Toronto Board of Trade

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Toronto Board of Trade is Toronto's chamber of commerce, the largest local chamber of commerce in Canada, with over 10,000 members. It is a non-profit organization that supports Toronto businesses, and represents the business community in interactions with the government. The members of the organization directly employ 500,000 employees.

It maintains four locations: two in Toronto, near the airport and downtown centre, and two regional chambers, in Scarborough, Ontario and North York, Ontario.

[edit] History

It was founded 10 February 1845 by an act of the legislature of Canada:

To promote and/or support such measures as, upon due consideration, are deemed calculated to advance and render prosperous the lawful trade and commerce and to foster the economic and social welfare of the City of Toronto... To advance in all lawful ways the commercial interests of the members of the Corporation generally and to secure the advantages to be obtained by mutual co-operation. ...each and every person carrying on trade and commerce of any kind, or being a Cashier, Manager or Director of any Financial Institution, Railway or Insurance Company, shall be eligible to become a member of the said Corporation.

Its first president was George Percival Ridout, who served in that position until 1852 when he was elected to the legislature. It grew slowly, and had only acquired 60 members by 1856. Until the 1860s, most members were traders, specifically wholesalers.

In 1884, it was amalgamated with the Toronto Corn Exchange Association. The Old Toronto Board of Trade Building (1892-1958), which housed the board, was Toronto's first skyscraper at seven stories. In 1932-33, the board's name was officially changed to "The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Toronto".