Mayor of Toronto’s Chinatown

Toronto’s Chinatown – one of the largest in North America – is filled with hustle and bustle. Today, the community is larger, more diverse, and more embedded in Canadian society than ever. But, in the late 1960s, the City of Toronto nearly wiped its Chinatown from the map.

In this episode, Arlene Chan helps us explore the history of the Chinese people in Canada, and one Chinese Canadian woman’s determination to save Toronto’s Chinatown.

Show Notes

This episode was co-written by Melissa Fundira and Historica Canada. It was produced by Historica Canada. Production support and post-production by Edit Audio.  

Thank you to Arlene Chan and to our script consultant, Dr. Serene Tan.

Special thanks to the Lumb family and the Jean Lumb Foundation. Clips of Jean Lumb from the 2003 documentary Spirit of the Dragon by Gil Gavreau were provided by Third World Newsreel. 

Fact-checking by Nicole Schmidt. 

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.  

Cover image of Jean Lumb courtesy of Arlene Chan. 

Additional reading:

·       Jean Lumb

·       Toronto's Chinatown

·       Chinese Immigration Act

·       Chinese Head Tax in Canada

Follow @HistoricaCanada on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and @Historica.Canada on Facebook. 

What is A Place to Belong?

In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adopt an official multiculturalism policy. It was meant to preserve cultural freedoms and recognize the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society. Today it’s a defining feature of the Canadian identity. But for much of our history, that wasn’t the case. We explore the reasons why in this five-part series, A Place to Belong: A History of Multiculturalism in Canada, produced by Historica Canada and made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

A Place to Belong is part of a larger education campaign created by Historica Canada and made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Along with the podcast series, Historica Canada also offers a video series and an education guide about the history of multiculturalism in Canada. Visit historicacanada.ca for more.

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