Mike Filey (October 11, 1941 – July 30, 2022) was a Canadian historian, radio host, journalist and author. He was awarded the Jean Hibbert Memorial Award in 2009 for promoting the city of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

and its history.

Early life

Born in 1941 in

, Filey attended high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute and earned a degree in chemical technology from

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

. As a child, Filey lived with his family on Bathurst Street, just south of the iconic Honest Ed's.

Career

Filey began his career at what is now the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, working there for nine years. He then worked for five years at the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...

and four years at Canada's Wonderland. In 1972, Filey was an organizer of Heritage Toronto, a citizen's group interested in Toronto's history. From 1975 to 2020, he wrote the column, ''The Way We Were'' for the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Postmedia Place i ...

''. Filey is the author of more than two dozen books about the history of Toronto. Among the topics covered are the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...

(TTC), books with old photographs, and twelve books of ''Toronto Sketches''. Over the years, Filey was a regular guest on several radio stations including

CFRB CFRB (1010 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and carries a News/Talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in the Entertainment District at 250 Richmond Street West. CFRB is a c ...

, CKFM, and CHFI-FM and hosted his own weekly radio show, ''Mike Filey's Toronto'', on Zoomer Radio 740. His guided walks included topics such as ''Toronto, Then and Now''. According to his friend Alan Parker, another columnist at the ''

'', Filey has been called "Toronto's best-known historian". For his love for Toronto, his extensive research, and his "consistent willingness to share his knowledge" in the history of Toronto, he was bestowed the Jean Hibbert Memorial Award by the

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

Historical Society in 2009.

Personal life

Filey lived in

Willowdale, Toronto Willowdale is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. It developed from three postal villages: Newtonbrook, Willowdale and Lansing. Willowdale began as a postal village (originally Willo ...

, with his wife, Yarmila. Filey died on July 30, 2022, from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

Publications

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References

External links