Ghost Tours Toronto

🇨🇦 Guided Tour: Canada's National Food

**🇨🇦 Guide Alex: Canada's National Food** What exactly is **“Canadian cuisine”**? 🇨🇦 Is it a cohesive tradition, or a blend of migration, climate, and trade? Let’s find out on our food tour. We’ll find ourselves in the heart of the city market, where farmers, butchers, bakers, and tourists all come together. **We’ll try a true Toronto favorite** that was born right here, among the market stalls. **What we’ll discuss:** · What “traditional” means in a young country · How food reflects the economy and resources · How immigration shapes the city’s taste · Why the market is becoming a laboratory of identity We recommend skipping breakfast at home—the tour will be delicious! **Price includes the tour + breakfast:** Peameal bacon sandwich (¼ portion) 🥪, Butter tart 🥧, Coffee ☕, Poutine 🍟🧀 📍 **Meeting point:** St. Lawrence Market 🎤 **Host:** Alex 🚶 **Format:** food tour, approx. 2 hours

The Happy Tour! Yes the Happy Tour is Back

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** So in the winter of 2022 I listened to my guests. Time after time, the question that came up was, is there anything good and happy about history? Well not much, it's always a bit on the horrific side, and that is about all I can say, for now! Things are a changing for the better. Let's make the rest of 2026 a happy year! And with everything that has transpired in the last year and a half with tariffs and other undesirables let's have a good old time. I have been told that I am wordy, but that's ok. A tour about good times, good times in the sun, that's a bit of a stretch, but I did it. I put together a fun tour of the sunny side of the street. A tour of the good things in Toronto life from the Santa Claus Parade to decorated windows of both Eaton's and Simpson's, to trips over to the Island, and picnics with little puppies and kittens in High Park. Ok that's going a bit far, cut the puppies and the kittens! No dark secrets, no fires, cut off fingers, floods, tooth marks, disasters, murders, horrific deaths or innocent victims falling from windows, or crushed under subway trains, ghosts peeking out of buildings, human vampires, Spanish Flu or Spanish Civil War's impact on Toronto, or graves, I'm already starting to get homesick for the good times with all this fun stuff. Come along and experience a different and fun Toronto. In this strange era we are living in, a bit of sunshine is just the ticket. But no winter blues on this tour, I promise! You'll be as happy and contented as a **bunny in the sun.** And there is plenty of interesting history here in Toronto that is on the positive and fun, happy side, you'll see. This walking tour is for all fitness levels and skills. Please dress for the weather. This walking tour begins and ends on the steps of old City Hall at the northeast corner of Queen Street West and Bay Street. Hope to see you soon! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Noronic Disaster! Was it Arson? Interactive Game and Tour (77th ANNIVERSARY)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Explorer Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **This special anniversary tour commemorates the burning of the Noronic in Toronto harbour on the evening of September 16-17, 1949! Seventy Seven years ago** First it was **Ambrose Small** and my team of brilliant detectives who tried to figure it out. The walkers on this tour just about cracked the case. Well done my detectives. And then the case that shocked Canada and the world, the murder of **Burt Massey!** That was a tough assignment with 15 characters all wanting their time in the sun! But now a new assignment for my brilliant detectives. The Harley Karulis Detective Agency needs your help once again! Here is the folder with all the information, down below! Your assignment awaits! Keep reading....... Saturday September 17, 1949 in the early hours. A small harmless fire in a closet on C Deck erupted into an inferno that destroyed the Canada Steamship Lines, Noronic. It was Toronto's greatest disaster. On this tour we will meet and hear the stories of passengers, crew and firefighters who responded on that fateful night. Our goal is to try and figure out the true story of what happened on C Deck in that same closet. Was it an accident or was it done on purpose? If it was indeed arson, then why? The Noronic was built by the Northern Navigation Company, a subsidiary of the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. It plied the waters of the Great Lakes since its first trip in 1913. It carried millions of happy holiday makers, but things were coming to an end. Could this be the motivation to end the service. Points to ponder! The car was King or Queen, and the second world war was over and attitudes were "a changing," quickly! The days of the passenger cruise ships on the Great Lakes were seen as part of the old world. Are you up for this interactive game once again? This walking tour/game takes participants back in time to 1949 Toronto, and explores the many sites associated with this disaster and the personalities involved. You will be introduced to 15 historic characters and each has their own dark secrets, it will be up to you to uncover the truth. **This tour DOES not require a PRESTO card! All the sites are centred around the southern section of the downtown core and harbour front!** Our walk begins outside the **Westin Harbour Castle Hotel** on Queen's Quay and Bay Street just east of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on Queen's Quay East at the front doors of the hotel. A video on the disaster will follow in the comments to introduce you to this fascinating piece of Toronto history! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. Please get your tickets early if you would like to attend as this tour has a limit of 25 participants! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital and Camp M (Special Extended Tour)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** Elizabeth Simcoe named the area now known as Mimico for the thousands of pigeons that blackened the sky at the western end of the settlement. Mimico was originally located at the confluence of Mimico Creek and Dundas Street. William Gamble, opened a sawmill and built a settlement for the workers nearby. Etobicoke's first church, Christ Church was opened on Church Street which became Royal York Road. Mimico is a walkable neighbourhood and a great place to stroll and discover our amazing history. The Lakeshore Hospital was built in 1888 as the Mimico Asylum, its doors opened on January 21, 1889. The original idea for the hospital was a series of cottages designed by Doctor Joseph Workman who wanted a resort type feel to the hospital. The architect was Kivas Tully, who worked with gardener Samuel Matheson. Most of the buildings were built by the patients themselves, and helped with laundry duties, and tended to the vast gardens. But a different story emerged that most Canadians had no idea about. And that was the story of Camp M - Mimico. In 1887, the Victoria Industrial School for Boys opened on old Horner Avenue in Mimico, just blocks from the site of the new Mimico Hospital for the Insane (Humber College.) The school, which was a juvenile reformatory, hoped to break the bad boys through moral and academic education and old fashioned hard work. I hope there was a positive outcome. In 1927, the school changed its name to the Mimico Reform School. But it was the war years 1939-1945 that really surprised me as a Torontonian. It was known as Camp M or Internment Camp 22, the largest camp for POWs in the centre of a large Canadian city. Most camps were constructed in rural areas, and the camp provided space for more than 520 German nationals. The history of this camp is fascinating and had links to the Toronto Central Prison on Strachan Avenue and the Mimico Hospital directly to the south on lakeshore where we begin this tour. This walking tour is for all levels and walkers. The tour begins at the New Toronto Public Library Branch at 110 Eleventh Street just south of Lakeshore. We end this tour at Kipling and Horner Avenue, just a few blocks to the north of the old hospital! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Mount Pleasant Cemetery - SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** For those of you who work weekdays and would like the chance to walk on a weekend or Holiday I am doing a special walk this Monday. The only authorized cemeteries within York were Anglican or Roman Catholic. Citizens who did not belong to either church had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside York. The General Burying Ground received Royal Assent in 1826 and land that came to be known as Potters Field was acquired and started operation soon afterwards. Over time, additional cemetery lands were added and in 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was established. The new cemetery was situated on the farm land of the Cawthra family near Yonge Street. This walk is for all fitness levels. Please dress for the weather. This walk will begin and end outside the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church at 1585 Yonge Street just north of Heath Street. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! This tour has space for **11** explorers, so if you do plan on attending please secure your tickets early. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Landmarks! (NEW for 2026)

**The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** Toronto is a city that hides its history in plain sight. Beneath the glass towers are layers of stories — grand hotels that vanished overnight, political scandals whispered through stone corridors, theatres that once glittered under gaslight, and laneways where the city first learned how to become a metropolis. This new Toronto History Walks tour invites the walker to slow down, and see the city differently. Over the course of 30 carefully chosen stops, this walking tour traces the landmarks that helped shape the history of Toronto. Beginning at the site of the legendary Holland House — once one of the city’s finest mansions, and a gathering place for politicians, and businessmen, the route winds through the old heart of downtown, uncovering stories both famous and forgotten. Some locations are grand and imposing. Others are easy to walk past without a second glance. Every stop reveals a piece of Toronto’s personality. At Osgoode Hall, visitors will stand before one of the city’s most elegant historic buildings. Nearby, the old banks and newspaper buildings of the financial district recall an era when Toronto proudly called itself “Toronto the Good,” even as corruption and backroom dealings simmered beneath the surface. The tour also explores the vanished city — the Toronto that survives only in photographs, and memory. Walkers will discover where magnificent Victorian structures once stood before demolition crews erased entire blocks in the name of progress. Former theatres, hotels, markets, and department stores emerge again through storytelling, helping modern explorers imagine the bustle, smoke, and noise of earlier generations. Stories of fire, disaster, celebration, and reinvention. Participants will hear how the Great Fire of 1904 transformed downtown streets, how immigrant communities reshaped neighbourhoods block by block, and how Toronto repeatedly reinvented itself through booms, depressions, wars, and waves of newcomers. But this tour is not simply about dates and buildings. It is about people. The politicians who argued over Confederation. The hotel clerks who witnessed scandals. The newspaper editors who shaped public opinion. The shopkeepers, labourers, entertainers, and ordinary Torontonians whose lives unfolded along these same streets. Toronto has always had hidden corners and strange tales: tunnels beneath streets, forgotten cemeteries beneath office towers, unsolved crimes, and buildings said to carry echoes of the past. Even longtime residents may find themselves surprised by what has been quietly standing before them all along. Come along and experience a very different city. A deep dive into our history. This walking tour begins at the southwest **corner** of Bay Street and Wellington Street adjacent to the Royal Bank Plaza building. It ends at Campbell House at Queen and University Avenue. This walking tour is for all walking levels. Please dress for the season, and hope to see you there. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Mount Pleasant Cemetery (WEEKDAY)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** The only authorized cemeteries within York were Anglican or Roman Catholic. Citizens who did not belong to either church had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside York. The General Burying Ground received Royal Assent in 1826 and land that came to be known as Potters Field was acquired and started operation soon afterwards. Over time, additional cemetery lands were added and in 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was established. The new cemetery was situated on the farm land of the Cawthra family near Yonge Street. This walk is for all fitness levels. Please dress for the weather. This walk will begin and end outside the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church at 1585 Yonge Street just north of Heath Street. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! This tour has space for **11** explorers, so if you do plan on attending please secure your tickets early. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Toronto History with a Twist: Historical Improv! (RETURN FOR 2026)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **Let's begin the summer season with this creative walk that truly connects us all.** This walk allows walkers to jump into Toronto history itself and become the players that made Toronto. The last time I did this tour, I got so many positive remarks. Walkers had the time of their lives and learned so much more about Toronto! So let's do this one again! Calling all aspiring actors and actresses, Hollywood bound dreamers, anyone with a passion to act. Have you caught the acting bug? If so and this sounds like you then step up to the acting plate. And you don't even have had to act, just want something new to help connect us all. Why not walk, get your steps in, and see Toronto from a totally different and fun perspective. Becoming the history characters we all know and love. **Historical Improv.** This is a different walking tour. Sounds good, sounds way different, right? The best way to understand history is to become history. Why not exercise the imagination with a few 2 or 3-minute sketches and improv situations along the route. Let's meet Mr. Simcoe, his wife Elizabeth, the Queen's Rangers as they create a path through the wilderness. These improv sketches are based on historical facts. They will help convert the shy, build up the confidence, create laughter and merriment, (merriment might be a bit strong) call it street theatre. What more is there? You never know when the casting agent, or Hollywood is **watching** peeking around the corner waiting for **you.** This walk is for all walking levels. Please dress for the weather, and hope to see you there. This fun and unique walking tour begins and ends at Little Norway Park near the foot of Bathurst Street, and Queen's Quay West. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Historic Deer Park (RETURN FOR 2026)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** In 1837, the Heath family purchased 40 acres on the northwest corner of Yonge and St. Clair and named it Deer Park. The neighbourhood included a racetrack, a school, and a hotel. Hotel guests could feed deer that roamed the land. The property was subdivided in 1846 and was sold off by 1874. In 1891, Upper Canada College moved from its downtown Toronto location to Deer Park, and in 1931, De La Salle College followed to settle on the estate 'Oaklands' that was purchased and built by Senator John Macdonald. Oaklands forms part of the southern boundary of Deer Park. This walk is for all fitness levels. The meeting place for our walking adventure is just outside the Deer Park Library at 40 St. Clair Avenue East. We will return to the starting point after the walk which is adjacent to the TTC St. Clair Station. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

🏛️🚶 DOORS OPEN TORONTO: HIDDEN BUILDINGS & CITY STORIES WALK 🚶🏛️

🏛️🚶 **DOORS OPEN TORONTO: HIDDEN BUILDINGS & CITY STORIES WALK** 🚶🏛️ Historic Spaces, Community Landmarks & A City Revealed Some buildings you walk past every day without thinking twice… until the doors open. Join us for a second day of Doors Open Toronto, where we’ll explore a mix of historic, cultural, and community spaces across the city — each with its own story, purpose, and evolution. This walk is about contrast. Old and new. Exclusive and inclusive. Grand and everyday. And how all of it shapes the city we live in. This is not a formal tour. It’s a social, story-driven walk — with moments to pause, look, and see familiar places differently. 👉 📲 **Join Our WhatsApp Group:**[ Click here to join](https://chat.whatsapp.com/DRFTkxRlHS4B3IL1lMleUd) \*\*\* 🚶‍♂️ What We’ll Do We’ll move through a curated route of Doors Open, stopping at a variety of buildings and institutions that reflect Toronto’s layered history and community life. Some of the locations we may visit include: * **Fire Station 315** – Opened in 1889, this historic fire hall is built of brick with stone detailing, reflecting early 20th-century civic architecture. * **The El Mocambo** – Opened in 1948, this iconic music venue is housed in a brick building with a classic mid-century commercial façade. * **Daniels Building (University of Toronto)** – Opened in 1875 (as Knox College), this Gothic Revival building is constructed of sandstone with intricate masonry detailing. * **U of T Bookstore (Koffler Student Centre)** – Opened in 1958, this modernist structure is built primarily of concrete and glass. * **Polish Combatants' Association Branch 20** – Opened in 1950, this community hall is a modest brick structure reflecting post-war institutional design. * **St. George’s Hall (Arts & Letters Club)** – Opened in 1891, this heritage building is constructed of brick and stone in a Victorian style. * **St. George Greek Orthodox Church** – Opened in 1897, this church is built of brick with classical detailing and later Byzantine-inspired elements. * **Street Health** – Established in 1986, the facility operates out of a practical brick building adapted for community healthcare use. * **Street Haven** – Founded in 1965, this women’s shelter is housed in a converted brick residential building typical of the area. * **Jarvis Street Baptist Church** – Opened in 1875, this Gothic Revival church is built of brick with stone accents. * **The 519** –This building actually dates back to 1858 — long before it became The 519 we know today — and started as a Georgian-style home before evolving into a community space. * **Foy-Smith House** – Built in 1891, this historic home is constructed of brick in the Queen Anne Revival style. * **St. Paul’s Bloor Street** – Opened in 1889, this Romanesque Revival church is built of stone with a commanding tower and detailed masonry. Some locations we’ll enter, others we’ll experience from the outside depending on timing and lineups. ⚠️ Please note: wait times are part of Doors Open. We’ll move as a group and make decisions along the way. \*\*\* 🏛️ What Is Doors Open Toronto? Doors Open Toronto is a free annual event where the city opens up buildings that are normally closed to the public — from historic homes and cultural institutions to places you’d never usually think to step inside. It’s one of the best ways to explore Toronto beyond the surface. \*\*\* 🌆 Vibe & Expectations This is a longer, more exploratory walk with: ✔️ Multiple stops ✔️ Some waiting in lines ✔️ A mix of indoor and outdoor spaces ✔️ Members can leave any time the like It’s not about rushing — it’s about discovering. Also — this is NOT a formal historical tour. I’ll share context and stories as we go, but the focus is on the experience and being social. \*\*\* 🧢 Meetup Details 📍 Meetup Location: **Fire Station 315** 🫎 I’ll be outside and I will be wearing my Moose Hat ⏰ Meetup Time: (Insert time) I will only wait 5 minutes. Anyone arriving late can meet us along the route. We won’t be saving spots in line — it’s important we respect the people around us. \*\*\* 🎟️ Meetup Fee: $5 cash in person or e-transfer to 📧 **[[mathewmaclean@hotmail.com](mailto:mathewmaclean@hotmail.com)]([mailto:mathewmaclean@hotmail.com](http://mailto:mathewmaclean@hotmail.com/))** Doors Open is free to attend. This fee helps support the group and allows us to keep hosting events like this. Thank you for supporting community! 💖 \*\*\* 🎒 What to Bring Water Comfortable walking shoes Patience for lines ⏳ Weather-appropriate clothing Optional: snacks or money for food along the way \*\*\* 🌈 Who Is This For? This group is open to anyone who wants to be social and make friends — whether single or not. We also host: 🎬 Movies 🚶 Walks & hikes 🎭 Arts & culture outings 🍽️ Restaurant gatherings There’s always something happening. \*\*\* REMEMBER: You’re welcome to just show up on the day if you’re unsure about your schedule. And as always, sometimes plans shift and events may need to be canceled — please keep an eye on updates. \*\*\* 👤 Organizer: Mathew Questions? Post on the event wall or email 📧 [[torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com](mailto:torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com)]([mailto:torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com](http://mailto:torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com/)) Come for the buildings. Stay for the stories. Leave seeing the city not just as it looks — but as it’s evolved. 🏛️✨

Thee Phantom and The Illharmonic Orchestra

All About the Historic Beaches! (SPECIAL EXTENDED TOUR)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/) **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/) The area was first settled in 1794 by the Ashbridge family, whose name is remembered by the nearby bay and park. Their homestead on Queen Street East was well to the west of the area currently identified as the Beaches. A later generation of the Ashbridge family rebuilt the family home in 1854 and can be seen on Queen Street East opposite the TTC barns near Kingston Road. The Beaches remained a sparely settled community until the end of the 19th century when extension of the Grand Truck Railway, the draining of the northern parts of Ashbridges Bay, and the construction of street car tracks on Queen Street and Kingston Road, opened the area to settlement. From Sunnyside Amusement Park built in 1922 to Scarboro Beach built in 1906, it seemed that Toronto cornered the market on summertime chills and thrills. We had 5 major amusement parks along our waterfront, and two smaller parks, Victoria Park and Munro Park, virtually unknown to Torontonians today, but extremely popular summertime places, years ago as pleasure parks. This walking tour is for all walking levels and fitness skills. Please dress for the season and bring water. And remember to bring your love of history. It begins outside the Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library at Queen Street East, and Lee Avenue adjacent to Kew Gardens. The tour ends at the Neville Park Queen Street Streetcar Loop. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/)