Events
From our great Speaker's Nights featuring experts on local and national history to specialty event programming, our goal is to entertain and educate. Here is a sample of some of the events being held in the coming months. Come join us!
NOTE: OUR SPEAKER's NIGHT SERIES IS AN EXCLUSIVE EVENT FOR MEMBERS OF THE ETOBICOKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND AS SUCH, THERE IS LIMITED SEATING. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
NOTE: OUR SPEAKER's NIGHT SERIES IS AN EXCLUSIVE EVENT FOR MEMBERS OF THE ETOBICOKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND AS SUCH, THERE IS LIMITED SEATING. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Thursday, November 15, 2018 - Speaker's Night: Samuel de Champlain and the Origins of the Original Fur Trade in Ontario
The founder of Quebec City and one of the most charismatic figures in Canadian history, Samuel de Champlain opened up the St Lawrence River and extended French influence throughout the Great Lakes basin. Jamie Hunter will discuss how Champlain and French explorers moved inland between 1603 and 1650 to associate and trade with the Huron/Wendat peoples of Huronia/Wendake (modern-day Simcoe and Grey Counties in Ontario) and established the foundations for a fur trade that would continue for over 200 years.
Jamie Hunter has worked in Ontario archeology for over 50 years and is responsible for major efforts of archaeological and historical site preservation. He is currently President of the Huronia Chapter of the Ontario Archeological Society. He was Director/Curator of the Huronia Musuem in Midland, Ontario from 1987 till 2013, after previously having been Curator at Huronia Historical Parks, Sainte-Marie Among The Hurons for four years.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
The founder of Quebec City and one of the most charismatic figures in Canadian history, Samuel de Champlain opened up the St Lawrence River and extended French influence throughout the Great Lakes basin. Jamie Hunter will discuss how Champlain and French explorers moved inland between 1603 and 1650 to associate and trade with the Huron/Wendat peoples of Huronia/Wendake (modern-day Simcoe and Grey Counties in Ontario) and established the foundations for a fur trade that would continue for over 200 years.
Jamie Hunter has worked in Ontario archeology for over 50 years and is responsible for major efforts of archaeological and historical site preservation. He is currently President of the Huronia Chapter of the Ontario Archeological Society. He was Director/Curator of the Huronia Musuem in Midland, Ontario from 1987 till 2013, after previously having been Curator at Huronia Historical Parks, Sainte-Marie Among The Hurons for four years.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
Thursday, February 21, 2018 - Speaker's Night: Laurence Dutil-Ricard on Franco-Ontarian History.
When most Ontarians think of francophone history in Ontario, famous early French explorers are most likely to come to mind like Samuel de Champlain or Étienne Brûlé. Franco-Ontarians continued to have an important influence in the province long after the British conquest of New France – from the War of 1812, through Confederation and the World Wars right up to the present day. Laurence Dutil-Ricard will explore the contributions and struggles that faced this French linguistic minority in a predominantly English speaking province and how they helped to shape the modern Ontario we know today.
Laurence Dutil-Ricard is a jurist and historical researcher currently involved in starting up Ontario’s new French-language university, l'Université de l'Ontario français. In 2016 she completed an MA in World History and Cultures from King’s College London, England, and later was self-employed as a historical researcher before joining Historica Canada as Editorial Coordinator for The Canadian Encyclopedia. After moving from Quebec City to Toronto in 2017, she joined EHS and most recently became one of our newest board members, currently involved in our Projects Committee.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
When most Ontarians think of francophone history in Ontario, famous early French explorers are most likely to come to mind like Samuel de Champlain or Étienne Brûlé. Franco-Ontarians continued to have an important influence in the province long after the British conquest of New France – from the War of 1812, through Confederation and the World Wars right up to the present day. Laurence Dutil-Ricard will explore the contributions and struggles that faced this French linguistic minority in a predominantly English speaking province and how they helped to shape the modern Ontario we know today.
Laurence Dutil-Ricard is a jurist and historical researcher currently involved in starting up Ontario’s new French-language university, l'Université de l'Ontario français. In 2016 she completed an MA in World History and Cultures from King’s College London, England, and later was self-employed as a historical researcher before joining Historica Canada as Editorial Coordinator for The Canadian Encyclopedia. After moving from Quebec City to Toronto in 2017, she joined EHS and most recently became one of our newest board members, currently involved in our Projects Committee.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
Thursday, March 21, 2019 - Speaker's Night: Bridges Over Troubled Waters
The night of Oct. 15, 1954, during Hurricane Hazel, saw 21.6 centimetres of rain pelt the Toronto area. With many bridges washed out, transportation over Toronto’s river valleys became very difficult. Key bridges had to be rebuilt quickly. LCol Steven Boychyn of 32 Combat Engineer Regiment will speak on how Army Engineers responded to the urgent requirement to re-establish river crossings using Bailey Bridges developed in World War II by the British Army.
Steven has been in command roles with 32 CER since 2012, most recently as Commanding Officer since 2016. The Regiment is part of 32 Canadian Brigade Group, a Primary Reserve formation of the Canadian Army. In civilian life, Steven has held Engineering and Management positions in IT, government and manufacturing.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
The night of Oct. 15, 1954, during Hurricane Hazel, saw 21.6 centimetres of rain pelt the Toronto area. With many bridges washed out, transportation over Toronto’s river valleys became very difficult. Key bridges had to be rebuilt quickly. LCol Steven Boychyn of 32 Combat Engineer Regiment will speak on how Army Engineers responded to the urgent requirement to re-establish river crossings using Bailey Bridges developed in World War II by the British Army.
Steven has been in command roles with 32 CER since 2012, most recently as Commanding Officer since 2016. The Regiment is part of 32 Canadian Brigade Group, a Primary Reserve formation of the Canadian Army. In civilian life, Steven has held Engineering and Management positions in IT, government and manufacturing.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
Thursday, April 18, 2019 - Speaker's Night: Battle of the Humber and Canadian Cyclists
Author and professor Ted Glenn will share the little known story of Canadian Cyclists and how they prepared for their unique role in the Great War. Professor Glenn will speak about the Cyclists’ early training in and around Toronto. He will draw on personal diaries, memoirs, and newspaper accounts, as well as an amazing collection of photographs, some never before published. As are part of their training, regular exercises were carried out in simulated battle manoeuvres in the Humber Valley involving the Cyclists and hundreds of men from other divisions.
Ted Glenn is a professor at Humber College and writes about Canadian government and military history at home and abroad. He lives and cycles in Toronto. He had the honour of giving this presentation for the 2018 Toronto History Lecture co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the City of Toronto Archives. His book Riding Into Battle: Canadian Cyclists in the Great War (2018, Dundurn Press) is a culmination of years of Ted’s on-going research into the Cyclist’s history.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
Author and professor Ted Glenn will share the little known story of Canadian Cyclists and how they prepared for their unique role in the Great War. Professor Glenn will speak about the Cyclists’ early training in and around Toronto. He will draw on personal diaries, memoirs, and newspaper accounts, as well as an amazing collection of photographs, some never before published. As are part of their training, regular exercises were carried out in simulated battle manoeuvres in the Humber Valley involving the Cyclists and hundreds of men from other divisions.
Ted Glenn is a professor at Humber College and writes about Canadian government and military history at home and abroad. He lives and cycles in Toronto. He had the honour of giving this presentation for the 2018 Toronto History Lecture co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the City of Toronto Archives. His book Riding Into Battle: Canadian Cyclists in the Great War (2018, Dundurn Press) is a culmination of years of Ted’s on-going research into the Cyclist’s history.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
Thursday, May 16, 2019 - Speaker's Night: The Life and Times of John White, Upper Canada's First Attorney-General
John White was an English barrister who was appointed as Upper Canada’s first Attorney-General. He confronted the conflicts of the early parliament pushing through a bill abolishing the import of slaves—long before Britain or America—and fought to give Aboriginals justice in white man’s courts. In Newark (now Niagara-On-The-Lake), he helped establish the Law Society of Upper Canada (still in existence today as the Law Society of Ontario). Author and educator Ann Birch will draw on her research of John White from her historical novel Duelling in a New World to reveal how White’s life came to a tragic end in one of Canada’s most famous duels.
An award-winning educator, Ann Birch was Head of English in several Toronto high schools and an associate professor in the teacher-training programs at York University and the University of Toronto. She holds a post-graduate degree in CanLit and is currently a fiction writer, editor, historical researcher, and workshop facilitator. Duelling in a New World is her third novel. Ann is also a member of several local historical societies including eight years as a member of EHS.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)
John White was an English barrister who was appointed as Upper Canada’s first Attorney-General. He confronted the conflicts of the early parliament pushing through a bill abolishing the import of slaves—long before Britain or America—and fought to give Aboriginals justice in white man’s courts. In Newark (now Niagara-On-The-Lake), he helped establish the Law Society of Upper Canada (still in existence today as the Law Society of Ontario). Author and educator Ann Birch will draw on her research of John White from her historical novel Duelling in a New World to reveal how White’s life came to a tragic end in one of Canada’s most famous duels.
An award-winning educator, Ann Birch was Head of English in several Toronto high schools and an associate professor in the teacher-training programs at York University and the University of Toronto. She holds a post-graduate degree in CanLit and is currently a fiction writer, editor, historical researcher, and workshop facilitator. Duelling in a New World is her third novel. Ann is also a member of several local historical societies including eight years as a member of EHS.
Location: Montgomery's Inn, 4709 Dundas St W, Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8
Time: 7:30pm (Refreshments served from 7pm onward)