Mayor of Toronto’s Chinatown

Toronto’s Chinatown – one of the largest in North America – is filled with hustle and bustle. Today, the community is larger, more diverse, and more embedded in Canadian society than ever. But, in the late 1960s, the City of Toronto nearly wiped its Chinatown from the map. In this episode, Arlene Chan helps us explore the history of the Chinese people in Canada, and one Chinese Canadian woman’s determination to save Toronto’s Chinatown.
This episode was co-written by Melissa Fundira and Historica Canada. It was produced by Historica Canada. Production support and post-production by Edit Audio.  

Thank you to Arlene Chan and to our script consultant, Dr. Serene Tan.

Special thanks to the Lumb family and the Jean Lumb Foundation. Clips of Jean Lumb from the 2003 documentary Spirit of the Dragon by Gil Gavreau were provided by Third World Newsreel. 

Fact-checking by Nicole Schmidt. 

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.  

Cover image of Jean Lumb courtesy of Arlene Chan. 

Additional reading:
·       Jean Lumb
·       Toronto's Chinatown
·       Chinese Head Tax in Canada

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