Zahra Ebrahim gave a great talk at the April 2, 2026, meeting of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society based on the “Messy Cities” book she co-edited. Her newest project, “Women, Walking,” co-edited with Jane Farrow, is launching on Wednesday. September 16, 7:00 pm, at the Henderson Brewing Co., 128a Sterling Road, Toronto. To book…

The WTJHS had another engaging and informative talk at our monthly meeting on the 4th of June. We would like to thank Chris Rutty for an excellent talk on the story of Connie Beattie and her story of treating Polio victims in the Chesterfield Inlet in 1949. If you were not able to make the…

The WTJHS is calling on residents in the Junction who are passionate about history and want to preserve the beautiful history of our neighborhood to come to the Junction Heritage Planning Open House. Come to the open house on Wednesday, June 18th from 5:30 – 7:30 at the West Toronto Baptist Church at 3049 Dundas…

The WTJHS is excited to announce a walking tour taking place on the 28th of June in the Junction area. Join modern-day Nabob Scot Steele in looking at Junction homes made for the Junction elite at the turn of the century. All the information is in the poster above. The tour is free, so we…

“Mercy Mission: Connie Beattie & Arctic Polio, 1949” Join professional medical and public health historian, Christopher Rutty, on a dramatic journey to the remote Arctic community of Chesterfield Inlet, on the west coast of Hudson Bay, where a devastating polio epidemic struck in the middle of the winter of 1948-49.  The local Inuit population was…

The WTJHS is excited to be hosting a set of pub nights at See Scape Pub! Join us for a night of history featuring the cops and criminals of Junction history. Check out the poster below for all the info you’ll need for the event! We hope to see you there!

We are pleased to present the 2025 Annual Report for the West Toronto Junction Historical Society, prepared for our upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 7, 2026. This report provides an overview of our activities, achievements, and community engagements over the past year. It also highlights our ongoing commitment to preserving and promoting the unique heritage and stories of the West Toronto…

The WTJHS Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the lower level auditorium of the Annette Street Library. Please plan to attend. The AGM agenda will include the following major items: Election of a Board of Directors in accordance with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act bylaw; The 2025 Financial…

Video recording now available. Zahra Ebrahim will lead us in a part reading, part talk, and part discussion, highlighting essays from the book she co-edited, Messy Cities: Why We Can’t Plan Everything. Zahra will be sharing the inspiration behind the book, the tensions of “messiness” and giving a richer context of the stories shared about our…

Video recording now available. John Beram will take us on a fascinating tour of the former industries of the West End of Toronto and the connections some of these companies had with the West Toronto Industrial Athletic Association and the sports leagues and facilities they supported, such as the Ravina Gardens Arena, and their lasting…

Video recording now available. Scarborough author, the award-winning Sheila White will give an illustrated talk about her biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White.  Drawn from diary accounts, familial correspondence, photos, and artefacts, the story revolves around a community’s opposition in the 1940s to the interracial courtship and marriage of the author’s white…

Video recording now available. Author and historian Chris Higgins brings 19th-century Toronto vividly to life in his new novel, The Gaol Carpenter’s Diary—a story grounded in true events, real locations, and the city’s uneasy relationship with justice, faith, and redemption. Told through the eyes of an Irish immigrant carpenter who builds gallows for a living, the…

Video recording now available. Gary Christie was born in 1951 and lived his childhood in the St. Clair Avenue/ Old Weston Road area in his formative years. Through this presentation he will talk about his family roots that comprised the cultural community in the mid 1900’s and his early school experiences at General Mercer Public School.…

We’re thrilled to be hosting Haunted Junction Pub Crawl events once again–this time around with four dates to choose from. Join us and Junction historian and veteran tour guide Neil Ross for a night of spooky tales from the Junction’s past, told in some of the neighbourhood’s favourite watering holes. 📍 Location: See-Scape,  347 Keele Street🕒 Start time: 7:00…

Video recording now available. What has golf got to do with God and godliness, and the green spaces of Toronto? Through our research into the social history of Toronto, we will show you how the golf courses of the Junction and area reflect the tension between public and private spaces; between godliness and abstinence and…

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE (“drop-in” style format) 📅 Date: Wednesday, June 11🕖 Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM📍 Location: West Toronto Baptist Church, 3049 Dundas St. West, Toronto Heritage Planning invites you to a Community Consultation Open House to introduce the West Toronto Junction Heritage HCD Study. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the Study objectives, process, and initial…

Video recording now available. Join us for a special presentation by Mima Brown Kapches, who will be sharing insights from her new book, The English Trip: Toronto, Sir Henry Pellatt, the Queen’s Own Rifles and the Press Gang. 📅 Date: Thursday, June 5🕖 Time: 7:00 PM📍 Location: Annette Street Library This meticulously researched work brings to life a remarkable chapter in Toronto’s past:…

Video recording now available. We are pleased to present the 2024 Annual Report for the West Toronto Junction Historical Society, prepared for our upcoming Annual General Meeting on Thursday May 15, 2025. This report provides an overview of our activities, achievements, and community engagements over the past year. It also highlights our ongoing commitment to…

Video recording now available. The West Toronto Junction Historical Society is pleased to announce that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM. All members and interested community members are warmly invited to attend. Join us as we review the past year’s activities, seek new executive positions, and discuss exciting plans for…

Video recording now available! Did you know Gordon Lightfoot once sang for just $25 a day at a Yonge Street dinner theatre? Or that a chance encounter in Toronto shaped The Beatles’ greatest album? Yonge Street has been at the center of music, theatre, and pop culture history, rivalling Times Square and Hollywood Blvd. From jazz and…

Join Junction historian and veteran tour guide Neil Ross for an unforgettable night of local true crime on a pub crawl through some of the neighbourhood’s favourite bars. Discover the dark, thrilling, sometimes hilarious stories of the railway town’s murderers, thieves, gangsters and cops! 📅 Dates: Friday, April 11, 2025 or Saturday, April 12, 2025 🕒…