Jamie Bradburn
@jbcurio.bsky.social
Writer/researcher/historian for hire, specializing in Toronto/Ontario history (frequently for Toronto Today and TVO). Former Sunday Star quizmaster. Crafts award-winning stories. Walks and cooks a bit. Has adventures with stuffed porcupines.
Jimmy Cliff 'Wonderful World Beautiful People' LIVE Midem 1970
YouTube video by Jamrockvybzreggae
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
ICYMI for TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social I look at the waves of school board consolidations across Ontario during the 1960s as part of the effort to modernize the province's educational infrastructure #onpoli #cdnhistory #history
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
November 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM
ICYMI for TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social I look at the waves of school board consolidations across Ontario during the 1960s as part of the effort to modernize the province's educational infrastructure #onpoli #cdnhistory #history
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Side research find: much like BB guns and deadly icicles, studded clothing from the 1980s had the potential to cost you an eye!
Toronto Star, August 2, 1984.
Toronto Star, August 2, 1984.
November 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Side research find: much like BB guns and deadly icicles, studded clothing from the 1980s had the potential to cost you an eye!
Toronto Star, August 2, 1984.
Toronto Star, August 2, 1984.
From the vaults: It's Toronto's Santa Claus Parade today, so here's a look at its past. Just remember to pack some "Seagram's medicine!"
#TOHistory #christmas
jamiebradburnwriting.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/s...
#TOHistory #christmas
jamiebradburnwriting.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/s...
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Originally published as a “Historicist” column on Torontoist on November 15, 2008. Santa Claus Float, Eaton’s Santa Claus Parade, Toronto, 1930. Archives of Ontario Reference Code: F 22…
jamiebradburnwriting.wordpress.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
From the vaults: It's Toronto's Santa Claus Parade today, so here's a look at its past. Just remember to pack some "Seagram's medicine!"
#TOHistory #christmas
jamiebradburnwriting.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/s...
#TOHistory #christmas
jamiebradburnwriting.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/s...
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
NEW! For TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social, a look at how the province slashed the number of school boards in Ontario from around 3,700 to around 200 in stages over the course of the 1960s.
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
November 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
NEW! For TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social, a look at how the province slashed the number of school boards in Ontario from around 3,700 to around 200 in stages over the course of the 1960s.
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
NEW! For TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social, a look at how the province slashed the number of school boards in Ontario from around 3,700 to around 200 in stages over the course of the 1960s.
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
November 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
NEW! For TVO @tvotoday.bsky.social, a look at how the province slashed the number of school boards in Ontario from around 3,700 to around 200 in stages over the course of the 1960s.
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Just don't ask school trustees in Baden what their opinion was.
#onpoli #ontariohistory
www.tvo.org/article/how-...
Thanks to everyone who came to my newspaper talk last night. It was one of the largest audiences I've spoken, and I think it went well.
I'm excited to do more in 2026!
(And hey, if you know a corporate group or somebody similar who'd be interested in a historical chat, I'd love to try that!)
I'm excited to do more in 2026!
(And hey, if you know a corporate group or somebody similar who'd be interested in a historical chat, I'd love to try that!)
November 20, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Thanks to everyone who came to my newspaper talk last night. It was one of the largest audiences I've spoken, and I think it went well.
I'm excited to do more in 2026!
(And hey, if you know a corporate group or somebody similar who'd be interested in a historical chat, I'd love to try that!)
I'm excited to do more in 2026!
(And hey, if you know a corporate group or somebody similar who'd be interested in a historical chat, I'd love to try that!)
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
I'm pretty revved up for giving this talk tonight at the Beaches Sandbox - hope to see some of you there!
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
I'm pretty revved up for giving this talk tonight at the Beaches Sandbox - hope to see some of you there!
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
I'm pretty revved up for giving this talk tonight at the Beaches Sandbox - hope to see some of you there!
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
I'm pretty revved up for giving this talk tonight at the Beaches Sandbox - hope to see some of you there!
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
I am also starting to take bookings for historical talks in 2026 - something I would like to do more of. Drop me a private message if you or your organization are interested! #TOHistory
Ventured onto Slate for the first time in eons and was quickly reminded how obnoxious the clickbaity headlines are.
November 19, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Ventured onto Slate for the first time in eons and was quickly reminded how obnoxious the clickbaity headlines are.
Afternoon park scene, north of Danforth, west of Logan
November 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Afternoon park scene, north of Danforth, west of Logan
November 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
Yep. Professional writers know they need an editor. Aspiring professional writers know they need an editor. It's only the wannabes and corner-cutters who think they can skip this step. (You can't.)
#AmEditing
#Romancelandia
#AmEditing
#Romancelandia
Editors have a really hard job, and the good ones can make something unreadable readable, and the great ones can make something unreadable into something good. But they're basically invisible, until someone tries to write without one.
November 17, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Yep. Professional writers know they need an editor. Aspiring professional writers know they need an editor. It's only the wannabes and corner-cutters who think they can skip this step. (You can't.)
#AmEditing
#Romancelandia
#AmEditing
#Romancelandia
One of the things I really adore about history on Bluesky is that there's space for things like people who specialize in eels.
(This is a fun account!)
(This is a fun account!)
Ever find yourself at home, hungry, & wishing for an eel delivery service? Well you're not alone!
In the 1580s Queen Elizabeth had cartloads of eels & pike delivered weekly to her castle at Hertford from Cambridge by a man named William Raven.
Why eel out when you can order in?
🗃️🧪
In the 1580s Queen Elizabeth had cartloads of eels & pike delivered weekly to her castle at Hertford from Cambridge by a man named William Raven.
Why eel out when you can order in?
🗃️🧪
November 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
One of the things I really adore about history on Bluesky is that there's space for things like people who specialize in eels.
(This is a fun account!)
(This is a fun account!)
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
In light of Toronto City Council's half-hearted opening up of some limited neighbourhood retail last week, here's my post from 2020 about spotting former neighbourhood retail stores in old neighbourhoods. spacing.ca/toronto/2020...
REID: Spotting (and reviving?) the neighbourhood corner commercial building - Spacing Toronto
Like so many people during the current pandemic lockdown, I’ve started to get to know my neighbourhood much more closely on daily walks for exercise from my home. One of the elements of Toronto’s ever...
spacing.ca
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
In light of Toronto City Council's half-hearted opening up of some limited neighbourhood retail last week, here's my post from 2020 about spotting former neighbourhood retail stores in old neighbourhoods. spacing.ca/toronto/2020...
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
Come hear me talk about some of Toronto's journalistic history this week! #TOHistory #cdnhistory
November 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Come hear me talk about some of Toronto's journalistic history this week! #TOHistory #cdnhistory
Looking for feedback: how many people would be interested in paying for once a month special, full-length, brand new historical articles if I prepared them? It would be an paid extra as part of my newsletter/something like that.
(Having a Sunday evening where ideas are flowing through my brain)
(Having a Sunday evening where ideas are flowing through my brain)
November 17, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Looking for feedback: how many people would be interested in paying for once a month special, full-length, brand new historical articles if I prepared them? It would be an paid extra as part of my newsletter/something like that.
(Having a Sunday evening where ideas are flowing through my brain)
(Having a Sunday evening where ideas are flowing through my brain)
Come hear me talk about some of Toronto's journalistic history this week! #TOHistory #cdnhistory
November 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Come hear me talk about some of Toronto's journalistic history this week! #TOHistory #cdnhistory
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
"Toronto’s elected officials did a good thing this week. Whether they can preserve that victory is another question altogether." — @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social
ANALYSIS: Will Toronto actually get neighbourhood retail? | TVO Today
The city is set to allow small shops in residential areas. But local — and perhaps provincial — pushback isn’t going away.
amp.tvo.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:41 PM
"Toronto’s elected officials did a good thing this week. Whether they can preserve that victory is another question altogether." — @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
My latest newsletter is out, including a Christmas story from a century ago that sounds as if the writer secretly wanted to be a horror novelist.
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
43: A Mid-November Week's Roundup
Including one Santa's unhappy Christmas a century ago.
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:20 AM
My latest newsletter is out, including a Christmas story from a century ago that sounds as if the writer secretly wanted to be a horror novelist.
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
A general question related to constantly uttering statements like this: does this particular councillor say this just to be contrarian and appeal to a certain base that doesn’t like anything in life, or are they a legitimately miserable human being who must ensure everyone is as no fun as they are?
Councillor Holyday worries about retail stores that "sell some zany thing that has very little value." He wants to know if council could define a list of what stores can sell.
Staff say they can regulate things like size, noise and property standards, but generally not what stores sell.
Staff say they can regulate things like size, noise and property standards, but generally not what stores sell.
November 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A general question related to constantly uttering statements like this: does this particular councillor say this just to be contrarian and appeal to a certain base that doesn’t like anything in life, or are they a legitimately miserable human being who must ensure everyone is as no fun as they are?
Reposted by Jamie Bradburn
1) WARNING: Professional ad alert!
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
November 12, 2025 at 8:37 PM
1) WARNING: Professional ad alert!
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
My latest newsletter is out, including a Christmas story from a century ago that sounds as if the writer secretly wanted to be a horror novelist.
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
43: A Mid-November Week's Roundup
Including one Santa's unhappy Christmas a century ago.
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:20 AM
My latest newsletter is out, including a Christmas story from a century ago that sounds as if the writer secretly wanted to be a horror novelist.
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
open.substack.com/pub/jamiebra...
Come hear me talk next week in the Beaches! #TOHistory
November 13, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Come hear me talk next week in the Beaches! #TOHistory
1) WARNING: Professional ad alert!
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
November 12, 2025 at 8:37 PM
1) WARNING: Professional ad alert!
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).
Sometimes you need a handyman to fix your home's needs, whether it's as simple as installing a shelf or as complex as assembling the world's largest piece of IKEA furniture (which comes with hundreds of diagrams and pegs).