The City of Toronto Archives holds a large variety of historical records reflecting the history and work of the government of the City of Toronto and its various boroughs and municipal governments, which manage the affairs of the city and its residents. Some records, including photographs, are available online. Check the website to see what is available https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/. You can search records by topic as well as by type of record.
Records include:
- records created by the City of Toronto government
- records created by municipal governments that existed before the 1998 amalgamation of Toronto municipalities
- records of people, families, organizations, and businesses
- over 1.25 million photographs, dating from 1856
- Visual records: over 10,000 maps, aerial photographs, plans and architectural drawings
- bylaws
- building permits and plans
- city directories
- council proceedings
- fire insurance maps and plans
- tax assessment rolls (dating from 1834), which are compiled annually for property tax calculation, provide useful information for Toronto residents on non-federal census years.
Of note are fire insurance plans that provide detailed information about buildings and neighbourhoods. The City of Toronto Archives has fire insurance plans from 1858 to 1973. Most are, however, are for the years between 1880 and 1924. Not all areas of the city are covered for each of these years. Fire Insurance Plans are fully accessible for viewing online at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/whats-online/maps/fire-insurance-plans/ . However as the plans are very large files, they are not available for downloading. Should you require copies of Fire Insurance Plans, print or digital copies of the plates must be purchased individually.
