Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
Sub-series
ID
Fonds 51; Series 4-2
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
Sub-series
Fonds
51
Series
4-2
Material Format
graphic material
textual record
Date
[196-]-1984
Physical Description
1 folder of textual records
109 photographs ; b&w and col. (99 contact sheet) ; 26 x 21 cm or smaller
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of photographs, speeches and correspondence that document Mayor Phil Givens' role on the City of Toronto Council.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
Fonds
ID
Fonds 51
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Level
Fonds
Fonds
51
Material Format
multiple media
Date
[192-]-1990
Physical Description
1.35 metres of textual records (20 vols.) and other material
Admin History/Bio
Philip (Phil) Gerald Givens, QC, (1922–1995) was a Canadian politician, judge, police commissioner, and active Jewish communal leader. He is is largely remembered as the fifty-fourth mayor of Toronto.
Phil Givens was born in Toronto, the only son of Hyman and Mary Gevertz (Gewercz). As a youth, he attended Harbord Collegiate and graduated from the University of Toronto in political science and economics in 1945. In 1947, he married the former Minnie “Min” Rubin. They had two children together: Eleanor and Michael.
Givens graduated as a lawyer from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1949; however, shortly thereafter, he decided to enter politics, running as a municipal school board trustee in 1950. In 1951, he was elected as alderman for Ward 5, serving in this capacity until 1960, when he was subsequently elected as a controller.
Givens was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1962.
Following the sudden death of Mayor David Summerville in 1963, Givens was appointed by City Council as the mayor of Toronto and was officially elected to the position in 1964, winning a close race against Allan Lamport. As mayor, Givens was automatically a member of the Metropolitan Toronto Executive and Council, the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, the Consumer’s Gas Company Executive, the Toronto Hydro Commission and the governing boards of Toronto’s major hospitals.
Givens was publicly seen as an affable and populist mayor, but his tenure was not without controversy. His support for the construction of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and his decision to acquire Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture The Archer for the new Nathan Phillips Square were both highly controversial during his term in office. In particular, the Moore sculpture sparked intense controversy and public debate amongst council members and citizens alike, because traditional and representational public art pieces were the norm in Toronto at the time and The Archer sculpture was considered expensive, bold, and unrelatable. The controversy surrounding the statue’s purchase was still partly to blame for Givens’ 1966 election defeat to William Dennison. Ultimately, the sculpture was purchased with privately solicited donations and has become one of Toronto’s beloved and recognized landmarks.
Givens ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 and 1958 federal elections but was defeated in his bid to become member of Parliament for Spadina. In 1967, Givens entered national politics for the second time, winning a seat as a Liberal in Toronto’s York West riding. In 1971, he stepped down before the end of his term to campaign for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Again, running under the Liberal banner, Givens won his seat in York-Forest Hill. In the 1975 provincial election, he was re-elected as a member of Provincial Parliament in the Armourdale constituency.
In 1977, Givens retired from politics and was appointed as a provincial court judge and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, serving in both capacities until 1985, when he left the Commission but continued in the judiciary as a civil trial judge until officially retired from public life in 1988.
In addition to his political career, Givens also worked briefly as a current affairs commentator for local radio broadcaster CHUM 1050 AM.
Givens was an ardent Zionist and a prominent leader of several Jewish communal organizations. He was the founder and first president of the Upper Canada Lodge of B’nai Brith and sat on the executives of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the United Jewish Welfare Fund, the Talmud Torah Eitz Chaim, the Zionist Organization of Canada, the Toronto Zionist Council, Jewish National Fund, State of Israel Bonds, and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. He was chair of the United Israel Appeal-Israel Emergency Fund in 1967 and the United Jewish Appeal-Israel Special Fund in 1968. From 1973 to 1985, he was the national president of the Canadian Zionist Federation. In the 1990s, he served as the national chairman of the Committee for Yiddish of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
Givens was the honouree of the Jewish National Fund’s Negev Dinner in 1968. He received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in 1969 and the Award of Honour from the Toronto Regional Council of B’nai Brith in 1972.
Givens was also known to be a passionate sailor and was a member of both the Royal Canadian and the Island Yacht Clubs in Toronto.
Custodial History
The records were in the possession of Phil Givens until they were donated to the Archives in September 1990 by his wife.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records documenting the personal, professional and communal activities of Phil Givens. The bulk of the material is graphic and most of the photographs relate to his tenure as Mayor of Toronto and to his Jewish communal work. The records also include general correspondence, speeches, campaign material, scrapbooks, cartoons, certificates and awards, biographical writings, audio and visual materials and artifacts. The records have been arranged into nine series representing Givens’ various roles and activities and have been described to the file level and item level when necessary. These series are: 1. Personal life; 2. City of Toronto Alderman; 3. City of Toronto Controller; 4. City of Toronto Mayor; 5. Metropolitan Toronto Police Commissioner; 6. Provincial politics; 7. National politics; 8. Legal career; 9. Jewish communal service.
Notes
Physical Description Note: Includes ca. 915 photographs, 14 drawings, 1 print, 1 presentation piece, 27 objects, 4 DVD’s, 4 videocassettes and 1 audiocassette.
Physical Extent Note: Fonds was reduced from 5.5 m of records to 2.6 m of records. Please see accession record for further details regarding the records that were culled.
General Note: Previously cited as MG6 B
Associated material note: City of Toronto Archives: “Philip Givens fonds” (fonds 1301) and Series 363, Sub-series 2 “Mayor' Office journals” (fonds 200). Library and Archives Canada: “Correspondence and subjects” series (R4942-1-1-E) in the Stuart E. Rosenberg fonds (R4942-0-X-E); Henry S. Rosenberg fonds (R3946-0-9-E); Jewish National Fund of Canada fonds (R4347-0-1-E), “Subject series: Givens, Judge Philip G. – Toronto” (R4347-7-4-E); “Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports” series (MG31-H67), Zdzislaw Przygoda fonds (R6257-0-0-E) [Sir Casimir Gzowski monument committee records –chaired by Phil Givens]; B'nai Brith Canada fonds (R6348-0-9-E); Canadian Zionist Federation fonds (R9377-0-6-E).
Name Access
Givens, Phillip, 1922-1995
Givens (nee Rubin), Min
Subjects
Law
Politicians
Related Material
See Fonds 2: Benjamin Dunkelman fonds
See Fonds 18: Gordon Mendly fonds
See Fonds 28: Zionist Organization of Canada fonds
See Fonds 37: Gilbert Studios fonds (Negev dinners series, Zionist Building series, Portraits series).
Creator
Givens, Philip, 1922-1995
Accession Number
1990-9-7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 4-2; File 7
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
4-2
File
7
Material Format
graphic material
Date
23 Sept. 1981
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. ; 21 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of a group portrait of former City of Toronto mayors. Identified is (left to right): William Allan, Allan Lamport, Paul Godfrey (in his capacity as Metro Toronto Chairman), Phil Givens, and David Crombie.
Notes
Photograph is by Boris Spremo of the Toronto Star.
Subjects
Mayors
Portraits, Group
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Toronto (Ont.)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 4-2; File 8
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
City of Toronto Mayor series
City of Toronto Council sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
4-2
File
8
Material Format
graphic material
Date
1984
Physical Description
2 photographs : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of two copies of a photograph of former City Hall council members gathered together for a reunion at Casa Loma. Identified individuals include: Phil Givens, Dennis Flynn, Alan Eggleton, David Rotenberg, Alan Grossman and J. B. Salsberg.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Places
Casa Loma (Toronto, Ont. : Neighborhood)
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Level
Series
ID
Fonds 51; Series 5
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Level
Series
Fonds
51
Series
5
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
moving images
Date
1977-1985
Physical Description
51 photographs : b&w and col. ; 28 x 21 cm or smaller and other material
Scope and Content
Series consists of textual records and other material documenting Phil Givens’ activities as chairman of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission from 1977 to 1985. The textual records include messages of congratulations, general correspondence, speeches, and reports. The graphic material includes official portraits as well as snapshots documenting various police activities and events. Also included is a video cassette of a “sailpast” commemorating the merger of the harbour and port police forces with the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force in June 1983 as well as a video cassette of the retirement dinner for Givens held at the Island Yacht Club in July 1985.
The series has been arranged into three sub-series: 5-1. Metropolitan Toronto Police Board of Commissioners; 5-2. Publicity; and 5-3. Official engagements.
Notes
Includes 13 cm of textual records, 2 DVDs and 2 videocassettes.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Board of Commissioners series
Metropolitan Toronto Police Board of Commissioners sub-series
Level
Sub-series
Fonds
51
Series
5-1
Material Format
textual record
graphic material
Date
1977-[198-]
Physical Description
13 cm of textual records
4 photographs : b&w and col. ; 28 x 21 cm or smaller
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of textual records and photographs that document Phil Givens’ activities as the Chairman of the Toronto Police Board of Commissioners. Included are photographs of the Metropolitan Board of Commissioners of Police and Givens’ swearing-in ceremony, messages of congratulation, correspondence, speeches, and internal reports.
Notes
Photographers and photography studios are identified on the photographs.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Official engagements sub-series
Level
File
ID
Fonds 51; Series 5-3; File 16
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Official engagements sub-series
Level
File
Fonds
51
Series
5-3
File
16
Material Format
graphic material
Date
9 May 1985
Physical Description
4 photographs : col. ; 12 x 18 cm and 20 X 25 cm + identification key
Scope and Content
File consists of four photographs taken at Phil Givens' retirement dinner. Identified in one of the photographs is: Front Row (left to right): Gord Barratt; Douglas Cook; Donald Brooks; Stewart Shelson; Kenneth Robitaille; Phil Givens; Paul Walter; William Kerr; Sylvia Gosman; William Chambers; Ian MacDiarmid; George McGivern; Harry Norley. Middle Row (left to right): William Kirkland; John Gordon; Fred Alliston; Ross Codlin; George Cooper; Colin Fernall; Wilfred Death; Gerry Masters’ Malcolm George; Bob Sanderson; Herb Ellis; Norman Smith; Bill Wilson; George Davies; Roy Smith; John Kolenchuk. Back Row (left to right): Bruce Rawlinson; Alex Greenaway; Maurice Trenchard; Hugh Ross; John Booth; Ted Crawford; Ernest Penno; Wally Grove; James Gosby; Duncan Anderson.
Source
Archival Descriptions
Part Of
Philip Givens fonds
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission series
Publicity sub-series
Metro Police Commissioner Promo Pictures file
Level
Item
Fonds
51
Series
5-2
File
1
Material Format
graphic material
Date
[197-]-[198-]
Physical Description
1 photograph : col. ; 20 x 26 cm
Scope and Content
Item is a promotional photograph of Phil Givens in his role as chair of the Metro Toronto Police Commission.
Repro Restriction
Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.
Source
Archival Descriptions