1

From its earliest days, when the town was known as York, 'booze' was a reality within Toronto. And problems associated with the consumption of alcohol prompted citizens to campaign against the abuses of beer and spirits. This social campaign to 'temper' the consumption of alcohol, a movement known as 'temperance', was very visible within the Province of Canada, including Toronto. Numerous temperance organizations were formed to help limit the use of alcohol. The Montreal Temperance Society and the Women's Christian Temperance Union were two of them. Citizens who shared the values of temperance within the community could join such organizations, which held regular meetings and developed a range of campaigns to help reduce the use of alcohol. Amongst the residues of temperance in Canada are illustrations and cartoons that were published in newspapers and magazines of the time. In this section, a sampling of images from the 19th and early 20th centuries provide glimpses into the forces of temperance.

Over the course of the 19th century, there was a shift in focus from temperance movements, which encouraged healthy, alcohol-free lifestyles, to a more organized movement that lobbied to outlaw the sale of alcohol, aka prohibition. The effects of temperance were felt in very tangible ways, especially through the use of local referenda to declare a designated area to be 'dry' - thus controlling the sale and use of alcohol. In the later 19th century, laws were passed enabling provinces to enact legislation that would define and limit the sale of alcohol, including which establishments could sell it, to whom and when. An example in Toronto of a 'dry' neighbourhood relates to an area known as 'The Junction', which declared itself 'dry' in 1904, thus prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages within its boundaries - a status which remained in place until 1997!

By the early years of the 20th century, provincial governments introduced their own prohibition legislation. Prince Edward Island was the first jurisdiction to introduce prohibition laws restricting the production, sale and consumption of alcohol. That was in 1900. In Ontario, similar laws were introduced, during World War I, in 1916. This law permitted citizens to make and consume their own alcoholic beverages within their own homes. It was also legal for large-scale distilleries to make alcohol as long it was sold to foreign markets. As one might expect, this period of prohibition, which lasted in Ontario until 1927, prompted the proliferation of black markets for alcohol and lead to Toronto booze finding its way into US black-markets that were operated by the likes of Al Capone.

2

Daughters of Temperance
1850s

Credits:
Illustration: In Craig Heron's book "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, p. 57 (collection: Bettina Bradbury Collection - Toronto)

3

Problems for the Wise
9 September 1871

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 2003, p. 50. (Cdn Illustrated News, Sept 9, 1871)

4

Sir John Surrenders his Sword
1883
Toronto, Canada

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 2003, p. 151. (originally published in "A Caricature History of Canadian Politics", Toronto: Grip Publishing, 1886)

5

Which will you Choose?
18 July 1902
Toronto, Canada

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 2003, p. 148. (from "Pioneer", [Toronto], July 18, 1902)

6

Prohibition - Youth vs Goliath
31 October 1902
Toronto, Canada

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 2003, p. 150 (from 'Pioneer' (Toronto), Oct 31, 1902)

7

Citizens Awake and Act, 1902
1902

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, p. 173. Originally published in "Pioneer" (Toronto), 24 Oct 1902.

8

Prohibition March, Toronto, March 1916
March 1916
Downtown Toronto, Canada

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, p. 181. (Collection: National Archives of Canada, PA-072527)

9

Doctors Prescribing Booze
about 1920

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 203, p. 238 (collection: Archives of Ontario, F 834-3-0-1, B-893)

10

Watching for Prey
26 December 1920
Toronto, Canada

Credits:
Illustration: from Craig Heron's "Booze: a distilled history", Toronto: Between the Lines, 2003, p. 217. (from 'Pioneers' [Toronto] Dec 26,1920)