North Toronto Historical Society Monthly Meeting
 
     April 2026



Meetings are held from 7 - 8 p.m. in Rm. 200 at Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. No refreshments are served - you may wish to bring your own. Co-sponsored by The Toronto Public Library.

 

Wednesday, April 29   7 p. m. 

Chinese Canadian Pioneers in Aviation


 
In 1950, few Torontonians were aware that the largest flying school in Canada was on the Toronto Island Airport (now Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport), a short ferry boat ride away from the foot of Bathurst Street. Owned and managed by two brothers, Robert and Tommy Wong, it trained over 8,000 pilots by the time they retired in 1982. In 2024, Robert (Bob) and Tommy were posthumously inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, the first Asian Canadians. Evelyn Wong, Robert’s daughter, will present the story of these pioneering Chinese Canadians and stories behind the well-researched watercolour illustrations and historical photos in her children’s picture book Reach for the Sky: How Two Brothers Built an Airplane in Chinatown.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase from 6:30 to 7 p.m.