JUNK BOAT TRAVELS

30 June 2026

Tuesday Treasures

April 2026 - Toronto ON

Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

I originally posted this lane in 2020, during the pandemic. In February 2026 the city installed a plaque by Ching Lane.

A new Heritage Toronto plaque honours Sam Ching, one of the earliest recorded Chinese men in Toronto, who operated a hand laundry near Adelaide St. E. in 1878. The plaque was unveiled at the Birkbeck Building during Chinese Heritage Month, and the lane beside it is named after him.

The plaque acknowledges him being Toronto’s last Chinese laundromat owner.

The lane beside the Birbeck Building is also named for him, as his 1878 business was located across the street.

Barred from most jobs in the 1800s, many Chinese immigrants opened hand laundries, working 12–16 hour days. They faced discrimination at every level of government, including the federal head tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act, along with provincial and municipal restrictions.

The plaque acknowledges both racism and resilience. Speakers at the ceremony said it’s about recognizing the barriers early Chinese Canadians faced, and the lasting impact their hard work and community-building has had on Toronto.

Systemic Discrimination: The plaque explicitly mentions the barriers faced by the community, including:

The Federal Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923), which severely restricted immigration.

Provincial and municipal restrictions, such as high licensing fees specifically for Chinese laundries and laws prohibiting them from hiring white women.

Obsolescence of Hand Laundries: It notes that by the time the Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947, the rise of home washing machines and commercial laundromats had made traditional hand laundries nearly obsolete.

If you are interested in the racism endured by the Chinese, click here for a detailed article written

by The Students Commission of Canada.