Toronto : biography of a city

556 Pages·2014·5.16 MB·English

by  Allan Gerald Levine

TORONTO
Biography of a City
BY ALLAN LEVINE
Text copyright © 2014 Allan Levine 1 2 3 4 5 — 18 17 16 15 14
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of
photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopyright.ca,
1.800.893.5777, [email protected].
Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd.
P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC,
V0N 2H0
www.douglas-mcintyre.com Jacket illustration of Toronto skyline by paulrommer/ThinkstockPages ii–iii,
complete view of Toronto harbour showing the eastern and western entrances circa 1910, courtesy Library
of Congress, Geography & Map Division; page iv, Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup victory parade on Bay Street,
1948, courtesy Archives of Ontario F 223-3-2-10; page viii, detail from 1893 bird’s-eye view of Toronto,
looking north from harbour, courtesy Toronto Public Library.
Edited by Audrey McClellan Jacket design by Anna Comfort O’Keeffe and Carleton Wilson Text design by
Diane Robertson Indexed by Ellen Hawman Printed and bound in Canada Douglas and McIntyre (2013)
Ltd. acknowledges financial support from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and
the Canada Council for the Arts, and from the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council
and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Cataloguing information available from Library and Archives Canada ISBN 978-1-77100-022-2 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-77162-043-7 (ebook)
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the many archives, libraries and individuals that granted permission to
reproduce copyrighted images and illustrations from their collections, and to the following authors and
publishers for granting permission to use extended quotations from copyrighted works: My Life as a Dame:
The Personal and Political Writings of Christina McCall edited by Stephen Clarkson, copyright © 2008.
Reproduced with permission from House of Anansi Press, Toronto. www.houseofanansi.com
The Perilous Trade: Publishing Canada’s Writers by Roy MacSkimming. Copyright © 2003 Roy
MacSkimming. Reprinted by permission of McClelland & Stewart.
The Acquisitors: The Canadian Establishment. Vol. II by Peter C. Newman. Copyright © 1981 Peter C.
Newman. Reprinted by permission of Peter C. Newman.
Cabbagetown by Hugh Garner. Copyright © 1950 Hugh Garner. Reprinted by permission of McGraw-Hill
Ryerson.
“The Battle to be Megamayor” by John Lorinc, Toronto Life, October, 1997. “Rob Ford’s Powers of
Persuasion” by Sarah Fulford, Toronto Life, October, 2010. “Editor’s Letter: The Real Spadina Expressway
Legacy” by Sarah Fulford, Toronto Life, September 2011. “What Toronto Needs Now” by Richard Florida,
Toronto Life, November 2012. Reproduced with permission from Toronto Life.
“The Heather & Gerry Show” by Marci McDonald, Toronto Life, June 2005. “The Incredible Shrinking
Mayor” by Marci McDonald, Toronto Life, May, 2012. Reproduced with permission from Toronto Life and
Marci McDonald.
“No tears here for Gardens’ farewell” by Christie Blatchford, National Post, February 13, 1999. “Protest
coverage fails fairness test” by Christie Blatchford, National Post, June 17, 2000. “This is why people hate
Toronto” by Robert Fulford, National Post, June 9, 2007. “Drop the witch hunt, it’s decided; Time to get
over Mayor Ford’s small error” by Kelly McParland, National Post, January 26, 2013. “Letters to Editor:
Voice from Ford Nation” National Post, May 30, 2013. Reproduced with permission from the Postmedia
Network, Inc.
Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People and Power by Peter C. Newman. Copyright © 2004 Power
Reporting Limited. Reprinted by permission of McClelland & Stewart.
In memory of Professor J.M.S. Careless (1919–2009), who first
introduced me to the history of Toronto
ALSO BY ALLAN LEVINE
Non-Fiction
THE EXCHANGE: 100 Years of Trading Grain in Winnipeg YOUR WORSHIP: The Lives of Eight of Canada’s
Most Unforgettable Mayors (editor)
SCRUM WARS: The Prime Ministers and the Media
FUGITIVES OF THE FOREST: The Heroic Story of Jewish Resistance and Survival During the Second World War
SCATTERED AMONG THE PEOPLES: The Jewish Diaspora in Ten Portraits
THE DEVIL IN BABYLON: Fear of Progress and the Birth of Modern Life
COMING OF AGE: A History of the Jewish People of Manitoba
KING: William Lyon Mackenzie King: A Life Guided By The Hand of Destiny Fiction: Historical Mysteries
THE BLOOD LIBEL
SINS OF THE SUFFRAGETTE
THE BOLSHEVIK’S REVENGE
EVIL OF THE AGE
I am frequently asked whether I find Toronto sufficiently
exciting. I find it almost too exciting. The suspense is scary.
Here is the most hopeful and healthy city in North America,
still unmangled, still with options.
—JANE JACOBS, 1969
I think of Toronto as a big fat rich girl.
—ROBERTSON DAVIES, THE TABLE TALK OF SAMUEL MARCHBANKS, 1949
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book had its genesis in a conversation I had with Trena White, my
former editor at Douglas & McIntyre. One day a few years ago, not long
after the publication of my biography of Mackenzie King, which we worked on
together, Trena and I discussed my next project, and the idea of writing a
biography of Toronto came up in a conversation about biographies of other
cities. I thank Trena for her initial interest, enthusiasm, and belief in me and this
book. Likewise, I continue to be grateful for the support, advice, and friendship
of my wise literary agent, Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists.
I also thank the new D&M team, including managing editor Anna Comfort-
O’Keeffe, as well as Brianna Cerkiewicz, Carleton Wilson, Diane Robertson,
and Patricia Wolfe. Anna paired me with Audrey McClellan, a talented and
skillful editor, who has been a pleasure to work with. Her diligence and keen eye
have immensely improved the manuscript.
A number of individuals have offered me advice, answered my questions,
made recommendations, suggested research angles, put me in touch with key
people, and offered expert opinion on a variety of Toronto-related topics. I am
most appreciative to Peter C. Newman, my friend and writing colleague of thirty
years, Jonathan Kay, Kelly McParland, Rosemary Sexton, Royson James,
Richard Gerrard, and Chris Gainor.
I thank the following for taking the time to read different sections of the
manuscript and for their able assistance and expertise: Dr. John Steckley of
Humber College; Dr. Ronald Stagg of Ryerson University; Dr. John Zucchi of
McGill University (my old friend from graduate student days at the U of T); Dr.
Jay Young, co-editor and public outreach coordinator of ActiveHistory.ca; Bill
Gladstone, writer, genealogist, and publisher, whose website billgladstone.ca is a
treasure trove of history about the Jewish community of Toronto; journalist John
Lorinc, who answered my never-ending queries in a timely manner; and
journalist and Toronto expert Mike Filey, who reviewed the entire manuscript.