Here and Now
On June 20th I biked down to the iconic CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) building in downtown Toronto for an interview on the popular afternoon show Here and Now, with Gill Deacon.
An idea whose time has come: A city museum for Toronto
Over the last forty years Toronto has seen a number of bold proposals for a city museum. Recently, the launch of the Museum of Toronto project breathed new life into the cause.
Urban Transformations
I’m one of the organizers of Urban Transformations, a symposium about major urban issues and themes as they’ve played out along Toronto’s St. Clair West corridor.
Experimenting with Pedestrian Space in Toronto, 1970s and 2014
In this post I take a look at a new Toronto pedestrianization initiative–Open Streets–in light of 1970s attempts to make downtown more walkable.
York History on WWI
It is the centenary of the start of the Great War, and commemoration of that long, bloody, and socially transformative conflict is in full swing. York historians have produced a series of short but informative videos about the conflict.
Saving the North American City
The idea that our cities need saving has been around since at least the industrial era, and it continues to have relevance today.
Building people space downtown
This year at the meeting of the American Society for Environment History in San Francisco, I’ll be presenting some of my research on Yonge Street as part of a panel on citizen engagement in urban planning.
Toronto Boom Town
The post-1945 era was a hopeful and exuberant one for Canadian cities. Toronto in particular was growing faster than ever before. This 1951 NFB documentary captures the excitement.
Building Sanctuary
Last month I was asked by the journal BC Studies to review a new book that tells the story of the people who mobilized to help Vietnam war resisters settle and stay in Canada.
My TPL Talk: Vice and Virtue on the Yonge Street Strip
I’m giving a talk at the Deer Park public library next Wednesday evening about my research on Yonge Street’s 1970s “Sin Strip.”
Crowd-sourcing the history of Toronto’s main drag
Every Torontonian has a story about Yonge Street.
Into the Secret Archive: An Interview with the Authors of Secret Service
I asked the authors of the new book Secret Service about the researching and writing of their book.
My June appearance on History Slam
My fellow Activehistory.ca contributor Sean Graham interviewed me about my work with the Canadian Historical Association’s Graduate Student Committee for his podcast History Slam.
Community Activism in Kensington Market: From Loblaw’s to Walmart
At a public meeting last night developers Rio-Can faced tough question from hundreds of citizens.
Daniel Ross 