Most wartime factories in Canada have been razed for the sake of progress, neglect, or indifference. Remarkably, there are still 20 original building standing on the old GECO lands in Scarborough; a rare phenomenon that should be safe-guarded. However, these buildings are not protected under any of the three levels of government in Canada. If nothing is done to preserve at least one building, its history too will be lost for the sake of progress. The Bomb Girls Legacy Foundation is working with municipal, provincial and federal governments to protect the lands.
Through the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 ("Bill 23") the Province of Ontario amended the Ontario Heritage and prescribed a deemed expiry date for properties undesignated properties included on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register. Properties Listed before January 1, 2023 will be deemed removed from the Register if they are not designated prior to January 1, 2027.
The conservation of the City’s listed properties fosters civic and local community identity and pride, enhancing stewardship opportunities, and recognizes our collective history. This motion requests that City Planning staff review the following ten listed properties for potential municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act to ensure the conserve of these important sites, and would require appropriate consultation and engagement with property owners and the local city Councillor prior to recommendation.
The General Engineering Company (Canada) Ltd. (“GECO”) operated a top-secret munitions plant during the Second World War, located southeast from the corners of Warden Avenue and Civic Road in Scarborough, Ontario.
The plant comprised 346 acres, 172 buildings, and over four kilometers of tunnels. GECO employed twenty-one thousand patriotic Canadians — predominantly women — who risked their lives daily handling gunpowder and high explosives. These brave women filled over 256 million fuses for the Allied Forces. Scarborough’s emblem, “Sc/C,” which was etched onto every fuse, became a symbol of quality on battlefields around the world.
While altered, approximately twenty of the buildings along with underground tunnels associated with the former GECO facility remain. This motion recommends that City Planning evaluate the former GECO lands under Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, and report on recommendations to the Toronto Preservation Board on and Toronto City Council.
City Council request the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning to evaluate lands associated with the former General Engineering Company (Canada) Ltd. (“GECO”) within Ward 20 under Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, and to report back with recommendations to the Toronto Preservation Board and City Council.
Motion Passed December 18, 2025.
