Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Business area, Bank of Commerce, stamps, 1944 pmk

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  Down Town Business Section showing Canadian Bank of Commerce, Toronto, Canada
• Publisher: Canadian Bank of Commerce
• Postally used: yes
• Stamp:  Canada 1c & 2c 
• Postmark(s): Toronto 1944 slogan
• Sent to:  Miss Peggy Brown, 49 High Street, Cobham, Surrey, England
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

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NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. Toronto is the fastest growing city in North America,[13] and is the anchor of an urban agglomeration, known as the Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.[14][15][16]

People have travelled through and inhabited the Toronto area, situated on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years.[17] After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga surrendered the area to the British Crown,[18] the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada.[19] During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York and suffered heavy damage by United States troops.[20] York was renamed and incorporated in 1834 as the city of Toronto. It was designated as the capital of the province of Ontario in 1867 during Canadian Confederation.[21] The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through both annexation and amalgamation to its current area of 630.2 km2 (243.3 sq mi).

The diverse population of Toronto reflects its current and historical role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada.[22][23] More than 50 percent of residents belong to a visible minority population group,[24] and over 200 distinct ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants.[25] While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city.[26]

Toronto is a prominent centre for music,[27] theatre,[28] motion picture production,[29] and television production,[30] and is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets.[31] Its varied cultural institutions,[32] which include numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities,[33] attract over 25 million tourists each year.[34][35] Toronto is known for its many skyscrapers and high-rise buildings,[36] in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, the CN Tower.[37]

The city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks,[38] and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations.[39] Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, business services, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism.[40][41][42]

The Canadian Bank of Commerce was a Canadian bank which was founded in 1867, and had hundreds of branches throughout Canada. It merged in 1961 with the Imperial Bank of Canada to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

In 1866 a group of businessmen, including William McMaster, purchased a charter from the defunct Bank of Canada, which had folded in 1858. [1] The Canadian Bank of Commerce was founded the following year, issued stock, and opened its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario.[2] [3]

The bank soon opened branches in London, St. Catharines and Barrie.[3] During the following years, the bank opened more branches in Ontario, and took over the business of the local Gore Bank,[3] before expanding across Canada through the acquisition of the Bank of British Columbia in 1901 and the Halifax Banking Company in 1903.[2]

By 1907 the Canadian Bank of Commerce had 172 branches.[2] By the beginning of World War II, this had expanded to 379 branches,[4] including a large building at Darling and Pearson, Winnipeg, Manitoba, built in 1910 in beaux-arts classic style.[5]

During World War I, 1,701 staff from the Canadian Bank of Commerce enlisted in the war effort. A memorial on the East and West Memorial Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario is dedicated to the memory of 1701 Men of the Canadian Bank of Commerce who served in the First World War[6] A War Memorial at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario commemorates their service.

In 1931, the Toronto headquarters of the bank, designed by architects John Pearson and Frank Darling, was completed. At 34 stories, for many years it was the tallest building in the British Empire.[7]

Once again, during World War II, 2,300 staff members enlisted in the armed forces.

The Canadian Bank of Commerce merged with the Imperial Bank of Canada in 1961 to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), now one of the Big Five Canadian banks.[1][8]