Righteous Toronto

Following the War of 1812, Toronto was governed by the power and opinions of the conservative establishment known as the Family Compact. When Toronto became known as the City of Churches because of its many steeples, it was also a city with tremendous problems related to drunkenness, poverty, unsanitary streets and water, workers’ rights, prostitution, business and political corruption, and crime. William Holmes Howland, a business man and Evangelical Christian, served as Toronto’s mayor in 1886 and 1887, elected on a reform platform aimed at making Toronto good. Toronto became known as “Toronto the Good,” a name that stuck well into the 20th century.

The stories and sites under the theme “Law and Order” show the high moral overtone in Toronto’s culture that lasted into the 1960s, contrasted with some of the city’s high profile crimes and acts of intolerance.

This trail highlights both the roots of the legal profession in Ontario and the crimes that would ultimately change attitudes and laws in the city. It begins with the Bathhouse Raids, whichput the city’s homophobia on centre stage but ultimately became a catalyst in the fight for gay rights.

The Stories

Bathhouse Raids Enrage Gay Community , 1981
Mutual St. and Carlton St.
Cinema 2000 on Seedy Yonge Street , March 02, 1970
Yonge St. and Edward St.
Osgoode Hall: Rare Treasure in an Urban Rush , 1832
130 Queen St W
George Brown Shot By Disgruntled Employee , 1880
King St. W. and Bay St.
Last Public Hanging in Toronto , 1862
57 Adelaide Street East

Click to enlarge

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- 43.661705 -79.377546
  Bathhouse Raids Enrage Gay Community
  
  Bathhouse Raids Enrage Gay Community 1981 Mutual St. and Carlton St.
- 43.657196 -79.381269
  Cinema 2000 on Seedy Yonge Street
  
  Cinema 2000 on Seedy Yonge Street March 02, 1970 Yonge St. and Edward St.
- 43.651704 -79.385383
  Osgoode Hall: Rare Treasure in an Urban Rush
  
  Osgoode Hall: Rare Treasure in an Urban Rush 1832 130 Queen St W
- 43.648870 -79.379203
  George Brown Shot By Disgruntled Employee
  
  George Brown Shot By Disgruntled Employee 1880 King St. W. and Bay St.
- 43.651021 -79.375513
  Last Public Hanging in Toronto
  
  Last Public Hanging in Toronto 1862 57 Adelaide Street East
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