This exhibition is a collaboration between Toronto Ward Museum and Toronto Public Library to celebrate a program that has been documenting stories of civic life and placemaking in four Toronto neighbourhoods: Agincourt, Parkdale, Regent Park, and Victoria Park. All have historically served as landing sites for newcomers and all are now changing rapidly — with rising rents and new developments.

Toronto Ward Museum’s citywide team of young, diverse leaders have worked to document the past and present of these neighbourhoods, conducting over 100 in-depth oral history interviews with newcomer, immigrant, racialized and Indigenous community members. Through them, they heard stories of displacement, migration, arrival and survival. They learned about informal community networks, grassroots organizations and places that matter. And they reflected on the sights, sounds, smells and relationships that make these neighbourhoods feel like home.