The Canadian Women's Press Club was founded in 1904 by a group of Canadian woman reporters returning from a complimentary trip to the St. Louis Exposition. The club was suggested by George Henry Ham, the CPR's publicity director, and the first president was Kathleen Blake "Kit" Coleman. The Toronto Branch was founded in 1909, one of 15 regional branches organized over the years. Established as a "craft club" to help and promote its members in the profession of journalism, the Club remained active until the 1990's, counting as members most Canadian women journalists of note. In 1971 the Canadian Women's Press Club became the Media Club of Canada, and the Toronto Branch of the Club became the Media Club of Canada, Toronto Branch. In 1976 the Toronto Branch became an autonomous group under the name Toronto Women's Press Club, later changed to the Women's Press Club of Toronto. The Toronto Branch ceased in 199? and the Media Club of Canada suspended operations in 199?

By the 1980's the Women's Press Club of Toronto had launched a history project and put Kay Rex, a long-time member, in charge of collecting materials and writing a history of the Canadian Women's Press Club to 1971. Her book No Daughter of Mine: The Women and History of the Canadian Women's Press Club, 1904-1971 was published in 1995 by the University of Toronto Press.

Lydia Dotto was born in 1949. In 1971, she graduated with an Honors degree in journalism from Carleton University.

Dotto worked as a general assignment journalist for the Edmonton Journal in 1969 and for the Toronto Star between 1970 and 1971. From 1972 to 1978, Dotto was a staff science writer for The Globe and Mail. In 1978, she became a freelance science and environmental journalist and writer, publishing in varied media and publishing several reports and books. During that time, Dotto was also a partner at Dotto and Schiff Science News Service, co-director of Canadian Science News (a weekly syndication service), and president of the Canadian Science Writers Association.

In 2004, Lydia Dotto focused her work on wildlife photography, travelling across Canada, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America. And publishing in Canadian Wildlife magazine, WILD magazine, On Nature magazine, and Muskoka magazine, among others.

Lydia Dotto also worked as a teacher, including classes on environmental communications for ten years at Trent University.

During her professional years, Lydia Dotto published numerous reports and books, including, among others:

• The ozone war (1978),
• Planet Earth in jeopardy: environmental consequences of nuclear war (1986),
• Canada in space (1987),
• Asleep in the fast lane: the impact of sleep on work (1990),
• Losing sleep: how your sleeping habits affect your life (1990),
• Blue planet: a portrait of Earth (1991),
• The astronauts: Canada's voyageurs in space (1993),
• Storm warning: gambling with the climate of our planet (1999),
• Le ciel nous tombe sur la tete: sommes-nous entrain de risquer le climat de notre planete? (2001), and
• Thinking the unthinkable: civilization and rapid climate change (2006).

Lydia Dotto passed away on September 17, 2022.