George Brown College

George Brown College was chartered by the Ontario government in 1966 and established in 1967 as one of the province's new Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, absorbing and expanding the programs of two existing Provincial Trades Institutes that had operated in Toronto since the 1950s and '60s. It held its formal opening on March 1, 1968, with just over 2,000 students spread across buildings in Kensington Market and a second site near Casa Loma. The college is named for George Brown, the Scottish-born founder of the Globe (predecessor of the Globe and Mail) and a Father of Confederation known for his advocacy of public education.

Growth to the waterfront

George Brown grew into a three-campus institution — St. James downtown, Casa Loma for hospitality and design programs, and a purpose-built Waterfront campus that opened in 2012 on Toronto's revitalized eastern waterfront, later expanded with buildings for health sciences and architectural studies. At its peak the college enrolled over 32,000 students across 200-plus programs.

A 2025 rebrand

On October 30, 2025, the college rebranded as George Brown Polytechnic, following Humber and Seneca in adopting the "polytechnic" designation — a move its president framed as better reflecting a mix of applied, theoretical and work-integrated education.

Sources

• George Brown Polytechnic — Official History
• Polytechnics Canada — George Brown College Changes Name