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Template:Canadian City

This article is about Canada's largest city. For other uses, see Toronto (disambiguation).

Toronto is a Canadian city located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, and is the provincial capital of Ontario. Toronto is a global city, exerting significant regional, national, and international influence, and is one of the world's most multicultural and ethnically diverse cities. It is Canada's financial centre and economic engine, as well as one of the country's most important cultural, art, and health sciences centres.

With a population of 2,481,494, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fifth most populous in North America[1] (after New York City, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Chicago). The city is the centre of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), a regional conurbation, and the much larger Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated region in Ontario which is home to over eight million people, roughly one quarter of the Canadian population. The population of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is estimated at 5,304,100 in 2005.[2]

In 1998, the current City of Toronto was amalgamated from its six prior municipalities and regional government. The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller. In January 2005, it was designated by the federal government as one of Canada's cultural capitals. Toronto is sometimes nicknamed T.O., T-Dot, Hogtown or 416 after its area code.

History

Main article: [[:History of Toronto and Toronto's name]]

The Toronto area was a meeting place as well as 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 Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. In 1793 Toronto, then known as York, was named capital of the new colony of Upper Canada. Although successfully captured by Americans in 1813 (during the War of 1812), the town (then known at Little York) was never occupied. After the war the city steadily grew during the nineteenth century, becoming one of the main destinations of immigrants to Canada. On March 6, 1834, the Township of York became the City of Toronto. In the second half of the twentieth century Toronto surpassed Montreal as the economic capital of Canada and as its most populous city.

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. The resulting cultural diversity is reflected in the numerous ethnic neighbourhoods of the city. The proliferation of 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 perceived tolerant character of Canadian society.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Toronto

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, in its "List of World Cities with the Largest Percentage of Foreign-born Population". Though ranking first, Miami's foreign-born population is mostly Hispanic, whereas Toronto's is significantly more diverse. Toronto also ranked ahead of Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York City, Singapore, and Sydney.

Toronto represents a multicultural mosaic. The 2001 Canadian census indicates 42.8% of Toronto's population being of a visible minority. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that the visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012.

Many majorities claim their origins from Britain, Ireland and Italy. There is a significant population of Portuguese, Jamaicans, Croatians, Chinese, East Indians, Sri Lankans, Latin Americans, Armenians, Romanians, Russians, Filipinos, Iranians, Vietnamese, Somalis, Poles, Guyanese, Macedonians, Pakistanis, Greeks, Serbs, Koreans, West Africans, Arabs, Jews and Trinidadians which exist throughout the city. Areas like Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Jamaica, Little India, Portugal Village and Corso Italia and Little Italy are examples of these large cultural populations.[3]

Christianity is the largest faith group in the city of Toronto, with Roman Catholicism accounting for (33.4%), followed by the Anglican Church (6.9%) and other Christian denominations (Pentecostal, Baptist, Church of God etc.) 5.5% of the city's population adhere to Islam while other faiths such as Hinduism account for 4.1% of the population, Judaism (3.5%) and other communities like Buddhism and Sikhism 4.0% of the population. 16.6% of the population have no religious affiliation.[4]

While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, Statistics Canada reports that other language groups are significant, including Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, Persian, Spanish, Punjabi and Italian. Canada's other official language, French, is spoken second to English. [5]

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography and climate of Toronto
Toronto's 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. In addition to Etobicoke Creek and the Rouge River, the city is intersected by two major rivers and their tributaries, the Humber River in the west end and the Don River just east of the central core. The concentration and protection of ravines allows for large tracts of densely forested valleys with recreational trails within the city. However, the ravines also interfere with the city's street grid, and many of the major thoroughfares such as Finch Avenue, Lawrence Avenue, St. Clair Avenue and Keele Street are interrupted by ravines. Many others, such as Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue require large bridges to cross the ravines.

Toronto's climate is moderated by its southerly location and its proximity to Lake Ontario; its climate is among the mildest of any place in Canada east of the Rocky Mountain range. However, the daily weather is highly variable, particularly during the winter months. Mild periods often occur throughout the winter (temperatures in the 5-10 °C range (40s°F) or even higher are not uncommon) triggering regular melting of snow on the ground, so that there are snow free periods even in mid-winter. The average January maximum temperature is -2 °C (28 °F). There are usually two or three bitter cold snaps each year, where maximum temperatures only reach into the -10°C to -15°C range, often accompanied by strong winds making it feel even colder. In the summer, daytime temperatures rarely climb higher than 35°C (95°F), but high humidity often causes the equivalent humidex value to be 40°C (104 °F) or even higher. The average July maximum temperature is 27°C (80°F). Autumn is considered by many people to be the best season of the year, offering pleasant daytime temperature followed by refreshingly cool nights. Spring is typically the shortest season of the year. The average yearly precipitation is not much above 760 millimetres (30 inches), with an average annual snowfall of about 115 centimetres (46 inches). Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but summer is usually the wettest (and also sunniest) season. Severe weather phenomena include periods of intense cold in winter or heat in summer (such temperature extremes are usually short-lived, however), freezing rainstorms, thunderstorms, and hail. Toronto is rarely affected by the remnants of Atlantic hurricanes, although Hurricane Hazel in 1954 produced widespread flooding and damage throughout the area.

Government

Main article: Politics of Toronto
File:BUILDING.jpg
Ontario's Legislative Assembly Building in Toronto.
Old City Hall

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 Provincial Parliament (MPPs) sit in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 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 $7.1 billion CDN. This operating budget is comprised of $2.5 billion dollars of funds from the Government of Ontario for purposes they mandate such as Toronto Public Health, $2.0 billion for special purpose bodies including the Toronto Public Library and Toronto Zoo, $1.7 billion of directly controlled money, and $0.9 billion for capital financing and non-programs [1].

Toronto 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 City of Toronto and twelve suburban municipalities, was created in light of the need for more coordination of city services. The postwar boom resulted in suburban development, and it was felt that a coordinated land use planning strategy, as well as shared services, would be more efficient. The Metro government began taking over management of services that crossed municipal boundaries, most notably highways, water, and public transit.

The seven smallest municipalities were amalgamated into their larger neighbours in 1967, but the federated municipal government otherwise lasted until 1998, when the two levels of government were combined and the six remaining municipalities amalgamated into a single municipality or "megacity".

Economy

Main article: Economy of Toronto
Exterior view of the former Toronto Stock Exchange on Bay Street; the TD Centre was partially built around and incorporated the TSX

Toronto is a commercial, distribution, financial and industrial centre. It is the banking and stock exchange centre of the country, and is Canada's primary wholesale and distribution point. Its importance as a seaport increased after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, but has since diminished and is disused (see: Waterfront). Ontario's wealth of raw materials and hydroelectric power have made Toronto a primary centre of industry. The city and its surrounding area produces more than half of Canada's manufactured goods. Compared to other global metropolises, the size of Metropolitan Toronto's economy is 7th in the world with a GDP of approximately US$305 billion (after New York City, London, Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, and Chicago).

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.

As the business and financial capital of the country, Toronto is one of the world's largest financial centres and hosts the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the third largest stock exchange in North America by market capitalisation and sixth in the world (see List of stock exchanges for complete rankings). The TSX has led North American exchanges by being the second to trade electronically and the first to become listed publicly; in the last decade, it has also generally outperformed various major stock exchanges worldwide. The Toronto financial industry is based on Bay Street, the city's equivalent to Wall Street in New York.

Education

Main article: Education in Toronto

Toronto's elementary and high schools are operated by the Toronto District School Board and the separate Toronto Catholic District School Board. As a large city it is also home to a number of post-secondary educational institutions such as the University of Toronto, Ontario College of Art & Design, York University, Ryerson University, Seneca College, Humber College, Centennial College and George Brown College. The city of Toronto also has an excellent public library system.

Transport

Main article: Transportation in Toronto

There are many forms of transportation in the city of Toronto. These include highways and public transit. Toronto's primary airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It is along the western boundary with Mississauga. The Government of Ontario operates an extensive rail and bus transit system called GO Transit that links the outlying areas to the city core. 38 trains on 7 train lines run 179 trips, and carry over 160,000 passengers a day. An additional 288 buses feed the main rail lines. Toronto is home to Canada's very first subway line. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) currently operates the public transit system in Toronto. The current transit system in Toronto is comprised of the original subway line running north-south through the city in a "U" shape, a second line running east-west through the southern part of the city, a third line running east-centre through the northern part of the city, and the Scarborough RT (Rapid Transit) mini-train line running through the eastern part of the city (Scarborough). The system also includes an extensive network of buses and streetcars.

Attractions

CN Tower
File:Eaton centre.jpg
Toronto's largest shopping centre; The Eaton Centre

Toronto's most famous landmark is the CN Tower, a 553 metre (1,815 ft) tall steel and concrete transmission tower and observation deck, 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, 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. (It has been used as a backdrop in American films to depict a city of the future.) 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. Dundas Square, nearby, is the city's newest and flashiest public square, located across the street from the Toronto Eaton Centre, a large, popular shopping mall long enough to have TTC subway stops at both the northern and southern ends of the mall. Another popular shopping mall with subway access is Yorkdale, although this mall sits well outside of the city center at the intersection of two highways, Allen Rd and the 401. Queen's Park, a historic scenic park and public space, surrounds Ontario's Legislative Assembly.

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 forested urban parks, the best known being High Park to the west of downtown. The city is crisscrossed by a network of ravines that have remained almost wholly undeveloped. The Martin M. Goodman trail also traverses the entire lakeshore from one end of the city to the other, a section of this trail runs as a Boardwalk through the Beaches area, from Ashbridges Bay to Victoria Park Ave.

Other popular attractions include the St. Lawrence Market, Hockey Hall of Fame, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ontario Science Centre, the Leslie Street Spit, the Toronto Zoo, 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. The Distillery District is a collection of old and restored industrial buildings from the 19th century which now feature artworks and historical artifacts from Toronto early industrial past. Casa Loma, a castle overlooking downtown Toronto, is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

Culture

Main article: Culture in Toronto

Toronto is a city of many museums, theatres, events and sports. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada and the world. This means that there are many cultures which bring along their traditions and music. It is also home to the Canadian National Exhibition one of Canada's largest outdoor fairs.

Sports teams

See also: List of sports teams in Toronto

Club League Venue Established Championships
Toronto Argonauts CFL Football Rogers Centre 1873
15
Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Hockey Air Canada Centre 1917 13
Toronto Maple Leafs IBL Baseball Christie Pits 1969 7
Toronto Blue Jays MLB Baseball Rogers Centre 1977 2
Toronto Raptors NBA Basketball Air Canada Centre 1995 0
Toronto Lynx USL Soccer Centennial Park Stadium 1997 0
Toronto St. Michaels Majors OHL Ice Hockey St. Michael's College School Arena 1997 0
Toronto Rock NLL Indoor Lacrosse Air Canada Centre 1998 5
Toronto Marlies AHL Ice Hockey Ricoh Coliseum 2005 0
Toronto FC MLS Soccer National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place 2007 0

Defunct Teams:

City issues

Main article: Issues of Toronto

Toronto's violent crime rates are low compared to comparable US cities. But crime and gang violence has been on the rise. Due to a spike in gun-related crimes/murders over the summer of 2005, largely attributed to the rise of gangs and the failure of Canadian officials to stem the rising tide, concern over gun- and gang-related crimes has received increased local media attention recently. There have been calls for increased policing, gun control, and stiffer sentences to help deal with the problem. Gang violence has been the main reason for the outburst of violence in Toronto, between 1997-2005 over three hundred gang-related deaths have occurred.

Toronto is a city 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 recently shifted 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.

For decades, the disuse of the Toronto port lands and lack of development of the Toronto waterfront (also known as the harbourfront, though not to be confused with Harbourfront Centre), has been a major issue. Toronto's central business district is separated from the waterfront by an expanse of open railway and 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 are now vacant and awaiting redevelopment. In 2004, investments from the Ontario government were made to encourage further development. In the area south of the Keating Channel (outflow for the Don River), known as the "Portlands", there have been many controversial approvals and proposals in the last few years. Because this area was entirely man-made and industrial (some remains so but most is vacant land), soil remediation is necessary before it can be put to other non-industrial uses so the redevelopment process is slow. Currently, a movie studio is being built on the site of the inactive Richard L. Hearn Power Plant and the fight continues over the proposal to build a 550 MW gas fired co-generation plant on the same site.

Another important issue is the city's garbage. As the city's last remaining landfill site, Keele Valley, neared capacity during the 1990s, it was found that no other municipality in Southern Ontario was willing to accept the garbage, but there was also no political support for a change to incineration. A deal was eventually made to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine, an abandoned open pit mine in Northern Ontario, once the Keele Valley site closed. But objections grew into vociferous controversy as the time neared, and eventually the agreement was cancelled.

In 2005, Toronto switched from a "blue box" (plastic and metal) and "grey box" (paper) program to a unified recycling system. The city also introduced in 2005 a green bin program to recover compostable materials. However, the green bin program has come under criticism by watch groups due to its cost, which is three times per tonne more to operate than currently shipping to Michigan.

Over the last couple of decades, vehicle and (in particular) highway traffic has been increasing steadily in the Greater Toronto Area. However, road and transit investments have been limited to small projects such as on the 404, the 407, Sheppard subway, and York Region's VIVA bus service. Urban sprawl is a major factor: some commuters travel significant distances within the city and GTA for employment. Another major issue is the discontinuity between transit authorities across various municipalities (although there are plans to integrate these by offering a one-ticket fare across all municipalities by next year) or perceived inefficiency of transit as a viable alternative for commuting. This contributes to gridlock: many single-occupant vehicles idle en route, adding to travel times and smog. A recent study showed that gridlock costs the GTA's economy approximately $6 billion annually in lost revenue. Agencies such as the CAA (Canadian Automobile Association), OTA (Ontario Trucking Association), other commercial transportation interests and some citizens believe that much of the current congestion can be traced to the fact that Toronto's ultimate freeway system as proposed originally was never completed. This camp believes today's network includes huge gaps, and after cancellation of the north-south Spadina Expressway in 1971, successive "anti-car" city councils have not addressed the issue, electing instead to direct funding to transit initiatives and encourage greater pedestrian/cycling/transit usage.

Toronto and area

City suburbs and neighbourhoods

Main article: List of neighbourhoods in Toronto

From 1954 to 1998, the City of Toronto was one city within a larger federation of cities and municipalities called Metropolitan Toronto. When Metropolitan Toronto was amalgamated by the Ontario provincial government under Mike Harris to become one government, the City of Toronto was enlarged to include the former cities and municipalities of York, East York, North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough. All of these former cities or municipalities still maintain, in some ways, their own distinct identities; their names are still used by their residents. The areas within the former City of Toronto prior to the merger are still referred to as the old City of Toronto, the Inner City, Toronto Proper, or Downtown Toronto.

The former City of Toronto is still the most densely populated area of the current city of Toronto. It is also the business and the entertainment centre of Toronto.

The former inner ring suburbs of York and East York are older, predominantly middle-class areas, and they are also highly ethnically diverse. Much of the housing stock in these areas consists of post-WWI single-family houses and high-rises. Rosedale and the Bridle Path are upscale neighbourhoods located within the inner ring many of these houses have had extensive remodeling and renovations done to them.

The outer ring suburbs of the former cities of Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York are much more suburban, although they largely retain the grid patterns of the streets laid down before post-war suburban development, many from towns that existed prior to their creation as cities.

Toronto has over 200 neighbourhoods within the current city borders. This is why Toronto is often locally described as "a city of neighbourhoods."

Toronto's "905" exurbs

Further information: [[:Greater Toronto Area]]
A simulated colour image of Toronto c. 1985, taken by Landsat 7

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.)

Toronto's exurbs, the major "905" municipalities surrounding the city (roughly from west to east), are:

West
Halton


Peel

North
York

East
Durham

References

  • Fulford, Robert (1995). Accidental city: the transformation of Toronto. Toronto: Macfarlane, Walter & Ross. ISBN 0921912919; ISBN 1551990105 (paperback). {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Rayburn, Alan (2001). Naming Canada: stories about Canadian place names. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 2nd ed. (ISBN 0-8020-8293-9). {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Phillips, Robert (1971). Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Inc. Volume 23, ISBN 0-8343-0025-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Careless, J.M.S. "Toronto". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved December 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Toronto". Census 2001 Community Profiles. Statistics Canada. 2003. Retrieved December 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

Footnotes

  1. ^ Refers to the area within the administrative city limits, which is the sense in which the word "city" is normally used in North America – not to the metropolitan area or urban area
  2. ^ "Population of census metropolitan areas (2001 Census boundaries)". Statistics Canada. 2005. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
  3. ^ "Population by selected ethnic origins (Toronto)". Statistics Canada. 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2006.
  4. ^ "Religions in Canada (Toronto)". Statistics Canada. 2001. Retrieved May 19, 2006.
  5. ^ "Language Used at Work by Mother Tongue (Toronto)". Statistics Canada. 2001. Retrieved May 19, 2006.

See also

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