The Fight for Yonge Street

Patrice Dutil meets Daniel Ross, professor of History at the Université du Québec à Montréal, to talk about his book The Heart of Toronto: Corporate Power, Civic Activism and the Remaking of Downtown Yonge Street(University of British Columbia Press). The focus of the discussion is the politics of development during the 1960s and the 1970s when competing visions of urban development prompted a number of experiments. The projects around the lands owned by the Eaton Company in downtown Toronto, the push for a democratization of the street and the rising rate of crime along the famed artery are examined. The reaction of politicians in this story is examined and the various visions that shaped the famed street are analyzed. Is Yonge Street today any better than it was? This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.