Toronto, Ontario

Toronto is Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is often described as the world's most multicultural city, with more than half its population having immigrated from other countries. Its population is 2,518,772 (Torontonians) (2004 Statistics Canada estimate); that of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is 5,715,386 (2004). Approximately one-third of the Canadian population lives within a five-hour drive of Toronto, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits.

Toronto skyline on a summer day, including the CN Tower

The City of Toronto has a physical area of approximately 630 km² (243 square miles) and is bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Highway 427 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Rouge River to the east.

The GTA extends beyond the city boundaries and includes the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel, York and Durham.

The GTA is part of a larger, natural ecosystem known as the Greater Toronto Bioregion. This ecosystem is bounded by Lake Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment, and the Oak Ridges Moraine, and includes several watersheds that drain into Lake Ontario.

Up until the 1970s, Toronto was the second largest city in Canada, after Montreal. The economic growth of Toronto was greatly stimulated by the completion in 1959 of the St. Lawrence Seaway which allowed ships access to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean. Further growth in the Toronto area is often attributed to the rise of the separatist movement in Quebec and the election of the Parti Québécois in 1976. The PQ enacted several French-language laws that were unfavourable towards businesses and English-speaking Montrealers, a number of which relocated to the more anglo-friendly Toronto.

The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller.

History

Pre-history

Located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto was originally a term of indeterminate geographical location, designating the approximate area of the future city of Toronto on maps dating to the late 17th and early 18th century. Eventually the name was anchored to the mouth of the Humber River, the end of the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail portage route from Georgian Bay; this is where the city of Toronto is located today.

The source and meaning of the name remains a matter of debate. Most common definitions claim that the origin is the Huron word toran-ten for "meeting place". However, it is much more likely that the term is from the Mohawk word referring to "the place where trees grow over the water", a reference to a specific location at the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe, then known as Lake Toronto. The portage route up the Humber River eventually leads past this well known landmark. As the portage route grew in use, the name became more widely used and was eventually attached to a French trading fort just inland from Lake Ontario on the Humber.

Part of this confusion can be attributed to the succession of peoples who lived in the area during the 18th century: Huron, Senecas, Iroquois, and Mississaugas (the latter having lent their name to Toronto's modern-day western suburb). Until the beginning of British colonization there were no permanent settlements, though both native peoples and the French did try, including the construction of another small fort near the mouth of the Humber, currently buried on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.

European settlement

European settlement in central Canada was quite limited before 1788, amounting to only a few families, but it began growing quickly in the aftermath of the American Revolution. The French established a trading fort, Fort Rouille, on the current Exhibition Grounds around 1750, but it was abandoned in 1759. United Empire Loyalists, American colonists who refused to accept being divorced from the United Kingdom, or who felt unwelcome in the new republic, often came north to the unsettled lands north of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; some had fought in the British army and were paid with land in the region. In 1788 the British negotiated the purchase of more than a quarter million acres (1,000 km²) of land in the area of Toronto. The site was then chosen by Governor John Graves Simcoe as the capital of the newly organized province of Upper Canada on July 29, 1793.

Specifically the town, then known as York, was built inland from the Toronto Islands, a chain of small islands leading into a marsh at their eastern end, with an opening at the western end. This formed a natural protected harbour, one that was defended with the construction of Fort York at the entrance on what was then a high point on the water's edge with a small river on the inland side (Garrison Creek). The town proper was formed closer to the eastern end of the harbour, near what is now Parliament Street.

Governor Simcoe was concerned with opening military communications between the settlements in the southwest of Upper Canada (notably Niagara-on-the-Lake, then known as Newark), and those to the east (Kingston, then points east to the border with Lower Canada). Dundas Street was the western route, leading to the town of the same name near Hamilton, but then continued west instead of southeast towards Niagara, and today it ends near the US border at Windsor. Kingston Road today forms the basis of the major Toronto-Montreal route. A third route, Yonge Street, was opened northward to Lake Toronto (later renamed Lake Simcoe) and cut in three years. Yonge Street now forms the dividing line between east and west in Toronto, and is sometimes called "the longest street in the world" as it snakes its way for 1,896 kilometers to Rainy River, on the Minnesota border.

In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, York was attacked and partially burned. It was in retaliation for this that British forces attacked Washington, DC, the next year. Fort York was lightly manned at the time, and realizing that a defence was impossible, the troops retreated and set fire to the magazine. It exploded as the US forces were entering the fort, and many US soldiers were killed in the explosion. After the US forces left a new and much stronger fort was constructed several hundred yards to the west of the original position. Another attack in 1814 was beaten off with ease, the landing force never being able to approach the shoreline. This newer fort now lies hundreds of yards inland due to landfill being dumped into the lake, and what was then a high point is largely invisible behind the Gardiner Expressway.

In 1834 the town reverted to the name Toronto and this was the name the city was incorporated under on March 6 of that year, with William Lyon Mackenzie as its first mayor. Toronto was the site of the key events of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837.

Growth

Growth continued to be slow and even in the late 1800s one artist managed to paint a map of the town including every individual building. Nevertheless modern amenities came to Toronto, including an extensive (and still existing) streetcar network in the city plus long-distance railways and interurban lines (called radial railways in Ontario). One radial line ran mostly along Yonge Street for about 80 km to Lake Simcoe, and allowed daytrips to its beaches. At the time Toronto's own beaches were far too polluted to use, a side effect of dumping garbage directly in the lake. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Northern Railway joined in the building of the first Union Station in the downtown area.

As the city grew it became naturally bounded by the Humber River to the west, and the Don River to the east. Several smaller rivers and creeks in the downtown area were routed into culverts and sewers and the land filled in above them, including both Garrison Creek and Taddle Creek, which runs through the University of Toronto. At the time they were being used as open sewers, and becoming a serious health problem.

Bloor Viaduct

The Don has an especially deep ravine, cutting off the east at most points north of the lakeshore. This was addressed in 1919 with the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct, better known today as the Bloor Street Viaduct, linking Bloor Street on the western side of the ravine with Danforth Avenue on the east. The designer, Edmund Burke, fought long and hard to have a lower deck added to the bridge for trains, a cost the city was not willing to provide for. Nevertheless he finally got his way, and thereby saved the city millions of dollars when the TTC subway started using the deck in 1966.

The Prince Edward Viaduct represented a turning point in Toronto's history. Now linked to what were formerly separate towns, Toronto "filled out" in the first half of the 20th century, becoming a single larger city.

In 1904 a large section of the downtown was destroyed in the 1904 Toronto fire, but it was quickly rebuilt.

Recent history

As the rural areas surrounding the city began to be transformed into suburbs during the postwar boom, the need for more coordination of city services became apparent. As a result, in 1953, the new Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was created, and came into being on January 1, 1954, as a new regional level of government. It encompassed East York, Etobicoke, Forest Hill, Leaside, Long Branch, Mimico, New Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Swansea, Toronto, Weston, and York. These thirteen townships, villages and cities continued to exist and provide services, with the so-called "Metro" government gradually taking over services that crossed municipal boundaries, such as water supply, transit, and expressways.

Toronto City Hall

On January 1, 1967, several of the smaller municipalities were amalgamated with larger ones, reducing their number to six. Forest Hill and Swansea became part of Toronto; Long Branch, Mimico, and New Toronto joined Etobicoke; Weston merged with York; and Leaside amalgamated with East York.

This arrangement lasted until 1998, when the regional level of government was abolished and the six municipalities (Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, East York, York, and Scarborough) were amalgamated into a single 'giant' municipality or "megacity". Many people criticized this change, which came on top of a massive "downloading" of provincial services to the municipal level, with little to no new revenue available. The overwhelming majority of the citizens of Toronto opposed amalgamation, as proven by a referendum in that year. However, the Province of Ontario under Premier Mike Harris had the power to ignore this referendum, and did so. Mel Lastman, the long-time mayor of North York before the amalgamation, was the first mayor of the new "megacity" of Toronto.

At this point the definition of Toronto itself came into some doubt. In the 2000 Toronto municipal elections, over 88% of those voting did so for a mayor that had discussed forming a new Province of Toronto - the second-place finisher Tooker Gomberg (8%) strongly favoured this move, while Mel Lastman (80%) also voiced his support. His statements were far more likely an attack on the provincial government, rather than a serious proposal, however, and after winning the election did nothing to advance this idea. The notion was also favoured by urban activist Jane Jacobs. In all probability such a separation is legally difficult or impossible - under the Canadian constitution the municipalities have no actual power; they are just permitted to make use of provincial authority.

This of course was one of the main problems that had concerned the activists - a few small groups, notably the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, advocated an extended campaign of property damage and resistance to Ontario's government. This led to Toronto's first large-scale riot in the summer of 2000 - a violent confrontation in front of the provincial legislature - as well as several smaller such events in 2001. When prominent federal politicians including Paul Martin and later Jack Layton (New Democratic Party of Canada leader and for 20 years a Toronto City Councillor) began promising a "new deal for cities", and large banks began issuing papers on it, the rhetoric in general became more muted and support for violent or radical solutions had faded. None of these deals have, however, been realized.

In 2002 Toronto hosted the World Youth Day 2002 and Pope John Paul II. The municipal government's two largest unions, Locals 79 and 416 of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employes) went on strike a few weeks before the scheduled event, meaning that services such as libraries, day care, parks programs, and other important services were not available. Since city workers also pick up garbage and recycling, city parks were piled high with trash; some parks were designated official dump sites for the duration of the strike, while others were used as illegal dumps. The Ontario government tabled back-to-work legislation to end the strike, so the city was back to normal before World Youth Day started.

In 2003 Toronto was hit by the SARS epidemic. Although the disease was primarily confined to hospitals and health-care workers, tourism in Toronto significantly suffered because of media reports. To help recover the losses the city suffered in industries and tourism, the city held a "SARS Benefit Concert," colloquially called 'SARSStock,' featuring many famous bands such as AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, and headlined by The Rolling Stones. The concert attracted some 450,000 people, making it one of the largest concerts in history, second only to Woodstock in 1969 (which had 500,000 people). The city was also affected by the 2003 North America blackout. The results were chaotic, with the city grinding to a halt, the streets being deserted and power not being restored for more than 12 hours in many cases, and in some areas for three days.

In the 2003 Toronto election David Miller was elected to replace Mel Lastman as mayor, after running a successful campaign which included the promise to cancel a proposed fixed link to the Toronto Island Airport.

In 2004, Toronto balanced its budget for the first time in years. This came from a GST exemption for cities, modest property tax increases, and bailouts from higher level governments.

According to a United Nations report, Toronto has the second-highest proportion of immigrants in the world, after Miami, Florida. Almost half of Toronto's residents were born outside Canada. [1] The resulting cultural diversity is reflected in the numerous ethnic neighbourhoods of the city; and the proliferation of authentic shops and restaurants derived from cultures around the world makes the city one of the most exciting places in the world to visit. Moreover, the relative tranquility that mediates between such diverse populations is a testament to the tolerant character of Canadian society.

City issues

The Toronto skyline as seen from Toronto Island.

Although crime (including violent crime) in Toronto has been steadily decreasing over the past decade, concern over gun and gang related crimes has come to the attention of the media. Although Toronto's homicide levels are extremely low compared to similar sized American cities (in 2003 Toronto had 65 homicides, while similar sized Chicago had over 590) and Toronto has lower crime rates than most cities in Canada, there are many calls to take action to prevent what is seen as a slide towards an increase in crime. American gang experts have been brought in and increased funding for programs in troubled neighbourhoods have been recently initiated.

Toronto is also struggling to come to grips with a steadily growing homeless problem. Many programs and responsibilities have been recently downloaded to the city from provincial and federal government, with many arguing that new ways for the City to raise revenue need to be given to fund these new responsibilities.

Toronto has an extensive public transit system, the TTC, but transit advocates argue very vocally that the system has been grossly underfunded in recent years. New higher level governments have indicated that they are prepared to fund the system further, so this situation may change.

For decades the development of the Toronto waterfront has been a major issue. The formerly industrial area is now largely vacant and awaiting redevelopment. In 2004 hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent by the province of Ontario to encourage further development. Currently a movie studio is being built on the site of the R.L. Hearn Power Plant.

A dominant issue in Toronto's municipal politics in recent years has been the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry, which has been investigating allegations of impropriety involving computer contracts between the city and MFP Financial Services.

Another important issue is the city's garbage. Currently Toronto's trash is shipped to Michigan, but concerns with the border and opposition from residents in Michigan has promoted the need to look for alternate sites or expand the recycling program. Besides the blue box (plastic and metal) and grey box (paper) programs, the city has instituted a green bin program to recover compostable materials. Its use began in Scarborough and Etobicoke and has since been expanded to the rest of the city.

In the city

Overhead view of the SkyDome, with the roof closed, as seen from the CN Tower

Dundas Square consists of an urban beach with 20 splash fountains that rise and fall like the pounding surf of the ocean.

Landmarks

The CN Tower - a steel/concrete transmission tower that (at 553 meters, or 1815 feet) is the tallest free-standing land structure in the world and the most famous landmark of the city.
SkyDome - the world's first sporting arena to feature a retractable roof.
Toronto City Hall, Old City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square
The Toronto Islands - a 2.3 km² (568 acre) park accessible from the city waterfront via ferry and the largest car-free urban community in North America.
Exhibition Place - the site of the annual Canadian National Exhibition and the permanent home of the WindShare wind turbine.
Queen's Park - site of the provincial legislature.
Dundas Square
The Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral and Anglican St. James' Cathedral, both on Church Street.

Performing arts

Toronto is home to a vibrant live theater scene, where such companies as Soulpepper, the Canadian Stage, and Tarragon produce plays. As well, many Broadway theatrical hits originated in Toronto, such as Show Boat, Ragtime, and Tafelmusik, an internationally-known baroque orchestra and chamber choir.

Toronto is one of the great centres for English language theatre behind New York City and London. Venues for theatre include the Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages Theatre and Pantages Cinema), the Elgin Winter Garden and Theatre, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Poor Alex Theatre, and the Harbourfront Centre.

Musical venues in Toronto include the North York Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, home to Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), and Massey Hall, the former home of the TSO and Canadian Opera Company.

The National Ballet of Canada is based in Toronto and performs at the Hummingbird Centre and formerly at the Walter Carsen Centre. It will move to the Four Seasons Centre in 2006.

As Canada's largest city and the main centre of its recording industry, Toronto is also home to many Canadian pop, rock, and hip hop artists. This includes both musicians native to Toronto and those who have moved to Toronto from other towns and cities. The live music scene in Toronto is centred primarily in the Queen Street West area, part of what is known as the Entertainment District, although not all of Toronto's music venues are in this neighbourhood. More established acts play at venues such as Lee's Palace, The Opera House, The Horseshoe Tavern, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, and Kool Haus (formerly known as the Warehouse).

Major concert tours by stars are usually booked into larger venues such as Air Canada Centre, Hummingbird Centre, and Molson Ampitheatre at Ontario Place.

A simulated colour image of Toronto, taken by Landsat 7

Toronto's neighbourhoods

Main article: List of neighbourhoods in Toronto

Toronto has over 200 neighbourhoods within its borders, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the "city of neighbourhoods."

Toronto's "905" suburbs

Before 1993, the telephone area code 416 included the entire Golden Horseshoe region from Toronto to Niagara Falls, Ontario. The area code was then split, with Metropolitan Toronto (now Toronto) alone remaining in 416, while the rest of the area became 905. In informal usage in Toronto, "905" quickly began to be used as shorthand for the belt of suburbs immediately surrounding the city, which itself may similarly be referred to as "416". (Subsequently both area codes 416 and 905 were overlaid with new codes, 647 and 289 respectively, but popular usage has not been affected by this.)

The "905" suburbs surrounding Toronto are:

For more information on the suburbs of Toronto, see Greater Toronto Area.

Education

Toronto is home to three noted universities: the University of Toronto, York University, and Ryerson University. In addition, the city is also home to the Ontario College of Art and Design, Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College, and Seneca College.

Transportation

Highways

Highway 400 - North-South route formerly known as Toronto-Barrie Highway
Highway 401 - East-West route also known as the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway
Highway 404 - North-South route
Highway 409 - East-West Pearson Airport connector route
Highway 427 - North-South route
Queen Elizabeth Way - East-West route
Don Valley Parkway - North-South route
Gardiner Expressway - East-West route
Allen Road - North-South route

Highway 407 does not operate within Toronto proper, but is a major highway in the Greater Toronto Area. It is a toll route.

Public transportation

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) provides subway, rapid transit, streetcar, and bus service which serves the City of Toronto.

GO Transit - commuter train and bus service which connect the rest of the Greater Toronto Area with downtown Toronto

A number of suburban transit authorities provide bus service into Toronto, including York Region Transit and Mississauga Transit.

Airports

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) - One of the world's busiest airports, the Pearson Airport, located in neighbouring Mississauga, is owned and operated by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. The airport is currently undergoing a $4.4 billion (CDN) renovation and expansion project.

Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ) - A regional airport located on the Toronto Islands, formerly known as Toronto Island Airport.

Buttonville Airport (YKZ) - A general aviation airport in neighbouring Markham.

Downsview Airport (YZD) - The airport is a decommissioned military airfield that is still used by Bombardier to test flights of finished aircraft at its plant on the site. Toronto Aerospace Museum is also a tenant at the site.

Pickering Airport A proposed facility to ease the pressure off of Pearson Airport, it is still under consideration. Land for the airport was acquired since the 1970s and recent developments suggest a revival of plans to make the airport a reality. If it is ever built, it will mean the closure of the Buttonville Airport.

Other

The Breeze ferry service across Lake Ontario linking Toronto to Rochester, New York launched on June 17, 2004 but is currently suspended.

Seaboard Flights operated a hydrofoil service between Toronto and the Niagara Region. The service has since ceased to operate.

Ferry services to Toronto Island is provided by Parks and Recreation to Hanlan's Point, Centre Island, and Ward's Island.

On north-south streets, street numbers increase as you move away from Lake Ontario, with even numbers being on the west side. On east-west streets, they increase as you move away from Yonge Street, with even numbers on the north.

Nicknames

Toronto's nicknames include:

T.O. (from Toronto, Ontario - pronounced Tee-Oh)
T-dot (short for "t-dot o-dot")
The Big Smoke
Hogtown (perhaps referring to Hogg's Hollow, or to the city's growing livestock trading and farmers' markets during the 19th century)
Methodist Rome (late nineteenth and early twentieth century)
Toronto the Good (from its history as a bastion of Victorian morality in the 1940s and 1950s)
Hollywood North
Queen City

Locals sometimes abbreviate the city's name by pronouncing it as "Toronno" or even "Trono". It is never incorrect to pronounce distinctly the second t in Toronto, and many local people do so. Other occasionally heard pronunciations are "Toranna" or "Taranna".

Local Media

Main article: List of media outlets in Toronto

Toronto has a wide range of media outlets in many languages. and is the centre of Canada's English language media industry.

Toronto skyline at night

External links

	North: Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill
West: Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto Pearson International Airport	Toronto, Toronto City Centre Airport	East: Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa
	South: Lake Ontario

Census Divisions of Ontario
Counties of Ontario: Bruce \| Dufferin \| Elgin \| Essex \| Frontenac \| Grey \| Haliburton \| Hastings \| Huron \| Lambton \| Lanark \| Leeds and Grenville \| Lennox and Addington \| Middlesex \| Northumberland \| Perth \| Peterborough \| Prescott and Russell \| Renfrew \| Simcoe \| Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry \| Wellington
Regional Municipalities of Ontario: Durham \| Halton \| Niagara \| Oxford \| Peel \| Waterloo \| York
Single Tier Municipalities of Ontario: Brant \| Brantford \| Chatham-Kent \| Greater Sudbury \| Haldimand \| Hamilton \| Kawartha Lakes \| Norfolk \| Ottawa \| Prince Edward \| Toronto
Separated municipalities - Historic counties of Ontario
Districts of Ontario: Algoma \| Cochrane \| Kenora \| Manitoulin \| Muskoka \| Nipissing \| Parry Sound \| Rainy River \| Sudbury \| Thunder Bay \| Timiskaming

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