christie pits turkey toronto

Someone is placing unofficial heritage plaques around Toronto

Heritage plaques are common in Toronto if you know where to look. 

There are more than 700 in the city, according to Heritage Toronto. One neighbourhood has even been designated the Heritage Plaque District.

But the city might have just gotten its weirdest plaque inspiration so far: the wild turkey that took over Christie Pits in 2018. 

The sign, which has gone up on an electric pole at the park, was erected recently as part of something called The Toronto Sign Reimagination Unit, which has not been confirmed (and is very unlikely) as a legitimate branch of Heritage Toronto. 

"Also know as Giblet, Christie, Tom, and Murray, Rose was a female eastern American turkey. She regularly wandered the laneways of the neighbourhood roosted in Bickford and Christie Pits parks," reads the plaque inscription. 

The sign also provides an interesting background on how wild turkeys had completely disappeared from Ontario by 1902 but were reintroduced in 1980s. 

According to the sign, Rose the wild turkey was last seen in April 2019. Her whereabouts are unknown but her legacy will live on forever.

Lead photo by

Jode Roberts


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Here's a preview of what it will be like to ride on new Toronto LRT line

There's a brand-new $26M TTC subway station entrance in a popular Toronto park

Ontario's largest snake grows up to 2 metres and squeezes prey to death

Ontario is home to world's oldest pool of water at a staggering 2 billion years old

Stunning new Toronto park set to open next year

Toronto somehow isn't home to Ontario's jankiest LRT

A Toronto transit project is actually going to finish early for once

People worried about Ontario police's plan to use facial recognition software