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Toronto is Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. Toronto's population is 2,518,772 (Statistics Canada, 2004); that of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is 5,203,686 (Statistics Canada, 2004). Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians (in French: torontois). The city is part of the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario--a densely populated region of around 7 million people. Approximately 23% of the Canadian population live within the Golden Horseshoe region, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits.

Known as the "economic engine of Canada", Toronto is considered a world city, exerting significant regional, national and often global influence. Toronto is Canada's financial centre as well as one of the country's most important cultural, and health sciences centres. It has perhaps the most diversified economies in North America (see Demography below), with the largest concentration of head corporate offices in a variety of fields, the highest concentration of cultural workers and institutions, and the largest arts and culture community in Canada. Indeed, in January 2005, it was designated by the federal government as one of Canada's cultural capitals. It is one of the safest cities to live in North America; its crime rate is lower than that of any major U.S. metropolitan area including Dallas, New York City and Washington, DC, and is one of the lowest in Canada as well. It is ranked as the safest large metropolitan area in North America by Places Rated Almanac.

The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller. His predecessor, and first mayor of the amalgamated city, was Mel Lastman. The last mayor of the old City of Toronto was Barbara Hall.

History

Main article: History of Toronto

The Toronto area was home to a number of First Nations groups who lived on the shore of Lake Ontario. The first European presence was the French trading fort Fort Rouillé established in 1750. The first large influx of Europeans was by [[United Empire Loyalist fleeing the American Revolution. In 1793 Toronto, then known as York, was named capital of the new colony of Upper Canada. The city steadily grew during the nineteenth century, becoming one of the main destinations of immigrants to Canada. In the second half of the twentieth century Toronto surpassed Montreal as the economic capital of Canada and as its largest city.

Demographics

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Some have claimed that UNESCO have proclaimed the city as the world's most multicultural city, but there is no official note, record or documentation to buttress this claim. One in three or about 36% of the population is comprised of visible minorities, meaning that 63% of the population is of European origin, chiefly of British, Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese descent. Chinese and East Indians are each about 10% of the population. Almost half of all Black Canadians live in Toronto, and they constitute around 8.5% of the population. Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken here, and over one third of Toronto residents speak a language other than English at home.

Fourty-three percent of Toronto's population reported themselves as being part of a visible minority.

Racial Make-up Of Toronto

  • White: 57.2%
  • Chinese: 10.5%
  • South Asian: 10.3%
  • Black: 8.5%
  • Filipino: 3.2%
  • Latino: 2.5%
  • Other: 7.8%

In 2001, Toronto was home to: 57.8 per cent of all GTA immigrants (1,214,625) 64.4 per cent of all new immigrants that arrived in the GTA during the 1990s (516,635) 60.4 per cent of all GTA residents identified as belonging to a visible minority (1,051,125)

Toronto has 79 ethnic publications.

Almost 20% of the population is under 14 years of age, whereas those who are over 65 constitute 11.2% of the population. Population growth yearly is 1.9% a year. Roman Catholicism is the largest faith in the city, following by the Anglican Church, but the city has well established Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Sikh communities.

While English is the predominant language, Statistics Canada reports that there are significant populations of others, such as Chinese and Italian. Fewer than 2% of Torontonians claim French (Canada's other official language) as their mother tongue.

Toronto has a population density of 3,939.4 residents per km2. Its total land area is 629.91 km2. Toronto's population grew 4.0% between 1996 and 2001.

Geography and climate

Toronto's urban skyline from its harbour


The City of Toronto covers an area of 641 km² (247 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 Greater Toronto Area (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. It is also the northern extent of the Carolinian forest zone.

Toronto's climate is moderated by Lake Ontario; its climate is among the mildest in Canada east of the Rocky Mountain range. It receives less snowfall during the winter than some other Canadian cities (but more than Winnipeg or Regina ), and mild periods occur throughout the winter so total snow accumulation over the course of the winter is usually significantly lower due to regular melting. However, recent years have shown a trend towards varying winter weather. During the winter months, daytime high temperatures average just a few degrees below freezing (although residents usually endure two or three cold snaps each year). A typical snowfall during the winter will be no more than 10 cm (4 inches).

Summer high temperatures typically range from 25-32°C (77-90°F), though temperatures as high as 36°C (97°F), and sometimes higher, are not unexpected. Such "heat waves" generally last no more than a couple of days, and are usually coupled with high humidity and smog. On June 14, 2005, with summer still approaching, Toronto recorded its 21st "smog warning" of the year, surpassing the previous annual record of 20, set in 2001.

Toronto experiences four distinct and noticeable seasons, sometimes reaching -25°C in the winter, and 37°C in the summer.

Government

Torontonians elect representatives to the federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government. 22 Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Toronto sit in the House of Commons in Ottawa, and another 22 Members of Ontario's Provincial Parliament (MPPs) sit in the Legislative Assembly in Queen's Park, located in Toronto. Being Ontario's capital, many provincial offices are located in the city.

Toronto's local government consists of 44 elected councillors (representing around 55,000 people each), who along with the mayor, make up the Toronto City Council. Toronto elects a new government every three years, in November. The City of Toronto represents the fifth largest municipal government in North America, and has an operating budget of $6.4 billion CDN.

Old City Hall

The current municipal government is rooted in the creation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (known more popularly as "Metro") in 1954. This new regional government, which encompassed the smaller communities of East York, Etobicoke, Forest Hill, Leaside, Long Branch, Mimico, New Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Swansea, Toronto, Weston, and York, was created in light of the need for more coordination of city services. The postwar boom resulted in suburbanization, and it was felt that a coordinated land use planning strategy, as well as shared services, would be more efficient.

These thirteen townships, villages and cities continued to exist independently of the regional government, and continued to provide some local services to their residents. Gradually, the Metro goverment began taking over management of services that crossed municipal boundaries, most notably highways, water, and public transit.

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 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. A plebiscite indicated that a majority of the citizens of Toronto opposed amalgamation, but criticisms were raised about the leading nature of the question asked. However, in Canada (and Ontario), plebiscites are not legally binding. The Province of Ontario under Premier Mike Harris had the power to ignore the result 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.

This of course was one of the main problems that had concerned the activists - a number of groups, including the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, advocated an extended campaign of grassroots resistance to Ontario's government. This led to what was portrayed in the mainstream media as Toronto's first large-scale 'riot' in the summer of 2000 - a confrontation with violent police in front of the provincial legislature - as well as several other events and demonstrations in 2001. Prominent federal politicians including Paul Martin and later Jack Layton (New Democratic Party (NDP) leader and for 20 years a Toronto City Councillor) began promising a "new deal for cities", and large banks began issuing papers on it. As of July 2005, signs point to some degree of awareness towards the problems facing the city by the two senior levels of governments, though willingness to address them remains uncertain.

Politically, Toronto is a very liberal city by North American standards. It has been described by many experts as even the most liberal city in North America surpassing the liberal bastions of San Francisco and Boston. It is the stronghold for the Liberal Party both federally and provincially, except in the downtown area where the NDP is strong. The Conservatives have no Toronto members in either the federal or provincial legislatures, and are not even close to the level of support the NDP and the Liberal Party earn in most ridings. While labour unions have considerable influence, they are generally not the catalyst for the liberal nature of Toronto; the high immigrant population and the strength of activist groups are the main reasons. Toronto has been a magnet for progressive, socialist and collectivist immigrants for many years, attracting such diverse immigrants ranging from British Fabians to Eastern European Marxists to US Vietnam War Draft Dodgers. Toronto is the core of support for liberal causes like same-sex marriage and interventionist policies such as gun control in Ontario (and Canada), which puts it at odds sometimes with the rural and suburban areas, and even the rest of Canada (excluding Quebec) which are far more conservative. Toronto also forms the core of support for government intervention policies such as Universal Medicare, Universal Daycare, and Canadian Content and Ownership Laws in the media.

Economy

File:TD Centre.JPG
The Toronto-Dominion Centre

Toronto is a port of entry, as well as being an important commercial, financial, and industrial hub. It is the banking and stock exchange centre of the country, and is Canada's primary wholesale and distribution point. Its importance as a port increased after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ontario's wealth of raw materials and hydroelectric power have made Toronto into a primary centre of industry. The city and its surrounding area produces more than half of Canada's manufactured goods.

Until the 1970s, Toronto was the second largest city in Canada, after Montreal. The economic growth of Toronto was greatly stimulated by the development of the auto industry and of large mineral resources in its hinterland, and 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 Quebec Separatism, though the extent of its influence is still contested by some, who argue that its effect was exaggerated by the English media. During the 1970s, the Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois enacted a series of French-language laws, which were designed to force companies to do business only in French. This legislation was perceived as unfavourable towards English-language businesses (especially Multinationals, whose markets extended far beyond Quebec's borders) and English-speaking Montrealers, and most of the former and many of the latter relocated to Toronto where French is not necessary for business. In Montreal, this migration is often referred to as the Exodus.

In recent years, Toronto has become one of the centres of Canada's film industry, along with Vancouver, due to the lower cost of producing films and television shows in Canada. The city's streets and landmarks can be seen in a variety of different films, mimicking the streets of major American cities such as Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York.

As the business and financial capital for the country, Toronto houses the Toronto Stock Exchange, the fourth largest stock exchange in North America by value traded and ninth in the world. The Toronto Stock Exchange Group has led North American exchanges by being the first to trade electronically and the first to become listed publicly. The Toronto financial industry is based on Bay Street, the city's equivalent to Wall Street in New York City.

A number of major corporations are based in the city, as prominent and diverse as the Hudson's Bay Company, TD Canada Trust, Celestica, Four Seasons Hotels, Rogers Communications, MDS Inc. and many others. Numerous other companies are based in the Greater Toronto Area outside of the city limits Nortel, IBM Canada, and Magna International. The City of Toronto's GDP is $109 billion and if it were its own country it would be ranked 42nd on the list of highest GDPs.

Education

University College, at the University of Toronto

Toronto is home to a number of educational institutions, including the largest university in Canada, the University of Toronto, which has a student population of more than 60,000 across three campuses (one downtown, one in Scarborough, and another in Mississauga).

Toronto is also the site of Ryerson University. The University was founded in 1948 as Ryerson Institute of Technology, and then Ryerson Polytechnic University. Ryerson has 20,000 full-time students, 650 master's and PhD students, more than 80 undergraduate, master's and PhD programs The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's largest, with 61,000 registrations, up almost 60 per cent in last 10 years. Five Faculties: Arts; Business; Communication & Design; Community Services; Engineering and Applied Science. 95.8 per cent of Ryerson graduates report employment two years after graduation $210-million campus expansion includes six new facilities including the Faculty of Business building at Dundas and Bay Streets, opening fall 2006. Ryerson's 107,000 alumni include Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts founder Isadore Sharp; broadcaster Valerie Pringle; internationally award-winning interior designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg; Alias president Doug Walker; star of Will & Grace, Eric McCormack.

The city is also home to an officially bilingual university, Glendon College at York University. It is unique in Canada, in that it is the only educational institution where all students receive education in both English and French. Canada's other bilingual postsecondary institutions educate students in one language or the other. Glendon is the only school where all students must take classes in both languages. York University, in turn, being the third largest university in Canada, has a student population of more than 50,000 students across two campuses North York, Ontario and Glendon College. Ryerson University is situated in the downtown core.

Other schools include the Royal Conservatory of Music and its associated Glenn Gould Professional School are internationally-recognized centres for musical training and the highly respected Ontario College of Art and Design, the fourth-largest art school in North America. Toronto also has four post-secondary community colleges—Seneca College, Humber College, Centennial College, and George Brown College—scattered across 29 campuses. Recently, Toronto's community colleges have begun either offering their own bachelor's degree programmes or operating joint degree programmes with neighbouring universities.

Toronto also has several private and independent schools, at the secondary and post-secondary levels. These include the International Academy of Design and Technology and Tyndale University College and Seminary. There are also specialty schools such as the Ontario Science Centre Science School.

Transport

Railways

The main entrance of Union Station.

Toronto is served by intercity VIA Rail, Ontario Northland, and Amtrak trains through Union Station, a grand neoclassical structure in the heart of the city's downtown, which is shared with GO Transit's commuter trains. Toronto may soon have it's own high-speed airport to downtown rail link with the proposed construction of the Blue22 transit route.

Highways

See also List of Toronto, Ontario roads

There are a number of freeways that serve the city and the Greater Toronto Area. Forming part of Toronto's municipal expressway system, the Don Valley Parkway (or colloquially, the DVP) connects the city's eastern and northern suburbs to downtown, while the Gardiner Expressway (or colloquially, "the Gardiner") connects its western suburbs to the downtown core. Extending northward from the Don Valley Parkway is Highway 404, towards Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora, and Newmarket. Extending westward from the Gardiner Expressway is the Queen Elizabeth Way (often called the QEW), which heads towards Hamilton, Niagara, and Buffalo, New York.

Highway 401 (or simply, "the 401") acts as a by-pass of downtown Toronto, and is one of the most congested highways in North America. It connects to Highway 427 (an important connector highway, leading into downtown Toronto), Highway 400 (towards Barrie and Ontario's "cottage country"), Allen Road, and Highway 409 (a connector route to Toronto Pearson International Airport).

Highway 407 ETR does not operate within Toronto proper, but is a major highway in the Greater Toronto Area acting as a secondary by-pass around the northern end of Toronto. It is an electronic toll road with no physical toll booths, instead depending on automatic recognition of license plates or electronic toll collection.

Public transport

A TTC streetcar near the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Within the city, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates an extensive system of subways, buses, and streetcars. Toronto has a relatively simple subway/RT system (known locally as simply "the subway"). Composed of the Yonge-University-Spadina, Bloor-Danforth, Sheppard, and Scarborough RT lines, the subways run along principal streets and connect Toronto's outlying areas with its downtown core. Almost all of the city's bus routes connect to subway/RT stations, allowing for free transfers between them.

Toronto's streetcars are one of its most distinctive features, as it is one of two North American cities (besides San Francisco, California) which still has a large streetcar system that uses mostly in-street operation. Serving a network of eleven different routes, the streetcars operate primarily in the downtown core, though some streetcars do operate outside of that area.

Interregional commuter train and bus service is provided by GO Transit. GO trains and buses connect the city to the rest of the Greater Toronto Area.

Airports

Main article: List of airports in the Greater Toronto Area

Toronto's primary airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), located just outside the city's borders in neighbouring Mississauga. It is the fourth-largest international airport in North America and is the world's largest originator of air traffic into the United States. The city also has a smaller commercial airport, the Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ). Situated on the Toronto Islands, the City Centre Airport is primarily a general aviation airport, but Air Canada Jazz does operate commercial flights, in recent years the destinations served from YTZ have been reduced and currently Ottawa is the only desination for commercial flights. It is connected to the mainland by a short ferry that is free to airline passengers.

The Hamilton International Airport is an alternate, relief airport to Pearson, but not in the GTA. Situated in Hamilton, 85 km (53 miles) west of Toronto, it is also a terminus for low-cost carrier, charter airline, and courier traffic. There are a number of other general aviation airports in and around the city, including Buttonville Municipal Airport, Markham Airport, Oshawa Airport, Brampton Airport, and Burlington Airpark.

Other

Passenger ferry service to the Toronto Islands is provided by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. Ferries run year-round from the Toronto Ferry Docks at the foot of Bay Street to Hanlan's Point, Centre Island, and Ward's Island.

A high-speed passenger/vehicle ferry service across Lake Ontario to Rochester, New York was launched on June 17, 2004, using the vessel Spirit of Ontario I. The service was marketed using the name "The Breeze", however it was suspended after operating 11 weeks when the company ran into financial difficulties. The vessel was subsequently purchased in a bankruptcy sale by Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester, and the vessel returned to service June 30, 2005, operated by Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited, using the marketing term "The Cat".

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

Landmarks

Overhead view of Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), with the roof closed, as seen from the CN Tower
Night view of the city, as seen from the observation deck of the CN Tower

Perhaps Toronto's most famous landmark is the CN Tower, a 553 meter (1815 feet) steel and concrete transmission tower, the tallest free-standing land structure in the world. Directly west of it is the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), the world's first sporting arena to feature a fully retractable roof. It is currently home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts. Nearby is the Air Canada Centre is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Rock. It was originally built to replace the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens.

Toronto's City Hall is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Built to replace its predecessor — now known simply as Old City Hall — its modernist style still impresses today. Directly in front of City Hall is Nathan Phillips Square, a public space that frequently houses concerts, art displays, a weekly farmers' market, and other public events. It is also the site of a reflecting pool that, during the winter, becomes a popular skating rink. Yonge-Dundas Square, nearby, is the city's newest and flashiest public square, located across the street from the Eaton Centre, a large and popular shopping mall. Up University Ave. is Queen's Park a historic scenic park and public space surrounding Ontario's Legislative Assembly.

The city has a world-renowned museum, the Royal Ontario Museum (frequently referred to as "the ROM"), and one of North America's largest art galleries, the Art Gallery of Ontario (also known as the "AGO"). Exhibition Place is the home of the Canadian National Exhibition (the CNE or "the Ex"), an annual event that takes place in August. Nearby Ontario Place is a popular amusement park on the waterfront.

The Toronto Islands form part of the largest car-free urban community in North America. Accessible by ferry, "the Islands" include a public park and a children's amusement park, Centreville. The Islands are also home to the Toronto City Centre Airport. The city has several large parks, thebest known being High Park to the west of downtown. The city is crisscrossed by a network of ravines that are still almost wholly undeveloped.

Other popular attractions include the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Ontario Science Centre, the Leslie Street Spit, Little Glenn, and the city's oldest cathedrals, the Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral and the Anglican St. James' Cathedral, both on Church Street. Casa Loma, a castle overlooking downtown Toronto, is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

Performing arts

Toronto is home to Canada's most active theatre scene, and is often considered to be the third largest centre for English language theatre in the world, behind New York City and London. It is home to both acclaimed works by companies as Soulpepper, the Canadian Stage, and Tarragon and large Broadway style musicals. Several Broadway theatrical hits originated in Toronto, such as Show Boat and Ragtime. Venues for theatre include the Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages Theatre and Pantages Cinema), the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Poor Alex Theatre, and the Harbourfront Centre.

Musical venues in Toronto include the Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York; Roy Thomson Hall, home to Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO); and Massey Hall. The National Ballet of Canada is based in Toronto and performs at the Hummingbird Centre and formerly at the Walter Carsen Centre. It and the Opera 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 Mod Club, 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, the Rogers Centre and the Molson Amphitheatre at Ontario Place.

Literature

The Greater Toronto Area is the centre of English Canadian literature and many of Canada's best known writers, such as Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, write and set their books in Toronto. Other prominent Toronto based writers include Rohinton Mistry, Russell Smith, Morley Callaghan, and George Elliott Clarke. Canada's publishing industry is based in Toronto. It is home to both the major companies, such as McClelland and Stewart and the smaller firms like House of Anansi Press and Coach House Books. Both of Canada's national newspapers (the National Post and the Globe and Mail) are based out of Toronto as are many of the major magazines. The city is thus home to a large number of Canada's journalists.

Events

Toronto plays host to a variety of different events year-round. At the end of June annually, Toronto hosts one of the world's largest Gay Pride celebrations. In July, Caribana, the largest Caribbean festival in North America, attracts more than one million celebrants for the concerts, the food, the King and Queen of the Bands competition, and the very popular Caribana parade. The Molson Indy is also held in Toronto every year in July. In September, Hollywood celebrities, actors, writers, directors, and producers from around the world descend on the city for the Toronto International Film Festival.

City issues

Crime

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. While Toronto's homicide rates are extremely low compared to many cities in the United States of America (in 1999, Toronto had 1.3 homicides per 100,000 compared to Houston's 13.4, Chicago's 23.3, and Washington, DC's 45.5 [1]) 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 a potential increase in crime. American gang experts have been brought in and increased funding for programs in troubled neighbourhoods have been recently initiated. There have been calls for both increased policing and increased gun control to deal with the percieved problem.

Homelessness

Toronto is also struggling to come to grips with a nagging homeless problem which has ebbed and flowed throughout the years. Toronto has a considerably larger homelessness problem than many cities of similar size. In 2003 31,985 individuals stayed at least once in a Toronto homeless shelter. [2]. Many programs and responsibilities have been recently downloaded to the city from the provincial and federal governments, with many arguing that the city must come up with new ways to raise revenue to fund these new responsibilities.

The Toronto waterfront

For decades, the lack of development of the Toronto waterfront has been a major issue. The central core of the city is separated from the waterfront by an elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway. Many contend that a series of condominium towers built along the waterfront in the 1990s and 2000s contribute to this separation. Parts of the formerly industrial area is now 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.

Computer leasing inquiry

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.

Garbage

Another important issue is the city's garbage. Throughout the 1990s, there was extensive controversy around a proposal to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine, an abandoned open pit mine in Northern Ontario. 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 recycling bin (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 except the former City of North York, which will participate in 2005. The green bin program has come under criticism by watchgroups since instituted due to its cost, which is three times per tonne more to operate than currently shipping to Michigan.

Greenbelt

In March 2005, the provincial government unveiled the boundaries of a greenbelt around the Greater Toronto Area, a 7,200-square-kilometre area stretching from Niagara Falls to Peterborough. The greenbelt is designed to curb urban sprawl and to preserve valuable farmland surrounding the city. The decision remains controversial, as farmers and other critics say that the "development embargo" being placed on such lands forces down the value of farmland within the greenbelt, without providing just compensation to its owners. Many cities have implemented growth boundaries of some kind, including Ottawa, Portland, Oregon, Frankfurt, Germany, and London, England, as a method of restricting urban growth.

Neighbourhoods

Church and Wellesley, Toronto's gay village

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."

Before 1998, Toronto was a much smaller municipality and formed part of Metropolitan Toronto. When the city amalgamated that year, Toronto grew to encompass the former municipalities of York, East York, North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough. Each of these former municipalities still maintains, to a certain degree, their own distinct identities, and the names of these municipalities are still used by their residents. The municipality that existed as Toronto before the merger is sometimes called the "old" City of Toronto or the Central District.

The "old" city of Toronto is, by far, the most populous and dense part of the city. It is also the business centre of the city.

The "inner ring" suburbs of York and East York are older, predominantly middle-class areas, and are highly ethnically diverse. Much of the housing stock in these areas consists of old post-war single-family houses and high-rises. Rosedale and The Bridal Paths are upscale neighborhoods located in the inner ring as well.

The "outer ring" suburbs of Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York are much more suburban in nature.

Toronto's "905" suburbs

Before 1993, the telephone area code 416 included the entire Golden Horseshoe region from Clarington 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 and exurbs surrounding the city, but not for places like Niagara Falls or Hamilton. Toronto 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 major "905" suburbs or exurbs surrounding Toronto are:

A simulated colour image of Toronto, taken by Landsat 7

West

Peel Regional Municipality

Halton Regional Municipality

North

York Regional Municipality

East

Durham Regional Municipality


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

Nicknames

Nicknames for Toronto include:

  • T.O.--from Toronto, Ontario; pronounced Tee-Oh.
  • T-dot--short for "t-dot o-dot."
  • The Big Smoke--a nickname it shares with many other cities.
  • Hogtown--referring to growing livestock trading and markets during the 19th century.
  • Toronto the Good--from its history as a bastion of 19th century Victorian morality.
  • Hollywood North--due to the many TV and movie productions in the city.
  • Queen City (French)--the most common periphrase for Toronto, "La Ville-Reine."
  • Muddy York--from Toronto's previous name, York.
  • The 416--the area code for the city.
  • The Centre of the (Canadian) Universe (a derogatory nickname often used by Western Canadians)
  • Hockeytown--due to the popularity of the sport and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pronunciation of "Toronto"

The stress is on the second syllable.

Locals sometimes pronounce the city's name as "Toronno" or "Tronno", "Tronto", "Toranna", "Taranna", "Chrono" ('ch' as in chime, not as in chrome), "Chranna" or even "Terawhnna" (listen to an exampleⓘ). However, this is merely a reflection of the varieties of Canadian pronunciation and does not represent a unique pronunciation for the city name itself.

For instance, many Canadians pronounce the number "ninety nine" as something between "9-D-9" and "9-E-9", whereas many Britons or East Indians will distinctly pronounce "9-T-9". Thus while it is natural that many Canadians will say "Toronno", speakers whose dialects pronounce the "T" distinctly in words like "ninety nine" should do likewise when pronouncing "Toronto". In each case, the speaker merely pronounces "Toronto" in the way that is most natural in his or her dialect.

Even for Canadian speakers it is never outright incorrect to pronounce distinctly the second t in Toronto, and some local people do so. However, pronouncing it "Tor-on-toe" (with equal stress on each syllable) in casual speech is usually seen as a sign of someone who is not a native of the city. The canadian francophones pronounce it: "To-ron-to", in three syllables, with the french nasal on on the second syllable, and the accent on the third syllable.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toronto, Ontario.

See also

Official Websites

Tourism Websites

Other Websites

North: Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham
West: Brampton, Mississauga Toronto East: Pickering, Oshawa
South: Lake Ontario
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