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A street scene from the 1910s: people are walking across a street with streetcar tracks. Multiple big billboards can be seen in the background. The text on the biggest one reads: 'Dewar's Scotch Whiskey'. Another one offers: 'White label ale'.
A street scene from the 1910s: people are walking across a street with streetcar tracks. Multiple big billboards can be seen in the background. The text on the biggest one reads: 'Dewar's Scotch Whiskey'. Another one offers: 'White label ale'.
Photo: Downtown Toronto in 1914ish (City of Toronto Archives)

Hear history come alive Hear history come alive

in this course by storyteller Adam Bunch

Photo: Downtown Toronto in 1914ish (City of Toronto Archives)

Home Events Cities A Boozy History of Toronto

A Boozy History of Toronto

Exciting news: award-winning storyteller Adam Bunch is offering a new course!

His newest one is called ‘A Boozy History of Toronto’ and it’s about the city’s history with alcohol.

Alcohol has always been a dramatic part of life in Toronto — from the days of colonial treachery to modern debates over drinking in parks. In this four-week online course, we’ll meet drunken rebels, beer-bashing mayors, notorious bootleggers, and alcoholic politicians. We’ll witness booze-soaked murders, prohibition-era shootouts, and the kidnapping of one Canada’s wealthiest brewers — plus, the bitter fight over whether drinking should be allowed at all. To truly understand Toronto, it helps to understand how this city has been shaped by centuries of people getting drunk.

The course will kick off on July 14 and run on Thursday nights for four weeks — but if you’re not free on any of those days, don’t worry. Adam will also record all his lectures and post them to a private YouTube page so you can watch and re-watch them anytime you like. Plus, if you are a paid subscriber to Adam’s amazing newsletter called “The Toronto History Weekly“, you’ll get 10% off on the course!

Explore the history of the city with the best-selling author of The Toronto Book of the Dead and The Toronto Book of Love, host of the Canadiana documentary series, and creator of The Toronto Dreams Project.

Event details

Hosted by: Adam Bunch

Type of event: Online course

Format: This course will include 4 weekly lectures on Zoom with a chance to interact and ask questions, as well as a list of recommended readings & other links. Each week’s lecture will last approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. Every lecture will also be available to stream online later for anyone who can’t make that week’s class.

Instructor: Adam Bunch

Date: July 14 to August 4, 2022

Time: 8pm EST every Thursday night

Cost: C$75 + tax. If more than one person in your household would like to take the course, feel free to sit in on the lectures together — you only need to pay one fee per screen.

Location: Zoom

Registration link: To enroll in the course, simply fill out the form here and the instructor will follow up with you to arrange payment via e-transfer or cheque, whichever you prefer.

Contact Details: Adam Bunch, adambunch.com, email: adam@torontodreamsproject.com