The University of Toronto Map and Data Library
Air Photo Collection

Digital Air Photo Collection

Most of our air photos now come in digital format and are available only to the University of Toronto community of Faculty, Students, and staff due to licensing.  Choose one of these areas to explore further.

 

Digital Aerial Photographs (current)
Digital Aerial Photographs - Toronto (current)
Air Photo Inventory (pdf) (older)

A Note on our Paper Air Photo Collection

Aerial Photo coverage is primarily for the Toronto region and includes: coverage for Metro Toronto at 1:5000 for alternate years from 1972 to the present; sets for the City of Toronto at 1:500 from 1967-8 to the present; recent colour aerial photos and digital colour orthophotos for the Greater Toronto Area.

Other Collections in Toronto that offer Aerial Photographs of Toronto

The Metro Toronto Archives. The map library's aerial photo enlargements for Metropolitan Toronto from 1947 to 1971 were withdrawn in 1993 and sent to the new Metropolitan Toronto Archives. The Map Library originally received the aerial photos on loan from the Metro Toronto Planning Department and this unique collection has now been transferred to the appropriate archive.

The Metro Archives also holds the negatives for the aerial photos from 1972 into the 1980's and are able to make copies of sheets for users.

Please direct your enquiries to the Metro Toronto Archives at 255 Spadina Rd. (1 block north of the Dupont Subway Station) (tel. 397-0778). Their hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm.

Metro Archives Holdings are as follows:

Photographic Prints:
1947, 1950, 1953, 1956-58 (1958 is incomplete), 1959-71
Photographic White-prints:
1973, 1975-77, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991-92
Chronoflex Positives:
1972-78, 1980-83, 1986, 1988-89.

York University Map Library. Toronto Aerial Photo Holdings:

Photographic prints: 1954, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1986

Paper Air Photos (Photomaps): 1954, 1974, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1998.

Historical Air Photos of Ontario

U of T's complete collection of older Historical Ontario Government positive print aerial photos (1952-1977) was transferred back to the originating agency - the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in 1993.

This  collection was transferred to the Archives of Ontario in June 2009. 

Effective June 15, 2009, the Ontario Archives will provide access to the photos and will accept orders for prints on a self-service basis, either in person at the new Archives of Ontario Building at 134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, Toronto (York University campus) or electronically via e-mail at reference@ontario.ca. For further information about the Archives of Ontario's services, please consult their web site or contact them by phone 1-800-668-9933 (Ontario only) or (416) 327-1600. http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/about/contact.aspx

A guide to finding these air photos is also available online at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/guides/pdf/rg_232_mnr_aerial_photos.pdf

email: reference@ontario.ca

 For further information on this transfer, see http://maplib.blogspot.com/2010/02/ontario-historical-air-photos.html

Colour/Infrared Air Photos

Sales of colour infrared aerial products continue to be available from the Natural Resources Information Centre (NRIC) in Peterborough. They are open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Please direct enquiries to:

Natural Resources Information Centre
300 Water Street
Peterborough, ON K9J 8M5
phone: 1-800-667-1940
fax: (705) 755-1677
email: mnr.nric@mnr.gov.on.ca