A day at the Museum of Toronto, chatting with CEO Heidi Reitmaier about the new exhibit, The T.O. You Don’t Know, rediscovering the city in the most “wonderful and wacky” way.
On a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, I found myself walking through the newest exhibit at the Museum of Toronto and feeling exactly what its name suggests: The T.O. You Don’t Know. As I passed each piece from the collection, I experienced a plethora of emotions ranging from surprise, astonishment, disbelief, but most importantly, a sense of awe to experience parts of the city that have remained hidden, but also to look at the known spaces in a different light.
With more than 150 stories and 50+ objects, the exhibit takes us from the beginning of time to the contemporary world, presenting a history we didn’t even know existed.
“You can’t look forward without looking back,” says Museum of Toronto CEO Heidi Reitmaier. The exhibit, therefore, attempts to raise awareness and spark cross-generational and cross- geographical conversations.
The exhibit, which began as part of a campaign in 2025, refutes a common misperception, since people often think Toronto doesn’t have a history. On the contrary, it’s full of intriguing, exceptional and often contested stories that shine a light on our shared histories and culture.
With some wonderful and weird elements, the exhibit puts forward different stories ranging from the national and political to the social and local. It’s fascinating to know how the TTC tokens, which were brought in to deal with forged TTC tickets, had to be decommissioned for the same reason. Sharing the challenges she faced in curating this exhibit, Reitmaier adds that the hardest task was deciding which stories to include and how to tell them, whether through objects, texts or digital displays. Most importantly, the team’s focus was on sharing the vital stories and knowledge that form the very spine of history.
I was curious to know how these elements are checked for authenticity, considering the plethora of stories being dealt with. “We understand that we are experts, not authorities,” says Reitmaier. History is complex and there isn’t one history, she says. “We work deeply with subject matter experts, consultants who help us decide on the story.”
When asked about her favourite part of the exhibit, Reitmaier cites the digital interactive piece, which allows users to explore neighbourhoods of the city. She also loves the timeline that provides an in-depth insight into how history isn’t an isolated incident and doesn’t happen on its own.
The Museum of Toronto appeals to the community beyond its walls. It is the perfect place for people to celebrate the past of their city and reflect on a bright future. As Reitmaier says, “We are small but mighty.”
If it was not for this exhibit, how would we know stories like these, I wonder? Stories like this from the 1840s, about an oyster shop that concealed a secret brothel in a building that had been the residence of Henry Boulton, Toronto’s then-mayor? It was only when the shop was raided that this scandalous news broke, shocking Torontonians. So what happened next? Well, Boulton still owned the building, but he wasn’t charged because the judge on the case, John Beverly Robinson, was Boulton’s uncle!
As I learned this, it made me woander about so many realms, including justice, state-sanctioned machinery, the idea of truth, but most importantly, Boulton’s story reignited my curiosity to know more about this city than ever before.
This curiosity is exactly what Reitmaier wishes that people will take away from the exhibit — a sense of excitement, the urge to ask questions and have more appreciative conversations about Toronto — and, most importantly, to remember that people do make a difference, and just like people, places, too, have important stories to tell. It’s all about a moment to connect.
