It was a frigid Thursday evening on Jan. 29, but that didn’t stop people from Etobicoke from flocking into the Thistletown Community Centre gym. They were there to learn about the history of the municipality.
The event was hosted by Ward 1 Etobicoke North Councillor Vincent Crisanti and featured historical artifacts and archives. Toronto archives, The Lion’s Club of Etobicoke, the Franklin Carmichael Art Group and the Etobicoke Historical Society were present to show their support.
Many who attended the Etobicoke Historical Night shared stories with each other and found common connections. What was abundantly clear throughout the event was that history is the glue that holds a community together.
Stories of the city’s past showed that streets, schools and neighbourhoods were shaped by people and choices that still influence the community today.
Crisanti spoke to the group gathered at the gym and expressed his delight at seeing such a large crowd.
“It’s important that not just the people that are here, but our families and the children know their roots, and where they come from,” he said.
“Today was picked because it was a time that people wanted to celebrate their history,” Crisanti said.
Many shared stories of where they grew up, comparing how their neighbourhoods had changed through the years. All of them agreed that the multicultural community in Etobicoke has changed it for the better.
There were showcases of different neighbourhoods and their histories. The history of Humber Polytechnic was also part of the showcase, and it showed how the North campus was founded in 1968 on farmland, reflecting the school's deep connection to the city of Etobicoke.
Crisanti went on to say that North Etobicoke is “the most multicultural community anywhere in the country.” He said that this was because people of diverse backgrounds live in harmony with each other.
Karen Travers, from the Etobicoke Historical Society, said now is an important time to think back on the community’s history.
“It’s important to feel connected to where you live,” she said.
“Through these events, we always find people are happy to learn more, since we don’t promote our history very much anymore,” Travers said. “The other thing is we work a lot to try and protect heritage buildings, because we’ve lost a lot.”
Robert Van Den Heuvel, the new president of Franklin Carmichael Art Group (FCAG) praised the large turnout that night.
“I think communities you build over time, and history is part of communities that hold them together,” he said.
Van Den Heuvel said it was also important to feel connected to the community where a person lives. He said this connection is important, as it is how a community can survive and help each other.
Nancy Buckingham, also a volunteer for FCAG, always introduces herself jovially as “Buckingham like the palace.” Although she no longer lives in Etobicoke, she fondly remembers growing up and listening to stories of this community.
Buckingham told the story of Dr. Agnes Ann Curtin and her service to naturalism in North Etobicoke. Curtin is known as the first female graduate from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine.
Curtin, according to Buckingham, had enlisted the help of a local boy’s group to plant at least 4,000 trees around her property.
“I say hired because she paid them with homemade peanut brittle,” she said, laughing.
Lauren Barkley, a volunteer from the RCL Coronation Branch 286, also had an exhibit showing maps and images of Etobicoke in the past. She is also the curator of the Legion Hall’s museum, and encourages people to know their history.
Barkley shared stories of the lack of preservation of old buildings in Etobicoke. She stressed the importance of a community coming together to preserve its history.
“When it comes to community history, it has to be the community that sees the value in it and keeps it alive,” Barkley said.
“If you don’t know where you’re from, you don’t know where you’re going,” she said.
