Tour participants, Indigenous Paths and Presence, July 21, 2024. Image by Hammad Khalil. | | Exploring the stories that have defined Toronto | | Heritage Toronto releases its 2025 Tours schedule | | |
June 5, 2025 (Toronto, Ont.) – Heritage Toronto is pleased to announce our 2025 Tours season presented by TD Bank and the TD Ready Commitment. This year, we explore our city's identity, grounded in Indigenous roots, and strengthened by waves of newcomers. Gathering visitors and residents together, our Tours program highlights what sets Toronto apart: from the shifting shoreline to midtown storefronts and businesses, from rebellion landmarks to aviation milestones.
"With our identities as Torontonians and Canadians top of mind, our tours this season examine the unique stories that have defined Canada's largest city", says Allison Bain, Executive Director of Heritage Toronto. "These experiences provide more than a celebration of civic pride; they provoke reflection and conversation on modern city life and the progress needed to strengthen Toronto's future".
The 2025 program includes 60 paid and free experiences, including walks, community events, bike and bus tours, and runs from June until October. Many, like the new Resistance and Reconciliation tour offered June 15 for Indigenous History Month, reflect our ongoing commitment under our Equity Heritage Initiative to prioritize the voices and stories of equity-deserving communities. More details and registration information on the 2025 Tours season can be found on the Heritage Toronto website.
| | 2025 Tour highlights include: | | |
Canary District: Movement and Migration
June 5, August 23, September 7
| Hear stories of connection and transition as we discover this developing community, once a bustling hub for Irish immigrants, railway workers, and travelers. On this walk, participants will visit the famous Palace Street School turned Cherry Hotel turned Canary Restaurant and other area landmarks. | | Canary Restaurant, Front and Cherry Streets, 1988-1991. Image: City of Toronto Archives | | The Palace Street School, one of the earliest free schools in Toronto, was designed by architect and later mayor Joseph Sheard. Expanded into the Cherry Street Hotel (with additions by the architect of the historic Distillery District), the building boasted 40 beautifully furnished rooms, a dining room, and bar by the 1900s. With the area's industrialization, more changes resulted, and in 1965, the building transformed into the Canary Restaurant whose signature dish was a prized meatloaf. | | |
Making Change at Honest Ed's
June 8 and August 10
| Learn about the vibrant Bloor and Bathurst area and its important contributions to Toronto's history. On this walk, participants will visit the site of Beverly Mascoll’s beauty company, which launched a revolution in Black hair care; the former offices of Contrast newspaper, the “eyes, ears, and voice of Canada’s Black community” for over 22 years; and Ed Mirvish's bargain store which welcomed immigrants and transformed the neighbourhood. | | Honest Ed's marquee, 581 Bloor St. W., 1984-1990. Image: City of Toronto Archives | | Opened in 1948, Honest Ed’s Famous Bargain House was popular with newcomers because it was an affordable place to buy furniture, clothes, kitchenware, and other essentials. To lure customers, the store sold some items at a loss—potatoes for a dime, nylons for a nickel—and gave out free frozen turkeys at Christmas. The Mirvish family regularly extended the store into neighbouring buildings and they eventually owned most of the properties on the block. | | |
It Takes a Village
June 15
| This Pride Month, explore the stories of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community on this walk—from advocacy fueled by the Bathhouse Raids and the AIDS epidemic, to the belonging and celebration found at the City Park Apartments, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and St. Charles Tavern. | | St. Charles Clock Tower, September 21, 2023. Image: Oscar Akamine | | This clock tower was originally part of the Yonge Street Fire Hall. It later stood over the St. Charles Tavern, which was a symbol for Toronto’s gay community. Opened in 1950, the St. Charles served drinks and Chinese-Canadian food, and soon grew popular with gay men. While it hosted some of the largest drag shows in the city, it was not always a safe space with patrons subjected to police surveillance and harassment. Closed in 1987, the Charles clock tower has since been restored and incorporated into a housing development. | | Emerging Historians Champions | | Heritage Toronto thanks the generous partners who have made the 2025 Tours program possible: TD Bank and the TD Ready Commitment, Yonge + St. Clair, Ports Toronto, Old Town Toronto, Exhibition Place, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, Gerrard India Bazaar, UPtown Yonge, ERA Architects, McCarthy Tetrault, Hellenic Heritage Foundation, and Alexandria Pike. | | |
About us
Heritage Toronto builds a better city by bringing people together to explore Toronto’s shared past and peoples’ lived experiences. We deliver 80+ public programs annually including plaques, digital programs and exhibitions, the Heritage Toronto Awards, the Emerging Historians program and, most recently, the Equity Heritage Initiative.
CONTACT
Lucy Di Pietro, Manager, Marketing & Communications
647-227-0159 | lucy.dipietro@toronto.ca
heritagetoronto.org
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