Toronto Sketches 6: "The Way We Were"

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

Now well into the second half of its second century of existence,
Toronto continues to be the subject of vignettes of historical interest,
providing fodder for the Sunday Sun newspaper columns of
“everyman’s” Toronto historian Mike Filey. Consisting of columns
that first appeared in 1997–98, volume 6 of Filey’s The Way We Were
series covers topics ranging from Sir Thomas White, Canada’s “first
taxman,” to Toronto’s connection with the Titanic. Compensating for
the rather superficial text are the book’s photographs and
illustrations. While most self-styled Torontophiles may find the columns
mildly provocative at best, the uninitiated may gain a fresh perspective
on Canada’s largest metropolis.