Gilberto Fernandes

Public history

  • IUOE Local 793’s Heritage Plaque unveiled

    I had the honour of submitting the application for a Heritage Toronto plaque commemorating the history of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793, which was unveilled on November 4. The plaque is located on the Southeast intersection of Church and Shuter streets, where the Elliot House Hotel was once located and eleven steam…

  • Collaboration with Vhils in mural honouring Cleaners’ Action

    The internationally renowned street artist Vhils (Alexandre Farto) has created a mural in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood – on 1628 Dundas St. West (just west of Brock Ave.) – honouring Portuguese “cleaning ladies” and their labour activism through the Cleaners’ Action movement in the 1970s-80s. The Embassy of Portugal in Canada, the Little Portugal BIA,…

  • Gaspar Corte-Real statue controversy

    In the past few weeks I have been asked by various media outlets in Canada and Portugal to weigh in on the topic of statue toppling in what pertains to the monument to Gaspar Corte-Real outside the Confederation Building in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Here are the resulting newspaper articles, television and radio pieces: Andrew Hawthorn,…

    ,

  • City Builders documentary episodes 3-4 & new oral history videos now online

    Episode 3, titled “New Heights,” focuses on the introduction of new building techniques and materials (i.e. concrete forming, flying form and drywall) in Toronto in the 1960s and how they disrupted the industry, especially its unions. It examines the controversial organization of concrete forming workers and the intense battles between international and national unions. This…

  • Publishing in Open Access panel

    This Wednesday, October 23rd, 10.30-12.00, I’m participating in a panel for graduate students at York University, Scott Library, about Publishing in Open Access.

    , ,

  • City Builders nominated 2019 for Heritage Toronto Public History Award

    See the list of nominees here: https://www.heritagetoronto.org/what-we-do/heritage-toronto-awards/2019-public-history/

  • City Builders & Myseum of Toronto exhibit at the Columbus Centre

    The City Builders’ exhibit at the Columbus Centre, part of this year’s Myseum of Toronto Intersections festival, was launched on March 24 with a reception held in that Italian-Canadian community space. About 50 guests attended the event, which started out with a series of brief speeches from Emanuele Lepri (Villa Charities/ Columbus Centre), Jeremy Diamond…

    ,

  • Canadian Immigration History Syllabus – ActiveHistory.ca

    Thanks to Daniel Ross and Laura Madokoro for taking the initiative, and for inviting me to co-author a Canadian Immigration syllabus with some of the leading migration historians in Canada. The purpose of this open syllabus is to assist educators and students interested in disseminating information and knowledge “that can shed light on lies, falsehoods…

    ,