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  • A building on a busy Toronto street. It is a large 3-story brick building. On the left of the image is a smokestack and a parking lot filled with cars.
  • A map of part of St. Andrew's Ward in Toronto. There is a blue square surrounding an area titled as
  • A black-and- white image of a waterfront. In the far distance are industrial buildings. In the foreground are train cars and sheds.
  • A black-and-white image of two women. They are both wearing dresses and aprons. They are facing away from the camera towards a line of sinks. They are both turning on taps.

Liberty Market Building, Liberty Village, October 2, 2022. Image by Autumn Beals.

Survey of part of St. Andrew's Ward, Toronto, 1874. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.

Immigration Sheds, Québec, 1908. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

Laundry room at the Hospital and Immigration Detention Centre, Québec, circa 1911. Image Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

  • Liberty Market

    Immigrant Sheds

    As the city’s population continued to grow, space to temporarily house newcomers was in short supply. The solution to this crisis was the creation of “immigrant sheds,” one of which was located on Strachan Avenue. In 1870, six and a half acres were devoted to building a large-scale immigration reception facility. The facility was made up of seven buildings, each with their own administrative function. Immigrants who arrived at these buildings were given free temporary accommodation.

    To keep up with the changing landscape, there was enthusiasm from both the provincial and municipal governments around the number of female immigrants coming to Canada. Governments often considered women as the architects of a new nation. An increase in female newcomers not only meant more female workers, but the potential a larger future Canadian population. More women meant the possibility of more children born in Canada. 


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  • Liberty Market

    Protecting Immigrant Women

    The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw a dramatic increase in activism over women’s rights in Toronto. Many advocates argued for social reform, calling for women to have more of a role in public affairs and business. This included a call for voting rights for women, equal pay to men, and for equal protection and treatment under the law.  

    As calls for change and freedoms increased, social reformers also wanted more protections for immigrant women. The newly-formed Women’s Protective Immigration Society opened a hostel for single female immigrants in Montreal in 1882. In November 1905, the British Women’s Emigration Association opened a similar “welcome hostel” for women at 66 Wellesley Street in Toronto. By 1920, a Women’s Division within the Canadian Department of Immigration opened, specifically aimed to find female newcomers employment, often as domestic workers, and to “manage” the arrival of unaccompanied women. The Division lasted barely more than a decade, as new limits to immigration during the 1930s made the office largely obsolete. 


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  • Liberty Market

    Preferential Treatment

    Despite a growing population, race still factored heavily into the welcoming and varying treatment of female newcomers. White British immigrants received preferential status and were often encouraged to not mingle with non-British and non-white immigrants. At immigrant buildings in other cities, such as Halifax or Saint John, white immigrant women were provided with separate spaces so they would not have to interact with non-white immigrants. Furthermore, when attempting to save money on these spaces, governments often deprived non-white citizens of the same comforts that were afforded to white British women. 

    Factors such as ethnic background and religious affiliation affected immigrants’ experiences. Many women of colour were restricted in their access to newcomer and municipal services. In some cases, immigrant women of colour were prone to very invasive medical inspections. Many women of colour were also subjected to public fears around their morality, and given fewer opportunities in comparison to white female immigrants.


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