Heritage Toronto’s Plaque Friday videos showcase city’s history with viral moments

Heritage Toronto, a registered charity and arm's-length agency of the city, has launched a video series called 'Plaque Fridays' to showcase the city's history through its collection of plaques. The weekly short-form videos feature Heritage Toronto plaques coordinator Meg Sutton explaining the significance of a location and its history.

The series also includes comedic elements, such as a person wearing a pigeon mask cooing or a plush pigeon, to provide levity to the otherwise serious topics. For Light Naing, marketing and communications coordinator, the bite-sized and engaging format of short-form video makes it an ideal platform for reaching a wider audience.

The Plaque Fridays videos have become the group's most popular social media content, with viewership soaring after a popular video from February during Chinese Heritage Month in Ontario was published. The video commemorates the hand laundry businesses in Toronto's first Chinatown, recognizing Sam Ching, one of the city's earliest recorded Chinese residents who ran a laundry business downtown starting in 1878.

The success of the videos has led to increased community engagement with the organization, as people request more plaques and share their recognition of the history around them. The plaques program, which has existed since the 1970s, currently includes over 900 plaques in the city, with Heritage Toronto adding about 40 new plaques every year.

The application-based program allows for a diverse range of voices and stories to be shared, with extensive consultation and community work going into each plaque. The organization aims to promote its plaques and encourage people to appreciate the history in every corner of the city.