City of Toronto Archives to open The TTC -- 100 Years of Moving Toronto public exhibit

Toronto.ca
March 23, 2022

Today, the Toronto Archives will open The TTC -- 100 Years of Moving Toronto exhibit. The exhibit is in partnership with the TTC and celebrates its 100th anniversary.

The exhibit explores the history of the TTC including the consolidation of the transit system, growth in the 1920s, fare media, the development of subway lines, female TTC workers during the Second World War, as well as diversity and accessibility at the TTC. The exhibit also features Irma James, the first Black female Streetcar driver, and Lyn Morgan, the first female Lead Hand. Innovations from the 21st century such as low-floor streetcars, electric buses and green roofs at TTC facilities will be showcased as well.

The exhibit is free to attend and will be open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available on the City’s website.

The TTC celebrated its centennial anniversary on September 1, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, the exhibit was launched for online viewing only on the City’s website

Photography exhibits at 12 TTC subway stations will also be on display until July 2022 at Don Mills Station, Kennedy Station, Main Street Station, Bay Station, Kipling Station Finch Station, Queen Station, Union Station, Dupont Station, Spadina Station, St. Clair West Station and Vaughan Metropolitan Station. More information about the photography exhibits is available on the TTC’s website Opens in new window.

More information on the TTC’s 100th anniversary celebration is available on the TTC’s website Opens in new window.

Quotes:

“I am delighted to see the opening of the Archives’ in-person exhibit celebrating 100 Years of the TTC. Thanks to the progress we’ve made as a City and the lifting of many restrictions, the exhibit will now be open for guests to view the wonderful history of the transit system in a safe way. Congratulations to the TTC for this milestone and thank you to the Archives for capturing the TTC’s history in such a captivating way.”

-- Mayor John Tory

“The TTC has played an essential role in Toronto’s growth and prosperity over the last century. We’ve come a long way since our beginnings in 1921 and I’m very excited about the plans that we’re putting in place for the future. As we continue to innovate and evolve along with the city we serve, we are looking forward to the next 100 years of keeping Toronto moving.”

-- Jaye Robinson (Don Valley West), Chair, Toronto Transit Commission

“I’m proud that while so much has changed in the last century, one thing that hasn’t is how vital public transit is to this city and the 32 billion rides taken on the TTC over the past 100 years. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted in-person events and forced us to modify how we’re marking this milestone, we hope the whole GTA will still join us in celebrating our centenary over the next several months. I want to extend a special thank you to the nearly 16,000 employees at the TTC and all of the TTC’s past employees whose hard work and dedication have made this century of service possible.”

-- Rick Leary, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission

“The first decade of the TTC’s operation was an unprecedented period of transit service expansion, and the photographs in the Archives’ collection are a curator’s joy; the only problem was how to select from such a wealth of material to tell the story.”

-- Michele Dale, Supervisor, Collection Management and Standards, Toronto Archives

“There are several things that I love about this exhibit. The fare media section gave us a chance to showcase original pieces of fare media. As a social historian I have a particular interest and passion for the women in WWII section. I liked learning about the many internal discussions that took place about whether women should wear a skirt or pants.”

-- Karen Heath, TTC Archivist, Toronto Archives