This month, Trent University co-hosted more than 700 environmental historians from 20 countries at the annual conference of The American Society for Environmental History. The conference at the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto was entitled, “Confluences, Crossings, and Power.” Attendees, including Trent, presented historical papers at the conference.  The mission of the conference is to discuss the past and present human impact on the natural environment.  

Serious subject matter aside, conference attendees were allowed the opportunity to explore the city with organized field trips with a particularly special guidebook. Urban Explorations: Environmental Histories of the Toronto Region, unveils a colourful and insightful environmental portrayal of Toronto and demonstrates how it became the city we know today.  The book was co-edited by Dr. Stephen Bocking who is a professor of environmental policy and history at Trent University and is the chair of the Environmental and Resource Science/Studies Program. 

For scientists, historians and tourists travelling by foot or by car, it’s unlike any other Toronto guidebook that has ever been produced.  Toronto history, stories, culture and fascinating tidbits are all included.  Each chapter of Urban Explorations: Environmental Histories of the Toronto Region is laden with photos, maps and key sites throughout the Toronto area.

Dr. Bocking says, “The book shows how nature has been central to the history of Toronto from the beginning to the present day and how it has survived right in the shadow of condos and the DVP. It clearly portrays the hidden dimensions that make up the city we know today. ” 

According to Dr. Bocking, new habitats such as those found in the Leslie Spit, have been created over time. They are incredible, ecological systems right in the city. The book also explores places of Indigenous peoples in Toronto. It shows a history of the city’s infrastructure while also explaining the role of wild and domestic animals in the city.  Readers may be surprised to learn that herds of cattle were driven to market down the main streets of Toronto in the early 1900’s. Commonplace one hundred years ago, such a site today would be a definite head turner. 

The book is a collaboration that Dr. Bocking participated in with Toronto area academics, historians, food activists and naturalists. Guidebook users will experience a new perspective on key sites such as the Don Valley, the central core, the financial district, the Oak Ridges Moraine and Rouge Park, as well as places further afield such as Hamilton and Niagara Falls.    

Urban Explorations: Environmental Histories of the Toronto Region History also studies the social and political aspects of Toronto’s history. It examines the establishment of distinctive and sometimes subversive neighbourhoods.  The book explains how groups such as the gay community in Toronto established a space for themselves.  In another chapter, food activists talk about the history of food in culturally diverse Toronto and its role in community organization.

The book took approximately one year to research.  Dr. Bocking found the project fascinating.  He co-edited the book with three colleagues from York University and McMaster University.  It is published through The L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History at McMaster University. 

Everyone involved in the project worked diligently to complete the book in order for it to be ready for the April conference.  The book will be on sale shortly in Toronto and at university bookstores. It will eventually be available through online retailers.  Incidentally, Dr. Bocking has also produced many other publications which include works on the environmental history of northern Canada, salmon farming and the history of environmental science in the arctic.

Trent’s role as co-host of The American Society for Environmental History conference in addition to Dr.Bocking’s editorial contributions to Urban Explorations: Environmental Histories of the Toronto Region History, entrench Trent’s position as an esteemed authority on environmental science and environmental studies.

Dr. Bocking says, “Trent University is a centre in Canada for environmental history and environmental humanities. Trent’s participation in these endeavours is an illustration of how Trent is active in studies in all perspectives.  Not just environmental science but all the humanities. We have a distinctive range of courses in environmental science and in the human, philosophical and political dimensions of environmental studies. Very few environmental programs offer such depth in both realms of studies.”

In May, Trent University will host the annual joint conference of the Canadian University Environmental Science Network and the Canadian College Environmental Network.  This conference will also inaugurate the Canadian College and University Environmental Network: the first organization for all postsecondary environmental programs in Canada.

But for now, the environmental secrets and informational gems held within Toronto can be revealed with a trusted guide.

Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.