TORONTO’S LABOUR HISTORY REVEALED IN NEW “WALKING” MAP

Launch to take place today, at George Brown College

Toronto - In the week leading up to Labour Day and the annual Labour Day parade, George Brown College, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, and CUPE Local 79 are launching a new map called “Toronto Labour History Walking Tours” at 10.00am, September 1st at George Brown College, 200 King Street, East.

The “Toronto Labour History Walking Tours” map is online at: http://labourcouncil.ca/labourhistorymap.pdf

“Just as city naturalists have uncovered the buried creeks that criss-cross the city in a process they call ‘sunshining’, this map is a way to bring some of our city’s rich labour history into the light of day,” says Maureen Hynes, map co-author and former coordinator of the School of Labour at George Brown College.

“We have a powerful and dramatic history of working people in this city,” says president of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, John Cartwright. “We’ve won battles, we’ve organized unions, we’ve shaped this city. And the struggle for change continues today. We are delighted that our history is being retold and re-imagined in new ways.”

The map includes three walking tours, each covering a different time period and area: Map A, 19th Century Toronto, begins the city’s working history; Map B, Early 20th Century Toronto, records Toronto’s early industrial growth; and Map C, Post-War Toronto, takes us to key labour sites from the end of World War II to the present.

The launch event will be held at 10.00am in the main foyer at George Brown College, 200 King Street, East. Following the event, speakers will visit St. Lawrence Hall at 157 King Street, East to learn about the Hall’s role in Toronto’s labour movement. Showcased on the walking tour map, St. Lawrence Hall is the site of many historic events, including a talk by abolitionist and former slave, Frederick Douglass, and a rally for the nine hour day.

Speakers at the event include:
• map co-authors: Maureen Hynes, Schools of Labour, George Brown
College; and David Kidd from CUPE Local 79;
• John Cartwright, president of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council;
• Winnie Ng, co-chair, Good Jobs for All Coalition;
• Craig Heron, PhD., labour historian, York University;
• Lynne Kurylo, walking tour guide and chair, Liberal studies,
Continuing Education, George Brown College; and
• Georgia Quartaro, Ph.D., dean, Preparatory and Liberal Studies,
George Brown College