bonus features: chinatowns

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This post offers supplementary material for an article I recently wrote for Torontoist, which you should read before diving into this piece.

globe 1907-10-11 asiatic peril editorial
The Globe, October 11, 1907.
The fear of the "yellow peril" in action - one of the more jaw-dropping (from a modern perspective) editorials regarding the place of Chinese in Canadian society during the early 20th century.


globe 1922-07-06 piece on elizabeth street
The Globe, July 6, 1922.

A profile of Chinatown, which tosses off a "gee, aren't they cute?" vibe.

star 1969-03-08 why toronto must retain a chinatown
Toronto Star, March 8, 1969. Click on image for larger version.

The article from which Jean Lumb's defense of maintaining a Chinatown was quoted from.

star 1971-08-27 chinatown celebrations
Toronto Star, August 27, 1971. Click on image for larger version.

An early 1970s look at Old Chinatown, which discusses some of the remaining businesses, the Dragon Mall pedestrian zone, and several recipes inspired by local grocers.

gm 1975-06-27 new chinatown changing spadina
Globe and Mail, June 27, 1975.

One of the first major projects as Spadina became the heart of downtown's Chinatown was China Court, which opened in August 1976. Within a decade, it was razed for the cold concrete of Chinatown Centre.

gm 1975-08-02 yen pin palace
Globe and Mail, August 2, 1976. Click on image for larger version.

The building at 346 Spadina Avenue has gone through numerous incarnations, from the Labor Lyceum, to a series of Asian restaurants beginning with Yen Pin Place.

star 1984-05-29 protest over parking in agincourt
Toronto Star, May 29, 1984.

star 1984-06-01 letters to editor on agincourt
Toronto Star, June 1, 1984.

The Star's coverage of a testy meeting in Agincourt, and reaction from readers. The paper also published an editorial criticizing attendees for their remarks, observing that the parking issue was one Scarborough's city council was attempting to fix. A few weeks later, meeting chairman Dr. Douglas Hood defended his actions, claiming that coverage was a smear job which took several remarks out of context. Having covered community meetings over the years where the yahoos came out in full force, and reading about similar meetings in the 905 belt a decade later, I'm tempted to lean toward the paper's interpretation of events.

star 1984-06-16 agincourt letter
Toronto Star, June 16, 1984.

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