The WTJHS is happy to report a successful annual general meeting this past Thursday (May 7th)! We also want to thank Alison Norman for her excellent talk on the Mohawk Institute and the history of residential schools in Canada. If you missed our AGM and Alison’s talk, below are links to the recording of the meeting and of Alison’s talk. The recording of the AGM will also be posted under the Annual Report tab on our website. Thank you all for your continued support.
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 Junction community. We invite you to explore this report to learn more about our work and the exciting plans we have for the future.
In addition, please find linked below the agenda for the AGM, the slate of candidates for election and the proposed budget for 2026. Each will be discussed and presented for consideration and approval at the upcoming AGM.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the work we do. We look forward to seeing you all there.
We are pleased to invite you to attend the next public meeting of the West Toronto Junction Historical Society:
Thursday, May 7 @7:00 pm – Annette Branch, Toronto Public Library, 145 Annette Street.
Alison will be discussing the history of the first and longest-running residential school in Canada.
Alison Norman is a settler historian, researcher, and historical consultant. She is a member of the Mohawk Institute Research Group, and is co-editor of a recently published book on the history of the Mohawk Institute entitled “Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s Longest-Running Residential School.”
Published in September 2025, “Behind the Bricks” tells the story of Canada’s first and longest-running residential school which operated from 1828 to 1970 in Brantford, Ontario. Many consider the Mohawk Institute to have been a model for the entire residential school system. “Behind the Bricks” brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts to examine the policies and motivations that shaped the experiences of all three parties involved with the school—the government, the church, and the students and their communities.
Alison earned her Ph.D. and B.Ed. from OISE/University of Toronto, where her dissertation focused on Six Nations women’s work in the early 20th Century. She held a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship at Trent University in which she began research into the history of Indigenous teachers in 19th century southern Ontario, and she worked as a researcher for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Alison also worked in the Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs as a historian for six years, and is currently a Senior Historian at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
West Toronto Junction Historical Society 