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 Toronto at dusk
Toronto at dusk
Main article: Demographics of Toronto
Toronto is one of the most Sydney.
Toronto represents a multicultural mosaic. The Vancouver by 2012.
A majority of Torontonians still claim their ethnic origins as from Britain and Ireland, either in whole or in part, with significant numbers of Chinese, Italians, Vietnamese, South Asians, and others in the city. This has yielded a unique combination of communities and neighbourhoods that are often strikingly different from one another.
Roman Catholicism is the largest faith in the city of Toronto (not the CMA), accounting for 31.4% in 2001, followed by the Anglican Church (21.1%) and other Christian denominations (8.8%). Other faiths such as Islam account for 6.7% of the population, Hinduism (4.8%), Jewish (4.2%) and other communities like Buddhism, Sikhism and Eastern Religions account for 4.0% of the population. 18.8% had no religious affiliation.
While Canada reports that other language groups are significant, including Chinese and Italian. Only 1.4% of city residents claim French (Canada's other official language) as their mother tongue.
Source: [1]
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Main article: Politics of Toronto
 Old City Hall
Old City Hall
 Toronto City Hall
Toronto City Hall
 Metro Hall
Metro 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 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 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 [2].
The current municipal government is rooted in the creation of the Municipality of 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, towns, and cities continued to exist independently of the regional government, and continued to provide some local services to their residents. Gradually, the Metro government began taking over management of services that crossed municipal boundaries, most notably highways, water, and public transit.
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 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.
In terms of electoral politics, Toronto has recently been a Stronghold for the Liberal Party both federally and provincially, except in the downtown area which tends to support the NDP provincially. The Conservatives have no Toronto members in either the federal or provincial legislatures, although, most of the right wing members of the Liberal Party are from Toronto. Toronto supported the right wing government of Mike Harris during the 1995 and 1999 Ontario elections, and a right-of-centre Mayor, Mel Lastman during the 1997 and 2000 Toronto elections.
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Universities and colleges
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).
York University, the third largest university in Canada, has a student population of more than 50,000 students across two campuses. It houses Glendon College, one of the only two post-secondary educational institutions in the country where all students are taught in both English and French (the other being the University of Ottawa). Osgoode Law School is a branch of York University and serves as the largest law faculty in Ontario.
Toronto is also the site of Ryerson University, home to approximately 20,000 full-time students.
Other schools include the Glenn Gould School ,which are internationally recognised centres for musical training, and the highly respected Ontario College of Art and Design, the fourth-largest art school in North America. Toronto 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.
 University College, at the University of Toronto
University College, at the University of Toronto
Toronto also has several private and independent schools, at the secondary and post-secondary levels. These include the International Academy of Design and Technology, Trebas Institute and Tyndale University College and Seminary. There are also specialty schools such as the Ontario Science Centre Science School.
Toronto, like many other Canadian cities, hosts a growing number of private English as a Second Language (ESL) schools and is home to as many as 10,000 ESL students at a time. These students come primarily from Latin America, East Asia and German-speaking Europe with surprisingly few coming from nearby French Canada.
K-12 schools
Toronto's public schools are operated by the Canada College">Upper Canada College (UCC), St. Michael's College School (SMCS), Havergal College, Bishop Strachan School (BSS), De La Salle College, Branksome Hall, Crescent School, Montcrest School, Royal St. George's College (RSGC), St. Clement's School, University of Toronto Schools (UTS), York School">The York School (TYS), and Toronto French School (TFS).
There is also a strong alternative school movement many of which are associated with the Toronto District School Board or private organizations.
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Many specialty shops can be found in Toronto near Bloor & Bay, including exclusive boutiques and toy stores. Thanks possibly to the climate, Toronto has an extensive set of underground shopping areas, typically operating 9am to 5pm in the PATH complex centered roughly at King & Bay, as well as a few others such as at Yonge & Bloor. These stores are generally fashion stores, but some specialty toy stores and access to larger stores are available in these complexes.
Along Queen St. East can be found Toronto's biggest camera stores. Big-box stores are not generally found in Downtown Toronto, but the suburbs have many large malls, big-box stores as well as specialty stores, such as near Orfus Road (discount fashions, lighting, etc.) close to Yorkdale mall.
The fashion district is located near King & Spadina, close to the old Chinatown to the north and entertainment district to the east. It is here that Sunday shopping in Toronto first got its start in the 1980s.
St. Lawrence market is a large, historic vendors market with an open air section during the summer months featuring fresh locally grown produce. Kensington Market also has an outdoor vendor section located close to Chinatown.
The city itself has many large and unique malls and shopping centers. Shopping in Toronto has become a large draw for tourists, with for example, the Eaton Centre receiving a special designation as a tourist attraction in the 1980s.
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Main article: Culture in Toronto
Exhibits
Toronto has a world-renowned museum, the Ontario Museum">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 which also hosts the Canadian International Air Show. Nearby Ontario Place is a popular amusement park on the waterfront.
It has a vibrant visual arts scene, with artist-run venues such as YYZ Artists' Outlet presenting important exhibitions of contemporary art from both the local area and abroad.
Performing arts
Toronto is home to Canada's most active 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 the 1993 revival of 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. It is the mandate of Theatres such as The Factory Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille to produce distinctly Canadian Theatre and support local artists. Canadian artists that have started in these theatres include George F. Walker, Michael Healey and Ann-Marie MacDonald.
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 Canada Centre">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, Morley Callaghan, and George Elliott Clarke. Canada's English language publishing industry is mostly based in Toronto. It is home to major companies, such as McClelland and Stewart and smaller firms like House of Anansi Press and Coach House Books.
Both of Canada's English language national newspapers (the National Post and the Globe and Mail) are based in Toronto, as is Canada's largest-circulating daily newspaper (The Toronto Star) and many other major magazines and periodicals. The city is thus home to a large number of Canada's journalists. As a nexus of multilingual activity, Toronto has 79 ethnic periodicals.
Events
Toronto plays host to a variety of different events year-round. 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, which, according to a variety of sources, has surpassed Cannes as the number one film festival in the world.
Tourism
Toronto has a thriving tourism industry as it has many landmarks and attractions, the most popular of which is the CN Tower. The city has largely recovered from the 2003 SARS outbreak; however, the tourism industry had to make certain cuts, with some elements not having yet returned to the status quo.
One of Toronto's major annual attractions is the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), attendance to which is a family tradition for some. Regular sporting events, such as home games of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Rock, and the Argonauts, also bring many tourists to the city every year.
Music
Indie
The legendary Horseshoe Tavern has been a live music venue for 52 years. Although its stage plays host to big name acts, the venue strives to be an artist- and industry-friendly venue, booking emerging Canadian and international artists.
punk karaoke and occasionally known as Sneaky Disease. The stage plays host to shows for Canadian Music Week and the Wavelength Music Series, a weekly live music series started by independent musicians to foster the indie scene. Wavelength also includes a zine and an indie rock drop-in centre.
The Queen West Art and Design District offers the hip Drake Underground in the bohemian Drake Hotel and the newer Gladstone Hotel with venues for a cross pollination of scenes. These stages are perfect for indie acts about to emerge from under the radar.
Source: "Indie nation," Canadian Geographic Online
Sports
Current professional franchises
Logo
Club
League
Venue
Established
Championships
 Toronto Argonauts logo
Canadian Football League
Rogers Centre
1873
15
 Toronto Maple Leafs Logo
National Hockey League
Canada Centre">Air Canada Centre
1917
13
 Toronto Blue Jays Logo
Major League Baseball
Rogers Centre
1977
2
 Toronto Raptors logo
National Basketball Association
Canada Centre">Air Canada Centre
1995
0
 Toronto Lynx logo
USL First Division
Centennial Park Stadium
1997
0
 Toronto Rock logo
National Lacrosse League
Canada Centre">Air Canada Centre
1999
5
 Toronto Marlies logo
American Hockey League
Ricoh Coliseum
2005
0
Current semi-professional franchises
Logo
Club
League
Venue
Established
Championships
Toronto Maple Leafs (baseball)
Intercounty Baseball League
Christie Pits
1969
7
 St. Micheal Majors logo
Ontario Hockey League
St. Michael's College School Arena
1996
4
Toronto Eagles
Ontario Australian Football League
Humber College Park
1989
9
Toronto Downtown Dingos
Ontario Australian Football League
Humber College Park
1996
3
Major sporting venues
Canada Centre">Air Canada Centre - home of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA Toronto Raptors and the NLL Toronto Rock.
Maple Leaf Gardens - Former home to the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs.
Allan Lamport Stadium - named after Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport, City-owned facility
Beatrice Ice Gardens - York University
Birchmount Stadium - City-owned facility
Christie Pits - home to the Toronto Maple Leafs (baseball), City-owned facility
Esther Shiner Stadium - former home to York University Yeomens Football team
Greenwood Racetrack - demolished and replaced be Woodbine Park and housing development
Rexall Centre - home to National Tennis Centre at York University
Ricoh Coliseum - formerly home of the AHL Roadrunners and current home of the AHL Marlies. On City land.
Rogers Centre - Owned and used by MLB Toronto Blue Jays and also home to the CFL Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University
Varsity Stadium - University of Toronto, since demolished
Varsity Arena - University of Toronto Varsity Blues Hockey
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission
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City suburbs and neighbourhoods
 Church and Wellesley, Toronto's gay village
Church and Wellesley, Toronto's gay village
Main article: List of neighbourhoods in Toronto
From 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-war single-family houses and high-rises. Rosedale and the Bridle Path are upscale neighbourhoods located within the inner ring.
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 suburbanization.
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
Before 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:
 A simulated colour image of Toronto c. 1985, taken by Landsat 7
A simulated colour image of Toronto c. 1985, taken by Landsat 7
West
Halton
Oakville
Milton
Burlington
Halton Hills
Peel
Mississauga
Brampton
Caledon
North
York
Richmond Hill
Markham
Vaughan
Aurora
Newmarket
East
Durham
Pickering
Ajax
Whitby
Oshawa
Clarington
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Toronto is twinned with the following world cities:
This list is expanding it.
Netherlands
York City">New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Israel
Germany
Indonesia
Kyiv, Ukraine
India
Italy
Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
Ecuador
Japan
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Greece
Russia
Poland
Mexico
Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Australia
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. (partnership is actually with former city of Scarborough, Ontario)
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Hotels in Canada - Toronto >>
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