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The 1923 Chinese Immigration Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, banned nearly all Chinese immigration to Canada. The Exclusion Act followed decades of high taxes designed to restrict Chinese migration. In 1947, lawyers Kew Dock Yip (1906–2001) and Irving Himel (1915–2001) successfully lobbied the Canadian government to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act. The plaque was unveiled at Toronto City Hall by Barry Chong, Alfred Yip, MP Kevin Vuong, John Yip, and MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam.

Plaques

Our plaques educate and enlighten the public about the important people, places, and events from Toronto’s past. Started in 1969, our program is responsible for more than 900 plaques across the city.

Open to public applications

Plaques commemorate the people who lived in our homes and once walked our streets; the communities, events and streetscapes they shaped; and the world they faced and changed.

Anyone can apply for plaque and we encourage applicants to find funding support to make them happen. Heritage Toronto provides expertise in research and writing, plaque design and fabrication, and installation on buildings and in public spaces.

Explore Legacy plaques

Produced in partnership with the Toronto Legacy Project, this program marks the places where great people achieved great things in Toronto.

Explore the plaque map

Apply for a plaque

We are always accepting applications for the following programs:

A photo shows a heritage plaque for Casey House in Toronto, Canada.

Heritage Property Plaque

Share your building’s history

Properties on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register are eligible for a Heritage Property plaque.

Tell your building’s story
An image shows the plaque for Jackie Shane.

Commemorative Plaque

Explore our city’s diverse heritage

Tell the story of a person, place, or event with rich interpretive text and colour images.

Share our city’s diverse heritage
Image of a plaque mounted on a red brick wall on a porch. A railing, front door, window, and flower pot planted with red geraniums are all visible. The plaque is oval in shape, with a black background and text that reads 78.

Century House Plaque

Join the Century House movement

Century House address markers highlight Toronto’s 100-year-old homes.

Do you have a Century House?

Take Note

Discover more of the story through these digital programs which expand on Heritage Toronto plaques. 

Black and white image of a 14-storey Mid-Century Modern apartment building

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A woman stands in a store crowded with beauty products.

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Image showing a park with bust of a man in a top hat on a pillar, a plaque on a post, and a sign reading Joshua Glover Park. Garden beds are visible with various plants and shrubs.

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In Pursuit of Freedom: The Life of Joshua Glover

Learn about Joshua Glover, who persevered through abuse, humiliation, and gruelling labour to seek a new life in Canada, and whose escape from slavery in Missouri caused a national sensation in the United States.