Heritage Toronto

Heritage Toronto is a charitable arm's-length agency of the City of Toronto established in 1998 to promote a greater appreciation for the city’s rich architectural, cultural, archaeological, and natural heritage. Through partnerships with local community groups and volunteers, Heritage Toronto provides city-wide programs and services. It replaced some of the roles of the former Toronto Historical Board and other heritage agencies of the cities of Scarborough, North York, York, Etobicoke and the Borough of East York. The THB was created in 1960 to protect sites in the old City of Toronto and replaced the Toronto Civic Historical Committee created in 1949.

Heritage Toronto's head office is at St. Lawrence Hall, a heritage building.

Heritage Toronto has diverse programming that includes Tours, the Heritage Toronto Awards and Kilbourn Lecture, Plaques, and special projects.

For over 40 years, from April to October, Heritage Toronto has been offering a series of walking, bicycle and bus tours around the city as well as boutique walking tours for smaller groups interested in a more personal experience. All tours are researched, designed and led by local historians, community groups and professionals who volunteer their time.

Every October, Heritage Toronto hosts an evening of awards and a lecture by a prominent figure in the cultural sector. Different award categories recognize the best in new books, short publications, architecture and craftsmanship, media, and community heritage volunteer efforts. The Awards have been presented for over 40 years. In 1996, the Kilbourn Lecture (known at the time as the William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture) was added to the Awards evening. It is named for William Kilbourn, an academic, writer, politician, mentor and champion of the arts and humanities who personified the richness of life in Toronto. Previous speakers have included:

For almost 50 years now, Heritage Toronto’s Plaques and Markers Program officially has been recognizing key people, places and events which have been influential to the city of Toronto (http://heritagetoronto.org/programs/plaques-and-markers/). There are multiple kinds of plaques situated around Toronto that represent different aspects of the city's history.

Inventory of Heritage Property Plaques: Bronze Inventory Plaques recognize properties listed or designated under the City of Toronto’s Inventory of Heritage Properties. These plaques interpret Toronto’s built heritage.

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