By Jennifer Finjan
My love for Toronto grew at a slow but steady pace. Like many others, I arrived here in the prime of my youth with a diploma in my hand, a hundred bucks in my pocket, and expectations of making it big. As a Maritimer, I was looking forward to finding success, independence, experiencing new things, and blending into the multicultural and diverse crowd. I would be lying if I told you it was love at first sight. Sure, the city was huge and brimming with possibilities, but I, as a small-city girl was overcome by its enormous size and its sleek and confident inhabitants.
It didn’t help that fellow Canadians from just about every other city, town, and country side in Canada seemed to despise Toronto. They cited Toronto as being cold, dangerous, drab, money-hungry and heartless. In my ignorance, I believed they were right. But that was long ago, and since then I have taken the time to get to know the city inside and out and what I have discovered is, I love Toronto, I really do.
It’s so easy to hate something that seems to have it all – it’s jealousy of the worse kind. Sadly, our poor city and its promoters seem to have grown weary and have since developed an inferior complex from the constant criticism. Well, fellow Torontonians, it’s our time to shine – we have way too much to be proud of to stay silent!
There’s one major mistake I see new residents of Toronto make, and that is sticking to their own neighbourhood, culture, and a handful of favourite places to go. If you really want to develop a lasting and loving relationship with Toronto, you must take the time to get to know it, really know it – from the eastside to the westside, lakeshore to upper city limits. Be open to new experiences and reach beyond your usual “hood”. Trust me, you will reap in the rewards, constantly experience new things, and never grow tired of our fair city. No café, karoke bar, boutique or bike path should be left unturned!
The things I love most about Toronto are its true tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism. Historically, people come from all over the country and world to live a life of freedom without fear of judgement. Finally, a place in the world where any race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious and political views are free to live life to the fullest. Sure, Toronto like any other major city has its share of social afflictions like homelessness and poverty, but I get a real sense that city government and residents feel empowered to make a difference in these areas.
These values are reflected in our many neighbourhoods. Toronto is known as the city of neighbourhoods with upwards of 240 distinct neighbourhoods within its boundaries. Our many neighbourhoods provide us with a variety of cultural delights. Neighbourhood hopping is a great way to broaden one’s horizons, and travel around the world in the comfort of your own city. To get a better sense of our neighbourhood diversity visits the The City of Toronto website.
Anyone who accuses Toronto of being a concrete jungle doesn’t know Toronto. With a population of more than 2.5 million people, Toronto is the home of over 1,500 parks and green places that provide its residents with a public space for play, enjoying sports, as well as quiet places to experience the wonder of nature among the urban landscape. Unlike so many other Canadian parks, parks in Toronto encourage you to walk on the grass, bring your pets and explore the grounds! Some of my favourites include Allan Gardens, Ashbridge’s Bay Park, Cedarvale Park, Centennial Park, High Park, LakeShore Boulevard Parklands, Riverdale Park and ParcDownsview Park, the first urban national park in Canada.
Toronto transit is the best at getting people where they need to go. The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) provides a public transit system that includes a network of subways, streetcars, buses, Rapid Transit systems, and Wheel-Trans to get you around town 24 hours a day. An average 1,485,000 passengers use the TTC on a daily basis. TTC employees more than 11,000 employees who serve over 460 million customers annually. The TTC has one of the highest per capita ridership rates in North America. Subway and light rail expansion are in the works to carrying an additional 175 million riders by 2021.
We’ve all heard the lie that Toronto is no place to raise a family. Having raised two children in Toronto, I must say the magnitude of choices for families is vast. We are blessed with countless options when choosing daycares, preschools, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities. We are the home of University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, Humber College, Seneca College, George Brown College, and Centennial College, as well as scores of specialized colleges.
There are so many exciting and affordable things for families to do in Toronto. Not only will you and your family’s lives be enriched by new experiences, kids are less likely to suffer from boredom and possible mischief. Some of my favourites family things to do include: Ontario Place, Canada’s Wonderland, Wild Water Kingdom, Toronto Zoo, Hockey Hall of Fame, Centre Island, Ontario Science Centre,
tango cash free Black Creek Pioneer Village, Harbourfront Centre, Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, CN Tower
, Casa Loma, Riverdale Park, and the list goes on. The City of Toronto offers lots of children’s programs, fitness programs, outdoor and indoor pools, drop in centres, and support groups.
When it comes to sports, I don’t mean to gloat but we have it all. We are lucky to be the home of the Maple Leafs (National Hockey League), Toronto Raptors (National Basketball Association), Toronto Blue Jays
(Major League Baseball), Toronto FC (Major League Soccer), Toronto Argonauts (Canadian Football League), Toronto Marlies (American Hockey League), and Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League). Toronto is a sports city and we have a lot to cheer about.
Toronto hosts hundreds of annual festivals. Cultural festivals such as Afrofest, Desi fest, Carbiana, Toronto Chinese Lantern Fesitval, Canadian Aboriginal Festival, Toronto Dragon Boat Festival, Harbourfront Centre World Routes, Luminato Festival of Arts & Creativity, Masala Mehndi Masti, Nuit Blanche, Toronto Pride Week, Italian Festival, Ukrainian Festival, Krinos Taste of the Danforth.
In the area of performance arts, we host Canadian Dance, Canasian Dance, Harbourfront Centre Dance NextSteps and World Stage, SummerWorks Theatre, Toronto International Buskerfest, Toronto International Improv, and Toronto International Circus.
We host film festivals such as Cinefranco, Female Eye, Giggle Shorts, Hot Docs, Hispano American, ImagineNative & Media Arts, Inside Out, Planet in Focus, Reel Asian, ReelWorld, Sprockets for Children, Toronto After Dark, Toronto International, Toronto Jewish, Toronto Palestine, World of Comedy, Worldwide Short.
Toronto is the home of music festivals like Beaches International Jazz Festival, TD Toronto Jazz, Canadian Music Week, Muhtadi Drumming Festival, North by Northeast, to name a few. Visual arts festivals like Art Expo Toronto, Contact Photography Festival, Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Creativ Festival and One of Kind Crafts Show.
Toronto is the Canadian city that never sleeps. Socializing with family and friends outside of the home is a very popular pastime here. We have countless restaurants representing cuisines from all the world at every price range. Many Toronto restaurants are family friendly and provide dining for large groups.
If you are looking to party hard or just hit a pub with a few friends, Toronto has something for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday night, Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night – bars are opened and bustling. We are the home of massive dance clubs and more intimate lounges and neighbourhood bars. The city is the home of some of best summer patios. We have wide range of Irish and English pubs, sports bars, martini bars, lounges, live-music venues, all over town. Whether you fancy ballet, classical music, live theatre, comedy clubs, or films, we have it all.
I apologize if I seem to be showing off about our great city and no, I don’t work for Toronto Tourism. I do, however, consider myself a true Torontonian who loves her city with a T-dot on her heart.
very good Jen