Born in June 1915, Elva remembers coal fires on streetcars when she lived in Mount Dennis, mail delivery twice a day, and the thrill of hot water coming out of taps. Elva became a pioneer of the suburbs, forging friendships with other young stay-at-home moms, and lived in her two-storey home until she was 97, earning the title “The Wise Woman of Glenelia Avenue”.

Episode 5: Tent City with Cathy and Beric

I Was Here is a podcast and photo series featuring older adults who have interesting stories about, or long histories with, spaces and places in Toronto. Their stories reveal many events of social, cultural, and political importance to our city’s history. 

I Was Here was created with generous financial support from The Accessibility Project at Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education.

A very special thank you to Programs for 50+ and Community Engagement at The Chang School, who supported this endeavour to give these storytellers a much-needed platform and audience.