Leaside in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Agnes Macphail
(1890-1954)
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
1. Agnes MacPhail Marker
Agnes Macphail purchased this property in 1948.
She was the first woman elected to Canada's House of Commons in 1921 and won five successive election victories.
Agnes Macphail fought for health insurance, low-rental housing, agricultural reform, and pensions for the elderly, the blind, and the disabled. Her passion for penal reform led to an inquiry into Canada's prison system that resulted in the Archamboult Report.
A delegate to the League of Nations in 1929, she was he first woman named to the Disarmament Committee.
Agnes Macphail was elected MPP for York East in 1943, one of the first two women in The Ontario Legislature, and again served from 1948 to 1951.
Historically important as the residence of one of Canadas most notable politicians, the Agnes Macphail house built in 1937 is designed in the Modern style.
Erected 2012 by East York Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Government & Politics • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.
Location. 43° 42.276′ N, 79° 22.409′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Leaside: A Railway Town (approx. one kilometer away); Kay Gardner Beltline Park (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); The Resting Place of Pioneers (approx. 1.6 kilometers away); The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King / Le Très Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King (approx. 1.7 kilometers away); William Lyon Mackenzie King (approx. 1.7 kilometers away); Canada’s First Air Mail / La Première poste aérienne du Canada
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
2. Agnes Macphail Marker
Centre of photo
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
3. Agnes Macphail house in 2026
1921
4. Agnes Macphail in 1921
Library and Archives Canada (public domain)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 2, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
