GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE

George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded and fully accredited college situated in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operates with three campuses in the heart of Toronto. George Brown College was chartered in 1966 by the Ontario government and officially opened the following year.

The college’s establishment took place during the formation of Ontario’s community college system in 1967, following the enactment of legislation on May 21, 1965, that led to the creation of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. The college is named in honor of George Brown, a prominent 19th-century politician and newspaper publisher. George Brown was one of the Fathers of Confederation and founded the Toronto Globe, which later became The Globe and Mail.

The college has roots dating back to the Provincial Institute of Trades (PIT), founded in 1951 to provide apprentice training on behalf of the provincial Department of Labour. Initially located at 21 Nassau Street in Toronto’s Kensington Market, the PIT expanded its programs over the years, offering training in various fields. In 1962, the Provincial Institute of Trades and Occupations (PITO), a related training institute, was established at 555 Davenport Road near Casa Loma.

When George Brown College was created in 1967, it absorbed both the PIT and PITO, operating campuses at their former locations: Kensington and Casa Loma. In 1969, the college further expanded by incorporating four former Toronto Board of Education Adult Education Centres at a third campus located at 507 College Street. In 1973, George Brown College absorbed five Toronto-area Schools of Nursing, including St. Joseph’s, St. Michael’s, Toronto General, Atkinson (Toronto Western), and Nightingale.

In 1973, an expanded Casa Loma campus was inaugurated. In 1976, the St. James Campus opened at 200 King Street East in buildings that previously belonged to Christie Bakery and Hallmark Cards. The Hospitality building at the St. James Campus opened in 1987. The College Street Campus closed its doors in 1987, and the Kensington Campus followed suit in 1994.