# Heritage Toronto

Heritage Toronto is an agency of the Municipal Government of Toronto that works to builds a better city by bringing people together to explore Toronto’s shared past and peoples’ lived experiences. It is located in St. Lawrence Hall in the city.
Its programs include tours, historical plaques, the State of Heritage Report, and online exhibits.

## Programming

Heritage Toronto's programming includes Tours, the Heritage Toronto Awards, Plaques, and special projects.

### Tours

From April/May to October, Heritage Toronto offers walking, bicycle and bus tours around the city as well as private tours for smaller groups . Tours are researched, designed and led by local historians, community groups and professionals who volunteer their time.

### Heritage Toronto Awards

Every October, Heritage Toronto hosts an evening of awards. Different award categories recognize the best in new books, architecture and craftsmanship, public history, and community heritage volunteer efforts. The Heritage Toronto Awards have been presented for nearly 50 years.
| Year | Lecturer | Lecture Title |
| 1996 | Robert Fulford | The Invention of Toronto – A City Defined by its Artists |
| 1997 | John Raulston Saul | Toronto and the Idea of the Public Good |
| 1998 | Ursula Franklin | Citizen Politics: Advocacy in the Urban Habitat |
| 1999 | George Baird | Needed: An Urban Vision for Toronto, Again |
| 2000 | Robert Fung & Michael Kirkland | Our Last Best Chance: Realizing a Century Old Dream |
| 2001 | N/A | No lecture this year |
| 2002 | David Crombie | The Idea of Toronto |
| 2003 | Sean Conway | Toronto as a Capital: Fence Posts and Fingerprints, the Growth of our Democracy |
| 2004 | Her Excellency Adrienne Clarkson | Green Thoughts in a Green Shade: The Making of a Good City |
| 2005 | John Honderich | Creative Toronto: Isn't It About Time? |
| 2006 | Bruce Kuwabara | Toronto's Cultural Renascence: Revival or Survival |
| 2007 | David Mirvish | The Night of Nights: The History of Theatre in Toronto |
| 2008 | John Campbell | A Shore Thing: The Future of Toronto's Waterfront |
| 2009 | Albert Schultz | The Great Toronto Roast |
| 2010 | Peter Oundjian | "Notes" on Toronto |
| 2011 | Cameron Bailey | Toronto in Focus: A City of Festivals |
| 2012 | Chief Bryan Laforme | A Layered City |
| 2013 | Gail Dexter Lord | Building Heritage With Innovation |
| 2014 | Jack Diamond | Toronto 1974-2014: A Challenge from the Field |
| 2015 | Rahul K. Bhardwaj | On Being Nice: Turning Compassion into Our Competitive Advantage |
| 2016 | Steven High | Our Industrial Heritage |

### Historical Plaques

For over 50 years, the Plaques Program has been recognizing people, places and events which have been influential to the city of Toronto. There are multiple kinds of plaques located around Toronto that represent different aspects of the city's history.
* Bronze Inventory Plaques recognize properties listed or designated under the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties. These plaques interpret Toronto's built heritage.
* Commemorative Plaques describe people and events in Toronto's history, .
* In 2009, Heritage Toronto and the Toronto Legacy Project inaugurated a line of historical plaques modeled on the "Blue Plaques" of London, England. These plaques recognize notable Toronto residents by indicating where they lived or worked.

### Special projects

Sounds Like Toronto: The largest digital project by Heritage Toronto, this online exhibit launched in 2021. The digital experience, Sounds Like Toronto, presents 35 stories featuring artists and venues that epitomize Toronto’s music history, and combines exclusive audio and video interviews, 3D objects, interactive tours, and much more to impart both a better understanding of our shared music heritage and the broader social issues that have defined Canadian cultural history.
State of Heritage Report: Released every four years to coincide with Toronto municipal elections, the State of Heritage Report provides a picture of the current state of heritage in Toronto, lays out goals for strengthening the heritage sector and provides recommendations to the Mayor, City Council, senior staff and decision makers to improve heritage management. Prior to the release of the State of Heritage Report, Heritage Toronto hosts the Heritage Matters Mayoral Candidates Debate.