Our Stories

panoramic scene of a park with blue sky

Thomas W. Thompson: Champion of Toronto’s Green Spaces

1914–1985 Mount Pleasant Cemetery Section 32 Lot 864 Born beside Toronto’s iconic Casa Loma, Thomas “Tommy” Thompson grew up surrounded by gardens, a
Read More
Exterior view of Spadina House, a historic two‑and‑a‑half‑storey mansion with cream‑coloured walls, green shutters, and a mansard roof, featuring a covered entrance, bay windows, and landscaped gardens with a curved driveway and mature trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Mary Louisa Pipkin: Freedom Seeker and Toronto Trailblazer

short graves surrounded by trees

City of Toronto Soldiers’ Lot: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice

Black and white photo of Mel Chandler standing with his hands on his hips. He is wearing a light-coloured button-down dress shirt, belted dress pants, and a cardigan. Behind him is a large leafy tree and a house across the road. Behind him are the gates to Pine Hills Cemetery, at the Kennedy side exit.

Living Among the Monuments: The Chandler Family at Pine Hills

Colour portrait of a person shown from the shoulders up, with light, curly hair against a softly textured, warm‑toned background. The image has a grainy, archival appearance.

Annie “Nance” Horwood: Brampton’s First Female Mayor and Tireless Community Advocate

Black‑and‑white photograph of soldiers seated around tables inside a military convalescent hospital common room, with a nurse standing nearby and a piano against the wall, light streaming in through tall windows.

Irene Pearl Courtice Lambert: A Nursing Sister’s Sacrifice

Placeholder image

Mary Carfrae: First Burial at Potter’s Field

headstone covered in snow

James Henry Fleming: Toronto’s Gentleman Ornithologist

really old skates

Percy Johnston: A Life on Ice

A lone rower in a blue sleeveless shirt navigates a narrow wooden sculling boat across calm water, leaving gentle ripples behind. A row of large trees and historic-looking buildings line the far riverbank beneath a bright, lightly clouded sky.

Ned Hanlan: Canada’s First Sporting Hero

Placeholder image

Cecil Robert Youngfox: A Voice through Art

hockey game in 1931

James Wes McKnight: Canada’s First Sports Commentator

St. Andrew’s Society Cairn, a tall stone obelisk rising from a circular base of stacked grey stones with an inscribed plaque, set on a grassy slope and framed by mature trees beneath a clear blue sky.

St. Andrew’s Society Cairn: A Monument to Scottish Heritage

corner store in black and white

Frank Stefano Darrigo: From Pushcart to Grocery Empire

Exterior view of the Bata Shoe Museum, a modern concrete museum building at a city street intersection, with large graphic banners displayed on its walls. Cars and traffic lights are visible at the crossroads, and a tall residential tower rises behind the museum under an overcast sky.

Thomas J. Bata and Sonja I. Bata: Shoemaker to the World and the Woman Who Preserved His Legacy

Black‑and‑white vintage portrait of a person wearing a formal suit with a tie and pocket square, seated against a dark studio backdrop.

J.E.H. MacDonald: Visionary of Canadian Art

A close-up photograph of a gold commemorative coin featuring two classical figures standing in the center—one draped and holding a staff, the other nude and athletic, holding a wreath. The inscriptions include “776 B.C. – 1976 A.D.” along the left side, “100 DOLLARS” on the right, and Greek lettering along the bottom. The coin rests on a light, textured background.

Dora de Pédery-Hunt: The Artist Behind Canada’s Coins

boulder with trees and shrubs

The Children’s Garden: A Place of Memory and Peace 

View of the Toronto Crematorium Chapel, a Gothic‑style stone building with a tall central tower, seen through tree branches and a wrought‑iron fence in a leafy, sunlit setting.

Cremation Centre: A Turning Point in Ontario’s Funeral History

Man standing inside an auto repair shop with several vans on lifts and open hoods, surrounded by tools and service equipment.

Making the Machines Work for the People: Mark Francis’ MPG Story

gravestone of Thomas Carfrae

Thomas Carfrae: Civic Leader and Pioneer of Toronto’s Potter’s Field