Creative Execution: What Great Leaders Do to Unleash Bold Thinking and Innovation

Sleepless in Toronto

Although the French first settled in Toronto in 1615, and created a trading post called Fort Rouillé in 1751, Toronto’s growth as a major city started under British rule, when it replaced Niagara as the capital of Upper Canada. Despite repeated American invasions during the War of 1812, which led the British to retaliate by burning much of Washington, DC, and the White House in August 1814, Toronto continued to prosper as the Canadian center of commerce and industry. Its population grew from a modest 720 souls in 1814 to 667,500 by the middle of the twentieth century, and in the 1970s it surpassed Montreal as Canada’s largest city. Toronto became a beacon for immigrants fleeing the devastated European continent in the aftermath ...