The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public, fully accredited

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

applied arts The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...

and technology with three

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

es in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(Ontario, Canada). Like many other

s in Ontario, George Brown College was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and opened the next year.

Programs

George Brown offers more than 170 full-time programs in art and design, business, community services, early childhood education, construction and engineering technologies, health sciences, hospitality and culinary arts, preparatory studies, as well as specialized programs and services for recent immigrants and international students. The college offers

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

programs, advanced diploma programs, as well as degree programs, two in conjunction with

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

. The college offers the following degrees: Arts, Design & Information Technology * Honours Bachelor of Brand Design * Honours Bachelor of Digital Experience Business * Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Services) * Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Business Analytics) Community Services & Early Childhood * Honours Bachelor of Interpretation (American Sign Language) * Early Childhood Education (consecutive diploma/degree) * Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership Construction & Engineering Technologies * Honours Bachelor of Technology (Construction Management) Health Sciences * Honours Bachelor of Behaviour Analysis * Bachelor of Science in Nursing * Honours Bachelor of Science (Dental Hygiene) Hospitality & Culinary Arts * Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Culinary Management) * Honours Bachelor of Food Studies * Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Hospitality) Graduate and

certificate Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial p ...

programs, pre-college and apprentice programs round out the college's full-time offerings. As of 2022, there are 180

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

certificates/designations available. In 2021, there were 27,128 full-time students — 29 percent international students — as well as 3,123 part-time students and 58,119 continuing education registrants. George Brown has 15,000

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

students studying in over 35 countries. One of the most popular distance education programs offered by the college is its award-winning Electronics Technician distance education program, developed by Dr. Colin Simpson. George Brown was named one of the

Greater Toronto's Top Employers Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual editorial competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working condition ...

for 2022. In 2022, George Brown College was ranked among the top 10 research colleges in the country, ranking 8th for overall research income, and ranking 4th for both the number of paid students and for the number of completed projects. Research Infosource, which publishes annual rankings reports on research and development at institutions across Canada, released the results for the top 50 colleges in January 2022.

History

The college was established during the formation of Ontario's

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

system in 1967. Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965. The college is named after

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * Ge ...

, who was an important 19th-century politician and newspaper publisher (he founded the ''

Toronto Globe ''The Globe'' was a Canadian newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with ''The Mail and Empire'' in 1936 to form ''The Globe and Mail''. History ''The Globe'' is pre-dated by a title of the s ...

'', forerunner to ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'') and was one of the

Fathers of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference, Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference, 1864, Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conf ...

. The college's predecessor, the

Provincial Institute of Trades Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Cana ...

(PIT), was founded in 1951 to offer

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

training on behalf of the provincial Department of Labour. In 1952, the PIT began operation at 21 Nassau Street in Toronto's

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...

and, after expanding with the construction of two additional buildings on the site, was offering programs in lathing and structural steel, barbering, diesel mechanics, jewellery arts, watchmaking and welding by 1961. In 1962 the province opened the

Provincial Institute of Trades and Occupations Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Cana ...

(PITO), a sister training institute, at 555 Davenport Road near

Casa Loma Casa Loma (Spanish for "Hill House") is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion and garden in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum and landmark. It was constructed from 1911 to 1914 as a residence for financier S ...

. When George Brown College was formed in 1967, it absorbed both the PIT and PITO and opened its Kensington and Casa Loma campuses at the two institutes' former facilities. George Brown College also went on to absorb, in 1969, four former Toronto Board of Education Adult Education Centres in a third campus at 507 College Street and, in 1973, five Toronto-area Schools of Nursing in 1973, including: St. Joseph's, St. Michael's, Toronto General, Atkinson (Toronto Western) and Nightingale. In 1973, a new expanded Casa Loma campus was opened. In 1976, the St. James Campus opened at 200 King Street East in buildings formerly belonging to Christie Bakery and

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...

. The Hospitality building (300 Adelaide E.) opened at St. James Campus in 1987, the same year that the College Street Campus closed. Kensington Campus closed in 1994.

Presidents

* Gervan Fearon 2021–present * Anne Sado 2004 - 2021 * Frank Sorochinsky 1994 - 2004 * John Rankin 1991 - 1995 * D.E. Light 1978 – 1991 * C.C. Lloyd 1968 - 1978

Casa Loma campus

Casa Loma campus is situated on the stretch of Kendal Ave. between Davenport Rd. and MacPherson Ave. Nearby features include

, and the

City of Toronto Archives The City of Toronto Archives is the municipal archives for the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It holds records created by the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government and its Amalgamation of Toronto, amalgamated former municipalit ...

. The campus itself is a collection of five buildings. In 2004, the old and mostly unused A building was torn down due to health concerns and to create a green space on campus. Students attending classes in building A were experiencing illness, thought to be due to

sick building syndrome Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition in which people develop symptoms of illness or become infected with chronic disease from the building in which they work or reside. In scientific literature, SBS is also known as building-related illn ...

. There is a moose sculpture stood in the green space until 2012 or 2013.

St. James campus

St. James campus consists of five buildings. The first is a large brick building at 200 King St. E. The second and third are located at 290 and 300 Adelaide St. East and are connected. They are home to

Financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

Creative Arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

and the faculty of Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. This campus is where the chef school is located.

Waterfront campus

In September 2012, George Brown opened the Waterfront Campus located at 51 Dockside Dr., south of Queen's Quay between Jarvis and Parliament Streets (between

Corus Quay Corus Quay, originally named First Waterfront Place, is an eight-storey commercial office tower located on a waterfront site in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is the first major development planned for the East Bayfront district, and co ...

and

Redpath Sugar Refinery The Redpath Sugar Refinery is a sugar storage, refining and museum complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada., ''Emporis.com''. The site is located east of Downtown Toronto, the intersection of Queens Quay and Jarvis Street. Buildings The complex ...

). This campus is home to the Centre for

Health Sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...

. In 2019, the college expanded its Waterfront Campus to the Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts complex at 3 Lower Jarvis St. - home to the School of Design. And the latest Waterfront Campus expansion, Limberlost Place, is set to open at 185 Queens Quay E. in 2025. The 10-storey tall-wood, mass-timber building will be the first institutional building of its kind in Ontario and will house the School of Architectural Studies and the School of Computer Technology. It will also house a research institute and a child care centre.

Toronto Metropolitan University campus

This associate campus is in the Sally Horsfall Eaton building (SHE building) at

. The address is 99 Gerrard St. E. George Brown also has classes from the Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Assistant and Activation Coordinator Gerontology programs at the Sally Horsfall Eaton (SHE) Building at TMU (located at the corner of Gould St and Mutual St.).

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

The

Theatre School A drama school, stage school, or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university, or a free-standing institution (such as the drama section at the Juilliard School) that specializes in the p ...

at George Brown College presents a season of productions at the

Young Centre for the Performing Arts The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is a theatre in the Distillery District in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is a brand-new theatre built into 19th-century-era Victorian industrial buildings. It is home to the Soulpepper Theatre Company and the ...

in the

Distillery District The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, east of downtown, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. ...

in downtown Toronto. It is a brand-new theatre built into 1800s-era Victorian industrial buildings, with the incorporation of additional teaching facilities. The theatre arts program enjoys a partnership with the

Tarragon Theatre The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.

and

Soulpepper Theatre Company Soulpepper is a theatre company based in Toronto, Ontario.Keith Garebian"Soulpepper Theatre" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', November 4, 2010. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatri ...

Student Residence, The George

George Brown’s student residence, The George, opened in 2016. Located at 80 Cooperage St. E., near Cherry and Front streets, close to Toronto’s Distillery District, the building was part of the 2015 Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games Athletes Village before George Brown took ownership. The building also houses the Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Conference Centre. The facility is named after a wife and husband who escaped slavery and established Toronto’s first cab company, helped found the Little Trinity Anglican Church and worked on anti-slavery initiatives. Their story is told in a student-created mural at the conference centre.

Sports

The school's team name is the Huskies, and varsity sports include: * Badminton * Baseball * Basketball * Cross Country * Esports * Indoor Soccer * Soccer * Volleyball The volleyball team has been coached by, among others, Olympian

Sam Schachter Samuel Schachter (born May 8, 1990) is a Canadian Olympic beach volleyball player. In 2010 he won the FIVB World Junior (U-21) Championship with Garrett May. He and partner Josh Binstock were 2014 Canadian national champions, and represented Ca ...

Student newspaper

''The Dialog'' is a

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

at George Brown College and a member of

Canadian University Press Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by more than 50 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest ...

. It is owned and operated by the Student Association of George Brown College. Founded in 1974, ''The Dialog'' serves students on three downtown campuses and several satellite campuses as a bi-weekly paper focusing on news within the college. It is printed in tabloid format. The previous newspapers at George Brown College include ''The Globe'' (1967–71) and ''George Brown's Body'' (1971–73).

Libraries

George Brown College students have access to several libraries: * 341 King St. Library Learning Commons * Casa Loma Library Learning Commons * Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts e-Library * Toronto Metropolitan University – Sally Horsfall Eaton Academic Resource Centre * St. James Library Learning Commons * Waterfront Library Learning Commons * Sunnybrook Health Science Centre Library – Orthotics & Prosthetics Collection Each of the college libraries primarily house materials suitable for the programs taught at their respective campuses. Students, faculty and staff have access to an extensive range of electronic resources including, ebooks, articles, and image databases. These are available for use in the library and remotely.

Notable alumni

Hannah Emily Anderson Hannah Emily Anderson is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''Jigsaw'' and ''What Keeps You Alive'', and the TV series ''The Purge''. Early life Anderson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from the George ...

, actress *

Katherine Barrell Katherine Barrell is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught in the Syfy supernatural weird West television series '' Wynonna Earp''. In 2020, she joined the cast of the ...

, actress, writer, producer, director *

Samantha Bee Samantha Anne Bee (born October 25, 1969) is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host. Bee rose to fame as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', where she became the ...

, comedian, writer, actress, television host *

Shaun Benson Shaun Benson (born January 16, 1976) is a Canadian actor and director. He acted in several theatre productions in the 1990s before embarking on his film and television career. In 2002, Benson appeared alongside Harrison Ford in the American sub ...

, actor *

Ryder Britton Ryder Britton (born December 21, 1985) is a former Canadian film and television actor. A graduate from Ivey Business School (MBA), University of Guelph (BSc), and George Brown Theatre School, his most prominent role to date was as Young Richard ...

, actor *

Robin Brûlé Robin Brûlé is a Canadian actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern medi ...

, actress *

Valerie Buhagiar Valerie Buhagiar (born May 12, 1963) is a Maltese-Canadian actress, film director and television host. She studied acting at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, graduating in 1986. Her debut as a filmmaker was ''The Passion of Rita Camill ...

, actress, film director * Patrick Kwok-Choon, actor *

Darwyn Cooke Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was a Canadian comics artist, writer, cartoonist, and animator who worked on the comic books ''Catwoman'', ''DC: The New Frontier'', ''Spirit (comics), The Spirit'' and ''Richard Stark's Parker ...

, comics artist, writer, cartoonist, animator *

Lynn Crawford Lynn Crawford (born July 18, 1964) is a Canadian chef and television personality. She is known for her appearances on the Food Network show '' Restaurant Makeover'', which is seen in over 16 countries worldwide. Biography Lynn Crawford was bor ...

, television chef * Christine Cushing, television personality * Mary Jo Eustace, actress, singer, chef *

Natasha Falle Natasha Falle (born 1973) is a Canadian professor at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was forcibly prostituted from the ages of 15 to 27 and now opposes prostitution in Canada. Falle grew up in a middle-class home and, when her ...

, activist, professor, abolitionist * Colton Gobbo, actor *

John Henry John Henry most commonly refers to: *John Henry (folklore) John Henry may also refer to: People Artists and entertainers * John Henry (actor) (1738–1794), Irish and early American actor *Seán Ó hEinirí (1915–1998), known in English as John ...

, politician * Simin Keramati, multidisciplinary artist *

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom '' Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, ...

, actor, playwright, theatre director, film director *

Dan MacKenzie Dan MacKenzie is a Canadian sports administrator and marketing executive. He has served as president of the Canadian Hockey League since September 2019. He served as the vice-president and managing director of National Basketball Association ( ...

, sports and marketing executive *

Michael Mahonen Michael Mahonen (born 27 April 1964) is a Canadian actor, director, and screen writer. History Mahonen has Finnish ancestry. After graduating from the Theatre Arts Program at George Brown College in 1989, he auditioned for a young company forme ...

, actor, director, screenwriter *

Mark McEwan Dennis Mark McEwan (born May 7, 1957) is an American-born Canadian celebrity chef based in Toronto, Ontario. He was head judge on Food Network Canada's ''Top Chef Canada''. McEwan had his own television show on Food Network Canada entitled ''Th ...

, celebrity chef * Keith Mondesir, Saint Lucian politician *

Roger Mooking Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. Mooking is the host of the television series '' Man Fire Food'' (2012 to present). He is also the host and co-creator of '' Everyday Exotic''. Both programs aired on th ...

, chef, musician, TV host *

Jayde Nicole Jayde Nicole (born February 19, 1986) is a Canadian model and businesswoman. She was ''Playboy''′s Playmate of the Month for January 2007 and was named the 2008 Playmate of the Year in the June issue of the men's magazine. She is the first Cana ...

, model *

Aaron Poole Aaron Poole (born March 17, 1977) is a Canadian actor. Early life Poole grew up in Barrie, Ontario and attended Barrie Central Collegiate. He is a graduate of the Etobicoke School of the Arts and George Brown College. He is of Italian descent. ...

, actor * Rob Rainford, television chef, broadcaster * Ted Reader, chef, author *

Lou Rinaldi Luigino Rinaldi (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2011 and again from 2014 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Northumberland and Northumberland� ...

, politician, entrepreneur *

Gigi Gorgeous Gigi Loren Lazzarato Getty, known professionally as Gigi Gorgeous, is a Canadian YouTuber, socialite, actress, and model. In 2008, Lazzarato began uploading video blogs onto streaming platform YouTube. Her videos achieved popularity and establi ...

, YouTube personality * Michael Smith, Chef *

Aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

, WWE Superstar

References

External links

* {{authority control 1967 establishments in Ontario Colleges in Ontario Cooking schools in North America Education in Toronto Hospitality schools Universities and colleges established in 1967 Universities and colleges in Toronto Vocational education in Canada