Work: The Fight for Jewish Souls – Ellen Scheinberg Merle Foster's Studio: 'A Spot Of Enchantment' – Terry Murray

My Grandmother the Bootlegger – Howard MoscoeĪgainst All Odds: The Chinese Laundry – Arlene Chan Searching for the Old Ward – Shawn Micallefīeforethe Ward: Macauleytown – Stephen A. ' should be of interest to Canadians anywhere, reminding us that we all came from some place else.' As a result of the Ward's eventual razing, there are few artifacts left to teach newer generations about this important part of Toronto's history. The result is a fascinating and varied look at an area that once concurrently defined the city and acted as its biggest shame. Instead of a straight history, the book's editors opted to present the Ward through multiple short essays, each with its own unique point of view. ‘ The Ward shines a light on one of Toronto's most historically significant and most forgotten neighbourhoods. Their perspectives on playgrounds, tuberculosis, sex workers, newsies and even bathing bring The Ward to life and, in the process, raise important questions about how contemporary cities handle immigration, poverty and the geography of difference. The Ward finally tells the diverse stories of this extraordinary and resilient neighbourhood through archival photos and contributions from a wide array of voices, including historians, politicians, architects, story-tellers, journalists and descendants of Ward residents.

But the City considered it a slum, and bulldozed the area in the late 1950s to make way for a new civic square. The story of the growth and destruction of Toronto's first 'priority neighbourhood.'įrom the 1840s until the Second World War, waves of newcomers who migrated to Toronto – Irish, Jewish, Italian, African American and Chinese, among others – landed in 'The Ward.' Crammed with rundown housing and immigrant-owned businesses, this area, bordered by College and Queen, University and Yonge streets, was home to bootleggers, Chinese bachelors, workers from the nearby Eaton' s garment factories and hard-working peddlers.

The Maniac by E. Thelmar