MEDIA RELEASE March 18, 2022
TORONTO, ON – On Thursday night, the Toronto Railway Museum held a virtual event featuring a discussion on Diversity and Inclusion: Choose to Change by Corina Moore, CEO and President of Ontario Northland. Before the talk began, remarks from the Hon. Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sports, Tourism and Culture Industries, and a video from the Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation were shared with the audience, congratulating the group on receiving a $50,000 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“Museums educate and enrich our community and bring culture and vitality to our city. The pandemic has shown us the importance of being able to deliver online programming in a variety of ways, and we welcome this funding that will continue to allow everyone to enjoy all that museums like the Toronto Railway Museum have to offer.” – MPP Chris Glover
Through this support, the Museum has been able to continue operating facilities and delivering experiences throughout the pandemic. Funding from this grant is assisting with audiovisual equipment and operational costs to improve online programming including developing an online tour and supporting an ongoing lecture series.
The online lecture series, Railway Ties, began in November 2021 and will be offered for free for an entire year thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Toronto Railway Museum brings people together – both in-person and online – through Toronto’s rail history. Connecting people to Toronto’s railway history through topics like railway dining, film, and storytelling, the online lecture series has something for everyone.
“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be understated,” said Phil Spencer, Chair of the Toronto Railway Historical Association (TRHA) Board. “This grant has allowed TRM to continue its operations during a tumultuous year. We have been able to welcome over 500 lecture attendees so far and are looking forward to the launch of our virtual tour later this year to reach even wider audiences. We are able to serve the community better with these improvements in place.”
The Toronto Railway Museum is committed to telling the stories of the railways, and welcoming conversations of its varied experiences through its lecture series, exhibits and integrated programming with a goal to learn from the past to make the future better. The museum is open year-round inside the historic John Street Roundhouse in downtown Toronto. www.TorontoRailwayMuseum.com.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
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Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:
Kelly Burwash, Museum Manager & Curator
Toronto Railway Museum
(416) 214-9229
manager@trha.ca