Toronto Trip Overview
Welcome to the only crime tour in Canada hosted by former Detectives! We know these streets like no other tour guide, since we policed these very streets throughout our careers. With a total of 15 stops, we cover the early days of a growing city, with the Upper Canada Rebellion, through some dark decades where bookmakers and bank robbers were making headlines. We have more current stories too, such as the G20 riots that erupted in 2010, and the serial killer who shook the LGBT community in 2017, killing 8 men. We do have some more unusual tales as well, like circus clowns vs firefighter riot from 1855, which actually modernized the Toronto Police to a standard still in place today.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours
Starts: Toronto, Canada
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Toronto Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Welcome to the only crime tour in Canada hosted by former Detectives! We know these streets like no other tour guide, since we policed these very streets throughout our careers. With a total of 15 stops, we cover the early days of a growing city, with the Upper Canada Rebellion, through some dark decades where bookmakers and bank robbers were making headlines. We have more current stories too, such as the G20 riots that erupted in 2010, and the serial killer who shook the LGBT community in 2017, killing 8 men. We do have some more unusual tales as well, like circus clowns vs firefighter riot from 1855, which actually modernized the Toronto Police to a standard still in place today.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Yonge-Dundas Square, 40 Dundas Street West, Suite 227 Atrium on Bay, Toronto, Ontario Canada
2005 Year Of The Gun, and the tragic murder of a 15 year old girl caught in the crossfire of a streetgang shootout on Boxing Day.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: College Park, 444 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5B 2H4, Canada
College Park Courthouse, we explore how the Mentally Ill are treated in the criminal justice system.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Yonge Street, Yonge St, Toronto, Ontario Canada
Riots in Toronto’s history, from the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 to the G20 riots of 2010.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Yonge Street, Yonge St, Toronto, Ontario Canada
St Charles Tavern clock tower, exploring the shaky relationship between the LGBT community and Toronto Police, and how the bathhouse raids in the 1980s led to the annual Gay Pride Parade.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Yonge-Dundas Square, 40 Dundas Street West, Suite 227 Atrium on Bay, Toronto, Ontario Canada
The shocking murder of a 12 year old shoeshine boy in 1977 turns the city on its ear, but does spearhead the cleanup of the filthy downtown core.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Old Toronto, Old Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
the incredible story of how a riot between circus clowns and the Hook & Ladder fire company in 1855 led to revamping of the structure of the Toronto Police, which is still in effect 166 years later!
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Old Town, Old Town, Toronto, Ontario
Hear the shocking details of Canada’s first “gangland” slaying in 1939, and the sordid state of “The Corner”, Dundas & Jarvis.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Church and Wellesley, Toronto, Ontario Canada
No crime tour of Toronto would be complete without the infamous Boyd Gang, their numerous bank heists, and their escape-twice!- from The Don Jail. Media sensationalism doesn’t overlook the fact they were killers-2 would hang for killing a Toronto Police detective.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Allan Gardens Conservatory, 19 Horticultural Ave Between Jarvis, Sherbourne, Dundas and Gerrard Sts., Toronto, Ontario M5A 2P2 Canada
Outside an infamous burger joint on Jarvis St, we explore the history of prostitution laws. Brothels were prevalent in Toronto’s early days, right up to the internet. We honour several leaders in the Sex Worker Advocacy field for their tireless work in enhancing the safety of Sex Trade Workers.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
outside of Toronto’s Youth Court, we tell the shocking story of Canada’s youngest serial killer, a 17 year old who brutally murdered 3 children. But this story has a bizarre twist, when the police arrested an innocent 14 year old boy and coerced a false confession to a crime he did not commit.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Church and Wellesley (The Village), Church and Wellesley (The Village), Toronto, Ontario
The landmark case of Jane Doe and The Balcony Rapist from 1984, totally changed the rights of sex assault victims and women’s rights in the criminal justice system.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Church and Wellesley (The Village), Church and Wellesley (The Village), Toronto, Ontario
A serial killer was targeting gay men in The Village, but the police said there was no proof or links among the victims. Then they found 8 victims buried in a ravine.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Maple Leaf Gardens, 60 Carlton St, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J2 Canada
This hockey shrine held a dark secret for decades, when 60 men came forward with allegations of sexual abuse by staff members years before, when they were young boys.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: St. James Park, 120 King St, Toronto, Ontario M9N 1L5 Canada
We compare the Family Compact protests from 1820s to the Occupy Toronto movement in 2011. Could the police dismantle the protestor’s camp without the riots that plagued the G20 the previous year?
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Old Toronto, Old Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
At Courthouse Square, the last public gallows in Canada, we explore the bizarre list of crimes which carried capital punishment, such as stealing turnips and stealing cattle.
Duration: 5 minutes