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

Heritage Toronto’s “Plaque Fridays” video series is showcasing Toronto’s rich history through engaging, short-form videos that have gone viral. The weekly series, hosted by Meg Sutton, focuses on one location and its history or unveils a new plaque. These videos are hosted by Sutton, who explains the significance of the site, accompanied by comedic relief provided by a pigeon mask-wearing figure or plush bird.

The campaign has been the group’s most successful social media content to date, particularly after a popular video from February celebrating Toronto’s first Chinatown, which recognized Sam Ching, one of the earliest recorded Chinese residents who ran a laundry business in 1878. The video, starting with Sutton beside the plaque, then walks viewers through the neighborhood’s history with archival photos and newspaper clippings.

More recently, the video about City Park Apartments near Church and Wellesley streets, which marks the LGBTQ+ community’s growth in the area, has garnered about 40,000 views. Since the weekly videos began, Engagement with the organization has surged, with more requests for plaques. Heritage Toronto, a registered charity and arm’s-length agency of the city, has added about 40 new plaques annually, the most active English-language plaque program in North America.

The organization’s plaque program, which has existed since the 1970s, invites anyone from developers to concerned citizens to submit applications, with extensive consultation and community work ensuring diverse perspectives. The process typically takes six months, followed by a couple of hours for filming and editing a one-minute video.

The project aims to engage a younger audience and promote awareness of history in every corner of the city.