by Timata on Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:29 am
Yes, Wikipedia assumes the same thing, but then goes on to make a convuluted arguement in a footnote:
"The existence of the Torchwood Institute prior to episode "Bad Wolf" is uncertain. While episode "Tooth and Claw" establishes it as having been founded in 1879, there had been no previous mentions of it in the previous 42 year run of the programme. It's possible that while Toshiko may have been working on behalf of Torchwood in "Aliens of London", this could perhaps have occurred prior to a timeline alteration, setting it in an alternate universe where Torchwood does not exist and therefore Toshiko never joined. Whether or not Torchwood existed and simply stayed unmentioned throughout the Doctor Who series remains uncertain, so Toshiko's role in "Aliens of London" may remain open to interpretation until this is directly addressed by either Doctor Who, Torchwood or a spin-off medium."
Anyway, Torchwood London must still have been around then, so why wasn't Jack sticking to Cardiff and leaving any London investigation to them. Paticularly as Torchwood Three is only mean to be investigating and monitoring the rift.
BBC websites are purposefully vague.
Probably try not to think about it too hard.