Your Guide to George Brown

History
Founded in 1967 the college is named after George Brown who was a newspaper publisher of The Globe (later The Globe and Mail) and a Liberal Party member who is considered one of Canada’s Fathers of Confederation. In 1969 George Brown’s first campus opened on College Street with the Casa Loma campus opening in 1973, St. James campus in 1976 and Waterfront campus in 2012. 

Housing
George Brown College just opened their first student residence, The George, which was built for the athletes of the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games. Located at 80 Cooperage St. in the Canary District it is a short walk to both Waterfront and St. James campuses. For more information go to The George’s webpage

Services
George Brown has a wide-range of services for students, here are some of our top-picks.

Academic Advocacy
Run by the Student Association, the academic advocacy program helps students navigate George Brown College policies and advocate for your rights. If you think you are being treated unfairly contact them at academicadvocacy@sagbc.ca or call their hotline at 416-415-5000 ext. 6320

Clubs
The SA’s clubs program features over 40 clubs, which range from cultural associations, to clubs for your program, activism on campus and video games. To join or start a group see the SA’s club page.

Food Banks – Casa Loma, St. James and Waterfront campus
The Student Association runs student food banks at  Office locations are: St. James, 200 King Street East, Room 159; Casa Loma E Building, Room E127; Waterfront, Concourse Level, Room 031.

International Centre – St. James, 200 King St. East, Main Floor
If you are an international student the International Centre is your starting point for a wide range of academic and non-academic services. They also operate on Wednesdays at Casa Loma from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room D313.

Peerconnect  – St. James A Building B121 (opposite the cafeteria) Casa Loma D313
Peerconnect  is a friendly place to meet with peers and share what works. Here you can find student peer coaches who will help you with academic strategies and workshops.

SafeWalk
A joint program between the Student Association and George Brown College. SafeWalk staff are available to walk you to a TTC stop or your car or other destination within two kilometres from campus.  Call 416-415-5000, ext. 2020 during operating hours. For locations and hours see SafeWalk’s web page.

St. James and Waterfront campus

Sights

1 St. James Cathedral — 65 Church St.
Built in 1833 this Anglican church’s stonework and bell tower dominates the corner of King Street East and Church Street. Open Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

2 St. Lawrence Market—92-95 Front St. East
The historic St. Lawrence Market has been feeding Torontonians since Toronto 1803. With 120 vendors the market is a great place to pick up fresh groceries and meats or drop by for lunch. Hours for the main South Market are: Tuesday – Thursday: 8am to 6p.m. Fridays:  8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3 Gooderham Building—49 Wellington Street East
Located at perhaps Toronto’s most iconic intersection, the flatiron Gooderham Building graces many tourist photos and postcards. Make sure to check out the back of the building for a peak at the Flatiron Mural by Canadian Artist Derek Besant that plays a visual trick on you.

Getting there

Public Transit
You can get to St. James campus via the 504 King streetcar that runs between Broadview and Dundas West station. The 75 Sherbourne bus runs by both St. James and Waterfront campuses from Sherbourne station to Queens Quay. The 6 Bay bus runs from Waterfront campus to Dupont street and can be caught at the corner of Bay and Front Streets transferring from Union Station.

Cycling
St. James has bike racks located on Frederick Street, George Street and tucked behind the C building at 290 Adelaide St. Waterfront’s ring and posts are on the front and east side of the building and there’s bike storage in the undergrond parking garage on level P2. Sherbourne Street has separated bike lanes for a fast and safe route to school.

Driving
Driving in downtown Toronto is a hot mess but the cheapest parking if you have to drive is at Canada Auto Parks located at 148 Lower Jarvis Street. It’s a $10 flat rate for the day until 6:30 p.m.

Food and Drink

As a downtown campus there are restaurants and bars galore around St. James campus. Here are a few of our favorites.

1 The Kings Lounge Bar and Eatery— 200 King St. E., Room 150.
Located right inside the St. James A building on the corner of George Street and Adelaide Street E. is the Kings Lounge. This student operated pub is run by the Student Association and serves up affordable food and drink right on campus. Pro-tip: skip long lines and get your morning coffee or espresso here. A latte is only $1.75 tax included.

2 Gabby’s — 89 King St. E.
Located directly across from the entrance of the A Building on King Street Gabby’s is a pretty standard pub chain catering to students where you can grab some drinks and watch the game.

3 Betty’s—240 King St E
A great local bar with lots of beer selection, including rotating cask taps, Betty’s also boasts a great back patio and has good pub food with specials of the day. With lots of table space this is a good place to go with larger group.

4 GBC Cafe—300 Adelaide St. E., Second floor
This Cafe serves up delicious hot food made by GBC chef school students with main dishes priced at just $7.

Casa Loma campus

Getting there

TTC: The Casa Loma campus is a short walk from Dupont Station or you can get there via the 127 Davenport bus which stops right in front of the school going to Spadina Station. The 26 Dupont runs east-west between St. George and Jane stations.

Bike: Casa Loma campus has some ring and post bike racks as well as larger racks in the parking lot and loading bay on Bridgman Ave. There is also a new Bike Share Toronto rack on Kendal where you can rent a bike for $7 a day or you can pay $90 for an annual membership. Rides over 30 minutes incur additional fees.

Car: Street parking is limited around the campus and parking without a permit at the wrong time could leave you with a ticket. There is paid parking lots along Kendal and Bridgman that are $3 for a half-hour or $10 maximum between 6 a.m and 6 p.m. and a $6 flat-rate from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Sights

1 Casa Loma — 1 Austin Terrace

Casa Loma, or house on the hill, is a castle built between 1911 and 1914 by Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellat. Casa Loma cost $3.5 Million to build back then or around $83 Million today. Pop into the castle for a tour of its elegant rooms, and secret passage ways between 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and keep your eyes open for special events.   

2 Tarragon Theatre — 30 Bridgman Ave

If you like contemporary theatre, check out what’s showing at this hidden gem west of Casa Loma campus. The 2016/2017 season starts in September. Discounted tickets are available for seniors and patrons under 35.

3 City of Toronto Archives — 255 Spadina Rd.

Go deep into the city’s history in the Toronto Archives, featuring 1 Million vintage photos, thousands of records, architectural drawings, and maps. The staff is eager to help find interesting stuff, and there are exhibits on the main floor. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Food and Drink

1 Roti Cuisine of India – 308 Dupont Street
Serving up great meat and vegetarian indian rotis, this Indian restaurant’s rotis are delicious, large and spicy. You really could get two meals out of one if you can somehow manage to stop eating it just because it tastes so good. Be careful, when they ask you how spicy you want it as even their medium is quite hot.

2 The Pour House – 182 Dupont Ave
With 24 taps of craft beer, including a $4.50 daily tap, a huge patio and an impressive menu the Pour House is the pub of choice for students at Casa Loma campus.

3 Super-Jet International – 346 Dupont Street
Let’s face it, you can only drink so much of the coffee on campus before you want something a little better. Super-Jet International is a small coffeeshop on Dupont that uses the excellent I Deal Coffee for espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. Make sure to grab a “frequent flyer” card and your 10th coffee will be free.