Toronto

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on a harbour at the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With a population of over 2.7 million people, Toronto is also the fourth-most populous city in North America, after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles.

The area has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. After the British Crown established the town of York in 1793, it became an important place during the War of 1812. The town was later renamed Toronto and grew into a major city.

Today, Toronto is known for its amazing mix of cultures. About half of its residents were born outside of Canada, and over 200 different ethnic origins live there. People speak more than 160 languages in the city, making it one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

As Canada's largest financial centre, Toronto is home to important banks, businesses, and cultural spots. The city has many museums, theatres, music venues, and sports teams. Every year, millions of visitors come to enjoy its festivals, parks, and exciting atmosphere.

Etymology

Main article: Name of Toronto

The name Toronto has been written in many ways, such as Tarento, Tarontha, Taronto, Toranto, Torento, Toronto, and Toronton. The most common early spelling, Taronto, described "The Narrows"—a narrow channel of water where Lake Simcoe flows into Lake Couchiching. The Mohawk people called this spot "tkaronto", meaning "where there are trees standing in the water". This name was recorded in 1615. The word Toronto, meaning "plenty", also appeared in a French dictionary of the Wendat language in 1632. Maps from France used the name Toronto for many places, including parts of Georgian Bay, Lake Simcoe, and several rivers. A path, called the "Toronto Carrying-Place Trail", connected Lake Ontario to Lake Huron, helping the name become well-known.

History

Main article: History of Toronto

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Toronto history.

Early history

Archaeological sites show people lived in the area thousands of years ago. The Wendat, an Iroquoian-speaking farming people, lived there for centuries. They were later displaced by the Haudenosaunee from the south side of Lake Ontario between 1648 and 1650. By the 1660s, the Haudenosaunee had two villages in what is now Toronto. These were Ganatsekwyagon (Bead Hill) on the Rouge River and Teiaiagon on the Humber River. By 1701, the Mississaugas, an Anishinaabe hunter-gatherer people from Northern Ontario, took over the area.

French traders built Fort Rouillé in 1750 but left it in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. After the British defeated the French, the area became part of the British colony of Quebec in 1763.

During the American Revolutionary War, many British settlers arrived as United Empire Loyalists fled to lands north of Lake Ontario. The Crown gave them land to replace what they lost. The new province of Upper Canada needed a capital. In 1787, the British Lord Dorchester arranged the Toronto Purchase with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, securing land in the Toronto area. Dorchester wanted to name the location Toronto. The first 25 years were quiet, with only occasional fur traders.

Town of York (1793–1834)

In 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the Toronto Purchase lands. He named it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe moved the Upper Canada capital from Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) to York, thinking it would be safer. The York garrison was built at the entrance of the town's natural harbour. The town grew near where Parliament Street and Front Street meet today.

In 1813, during the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended with the town captured by United States forces. American soldiers destroyed much of the garrison and set fire to the parliament buildings. The University of Toronto, then known as King's College, was established in 1827 as the first institution of higher education in Upper Canada.

Incorporation and development (1834–1954)

York became the "City of Toronto" on March 6, 1834, adopting the Indigenous name. Reformist politician William Lyon Mackenzie became the first mayor of Toronto. Mackenzie later led the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 against the British colonial government.

Toronto's population of 9,000 included some African-American slaves and Black Loyalists who had been freed by the Crown. By 1834, refugee slaves from America's South were also immigrating to Toronto to gain freedom. Slavery was banned in Upper Canada and the British Empire in 1834. Torontonians welcomed people of colour into their society. In the 1840s, a place to eat at Frederick and King Streets was operated by a black man named Bloxom.

As a major destination for immigrants to Canada, the city grew rapidly through the rest of the 19th century. The first significant wave of immigrants were Irish, fleeing the Great Irish Famine. By 1851, the Irish-born population had become the largest single ethnic group in the city. The Scottish and English population welcomed smaller numbers of Protestant Irish immigrants. Almost every mayor of Toronto was a member of the Orange Order between 1850 and 1950.

For brief periods, Toronto was twice the capital of the united Province of Canada: first from 1849 to 1851, following unrest in Montreal, and later from 1855 to 1859. After this date, Quebec was designated as the capital until 1865. Since then, the capital of Canada has remained Ottawa, Ontario.

Toronto became the capital of the province of Ontario after its official creation in 1867. The seat of government of Ontario briefly returned to the same building that had served as the Third Parliament Building of Upper Canada, before moving to the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park in 1893. Because of its provincial capital status, the city was also the location of Government House, the residence of the viceregal representative of the Crown in right of Ontario.

Long before the Royal Military College of Canada was established in 1876, supporters of the concept proposed military colleges in Canada. Staffed by British Regulars, adult male students underwent a three-month-long military course at the School of Military Instruction in Toronto. Established by Militia General Order in 1864, the school enabled officers of militia or candidates for commission or promotion in the Militia to learn military duties. The school was retained at Confederation, in 1867. In 1868, schools of cavalry and artillery instruction were formed in Toronto.

In the 19th century, the city built an extensive sewage system to improve sanitation, and streets were illuminated with gas lighting as a regular service. Long-distance railway lines were constructed, including a route completed in 1854 linking Toronto with the Upper Great Lakes. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Northern Railway of Canada joined in the building of the first Union Station downtown. The advent of the railway increased the numbers of immigrants arriving, commerce and industry. These enabled Toronto to become a major gateway linking the world to the interior of the North American continent. Industry dominated the waterfront for the next 100 years.

During the late 19th century, Toronto became the largest alcohol distillation centre in North America. A distillery built by Gooderham and Worts from 1859 to 1861 became the country's largest whisky factory. While the factory has since closed, its buildings have been designated a National Historic Site and have been converted into the Distillery District. The harbour allowed access to grain and sugar imports used in processing.

Horse-drawn streetcars gave way to electric streetcars in 1891 when the city granted the operation of the transit franchise to the Toronto Railway Company. The public transit system passed into public ownership in 1921 as the Toronto Transportation Commission, later renamed the Toronto Transit Commission. The system now has the third-highest ridership of any city public transportation system in North America.

The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto. The fire destroyed more than 100 buildings. It caused CA$10,387,000 in damage.

The city received new European immigrant groups from the late 19th century into the early 20th century, particularly Germans, French, Italians, and Jews. They were soon followed by Russians, Poles, and other Eastern European nations, in addition to the Chinese entering from the West. Like the Irish before them, many of these migrants lived in overcrowded areas.

As new migrants began to prosper, they moved to better housing in other areas. Despite its fast-paced growth, by the 1920s, Toronto's population and economic importance in Canada remained second to Montreal, Quebec. However, by 1934, the Toronto Stock Exchange had become the largest in the country.

Metro era (1954–1997)

In 1954, the City of Toronto and 12 surrounding municipalities were federated into a regional government known as Metropolitan Toronto. The postwar boom had resulted in rapid suburban development. It was believed a coordinated land-use strategy and shared services would provide greater efficiency for the region. The metropolitan government began to manage services that crossed municipal boundaries, including highways, police services, water and public transit. In that year, disaster struck the city again when Hurricane Hazel brought intense winds and flash flooding.

In 1967, the seven smallest municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto were merged with larger neighbours, resulting in a six-municipality configuration that included the former city of Toronto and the surrounding municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York.

In the decades after World War II, refugees from war-torn Europe and Chinese job-seekers arrived, as well as construction labourers, particularly from Italy and Portugal. Toronto's population grew to more than one million in 1951 when large-scale suburbanization began and doubled to two million by 1971. Following the elimination of racially based immigration policies by the late 1960s, Toronto became a destination for immigrants from all over the world. By the 1980s, Toronto had surpassed Montreal as Canada's most populous city and chief economic hub. During this time, many national and multinational corporations moved their head offices from Montreal to Toronto and Western Canadian cities.

"Megacity" era (1998–present)

On January 1, 1998, Toronto was greatly enlarged, not through traditional annexations, but as an amalgamation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and its six lower-tier constituent municipalities: East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the original city itself. They were dissolved by an act of the Government of Ontario and formed into a single-tier City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity"), replacing all six governments.

The merger was proposed as a cost-saving measure by the Progressive Conservative provincial government under premier Mike Harris. The announcement touched off public objections. In March 1997, a referendum in all six municipalities produced a vote of more than 3:1 against amalgamation. However, municipal governments in Canada are creatures of the provincial governments, and referendums have little to no legal effect. The Harris government could thus legally ignore the referendum results and did so in April when it tabled the City of Toronto Act.

North York mayor Mel Lastman became the first "megacity" mayor, and the 62nd mayor of Toronto, with his electoral victory.

The city attracted international attention in 2003 when it became the centre of a major outbreak. Public health attempts to prevent the disease from spreading elsewhere temporarily dampened the local economy. From August 14 to 17, 2003, the city was hit by a massive blackout which affected millions of Torontonians.

On March 6, 2009, the city celebrated the 175th anniversary of its inception as the City of Toronto in 1834. Toronto hosted the 4th G20 summit during June 26–27, 2010. Following large-scale protests and rioting, law enforcement arrested more than 1,000 people.

On July 8, 2013, severe flash flooding hit Toronto after an afternoon of slow-moving, intense thunderstorms. Within six months, from December 20 to 22, 2013, Toronto was brought to a near halt by the worst ice storm in the city's history.

In January 2020, the first cases arrived in Canada in Toronto.

In the 2010s, the city continued to grow and attract immigrants. A 2019 study by Toronto Metropolitan University (then known as Ryerson University) showed that Toronto was the fastest-growing city in North America. The city added 77,435 people between July 2017 and July 2018. The large growth in the Toronto metropolitan area was attributed to international migration to Toronto. After a drop around the beginning of the pandemic, Toronto's population surged to an estimated 3.28 million in 2024, a 17% increase from the 2021 census population.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Toronto

Toronto covers an area of 631 square kilometres. It has a maximum north–south distance of 21 kilometres and a maximum east–west distance of 43 kilometres. The city has a 46-kilometre long waterfront on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto Islands and Port Lands extend out into the lake, creating a sheltered Toronto Harbour south of downtown. Toronto's borders are formed by Lake Ontario to the south and several roads and waterways to the west, north, and east.

The city is mostly flat with gentle hills, and the land slopes upward away from the lake. The flat land is broken by the Toronto ravine system, cut by creeks and rivers of the Toronto waterway system. Most ravines and valley lands are parklands with recreational trails. The original town was laid out in a grid plan on the flat plain north of the harbour, and this plan was extended as the city grew. Toronto has many bridges over the ravines. Large bridges like the Prince Edward Viaduct span broad river valleys.

Toronto is not very hilly, but its elevation rises steadily away from the lake. Elevation ranges from 76.5 metres above sea level at Lake Ontario to 209 metres near the York University grounds in the north. Some hilly areas include midtown Toronto, Silverthorn, and Fairbank.

Another major feature is its escarpments. A series of escarpments marks an old boundary called the "Iroquois Shoreline". They are most noticeable from Victoria Park Avenue to the mouth of Highland Creek, where they form the Scarborough Bluffs.

The geography of the lakeshore has changed since Toronto was first settled. Much of the land north of the harbour is landfill, added in the late 1800s. The lakefront docks were once farther inland. The Port Lands on the east side of the harbour was a wetland filled in early in the 1900s. The shoreline west to the Humber River has been extended into the lake. Landfill has also created extensions like Humber Bay Park.

The Toronto Islands were once a natural peninsula until a storm in 1858 cut them off from the mainland, creating a channel to the harbour. The peninsula was formed by longshore drift moving sediments from the Scarborough Bluffs to the Islands area.

Sediment for the Port Lands and peninsula came from the Don River, which carved a wide valley and deposited it in the harbour. The harbour and Don River channel have been dredged many times for shipping. The lower Don River was straightened in the 1800s. Today, the Don River flows into the harbour through a concrete waterway called the Keating Channel. A new mouth was built south of the harbour in the 2020s to help prevent flooding and create a new island, Ookwemin Minising.

Toronto includes areas that were once separate municipalities, such as East York, Etobicoke, Forest Hill, Mimico, North York, Parkdale, Scarborough, Swansea, Weston, and York. The city has many small and larger neighbourhoods.

Residential areas have different characters from the downtown skyscrapers. Victorian and Edwardian-era homes can be found in places like Rosedale, Cabbagetown, The Annex, and Yorkville. The Wychwood Park neighbourhood is known for its historic homes and was designated a heritage district in 1985. The Casa Loma neighbourhood is named after "Casa Loma", a castle built in 1911 by Sir Henry Pellat. Spadina House is a 19th-century manor that is now a museum.

The pre-amalgamation City of Toronto includes the downtown core and older neighbourhoods to the east, west, and north. This is the most crowded part of the city. The Financial District has tall buildings like the First Canadian Place, Toronto-Dominion Centre, Scotia Plaza, Royal Bank Plaza, Commerce Court and Brookfield Place. Neighbourhoods here include St. James Town, Garden District, St. Lawrence, Corktown, and Church and Wellesley. The Toronto skyline continues north along Yonge Street.

Old Toronto has many wealthy historic neighbourhoods such as Yorkville, Rosedale, The Annex, Forest Hill, Lawrence Park, Lytton Park, Deer Park, Moore Park, and Casa Loma, stretching north from downtown. East and west of downtown, areas like Kensington Market, Chinatown, Leslieville, Cabbagetown and Riverdale have busy commercial areas and artist communities. Other neighbourhoods keep an ethnic identity, including smaller Chinatowns, the Greektown area, Little Italy, Portugal Village, and Little India.

The inner suburbs are in the former municipalities of York and East York. These are older, working-class areas with small homes and apartments built after World War I. Neighbourhoods such as Crescent Town, Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, Weston, and Oakwood Village have many high-rise apartments, home to many new families. In the 2000s, areas like Leaside and North Toronto became more diverse and experienced growth.

The outer suburbs in Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York follow the old grid plan. Towns like Mimico, Islington and New Toronto in Etobicoke; Willowdale, Newtonbrook and Downsview in North York; and Agincourt, Wexford and West Hill in Scarborough grew quickly after World War II. Upscale areas include the Bridle Path in North York, the area around the Scarborough Bluffs in Guildwood, and parts of central Etobicoke like Humber Valley Village and The Kingsway. Don Mills, built in the 1950s, was one of the first planned communities. North York City Centre and Scarborough City Centre developed their own downtown areas. High-rise buildings and transit corridors serve these areas.

In the 1800s, an industrial area grew around Toronto Harbour and the Don River, linked by rail and water to Canada and the United States. Industry expanded west along the harbour and rail lines, and the Port Lands were filled in. A garment industry developed along lower Spadina Avenue, the "Fashion District". Industries later moved to areas like West Toronto / The Junction, where the Stockyards moved in 1903. The Great Fire of 1904 destroyed much industry downtown, and some companies moved west along King Street or to Dufferin Street, where the Massey-Harris factory was located. Factories and warehouses followed rail lines and highways as the city grew. Large factories are now in Peel and York Regions, but also in Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough.

Many of Toronto's former industrial sites near downtown have been redeveloped, including parts of the waterfront, rail yards west of downtown, and Liberty Village. The Massey-Harris district is being developed, and the West Don Lands are undergoing large-scale development. The Gooderham & Worts Distillery, closed in 1990, is now the "Distillery District", a preserved area of Victorian industrial buildings. Some industry remains, like the Redpath Sugar Refinery. Other areas like the Fashion District, Corktown, and parts of South Riverdale and Leslieville are now mostly residential. Active older industrial areas include Brockton Village, Mimico and New Toronto. Factories, meat-packing, and rail yards remain in Weston/Mount Dennis and The Junction, though the Union Stockyards moved out in 1994.

The Port Lands, a brownfield industrial area on the east side of the harbour, is planned for redevelopment. Once a marsh filled in for industry, it was never heavily developed due to flooding and poor soil. It still has industrial uses like the Portlands Energy Centre power plant, port facilities, studios, and processing plants. The Waterfront Toronto agency plans to create a natural mouth for the Don River and a flood barrier, making more land suitable for homes and businesses. A former chemicals plant site will become a commercial complex and transportation hub.

Toronto's buildings range from early 19th-century structures to new ones built in the 2000s. Lawrence Richards from the University of Toronto described Toronto as “a new, brash, mix of periods and styles.” Bay-and-gable houses, common in Old Toronto, are a unique feature.

Toronto has many skyscrapers and high-rises. The city has 106 skyscrapers taller than 150 metres, the 16th-most in the world and the most in Canada. Three “supertall” skyscrapers over 300 metres are under construction, with more approved. The CN Tower, completed in 1976 at 553.33 metres, was the world’s tallest freestanding structure until 2007 when Burj Khalifa in Dubai surpassed it.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many historic buildings were torn down. Since 2000, Toronto has seen a boom in condo construction and architectural revival. New buildings by famous architects include Daniel Libeskind’s Royal Ontario Museum addition, Frank Gehry’s Art Gallery of Ontario remake, and Will Alsop’s OCAD University expansion. The Distillery District has become an arts and entertainment area. This growth has led some to call it the Manhattanization of Toronto.

Toronto has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), with warm, humid summers and cold winters. The city is in plant hardiness zone 7a. Toronto has four distinct seasons with varied weather. Winters are cold with snow, often below 0 °C, and can feel colder with wind chill. Snowstorms can happen from November to mid-April. Summers are warm, often above 20 °C, sometimes above 30 °C. Spring and autumn are milder with temperatures around 10 to 12 °C.

Precipitation is spread through the year, with summer usually wettest. Toronto gets about 822.7 mm of rain and snow each year and has about 2,066 sunshine hours, or 45 per cent of daylight.

Climate change has impacted Toronto. The city has declared a climate emergency and set a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 through the TransformTO plan.

The highest temperature recorded was 40.6 °C in 1936 during the 1936 North American heat wave. The lowest was −32.8 °C in 1859.

Toronto has many public spaces, from squares to parks. Nathan Phillips Square is the main downtown square with the Toronto Sign and City Hall. Sankofa Square is another busy spot. Other squares include Maple Leaf Square next to Scotiabank Arena and civic squares in former city halls like Mel Lastman Square in North York.

Large downtown parks include Allan Gardens, Christie Pits, Grange Park, Little Norway Park, Moss Park, Queen's Park, Riverdale Park and Trinity Bellwoods Park. Cloud Gardens is a small park near Queen Street and Yonge Street. South of downtown are Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit and the Toronto Islands, reached by ferry.

Large parks in outer areas include High Park, Humber Bay Park, Centennial Park, Downsview Park, Guild Park and Gardens, Sunnybrook Park and Morningside Park. Toronto has public golf courses. Most ravines and river banks are parkland. After Hurricane Hazel in 1954, building on floodplains was banned, and private lands were bought for conservation. Downsview Park started an international design competition in 1999 to create Canada's first urban park. About 12.5 per cent of Toronto is parkland. Morningside Park in Scarborough is the largest city park at 241.46 hectares.

Part of Rouge National Urban Park, the largest urban park in North America, lies in the eastern portion of Toronto. Managed by Parks Canada, the national park centres on the Rouge River and includes several municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Toronto

In the 2021 Census of Population led by Statistics Canada, Toronto had a population of 2,794,356 people. The city covers an area of 631.1 km² (243.7 sq mi). This makes the city very busy, with many people living close together.

The city is part of a bigger area called the Golden Horseshoe. This area includes many towns and cities around the western end of Lake Ontario. In 2021, about 9.8 million people lived here.

Toronto is known for its many different cultures. In 2021, more than half of the people were born in another country. The most common countries people came from were the Philippines, China, and India. Because of this mix, Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Race and ethnicity

In 2016, many people in Toronto came from different backgrounds. Over half the city’s residents were from a group called a “visible minority.” The largest groups were from South Asia, East Asia (like China), and Africa. These groups help make Toronto’s neighborhoods colorful and full of different traditions.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, many people in Toronto follow different beliefs. Over 40% of people were Christian, but almost 31% said they did not follow any religion. Other groups include Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.

Education

Main article: Education in Toronto

Further information: List of secondary schools in Ontario § City of Toronto

Toronto has four main school boards that teach children and teenagers. These are the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, the Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV), the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). CSV and TDSB are non-religious schools, while MonAvenir and TCDSB are religious schools. CSV and MonAvenir teach in French, and TCDSB and TDSB teach in English.

TDSB has the most schools, including many for younger and older students, as well as adult learning centers. TCDSB, CSV, and MonAvenir also have several schools for children and teenagers.

Toronto has five public universities. Four of these are in downtown Toronto: OCAD University, Toronto Metropolitan University, the Université de l'Ontario français, and the main St. George campus of the University of Toronto. The University of Toronto is the largest university in Canada, with three campuses in and around Toronto. York University is the only Toronto-based university not located in downtown Toronto.

There are also four public colleges in Toronto: Centennial College, George Brown Polytechnic, Humber Polytechnic, and Seneca Polytechnic. These colleges have many campuses throughout the city.

Human resources

Public health

Main article: Health in Toronto

See also: List of hospitals in Toronto

Toronto has twenty public hospitals. Some of these include The Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai Hospital, and St. Michael's Hospital. Many hospitals work with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

There are special hospitals for older adults, children with disabilities, and people with certain health conditions. Examples include Baycrest Health Sciences, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and Casey House.

The Discovery District in Toronto is important for research in biomedicine. It is a large area in downtown Toronto and includes the MaRS Discovery District. This area was started in 2000 to help research and new ideas in Ontario.

Toronto has many groups that help people with different health issues. These include Crohn's and Colitis Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Public library

The Toronto Public Library is the largest public library system in Canada. It began in 1830 and now has 100 branches with over 12 million items. In 2008, more books and items were borrowed per person than any other library system in the world.

Culture and contemporary life

Main article: Culture in Toronto

See also: Annual events in Toronto, List of festivals in Toronto, and Recreation in Toronto

Toronto has a rich and lively culture with many places to see shows and performances. The city has many dance groups, opera groups, orchestras, music places, and theatres. Famous groups include the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Popular venues for shows include the Four Seasons Centre, Roy Thomson Hall, and Massey Hall.

Ontario Place once had the world’s first permanent IMAX movie theatre, called the Cinesphere. It closed in 2012 but there are plans to bring it back. Rogers Stadium in Downsview Park is a big place for concerts. Toronto’s Caribana festival happens every summer. It started in 1967 and now draws many people each year. Pride Week in late June is a big celebration for the LGBTQ+ community.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Toronto

See also: Amateur sport in Toronto and List of sports teams in Toronto

Toronto has many famous sports teams. It has teams in five big leagues: hockey, baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. Some of these teams have won big prizes many times. The city also has old and important sports clubs.

Professional sports

Toronto is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the oldest hockey teams. The Toronto Blue Jays are the city's baseball team. The Toronto Raptors basketball team won a big prize in 2019. The Toronto Argonauts football team has won many prizes. The Toronto FC soccer team has won several trophies.

Collegiate sports

The University of Toronto held the first college football game ever in 1861. Many schools in Toronto have teams that compete in big sports events.

Events

Toronto holds many big sports events every year. These include a tennis tournament, a marathon, and horse racing. The city hosted big games in 2015 and will help host a world soccer event in 2026.

Government and politics

Main article: Municipal government of Toronto

See also: Politics of Toronto and Public services in Toronto

Government

Toronto is led by a mayor and a group of elected leaders called a council. The mayor is chosen by voters to guide the city. The council has 25 members, each representing a different part of Toronto. Together, they make important decisions for the city. The mayor and council members serve for four years before voters pick new leaders.

The city has many groups and committees that help with decisions on topics like public transportation and safety. These groups include council leaders and sometimes volunteers from the community.

Crime

Main article: Crime in Toronto

See also: Crime in Canada and Gun politics in Canada

Toronto is known for being a safe city compared to many other large cities. The city works to keep its communities safe and has programs to help prevent harmful activities.

Transportation

Main articles: Transportation in Toronto and Public transportation in Toronto

Toronto is an important place for travel by road, train, and airplane in Southern Ontario. The city has many ways to get around, including highways and public transit. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the main group that runs public transportation in the city. Toronto also has many bicycle lanes and paths for walking and other activities.

Rail

Toronto has many types of rail transport, such as streetcars, light rail, heavy rail, and trains that go between cities and freight rail. The main part of its public transport system is the Toronto subway, which is a fast way to travel under and above ground, and is run by the TTC. The Toronto subway has three main lines that go across the city, and two lighter rail lines that also run east to west.

The TTC also runs streetcars mainly in the downtown area where there are no subways.

Union Station, in downtown, is the main place for trains in the city and connects to trains that go to other places. GO Transit, owned by the government, runs trains from Union Station to places around Toronto. Via Rail, which is owned by Canada, connects Toronto to other cities. The Maple Leaf, worked on by Via Rail and Amtrak, goes between Toronto and New York City.

There have been many plans to add more subway and light rail lines, but money problems have stopped many of them. Building started on Line 5 Eglinton, a light rail line, in November 2011. It was meant to finish in 2020 but is now planned for 2026. The Line 6 Finch West light rail line opened in 2025. In 2019, the government of Ontario shared plans for more train lines and extensions in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto’s Union Station is being upgraded to handle more trains. Building started on a new bus station at Union Station in 2017 and finished in 2020. A new transit place at the East Harbour is planned to open in 2028. Toronto’s transit also connects to networks in nearby areas.

Bus

The TTC runs many buses that go to parts of the city not covered by subways. In 2025, the TTC bus system had over 389 million trips each year.

GO Transit runs buses from Union Station to places in the Golden Horseshoe area. Other bus companies also run long-distance trips from Union Station to cities in Ontario, nearby areas, and the United States. The Toronto Coach Terminal was the main place for these buses from 1931 until 2021, when it stopped being used.

Sea

The Port of Toronto in the Toronto Harbour handles a lot of goods each year. The Toronto Island ferries go from the mainland to the Toronto Islands. In 2024, these ferries carried over 1.4 million people.

Air

The busiest airport in Canada, Toronto Pearson International Airport, is right at the city’s western edge, close to Mississauga. The Union Pearson Express train goes directly from Pearson to Union Station. It started in June 2015.

There is also the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands, which offers flights to places in Canada and the United States. Downsview Airport closed forever in April 2024.

Other airports close by, like Hamilton’s John C. Munro International Airport and Buffalo’s Buffalo Niagara International Airport, can also be used. There are also private airports for helicopters, mostly used for special flights to hospitals.

Streets and highways

The main streets in Toronto were set up in a grid pattern, with big roads spaced far apart. Many big roads go east to west, following the shore of Lake Ontario, and others go north to south. There are also big highways like Highway 401, which is one of the busiest roads in the world, going across the city. Other important highways include Highway 400 and Highway 404. Toronto has a lot of traffic, being one of the busiest places for driving in North America.

Sister cities

Main article: Sister cities of Toronto

Toronto has many sister cities around the world. These cities work together in friendship and share ideas.

Partnership cities

• Chicago, Illinois, United States (1991)
• Chongqing, China (1986)
• Frankfurt, Germany (1989)
• Milan, Italy (2003)
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2006)
• Kyiv, Ukraine (1992)
• Quito, Ecuador (2006)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015)
• Sagamihara, Japan (1991)
• Warsaw, Poland (1990)

International project agreement

• Lisbon, Portugal
• Matera, Italy

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Toronto

Toronto has been home to many famous people. Many well-known individuals are from this lively city, adding to its rich culture.