Listening T.O. History

About Listening T.O. History

The podcast all about the histories that made Toronto! Hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood.

Publisher

Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Mar 2024

Latest episode

26 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Jun 2026

   10 - Toronto's Anti-Communist Crackdown of 1928–29

   In this episode, we discuss Toronto's crackdown on communist activity in the city in the late 1920s! This episode gets into the interrelated histories of policing, the issue of free expression, access to public space, journalism, leftist politics, and more. For those interested in learning more about the topics covered in this episode and/or want to read some of the sources we quote from in the episode, check out the following: Lita-Rose Betcherman, The Little Band: The Clashes between the Communists and the Political and Legal Establishment in Canada, 1928–32 (Ottawa: Deneau, 1982) J. Petryshyn, “Class Conflict and Civil Liberties: The Origins and Activities of the Canadian Labour Defense League, 1925 - 1940" Labour/Le Travailleur 10 (Autumn 1982), 39–63 Bryan D. Palmer and Gaétan Héroux, Toronto’s Poor: A Rebellious History (Toronto: Between the Lines, 2016) Dennis G. Molinaro, An Exceptional Law: Section 98 and the Emergency State, 1919–1936 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017) Manifesto of the Workers’ Party of Canada, December 1921, accessible at https://www.marxists.org/history//canada/socialisthistory/Docs/Leninist/WP_Manifesto_21.htm “Toronto Police Use Fists, Feet and Batons to Clear Queen’s Park,” Toronto Daily Star, 14 August 1929, 1–2 “Toronto's 'Red Demonstration' Proves to be Immediate Fiasco As Watchful Police Arrest Six” [Page 2 Title: "Toronto's 'Red Demonstration' Fails"], Globe, 14 August 1929, 1–2 Editorial, “No Compromise with the Reds,” Globe, 30 July 1929, 4 Editorial, “The Right of Public Assembly,” Toronto Daily Star, 30 April 1929, 6 The Observer, “The Law and the Courts Sufficient Protection,” Toronto Daily Star, 30 April 1929, 6 "Evidence Lacking against Woman Garrow Finds” Toronto Daily Star, 19 November 1929, 1–2 -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

2. 

   11 Dec 2025

   9 - Watching T.O. History: Goin' Down the Road (1970)

   In today's episode, we discuss the classic Canadian movie Goin' Down the Road! Released in 1970, this movie tells the story of two Maritimers who come to Toronto looking for better pay and good times. We chat about the how the movie portrays Toronto at the time, and how that portrayal compares to other historical sources. For those interested in learning more about the topics covered in this episode, check out the following sources: Greg Marquis, "Confederation's Casualties: The 'Maritimer' as a Problem in 1960s Toronto," Acadiensis 39, no. 1 (Winter/Spring 2010): 83–107. Geoff Pevere, Donald Shebib's Goin' Down the Road (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012). Daniel Ross, The Heart of Toronto: Corporate Power, Civic Activism, and the Remaking of Downtown Yonge Street (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2022). Keith Whitney, "Skid Row," in The Underside of Toronto, ed. W. E. Mann (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1970). Available at https://archive.org/details/undersideoftoron0000na/mode/1up. "It's the Yonge Street Strip for Action on Saturday Night," Toronto Star, 20 September 1969, 1. -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

3. 

   14 Oct 2025

   8 - The Great Stacks Debate: When Undergraduates Wanted IN to Robarts Library, 1972

   On today's episode, we discuss student activism at the University of Toronto in the 1960s and '70s, with a specific focus on a conflict over who was allowed to access the stacks at Robarts Library. It’s also a chance to talk about how the university changed from the late nineteenth century, the last time we covered its history, to the 1970s! For those interested in learning more about the topics covered in this episode, check out the following sources: Martin Friedland, The University of Toronto: A History, 2nd ed. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013) Doug Owram, Born at the Right Time: A History of the Baby-Boom Generation (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996) Kenneth Cmiel, "The Politics of Civility," in The Sixties: From Memory to History, ed. David Farber (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994) Karen Dubinsky, Catherine Krull, Susan Lord, Sean Mills, and Scott Rutherford, eds., New World Coming: The Sixties and the Shaping of Global Consciousness (Toronto: Between the Lines, 2009) -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

4. 

   16 Jul 2025

   Mini 3 - Toronto and the History of Federal Elections

   In today's mini, we talk about how Toronto has voted in Canada's federal elections of the past. Here are some resources for those interested in learning more about the history of Toronto and federal elections, or the history of Canadian federal elections more generally: Stephen Clarkson, The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005). Cara Spittal, “The Diefenbaker Moment” (PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2011). Thirstan Falconer, “Building an Ethnic Coalition? The Liberal Party of Canada, Ethnocultural Communities and the 1962 and 1963 Federal Elections in Metro Toronto,” American Review of Canadian Studies 48, no. 3 (2018): 281–296. Eerik Riivo Ilves, “New-Build Gentrification and the Changing Inner City Vote in Toronto and Vancouver” (master's thesis, University of Toronto, 2007). And if you're interested in exploring past election results yourself, you can find them here: https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/ElectionsRidings/electionsElectedCandidates. -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, and our music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

5. 

   13 May 2025

   Mini 2 - The Rise and Fall of Tory Toronto in Provincial Elections

   In today's mini, we discuss the history of Toronto in Ontario provincial elections. If you'd like to explore for yourself the results of Ontario's elections throughout the province's post-Confederation history, check out this database: https://results.elections.on.ca/en/data-explorer?fromYear=1867&toYear=2025! -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, and our music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

6. 

   11 Mar 2025

   Mini 1 - Tariffs and Trade in Toronto History: The Toronto Eighteen

   In our first-ever Listening T.O. Mini, we discuss the history of free trade and tariffs in Canada's and Toronto's history. In particular, we focus on 1911, when a group of Toronto elites who had supported the Liberal Party broke with it over the party's pursuit of a free trade agreement with the United States. We also discuss the federal election held later that year (which was largely a referendum on the proposed agreement) and how Toronto voted in it. A few additional sources, for those who are interested: Paul Stevens, The 1911 General Election: A Study in Canadian Politics (Toronto: Copp Clark, 1970) Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie, Canada 1911: The Decisive Election that Shaped the Country (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2011) The Manifesto of the Toronto Eighteen, in the Toronto World, 20 February 1911, accessible at https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00367_19110220/1 -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, and our music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

7. 

   14 Feb 2025

   7 - Getting Around Toronto, Part 1: When Public Transit was Private

   This episode is the first of a two-part series on the history of the TTC, and particularly streetcars, in Toronto! In these two episodes, we get into how Toronto's streetcar system came to be, why it moved from private business to a municipal agency, why the city kept using streetcars when other cities got rid of them, and how streetcars have shaped the development of the city. We also get into the history of streetcars from various perspectives—those of riders, workers, and owners. The early period of public transit in Toronto, the focus of this first episode, is a surprising tale of conflicts between gilded-age industrialists clashing with city hall, their workers, and the public more generally—a tale of the conflict between private profit and public good. For those interested in learning more, here are some further resources we used in putting together these episodes: Brian Doucet and Michael Doucet, Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto: A Visual Analysis of Change (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022) Michael J. Doucet, “Mass Transit and the Failure of Private Ownership: The Case of Toronto in the Early Twentieth Century” Urban History Review 6, no. 3-77 (February 1978), 3–33 Donald Davis, “Mass Transit and Private Ownership: An alternative Perspective on the Case of Toronto” Urban History Review 7, no. 3 (February 1979), 60–98 Christopher Armstrong and H.V. Nelles, The Revenge of the Methodist Bicycle Company: Sunday Streetcars and Municipal Reform in Toronto (Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 1977) Howard Levine, ”Streetcars for Toronto Committee: A Case Study of Citizen Advocacy in Transit Planning and Operations” Transportation Research Board Special Report, Issue 221, 1989, 190–198 Jay Young, “Search for a Better Way: Subway Life and Metropolitan Growth in Toronto, 1942–78” (PhD diss., York University, 2012) Jonathan English, “The Better Way: Transit Service and Demand in Metropolitan Toronto, 1953–1990” (PhD diss., Columbia University, 2021) Steve Munro’s Transit blog: https://stevemunro.ca Sean Marshall’s transit blog: https://seanmarshall.ca/blog/ -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

8. 

   22 Nov 2024

   6 - U of T is History: The 1895 Student Strike

   Historian Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood explore the 1895 University of Toronto student strike, a pivotal moment in the institution's history, revealing the complexities of campus life and protest in the Victorian era.

9. 

   4 Sept 2024

   5 - Gangs of Fort York: The Orange Order in Toronto

   For over a hundred years, Toronto was a stronghold of the Orange Order—a fraternal society founded on principles of militant Protestantism and loyalty to the British Crown—and Toronto's many Orangemen worked to marginalize the city's Irish Catholic population. In an episode that takes us from riots in the streets all the way to City Hall, we talk about what Orangeism was, why people got involved with it (and eventually stopped getting involved with it), what life was sometimes like for Irish Catholics in a bastion of Orangeism, and what all this tells us about Toronto's history. Some additional resources related to the topics covered in this episode: Donald Harman Akenson, The Irish in Ontario: A Study in Rural History, 2nd ed. (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1999). Cecil J. Houston and William J. Smyth, The Sash Canada Wore: A Historical Geography of the Orange Order in Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980). Gregory S. Kealey, “Orangemen and the Corporation: The Politics of Class during the Union of the Canadas,” in Forging a Consensus: Historical Essays on Toronto, ed. Victor L. Russell (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984), 41–86. Ian Radforth, “Collective Rights, Liberal Discourse, and Public Order: The Clash over Catholic Processions in Mid-Victorian Toronto,” Canadian Historical Review 95, no. 4 (2014): 511–544. Ian Radforth, Royal Spectacle: The 1860 Visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada and the United States (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004). William J. Smyth, Toronto, the Belfast of Canada: The Orange Order and the Shaping of Municipal Culture (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015). David A. Wilson, ed., The Orange Order in Canada (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007). If you are interested in further exploring some primary sources used in the episode, see below: The document from which we sourced the Orange oath is available online: Forms and Ritual of the Orange Order, to be Observed in Private Lodges of the Orange Association of British North America (Cobourg: “The Cobourg Star” Office, 1846). https://hdl.handle.net/2027/aeu.ark:/13960/t9p27z069 Many issues of the Irish Canadian, the newspaper from which we quoted a few times in the episode, are available online via Google News’s database of historic newspapers: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=M3NEmzRMIkIC -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria, our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

10. 

    28 Jun 2024

    4 - Why is There an 1885 Statue at Queen’s Park? Toronto's Role in Settler Colonialism on the Prairies

    In 1885, more than 500 Torontonians headed to the Northwest to defend settler colonialism against a Métis resistance led by Louis Riel. In this episode, we wonder why a monument to these volunteers sits at Queen’s Park, why Toronto became so interested in the prairies in the mid-nineteenth century, and what role Toronto had in settler colonialism in the West. We reflect on how the power of Toronto has always been to project outward to places far away. Some additional resources related to today’s topics: Ian Radforth, "Celebrating the Suppression of the North-West Resistance of 1885: The Toronto Press and the Militia Volunteers," Histoire sociale/Social History 47, no. 95 (2014): 601–39. Doug Owram, Promise of Eden: The Canadian Expansionist Movement and the Idea of the West, 1856–1900 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980). J. M. S. Careless, Toronto to 1918: An Illustrated History (Toronto: Lorimer, 1984). Jean Teillet, The North-West is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation (Toronto: Patrick Crean Editions/HarperCollins, 2019). Gerald Friesen, The Canadian Prairies: A History (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984). -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria (https://linktr.ee/nethkaria), our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history)) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/ (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/)) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

11. 

    24 May 2024

    3 - William Lyon Mackenzie: Rebel, Mayor, Crank

    In this episode, we discuss the career of one of history’s most famous Torontonians, William Lyon Mackenzie. Those of you who know your Canadian history have probably heard of Mackenzie; in the late 1830s he famously led a failed rebellion against the government of Upper Canada. Less well known about Mackenzie, though, is that just a few years before that rebellion he actually served as the city of Toronto’s first mayor. So in this episode, we discuss not only Mackenzie himself, but also politics in Toronto’s early history. Why did the town of York incorporate as the city of Toronto in 1834, and what did it mean to do so? What were the major issues of the day in the city? And what were the priorities of Toronto’s first government? We discuss all this and more in this episode. Some additional resources related to today’s topics: Paul Romney, "William Lyon Mackenzie as Mayor of Toronto," Canadian Historical Review 56, no. 4 (December 1975): 416–436. F.H. Armstrong, "William Lyon Mackenzie, First Mayor of Toronto: A Study of a Critic in Power," Canadian Historical Review 48, no. 4 (December 1967): 309–331. Mark Maloney, Toronto's Mayors: A History of the City's Leaders (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2023). Michel Ducharme, The Idea of Liberty in Canada during the Age of Atlantic Revolutions, 1776–1838 (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014). -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria (https://linktr.ee/nethkaria), our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history)) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/ (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/)) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

12. 

    19 Apr 2024

    2 - The Rise of British Toronto

    In this episode, we discuss how the initial establishment of Toronto (at the time, York) was part of a British imperial project. We also look into how decision-makers inscribed Britishness on Toronto's landscape through naming practices. We also address how this dynamic continued (but in some ways changed) over time, and how it compares to elsewhere in Canada. Some additional resources related to today’s topics: Eric Arthur, Toronto, No Mean City, 3rd ed., rev. by Stephen A. Otto, repr. with new essays by Christopher Hume, Catherine Nasmith, Susan Crean, and Mark Kingwell (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003) E. A. Cruikshank, The Correspondence of Lieut. Governor John Graves Simcoe, with Allied Documents Relating to His Administration of the Government of Upper Canada, 5 vols. (Toronto: Ontario Historical Society, 1923–31); digital copies are available at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001445013 (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001445013) -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria (https://linktr.ee/nethkaria), our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history)) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/ (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/)) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

13. 

    15 Mar 2024

    1 - What We Acknowledge

    In this episode, we look into the history behind Toronto’s land acknowledgements! Who are the Indigenous nations and confederacies alluded to by the acknowledgements, and what are the histories of the various treaties that are referenced? We discuss all this and more in our very first episode! Some additional resources related to today’s topics: Talking Treaty Collective, A Treaty Guide for Torontonians (2022) Toronto Area treaty map, from Canada by Treaty project: https://www.history.utoronto.ca/sites/www.history.utoronto.ca/files/images/Toronto%20Treaties%20Map_0.pdf (https://www.history.utoronto.ca/sites/www.history.utoronto.ca/files/images/Toronto%20Treaties%20Map_0.pdf) Denise Bolduc, Mnawaate Gordon-Corbiere, Rebeka Tabobondung, and Brian Wright-McLeod, eds., Indigenous Toronto: Stories that Carry this Place (Coach House Books, 2021) Kayanesenh Paul Williams, Kayanerenkó:wa: The Great Law of Peace (University of Manitoba Press, 2018) John Burrows and Michael Coyle, eds., The Right Relationship: Reimagining the Implementation of Historical Treaties (University of Toronto Press, 2017) -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria (https://linktr.ee/nethkaria), our intro music was recorded by the National Promenade Band, and our outro music was created by Holizna. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history)) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/ (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/)) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

14. 

    7 Mar 2024

    Trailer - What is Listening T.O. History?

    Hello and welcome to Listening T.O. History, the podcast all about the histories that made Toronto! In this short trailer, we introduce ourselves and what this podcast is all about. Be sure to check out our first episode, coming very soon! -- Listening T.O. History is created and hosted by Steve Penfold and Louis Reed-Wood. Our artwork was made by Nethkaria (https://linktr.ee/nethkaria), and the music in this episode was recorded by the National Promenade Band. Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/listeningt.o.history) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Listening-TO-History/61553456499160/) for additional content and announcements, and get in touch at listeningTOhistory[at]gmail.com!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

15

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.