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A group of men sitting in a room. In the front is a line of men waiting to go up to an area with clothes. More men are standing with with tables full of clothing (shirts, pants, and shoes).

Reform City

Explore the origins of a selection of Toronto’s early reform organisations and social movements, and their impact on the city’s social welfare landscape today.

Characterized by strong religious sentiment, rapid population growth, and socioeconomic upheavals, 19th-century Toronto was an incubator for social reform movements and charitable institutions.

This tour explores the origins of a selection of Toronto’s early reform and charitable institutions, and their impact on the lives of people living in Toronto. The socioeconomic realities of an evolving city led to the growth of several organisations focused on healthcare, refugee support, social justice, prison reform, and poverty relief. The origins of social welfare programs in Toronto and their stakeholders sheds a light on the city’s current social welfare landscape, its strengths and weaknesses, and public perceptions of poverty.

This tour was researched and developed by emerging historians Anthony Badame and Stephanie Read-Sukhareva (2022) as part of our Equity Heritage Initiative, and is made possible through the generous support of our donors and TD Bank and The Ready Commitment.

Published: January 5, 2023

Choose a marker to begin your tour

If you’re exploring on a mobile device, please abide by all traffic and safety rules. Only look at your device when you are standing stationary in a safe location!

General Sources

Marutto, Paula. “Charity and public welfare in history: A look at Ontario, 1830–1950.” The Philanthropist Journal.

Neighbourhood Workers Association. “Social Service Directory of Toronto.” 1920.

Palmer, Brian D. and Gaéten Héroux. Toronto’s Poor: A Rebellious History. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2017.

Schrauwers, Albert. ‘Union is Strength’: W.L. Mackenzie, The Children of Peace and the Emergence of Joint Stock Democracy in Upper Canada. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 2009.

Stewart, Paul H. Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America. New York: Sage Publications, 2005.

The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood. Edited by John Lorinc, Michael McClelland, Ellen Scheinberg, and Tatum Taylor. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2015.

The Ward Uncovered: The Archaeology of Everyday Life. Editors: Michael McClelland, Holly Martelle, John Lorinc, and Tatum Taylor. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2018.

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