Archives: Collections

Bianca Andreescu has raised the global profile of tennis for Canadians. As one of the youngest winners of a Grand Slam singles title, Andreescu is the highest-ranked Canadian in Women’s Tennis Association history.

Beatrice Worsley is recognized as Canada’s first female computer scientist. Her lifetime of research and work in the field were at the forefront of Canada’s burgeoning computer science sector.

Menaka Thakkar established Canada’s first professional Indian dance company in 1978. Thakkar blended different cultural dance styles to co-create a performance called “East Meets West” in which she bridged cultural divides.

Kathleen Taylor breaks ground no matter what industry she stands in. An accomplished business leader, her career continues to break barriers and light the way for women at major corporate institutions.

Emily Stowe was a founder of the Canadian Women’s Suffrage Association and the first female physician to publicly practice medicine in Ontario.

Min Sook Lee is an industry-recognized filmmaker who advocates for social justice at the intersection of art and social change through her films and professorship at OCAD University.

Born with quadriplegia, Judith Snow was Canada’s first person to receive individualized care funding from the Government. Her activism enabled an additional 600+ people in Ontario to receive funding.

Lillian H. Smith, the first children’s librarian in the British Empire, established guidelines for the inclusion and classification of children’s literature in Toronto libraries.

Rosalie Silberman Abella was the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. She founded the concept of “employment equity” and shaped the first decision made under the 1989 Charter of Rights and Freedoms.