First Parliament
Quebec commemorates site of Parliament of United Canada
Underscores our lack of plans for Toronto's First Parliament Site
The first few paragraphs of this article could apply equally to the site of the first Parliament buildings in Upper Canada, which lies similarly ignored at the corner of Parliament and Front streets in downtown Toronto.
Burned down during the War of 1812 by American forces, these buildings - commissioned by Upper Canada's first Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe - were the birthplace of many important pieces of early legislation. It is disappointing to consider that tourists visiting the city during the Bicentennial of that conflict are likely to see only a ragtag collection of automobile related businesses, rather than a site which honours its past.
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For the week of March 30
Heritage Toronto will be providing a weekly recap of heritage news in our city.
Feel free to add your comments at the end of this posting, including any stories we may have missed.
History in a car wash (National Post)
A time for talkies (Toronto Sun)
City of Consolation
Archaeology in Toronto
Michael Redhill's novel Consolation, a tale of Toronto told in two centuries, was the starting point for a group of presentations by local archaeologists at the Society for Historical Archaeology annual meeting in Toronto earlier this month. David Robertson of Archaeological Services, Inc., was inspired by this book to herd these cats into a morning's exploration of Toronto's past through their presentations.
The pace and scope of archaeological investigation of this city has increased since the Archaeological Master Plan was introduced in 2005 and digs have been going on all over the city. The presenters gave us some insight into the following places:
First Parliament Update
An Open Letter to Greg Sorbara
UPDATE: An Open Letter to Greg Sobara, Chair of the Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study
Dear Mr. Sorbara:
On behalf of Heritage Toronto let me offer my congratulations on your appointment as Chair of the Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study. A thriving tourism sector is critical to the ongoing health of the Toronto and Ontario economies, and I look forward to your report.
As Chair of the Board of Heritage Toronto, I am writing to raise with you the tourism potential presented by sites of historical importance in general and in particular by the Toronto site of the first Parliament buildings of Upper Canada.
As I'm sure you are aware, cultural and heritage tourism is a thriving industry around the world. But I think it's fair to say that Toronto (and Ontario), have not taken full advantage of the potential for heritage tourism, compared with many other destinations. The site of Upper Canada's first Parliament buildings at Parliament and Front Streets, which were burned by American forces during the War of 1812, gives us one opportunity to remedy this.