Plaques On the Street

The following biographies are linked to more than 50 plaques (blue oval) spread all over Cabbagetown. A summary of these biographies have been published (paper pamphlet) and is distributed at various Cabbagetown events. An electronic copy can also be found here. An Orientation  Directory board has also been installed just inside Riverdale Park East, near the intersection of Sumach and Winchester streets. Who gets a Plaque?

• The Cabbagetown People Program Committee will consider installing plaques for individuals having made a major contribution in fields such as the arts, literature, science, academia, politics, sports, community service, religion, thought, and more.
• That contribution must be recognized by members of their own calling or, in the case of contributors and influencers who have done so outside of their particular field of endeavour, recognized by their beneficiaries. The contribution must be well documented and broadly acknowledged.
• To be considered for a plaque, individuals must also have had a strong association with Cabbagetown through birth, residence over a significant period of time, or through the connection of their work and career.

Aberdeen Avenue

Ernest Thompson Seton, Writer, Self-trained Biologist, Scientific Illustrator and Naturalist

Amelia Street

Walter Seymour Allward, Renowned Canadian Sculptor
Betty Oliphant, World-Renowned Innovator of Ballet Education
J. L. (Allen) Yen, A Leading Figure in Canadian Radio Astronomy
Mary O’Riordan, Pioneering Veterinarian
Roger Abbott, Comedian and Actor, Co-Founder of the Royal Canadian Air Farce

Carlton Street

Gordon Sinclair, A Giant in Canadian Broadcast Journalism
Patricia Watson, Screenwriter and Film Director
Allan King, Filmmaker
The Simcoes, First Private Owner of Land in Cabbagetown
Charles Sauriol, Pioneer Ecologist
Oronhyatekha M.D., Mohawk Physician, Victorian Businessman and Philanthropist
Richard Gwyn, Canadian Journalist, Author, and Historian
Rowena Hume, A Founder of Women’s College Hospital
Sarah Anne Curzon, A Pioneer for Women’s Rights Who Made Laura Secord a Household Name
Benjamin Brick, Builder Who Specialized in Elaborate Plaster Decoration
Cabbagetown’s First People, Before the Europeans
Frederick H. Varley, One of Canada’s Most Expressive Artists. Member of the Group of Seven

Hillcrest Park

Lister Sinclair, Broadcaster, Playwright, Renaissance Man

Howard Street

J. Norman Emerson, The Dean of Canadian Archaelogy

Lancaster Avenue

Albert (Frenchy) Bélanger, 1927 Flyweight Boxing Champion of the World

Metcalfe Street

Arthur Goss, Toronto Official Photographer; Left a Photographic Legacy of Over 35,000 Images of Toronto
Fredelle Bruser Maynard, Author and TV Host
Toller Cranston, Canadian Figure Skater and Artist

Ontario Street

Frederick Hagan, One of Canada’s Greatest Artists and Teachers
Hugh Garner, Author and Witness to Depression-Era Cabbagetown
Luigi von Kunits, First Conductor of The Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Parliament Street

Ben Wicks, Political Cartoonist, Global Literacy Advocate, Humanitarian

Rose Avenue

Flos Jewell Williams, A Writer with a Passion for Western Canada
Samuel Rose D.D., One of the Pioneers of Methodism in Ontario

Sackville Street

Al Purdy, Poet
Arthur Schawlow, Nobel Laureate – Physics 1981
Jack Nichols, Canada’s Pre-eminent World War II Artist
Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian Literary Giant

Salisbury Street

Eden Smith, Prolific Early Toronto Designer and Architect

Sherbourne Street

The Adaskin Family, One of Canada’s Greatest Musical Families of the 20th Century

Shuter Street

Larry Gains, Heavyweight Boxer Champion of the Dominion of Canada and the British Empire
Morley Callaghan, Writer, Novelist, Broadcaster
Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, Soldier, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Killed in Afghanistan

Spruce Street

James Grand and Samuel Toy, Founders of Grand & Toy, Toronto’s Oldest Office Supply Company
Charles B. MacKay, Toronto’s First Customs Officer
Edward Mulberry Hodder, The Father of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Ontario and Dean of the Trinity Medical School

Sumach Street

Darrell Kent, Real Estate Agent and Philanthropist Who Started the Gentrification of Cabbagetown
Fraser Mustard, Medical Pioneer and Champion of Early Learning
Bill Stapleton, Artist, Activist, Teacher
June Rowlands, Activist and Leader. Woman of Many Firsts
Murray Laufer, Distinguished Canadian Stage Designer and Artist

Wellesley Street East

Charles William Jefferys, Historical Painter and Illustrator
Tony Brady, Performer, Children’s Entertainer, Author, and Founder of the Forsythia Festival
Richard Bradshaw, Canadian Opera Company Conductor and Visionary
Walter Huston, Academy Award-winning Actor

Winchester Street

The Venerable Archdeacon Samuel J. Boddy, Archdeacon of York; Rector, St. Peter’s Church
Doug Henning, World-Famous Magician
Sir Ernest MacMillan, Composer, Conductor, Organist
Daniel Lamb, Businessman, City Father, A founder of Toronto’s First Zoo
Early Settlers, Remains of York/Toronto's Early Settlers Moved to the Necropolis