Charlie Chong Farm plaque, 2023. Photo by Meg Sutton.  

Plaque Text

Located at the northeast corner of Jane Street and Eglinton Avenue West, Charlie Chong Farm was one of the first Chinese-owned farms in Toronto.

Charlie Chong (張松悅) and Henry Chong (張其焯) started the farm in 1919. Unable to get a mortgage, the cousins paid landowner William Paddon in instalments for the initial 2.5 acres. Two years later, they bought three more acres from James Dennis, also in instalments. They grew carrots, celery, and lettuce for Toronto's markets. The farm hired many new immigrants.

From 1885 to 1947, Canada heavily restricted immigration from China through the Chinese Immigration Act. Charlie and Henry each paid a $500 tax (equal to several years' pay) upon arrival in Canada: Henry in 1909 and Charlie in 1913. In 1923, Canada banned nearly all Chinese immigration, limiting the size of the Chinese community.

In 1947, Canada removed most of its anti-Chinese immigration laws, allowing some families to reunite. Charlie Chong Farm switched to Asian vegetables like bok choy, gai choy (mustard green), lo bok (white radish), and winter melon for stores and restaurants in Toronto's growing Chinatown and beyond.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority expropriated the farm from the Chong family in 1966 and turned it into a park. Descendants of Charlie and Henry continued to farm elsewhere in Ontario.