Toronto

Toronto the Good, Hogtown, the MegaCity ... by any of its names, there's no place like home.

Home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Raptors and the Blue Jays.

Home to the world's tallest free-standing structure, the CN Tower, and at its base, the SkyDome.

Home to the Hockey Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Home to one of the most exciting urban shopping centers in the world, the Toronto Eaton Centre.

And home to the incomparable CityTV and MuchMusic (Canada's MTV, only better) created by visionary Moses Znaimer.

Where to start?

Toronto.com
City of Toronto
University of Toronto
Toronto Tourism
The Toronto Star
Pulse24 News

Toronto's Mayor Mel Lastman's world renowned gaffes get written up in The Washington Times.

Mel-O-Drama

Once upon a time, the Huron Indian tribe congregated on the northwestern shores of Lake Ontario. There, they traded, worked, and socialized.

They called the area "Toronto", which meant "place of meeting".

Today, the name continues to fit.

The city is abuzz, blending multicultural heritage with urban chic. Toronto has some 80 ethnic groups (speaking more than 100 languages), one of North America's busiest stock exchanges, the world's third-largest theater center (after New York and London), nearly 5,000 restaurants and cafes and fine shopping complexes.

Canada's largest city has a population of 2.4 million, with 4.4 million when you count the immediate metropolitan area. As many visitors have remarked, Toronto is a city of interesting, distinct neighbourhoods. We have three substantial Chinatowns, two variations of Little Italy, an east-Indian pocket, Greektown, and neighbourhoods comprised of mixed cultures. Historic pockets exist beside new developments.

What images and recollections come to your mind, when you think about Toronto? Do you think of my home town, or someplace else?

Toronto, Canada, isn't the only Toronto in the world.

Toronto, IA
Toronto, IL
Toronto, IN
Toronto, KS
Toronto, MO
Toronto, OH
Toronto, SD
Toronto, TX

When I think of Toronto, I have a wholly good image in my head. In the two weeks I was there (October 4-19, 1999) I ate some great food, went to them movies 6 times, walked more than I'd care to do again, and spent lots of money. :)

One thing I noticed is that regular foodstuffs are cheaper there - or rather, at least there were where Vanessa and I shopped (Vanessa was the friend I was visiting while I was there). I bought toaster strudels for some $1.98 CDN, which, at the time, was roughly $1.33 USD. This was for the box of six. Back here, they were about $2.50 (the cheapest I saw them) for the same box - and that was USD. However, where they gouge you is the GST - Goods & Services Tax. Nic can correct me on this, but I think it was something like 13%. I bought a CD for Vanessa and it ended up being <b>dollars</b> more than the sticker price.

One thing I enjoyed was the little cafés everywhere - they generally serve food, and although they weren't always <b>cheap</b>, it was always <b>good</b>. I'm not a coffee drinker, so that wasn't real important to me.

There were plenty of music stores, which was good. One place, <b>Second Spin</b>, had all used CDs, all of which were under $10 CDN ($6.65 USD at the time). The ones I bought were in great condition, so that was definitely a bonus. As for new-music stores, I remember (maybe Nic knows where I'm talking about) an HMV and a Sam's (not Sam Goody's, but something else) really near each other in downtown. They had a large selection, of course. I spent plenty of money there. :)

There were some chess tables near there as well, and I sat down and played for a while. I used to be a big chess player (2nd place at the DC area Youth Tournament in '97), but I hadn't played in years. Well, I haven't felt as invigorated as I did that day in Toronto. Just playing there with some guys who I'll never see again. I think that's probably pretty indicative of my feelings on Toronto as a whole - an amazing place where I felt alive. If I had to live one place in the world, it would be Toronto.

Sam the Record Man is an unique retail record store in downtown Toronto. Rumours of its imminent death over Christmas turn out to be premature, as the founder's heirs rallied to buy Sams out of bankruptcy.

The chess tables outside Sams are still there, but the Yonge Street strip is in transition, much the same as Times Square in NYC. International brands, GAP, HMV, Guess and Hard Rock Cafe are transforming the look and feel of this retail neighbourhood. (Note that Canadians put u in neighbor.)

Americans visiting Toronto really notice the money. Greenbacks go much further that our coloured money. I think Canadian currency really took a turn for the worse, when our paper dollar was replaced by a coin dubbed the Loonie because it had the bird on the first minting. The loon is not on all the coins now, but the handle stuck and now our Canadian dollar, as a currency, is almost officially known as a "loonie" ... how looney is that! Is it any wonder 1 US Dollar (USD) = 1.61230 Canadian Dollar (CAD) today. American tourists gotta love that!

Excess taxation is a Canadian tradition, so our retail purchases have a 7% GST, Goods and Services Tax, on top of an 8% PST, Provincial Sales Tax. The good news for our American friends is that these taxes are only applied to residents, and our tourist guests can get a full refund. Party on!

Thanks for the refund tip. Too bad I didn't know it 2 1/2 years ago. :P Seriously though, I'll have to put that to good use next time I'm there.

Those chess tables really blew me away... not because they're unique. Just because I got to sit down and play my game there. I ran out of time (I had to meet back up with Vanessa, so I resigned and took off), but I had a blast. Maybe I'm the only one that's also fascinated that you, living in a different country, know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention them... but it does fascinate me. You've probably walked past them numerous times. On Thursday, October 14, 1999, I was there, playing chess against a middle-aged African-Canadian (heh) man. That just fascinates me. I meet you over two years later and you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I really want to go back to Toronto. I guess I will some day. It would definitely be good stuffs.

Toronto is a beautiful city.

Hockey! Go team Canada!

Wonder how many home-grown folk are competing in the upcoming Winter Games in Salt Lake City?

Edi Podivinsky - Alpine Skiing
Emanuel Sandhu - Figure Skating
Elvis Stojko - Figure Skating
Veronika Bauer - Freestyle Skiing
Andy Capicik - Freestyle Skiing
Adam Foote - Men's Ice Hockey
Joe Nieuwendyk - Men's Ice Hockey
Michael Peca - Men's Ice Hockey
Cassie Campbell - Women's Ice Hockey
Cherie Piper - Women's Ice Hockey
Vicky Sunohara - Women's Ice Hockey

This is Canada related, but did any of you see the Olympics commercial on abc with shots of all the Americans competing in it?

Did you notice that it was the Canadian Nat'l Anthem in the background?

I thought it was quite funny when I heard it.

methinks you are thinking of the music "God Save The Queen" which is the same tune as "America" a.k.a. "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" an American patriotic theme.

O Canada, was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, 100 years after it was first sung on June 24, 1880.

Prior to adopting our own national anthem, Canada used the British national anthem "God Save The Queen" which causes confusion.

Hmmm. Our home is a peaceful, repectful Canada/US merger (Sentiment runs for Team Canada Men's hockey, and Team USA women's hockey) and we're just hoping for a bit of actual sports coverage of world atheletes rather than a frickin' Lee Greenwood video. I havent seen the ABC spot! he he he.

When do you think Canada and the US will merge? Do you think it'll ever happen? I bet some time, way in the future, we will.

Canada is more likely to split in two if the Quebecois have anything to do with it!

In my experience Canucks have a fairly strong sense of nationalism and have little interest in joining the US. But I would love to hear our resident northerners take on it. If trade is free and travel is free, there's little reason to "merge".

One other thing... I really like "O Canada" as a nat'l anthem. As a song it's way better than the Star Spangled Banner, using only one octave but using it all, and ending on the high note like all good anthems should.

Most of the issues that give rise to "nationalism" i.e.

national defense
homeland security
immigration
trade and commerce
natural resources
monetary policy
social heritage
cultural values

etc. etc. etc.

definitely favor/favour assimilation.

One of the major constitutional differences of these two federal democracies is that in Canada the residual powers are in the federal government, whereas in the USA the residual powers are in the states. As Canada moves toward regional interests of the Provinces, especially Quebec, there is a good case for these political units to become more autonomous States, with greater regional power than the Canadian confederation allows them.

Some of the major points of differentiation between Canada and US values, generally, such as death penalty and gun control would have to be modified in any "merger" which would require bi-lateral constitutional amendments of all sorts. One way of satisfying all constituencies would be to make the "right to bear arms" a matter of state jurisdiction, in which case the former provinces would, no doubt, vote to be "gun controlled" states, whereas states like Texas would likely preserve a modified right to bear arms, taking into consideration current homeland security priorities.

I see it coming in my children's lifetime, if not my own. It's definitely becoming an open debate in Canada. Not everyone is in agreement, of course.

A great anthem. Sarah Mclachlan did a version that gave me shivers. I admire when someone really sings well and honestly instead of "styling", going for the high C. I also enjoyed hearing the bilingual version while watching an old c.70s Habs game on Classic sports. Canadians, Who is that famous French Canadian singer? He just belted it. It was great.

I figure that some time in the future, we're just going to be a huge country. One big fuckin' blob of land and people. Canadians and us folks from the States aren't that different - all things considered, the only difference is really our government. Because of that, we each have nationalism... but even the dead & beaten horse of "eh?" is just dialect, much like southerners say "gawlee!" and the like. I'm figuring probably in 200 years. The border will dissolve and we'll become one nation. I'm not saying the United States will become a part of Canada or that Canada will become the 51st state - rather, we'll just kinda merge. I dunno. It just seems like it will happen one day. I could be wrong though.

Plus, if we did that, we'd have Russia beat, size-wise :)

If there were to be a unification of Canada and the USA, and perhaps Latin America, it would seem that a unifying patriotic theme for North America could be America the Beautiful, whether you prefer Elvis Presley's or Lee Greenwood's rendition.
Although it wouldn't hurt to change the last line to, "Thy brighter jubilee!"

Incidentally, the lyrics of that patriotic song includes the line "from sea to shining sea" which is the motto of Canada, a mari usque a mare.

I dont like this merge idea. Bigger aint better.Canada doesnt need a big southern province.

I wouldn't have any problem with a merger, so long as they hold on to CBC's Radio Two. :)

This view of the skyline is seen from Toronto Island Park, an urban paradise.

I remember looking at the CN Tower and thinking "Wow, that exists because Canada needed to feel good about itself." I remember thinking it was funny when all the Canadians I know agreed with me :)

(They all live in Toronto, BTW :P )

hmm... as the resident torontonian expert i feel i should comment, but what to say? i've never been to a game at the skydome nor have i been on the CN tower... however, i have been exactly where that last picture was taken, on toronto island [it actually looks like it was taken on ward's island]... that's a good piece of toronto right there - for $5 you get a ferry ride across and there are NO CARS [woo hoo!] lots of greenery for smoking greens, and no one has ever minded when me and my crackhead goon friends bring a system over there to pump out some tunes.

as for a merger... i have one word for you - HA. like that'll ever happen. most canadians have a strong distaste for certain american problems and i don't see them being reconciled any time soon. the #1 difference will be gun control of course - we tend to think that no one needs a gun for defense or whatever reason... the moment you start arming the populace is when people start killing each other, or so it would seem. we have no reason to fear violent crime up here - toronto's streets are ridiculously safe as long as you follow a few precautions that fall under 'common sense' [such as: don't go to regent park at night!]. another big issue is prohibition... we know it doesnt work. if canada were somewhere else on the globe we'd already have it legalized... but our drug laws are dependant on YOUR policies and procedures because of the world's largest [mostly] unguarded border lies between us :) i mean, most of your weed probably comes from BC anyway but it could be a lot worse [in the eyes of your gov't] or better [in the red eyes of your nation's stoners]. canadian travellers often remark of incidences where they are treated like shit by foreigners until they make it clear that they're not american! :) i believe one of the tricks american backpackers use is to sew a canadian flag patch on to a visible portion of the gear? there's a reason for that ;) yah our national character is part cowardice and part courtesy, a wimpy mixture. but whatever my rambling diatribe may touch upon, one thing is for certain: though not being very patriotic, canadians are happy to be defined by being NOT american!

now maybe this sounds uppity... in which case i'd have to say our gov't is run by a geriatric gang of corrupt officials with no souls... and how the gov't treats (or treated) our natives is inexcuseable. toronto the city is run by a complete buffoon, mel lastman, an ex-furniture salesdude. he's too old, too out of touch, and too much of a sappy show-off to amount to any kind of capable leader of canada's largest metropolis. if its not his perpetual gaffes in minor municipal politics its the scandals that are constantly erupting - always with amusing results. not so long ago everyone found out that rich boy mel has a bunch of illegitamite kids, that he didn't know biker gangs dealt drugs and participated in crime (this happened REAL recent - he went to welcome the biker gangs to the city.. idiot), and oh his wife ran off with a fireman, ha. anyhow he should have resigned... its really too bad no one takes democracy seriously in this city... last election, it was the usual. vote for the kindly old gentleman with the rubber face... ah well. guy i voted for came in second... might as well have been last since mel got 80%+ of the vote. boooo-urns.

the eaton center sucks. avoid that cess pool. i work right next to it and... ugh. people move slow, they act like dumb beasts of burden, shopping all the way... there are good places in toronto to visit but i generally despise most of the city. its growing completely out of control with no respect for the future reprecussions. i hope i'm out of north america in 10 years, so they can merge with whoever the hell they want, haha.

anyway if you're still with me now we'll get down to the useful information ;) my fave restaurant in the city - authentic mexican cuisine. you can find it on bathurst st. just north of bloor and south of davenport. its on the east side of the street and is called 'dos amigos'... excellent marguiritas and tasty fare - not texmex slop but actual fine mexican food. kensington is also a great place... a real mixture of things. officially its a market, but also a vintage clothes sector, and there are all kinds of weird and wacky stores in the various corners of its sprawl. kensington can be found just to the west of the main "chinatown" here which is at spadina/dundas. parallel with spadina and just a bit to the west is kensington ave, the main street that cuts through the market area. check it out for cheap produce and wholesome fresh baked goods and that kind of thing. very seedy and worldly too ;) there's a good restaurant at the north end of kensington as well - la palette.. very fine french cuisine though it is a bit pricey. the best thing? extensive 3 page specialty beer menu. wowza...

i'll blah later maybe...

LEGISLATION TO CREATE PERMANENT TORONTO WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION CORPORATION (TWRC)

The Ontario and federal governments and the City of Toronto will be making a total investment of $1.5 billion -$500 million each - to revitalize and transform Toronto's waterfront.

All three governments also agreed that the Ontario Government would take the lead in creating a permanent corporation to plan and manage the renewal process of Toronto's waterfront.

On December 11, 2001, the Provincial government introduced the proposed Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation Act, 2001 as a result of that commitment.

Headed by Robert Fung, the TWRC will be responsible for developing business strategies, implementing projects and championing innovation to achieve the three governments' goal of revitalizing Toronto's waterfront in a financially self-sustaining and environmentally responsible manner.

The objectives of the corporation also include:

- Creating an accessible and active waterfront for living, working and recreation;

- Promoting and encouraging private sector involvement in waterfront redevelopment; and

- Encouraging public input in the development plan.


Here's a very interesting website with a pictorial overview of Toronto's waterfront today.

ONLY IF YOU HAVE A HIGH SPEED CONNECTION ... and an interest in Toronto's history, will you be interested in this fascinating map of Toronto in 1898, showing a much different shoreline. Toronto's waterfront skyline is built on landfill of Lake Ontario during the last century. (This 790 X 590 pixel image can be expanded to a detailed 4240 X 3167 pixel image.)

there's another funny project. there's always someone that doesnt want to cough up the cash... see, if i'm not mistaken - the waterfront project was part of the olympic package... flash back a few months and you'll hear about another great toronto scandal... we were neck and neck with beijing for the 2008 summer games then our good mayor mr. lastman makes a comment that he doesn't want to visit africa cuz all he can think of is savages dancing around him in a pot of hot water... the irony, of course, being that the comment itself was what put himself in such hot water :) it was a high profile gaffe while walking a political tightrope.. total fuckup!

so i hear that the waterfront project is basically dead or only half-assed since "we" fucked up and lost the olympics. fed.gov won't pay their share, or maybe its the city... all i know is that recently we've had a lot of projects that need funding from all three levels of gov't and two will show but the others won't - leaving the two that did supply not having to cough up funds after all.

Toronto may have lost its bid to host the 2008 Olympics, but a new entertainment complex dedicated to the spirit of the Games is to be built downtown.

In the fall of 2003, Olympic Spirit, a 4,645-square-metre building, will rise out of the construction chaos at the corner of Yonge and Dundas streets.

A key partner is in this project is Bobby Sniderman, son of Sam "The Record Man" Sniderman, and owner of The Senator restaurant in Toronto. Sniderman will assume the role of interim general manager of Olympic Spirit. Sniderman had the forsight to buy this key parcel of land facing Dundas Square and to work with architectural genius Patrick Berge at Sceno Plus to put together the winning bid proposal.

TORONTO, ON — Wayne Gretzky, Executive Director of Canada’s 2002 Men’s Olympic Hockey team, announced the roster that will compete for Canada at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, UT.

The players named to Canada’s 2002 Men’s Olympic hockey team are:

Goaltenders: Ed Belfour (Carman, MB), Martin Brodeur (Montreal, QC), Curtis Joseph (Keswick, ON)

Defensemen: Eric Brewer (Vernon, BC), Adam Foote (Toronto, ON), Ed Jovanovski (Windsor, ON), Al MacInnis (Inverness, NS) Rob Blake (Simcoe, ON), Scott Niedermayer (Cranbrook, BC) and Chris Pronger (Dryden, ON)

Forwards: Theoren Fleury (Russell, MB), Simon Gagne (Ste-Foy, QC), Jarome Iginla (Edmonton, AB), Eric Lindros (Toronto, ON), Joe Nieuwendyk (Oshawa, ON), Michael Peca (Toronto, ON), Paul Kariya (Vancouver, BC), Mario Lemieux (Montreal, QC), Owen Nolan (Thorold, ON), Joe Sakic (Burnaby, BC), Steve Yzerman (Nepean, ON), Brendan Shanahan (Toronto, ON), and Ryan Smyth (Banff, AB)

"We are extremely excited and proud to name our roster of 23 players that will compete for Canada at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, " said Wayne Gretzky, Executive Director of Team Canada. "We are very fortunate in Canada to have the opportunity to choose from a pool of many great Canadian players, which made the decisions a difficult process. We believe that the group of players we have selected represents one of Canada’s greatest international hockey teams, and we look forward to competing this February."

bahahaha the yonge/dundas complex. lets see if i can describe this modern piece of architectural mastery...

big pile of dirt. cheaply constructed wooden walls enclosing the construction compound. on hold indefinatly while zoning laws are wrangled over.

but... the one part they did make is the glorious eyesore that faces south on dundas right at yonge. yep, to commemerate the filling of several pockets, developers have erected the world's most nauseating billboard complex solely for displaying television ads and other gobbledygook with the intention of causing severe ocular pain. at night the whole region of town lights up in a kaleidoscopic miasma of capitalist colours... wonderful, really it is.

where are you getting all these pieces of tourist propaganda anyhow?

at least there's one thing we're sure of.. we're good at hockey.. maybe not the home team [the maple leaves? leafs? they cant even spell] but who cares.. its the hometowners that matter.

not that i'll debate that point, not being of the sportsfan persuasion.

When I was in Toronto, I always made it a point of casually yelling "Hockey sucks!" and then looking all innocent. Sean (a friend up there) told me that it generally got a lot of looks. Not that I was really paying attention - I'd usually jerk my head to appear as if I was looking for the idiot that said it. Ah, bars are fun. :)

Can you believe this shot was taken in Toronto, on January 28? :cool:

December and January have been the warmest winter months since weather records began for this area in 1840.

The fact that we haven't had real cold this winter is, I think, the real news.
By this time of the year we should have had 20 days of minus 12C or colder in Toronto.
We've had none so far.

David Phillips, Environment Canada senior climatologist

We had a warm winter here too. It didn't snow until mid January. Global warming at its finest...

Ziggy points out that he hasn't been to a game at the SkyDome, and hasn't been up the CN Tower. He has that in common with most Torontonians, I'm sure. But others have enjoyed these unique experiences you can find only in Toronto. Many other great features of this city are not for tourists, per se. We are so fortunate that venues like the Hockey Hall of Fame and Ontario Place, which are not for tourists any more than for locals, are just so damn convenient for us. Let's be realistic, Toronto isn't heaven on earth ... but there are a lot of worse places to live.

It's typical that most residents of metropolitan cities overlook some of the best attractions their cities have to offer. Their choice, of course, but often their loss. Other people, just like them, spend lots of dough to travel to Toronto and enjoy these attractions, and we locals often miss out on the good stuff right under our noses. That's true everywhere, not just Toronto.

An interesting exercise, no matter where one lives, is to take a weekend and get to know your city from a tourist's perspective. Grab a date, get a hotel room and go out on the town you haven't discovered, even though you've lived there all your life.

In the end, you create your own environment and find your own fun, wherever you happen to live at the moment.

GOIT is a fun little website that offers an interesting source of ideas about where to go in Toronto on a date.

Where do you find your fun in T.O.?

:whofarted I had fun just kinda hanging out. Maybe that's because I'm not a native and so everything was kinda new to me. However, I've never been at a place where just kinda sitting around is so satisfying. Walk down to a donut shop (you guys have a LOT of donut shops) and get some tea and a donut. Lots of good book stores, and I spent a lot of time reading. Good music stores, so I spent a lot of time listening to music. Broadband is pretty cheap in Toronto, so I spent some time online. :) I guess what I'd really ask is "how do you get bored in Toronto?" - there seems to be so much to do. I'd really like to live there some day.

no its not so bad.. i just revolt against idiotic government and corporate presence [i could say toronto is ad-saturated but who isnt?]...

tourist vacation, well that's a nice idea.

what do i do for fun in this city, attraction-wise? well i love the ROM - right at museum station or university/bloor... they often have interesting exhibits or shows. once we walked in on a friday and it was MEXICAN night with the foyer crowded full of people and a full live band, all for the opening of some exhibit.. damn interesting! there were literally thousands of people in a museum enjoying some live tunes at 5:30 on a friday. weird. families and all =) la cucaracha... hoy!

for the infiltrators out there we have a decrepit subway station i havent yet visited.. just below bay lies the original bay station, now used as scenery in hollywood movies [matrix? not 100% sure bout that]. it can be accessed by... running through the tubes themselves! how cool is that - evade death and hit up a turn-of-the-century subway station that no one really uses for much. that's my idea of a thrill... but i'm saving it for when i get a little french terroriste moustache - i want to look good in the mug shots.

i'm running out of things... my problem, i probably belong in europe or something. the entertainment here is fine, modern.. lots of things for sports fans, tons of giant movie complexes and theatres, expensive dining and video gamer combos, crap like that... but if it looks good on the outside, maybe there'd be enough for you to do. me, i find myself bored and sick of this city on a regular basis. for me it is getting too "yuppie", with lots of crappy big-name big-brand stores popping up in place of genuinely interesting shops [that unfortunatly aren't commercially viable in competition to the mega-empires]...

oh well!

i should try that get-a-hotel-go-slumming plan

The first leg of Yonge Street officially opened on this day in 1796 from Toronto to Lake Simcoe, shown at Barrie in the graphic above.

Yonge Street is one of the most famous streets in the world and is often the most memorable thing about a visit to Toronto.

The longest street in the world begins at the Toronto Harbour, runs 1,896 kilometres to pass through numerous Ontario towns to Rainy River, Ontario - bordering Manitoba and the U.S.

To take a cab from one end of Yonge Street to the other would cost more than $2,000 in Canadian loonie dollars. I think that's about $20 US today. :)

dham remembers playing chess in front of Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street.

I remember the crowds on Yonge Street after the Blue Jays won back to back World Series in 1992-1993. And the Italians went nuts on Yonge Street when Italy won the World Cup. Toronto has the largest Italian population of any city in the world, after Rome.

Any other memories of Yonge Street?

The wife and I had dinner at a small restaurant along it, featuring ice wines from the Niagara area, outstanding dessert wines. Then we went to Second City. Isn't that like a few blocks off?

Wait a minute, you guys have a town named Swastika?

Can I guess how the roads around the center square are laid out?

Good eye, UT. :confused: I hadn't noticed that on the graphic.

[Edit: on further research, it appears that there still is a town called Swastika in Ontario, and that is the one on the graphic. Who knew?]

Located just west of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Swastika is less than an hour drive along highway 66 towards the Quebec border. This unincorporated township, located in the county of Timiskaming, has a population of around 545 and gets its name (and heritage) to a different time of the 20th century. During the early days of the century there was a lot of gold mining in this area. In 1911, brothers Bill and Jim Dusty found gold at a nearby lake, and named the mine after a visitor's good luck charm -- yes, a swastika.

At the outbreak of World War Two the Ontario government tried to change the name of the town to Winston (after Winston Churchill), but local residents protested the desecration of their name. It was not uncommon to see signs all over the town at this time saying; "The hell with Hitler. We came up with our name first!" So the name stayed.

btw: The swastika as a symbol of Nazi Germany was usually displayed as having been rotated at a 45-degree angle. As a symbol used by such religions as Jains, Hindus and Buddhists, on the other hand, the swastika is presented as upright, a distinction that should be recognized by illustrators.

The Second City has moved to a new theatre in Toronto's Entertainment District. I'm glad you mentioned it, 'cause it is definitely one of the better spots to go out for a laugh.

The original Second City Firehouse theatre in Toronto has been converted into Gilda's Club in memory of Gilda Radner.

Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. ~ Gilda Radner

True story.

In Toronto, each water bill soaks the city for $8.54

The figure is calculated by taking the total cost of billing services — $13.32 million this year, divided by the total number of bills issued — 1.56 million. :rolleyes:

I'd like to see what the cost of billing is over the revenue number!

The cost includes more than postage and envelopes. There's meter reading — which alone requires 60 staffers — a call centre to handle questions and complaints, and processing of 440,000 residential payments every four months and 20,000 commercial accounts monthly.

If you think $8.54 is steep, the tab was a whopping $18.69 a bill in 1999. :eek:

That was before the six water billing departments of the former municipalities were "harmonized," said Giuliana Carbone, director of revenue services for the city.

OK, let's all harmonize now ... hmmm.

Under pressure from the provincial government, Toronto is producing "performance measures" for the first time to give councillors a better handle on the city's operations. :(

Isn't the Internet supposed to create efficiencies and save money?

In the spirit of the Great White North's Bob & Doug MacKenzie, I'd like to make at least one post to toast our famous brew.


Lyrics to Take Off

Coo ... coo coo coo, coo coo, coo coo ....

Take off to the great white north
Its a beauty way to go
Take off to the great white north

Take off to the great white north
Its a beauty way to go
Take off to the great white north

(chug another beer and repeat)



The most opinionated beer site on the Internet

The Opinionated Beer Page


The best damn Canadian beer site on the Internet

mmm.beer.com


Bonus track

The Twelve Days of Christmas, by Bob & Doug

don't people know what a swastika actually is yet? if i was living in that town i'd have the same opinion! though honestly i've never heard of it and i'm not too unknowledgable of our province's northern parts [north starts at barrie, haha].

its funny that you mention the water bill... thats one of the things my company handles - online presentment of city of toronto's water bills :) its a cost-saving measure but not enough people use it yet.

What part of the process are you involved in?

epost or Symcor (Optus) ???

epost here... small world!

You know, something occurs to me:

How do they do street numbers on Yonge? Are there no two identical street numbers? How high do the numbers go?

Ziggy,

I'm not involved in your sector, but my cousin worked for Cebra (now Merx) so is very familiar with epost.

I signed up for epost early on, but find it quite "experimental" as Canada Post tries to find its place in cyberspace.

Most of the folks here in the Cellar might think that it is typically bizarre that the Postal Service's e-billing service actually snail mails passwords in separate envelopes from user names. (I don't know if they're still doing that, but they were when I signed up.)

They just don't trust email. :rolleyes: Like snail mail is really secure. :confused:

dham,

Each municipality is responsible for its own street numbering system, so two similar numbers on Yonge Street would not exist in any city or town.

As the Yonge Street continues through rural areas outside urban municipalities, it is under Provincial (State) jurisdiction and is called Hwy. 11.

With the current situation in the USA, where people are taking the fifth and refusing to give evidence, invoking their constitutional right not to be required to give evidence that might incriminate themselves ...

it might be interesting to compare our rights in Canada, which are included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of our Constitution Act.

SELF-INCRIMINATION.

13. A witness who testifies in any proceedings has the right not to have any incriminating evidence so given used to incriminate that witness in any other proceedings, except in a prosecution for perjury or for the giving of contradictory evidence.

Essentially, everyone in Canada can be compelled to testify as a witness (except in a criminal prosecution against that person in respect of the offence) and is entitled to the protection of the Charter that such testimony is inadmissable as evidence against that witness in other proceedings.

In a current situation such as Enron's Ken Lay's appearance before committees, he would be required to testify if subject to subpoena in Canada, but his own testimony could not be used as evidence against him in subsequent criminal proceedings against him.

Big difference from the Fifth Amendment protection of the Constitution of the USA.

He can get the same thing here if the prosecution is willing to grant him immunity. If they aren't granting him that, they probably figure he won't give evidence against others anyway.

Just curious - what is the wording of your "freedom of speech" bit?

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Fundamental freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

a) freedom of conscience and religion;
b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
d) freedom of association.

It may be worth noting that Canadians don't have an inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. :(

Life, liberty and security of person

7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

i agree, nicolas.. the snail mail password mailing was rather silly, but that's long gone by now. the system continues to get better... it certainly was klunky in its previous iteration and even now there are some major flaws but its getting better all the time... i personally continue to recieve all my bills through snail mail.

on freedoms: i doubt very many canadians could recite even a piece of our constitution or charter of rights. i don't know if its ironic or what... we can't even tell how free we are, though i can't recall being repressed recently.

I didn't remember the wording, but there was something I wanted to point out about that. Thanks for posting it.

You'll notice how it very clearly does <b>not</b> say that the right to freedom of speech may not be revoked. I have to wonder why they did that.

The First Amendment's text is as follows:

<b>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.</b>

Now, I'm not trying to get into a pissing war or anything (my freedoms are better than your freedoms!), but I find the wording curious on the Canadian Charter. Not to say that I think they're planning to revoke anything, but rather - I have to wonder why they <b>didn't</b> put in some wording about it being "inalienable" or "unrevokable" or something. Is unrevokable even a word? :)

Irrevocable. Our freedoms are subject to legislation that can be enacted, if it specifically states that it is notwithstanding the Charter of Freedoms. Now that is quite different than the American constitutional protections, which limit government legislative powers.

The War Measures Act suspends the Charter of Freedom with a declaration of a state of emergency or war.

During the FLQ Crisis in 1970, the Prime Minister invoked the War Measures Act because of a Separatist/Terrorist threat in Quebec.

From a speech by Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, October 16, 1970

The War Measures Act gives sweeping powers to the Government. It also suspends the operation of the Canadian Bill of Rights. I can assure you that the Government is most reluctant to seek such powers, and did so only when it became crystal clear that the situation could not be controlled unless some extraordinary assistance was made available on an urgent basis.


The authority contained in the Act will permit Governments to deal effectively with the nebulous yet dangerous challenge to society represented by the terrorist organizations. The criminal law as it stands is simply not adequate to deal with systematic terrorism.


The police have therefore been given certain extraordinary powers necessary for the effective detection and elimination of conspiratorial organizations which advocate the use of violence. These organizations, and membership in them, have been declared illegal. The powers include the right to search and arrest without warrant, to detain suspected persons without the necessity of laying specific charges immediately, and to detain persons without bail.


These are strong powers and I find them as distasteful as I am sure do you. They are necessary, however, to permit the police to deal with persons who advocate or promote the violent overthow of our democratic system. In short, I assure you that the Government recognizes its grave responsibilities in interfering in certain cases with civil liberties, and that it remains answerable to the people of Canada for its actions. The Government will revoke this proclamation as soon as possible.

When questioned by the press, Trudeau uttered his famous line, "How far will I go? Just watch me."

[Edited note:]

Could This Happen Today?

The War Measures Act was repealed in 1988. It was replaced with the Emergencies Act. The Emergencies Act allows the federal government to make temporary laws in the event of a serious national emergency.

The Emergencies Act differs from the War Measures Act in two important ways:

1. A declaration of an emergency by the Cabinet must be reviewed by Parliament
2. Any temporary laws made under the Act are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Thus any attempt by the government to suspend the civil rights of Canadians, even in an emergency, will be subject to the "reasonable and justified" test under section 1 of the Charter.

<b>That</b> is pretty scary. I'd hate to look at a copy funny during one of those times. Glad we don't have that here in the US - in Canada, they'd probably offer me a warm drink and all that good stuff, whereas the over-eager cops here would beat my ass to a pulp.

[Edited-in Reply, so as to match Nic's post]

That's definitely a <b>Good Thing &trade;</b> - however, are there any clauses or amendments that state that the right <b>may not</b> be revoked? And if not, that's just what I find curious - I don't imagine that the Canadian Government has any devious plan, so why would they leave it out?

well i'm not so certain about this particular government... chretien has practically turned it into a dictatorship.

Which begs the question -

Could Canada become the next Nazi Germany? :)

of course.. we'll have mounted moose brigades and we'll destroy your country with our phearsome powers involving bacon mysticism.

:)

That gave me a hearty laugh.

Seriously though, I don't think the rest of the world would let *that* type of expansion happen, but I more or less mean domestically. Could all of your rights wither away under a self-appointed dictator? Interesting to think about, if nothing else.

When Ziggy says our Prime Minister, Chretien, "has practically turned it into a dictatorship" he is commenting on the power of a democratically elected leader of a political party with a majority of representatives in the house.

Sort of like GWB would be if the Republicans controlled the Senate and the House of Representatives.

But that wouldn't make the USA a dictatorship. Canada and the USA are constitutional democracies. Powerful elected leaders can't change that, whatever their popularity is while holding office.

Any fear of slipping into a dictatorship in Canada and the USA can be cured with a little understanding of the political systems. The great thing about the Internet, is that access to information is free to all of us, who are obviously already online.

Mayor Mel Lastman will today announce a $200 million deal to build 1 million square feet of movie studios on the derelict port lands, at the site of the proposed broadcast centre for the failed Olympic bid.

The waterfront deal brings to the city one of the largest movie studios in the world. It should net Toronto 3,000 new jobs and cement its reputation as Hollywood North, a status that faced challenges from Montreal and Vancouver. :cool:

Have you ever seen "The Cube"?

I hadn't heard of The Cube until you mentioned it.

Mario Lemieux, the 2002 captain of Team Canada, is one of the greatest players in the history of ice hockey.

I'm following Canada's participation at the Winter Games.

Point being, it sucked. Don't go watch it. :)

i don't know why people liked the cube so much.. i thought it was horrible as well.

re: dictatorship... maybe i'm naive, but i figure that if citizens within a electoral region vote for a particular candidate based on their merits then those elected officials should represent those peoples in the national forum that is parliament... instead, they're all a part of these parties which don't really have different agendas and rarely put any kind of focus on regional-specific issues... thats fine - i figure the whole game of politics is this interaction between elected officials battling over things for the good of the various levels of government - municipal, provincial, federal... the problem seems to arise when there are issues in parliament and the members of the majority party are forced to stifle their own dissent if there were any. if politician X from city Y is faced with a piece of legislature that would negatively impact the interests of the citizens of his riding then shouldn't he vote nay? but it seems to me that such things aren't allowed in canadian politics in the current climate. much news is made about the process of government instead of what the government is actually doing. before 9/11 there was a great deal of attention being pointed towards the slack attendance of the majority party members, and the self-assured arrogance exhibited by the leaders of that party that rather mock the political system as a whole. its gotten to the point where the leader often just barks things at people should they make a murmur not totally in line with party ideology [which is loosely based - just don't piss off the top dog]. the government is in a state of stagnation - despite having 3 terms i don't think chretian is going to be remembered as doing anything particularly noteworthy. there is little active debate about many issues surrounding the pseudodemocratic processes we have been witness to in parliament...

Any of the Canadians 'ere see the pairs skating last night? I missed it but the buzz is the fix was in and the Canadian pair paid for it.

Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier will get a gold medal in the Olympics pairs figure skating, the presidents of the IOC and the ISU announced this afternoon. The French judge at the centre of the controversy has been suspended for improper conduct.

But Homer Simpson will not be allowed near our Pickering nuclear station, says Provincial Premier Mike Harris.

"It's great news for tourism in Toronto and Ontario when a family of the stature of TV's The Simpsons comes to town." said our Premier.

Our Mayor Mel, who runs his own comedy act at Melville City Hall, refused to participate personally in the visit, or to officially declare today to be Simpsons Day in Toronto and give Homer the keys to the City. D'oh!

Television's dysfunctional but enduring American family will pay a visit to Toronto in this Sunday's episode.

Whether you're rooting for Team USA or Team Canada, their fashion statements both have roots in Toronto clothing company Roots.

Says Roots co-founder Michael Budman: ''The Olympics give athletes, and countries, credibility.'' Anytime a country receives the kind of worldwide exposure that Canada has received over the past week, it boosts the overall business community, he says.



Roots is ramping up its global expansion plans after becoming the product hit of the Games, Budman says. The privately held, 29-year-old Toronto company will expand its offerings through 131 Nordstrom stores in the USA and with QVC. It is arranging outfitting deals with U.S. and Canadian Olympic teams through 2006. It's expanding in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. And it will open its first stores in China this fall. ''The key is that America has been shown what the Roots brand is all about,'' says the U.S.-born Budman, 56.

Roots' Team USA beret is the must-have souvenir of the Games.



Fans were lined up at 4 a.m. Sunday to buy Olympic gear at Roots stores in Salt Lake City. The demand for the company's gear is ''unprecedented,'' Budman says.

Doug: Those Czech Republicans are real losers, eh? Go Team Canada.
Bob: Oh, I gotta take a leak so bad I can taste it!

Speaking of Canadian beer, Sleeman is one of the best local brews.

*cheers* to sleemanj:beer:

My sister-in-law brought me a mixed case of Sleemans products last time she went home. Very tastey.

From Toronto:

Gold Medal Winner - Cassie Campbell
Gold Medal Winner - Cherie Piper
Gold Medal Winner - Vicky Sunohara

Congratulations!

Originally posted by Nic Name
Speaking of Canadian beer, [b]Sleeman is one of the best local brews.

*cheers* to sleemanj:beer: [/B]

As we would say in NZ, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate
:D

See the Onion's editorial on a trip to Canada.

Well, the Winter Olympics are over, and I'm just recovering from the celebrations.

It's been a zoo here in Toronto. Yonge Street was closed to traffic as it filled up with fans and flags.

Understandably, we are delighted with the Gold Medals in both the men's and women's hockey.

It's a Canadian game, eh?

All the medals won by Toronto area natives were Gold.

Eric Lindros - Men's Ice Hockey
Brendan Shanahan - Men's Ice Hockey
Adam Foote - Men's Ice Hockey
Joe Nieuwendyk - Men's Ice Hockey
Michael Peca - Men's Ice Hockey
Cassie Campbell - Women's Ice Hockey
Cherie Piper - Women's Ice Hockey
Vicky Sunohara - Women's Ice Hockey

Congratulations to these hometown favourites and to all the Canadian athletes who did us proud.

From the Toronto Star

The Royal Ontario Museum will never be the same, neither will Toronto.

...

Libeskind beat out more than 50 architects from around the world with a striking proposal that will transform the complex at Bloor St. and Avenue Rd./Queen's Park into a 21st-century architectural landmark.

Though his submission leaves the Queen's Park facade untouched, the rest of the facility will be completely and startlingly changed. Most startling of all will be the Bloor front, which will resemble an explosion of glass.

Torontonians will have to wait for another time and place for their Frank Ghery moment, as that world-famous Canadian architect has yet to make his mark on Toronto.

See all the Moose in the City here. This successful promotion
of the past few years boosted tourism and raised money for charities.

In 1920-1921 the NHL had only four teams:

Toronto St. Patricks
Montreal Canadiens
Hamilton Tigers
Ottawa Senators

and the Senators won the Stanley Cup, playing Toronto in a two game "total goals" playoff series.

The Toronto St. Patricks became the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Today in Maple Leafs History:

March 17, 1934 - A St. Patrick's Day crowd of 11,000 turns out for 'King Clancy Night.' Clancy is pushed to centre ice while seated in a sleigh shaped like a throne. The Irishman unveils his robe to show a green uniform with a large shamrock on the back and he proceeds to wear the uniform for the game. Lester Patrick, coach of the Rangers, complains that his uniform is a distraction and Clancy changes into his regular Maple Leafs uniform.

A new Canadian $5 bill, Children at Play, celebrates winter sports.

The grumpy guy is Sir Wilfred Laurier, Canada's seventh Prime Minister.

Don't you think Canadian currency has the best graphic designs?

Andersen strikes deal with Deloitte in Canada, which saves 1,400 jobs here and makes Deloitte & Touche the largest accounting firm in this country.

As reported in the Toronto Star

Andersen's international branches are legally separate from Arthur Andersen, which audited Enron's books and has been charged with obstructing justice for allegedly shredding Enron-related documents while the Houston energy trader was under investigation.

The U.S. Andersen accounting firm has been bleeding major clients and announced 7,000 layoffs this week. Also this week, a former Andersen partner pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice — a move seen as seriously undermining the firm's legal position.

The Canadian firm is insulated from the American problems, and the due diligence in yesterday's transaction is expected to be routine, said Deloitte spokesperson Jacqui d'Eon. "Our hope is that most of the Andersen people will join us ... and the Deloitte & Touche people will remain in place as well."

Police cruisers escort the bodies of Canadian soldiers
in four hearses on Toronto's Don Valley Parkway Saturday.
Photo: Aaron Harris/CP

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Bruce was introduced to the wilderness at an early age by his parents. Weekend canoeing, camping and hiking trips instilled a love for nature that would forever draw him further away from a 'normal' life.

After graduating from University with a degree in Engineering Physics, Bruce remained at his first office job for less than six months before leaving to pursue an uncertain future in outdoor adventure.

Click on the pic, if you want to see more pics and read about his latest adventure ocean kayaking off the west coast of Canada.

Or, visit his website at: http://www.brucekirkby.com/

GO BIG: The Ontario College of Art & Design's $41-million campus expansion will boast an enormous 165-meter-long rectangular building over the college's existing structures. It will be held 10-storeys aloft by a series of thin columns.

Make sure to update when that thing collapses.

It's actually a project for the nearby Ontario College of Demolition Engineering -- the object is to design a demolition plan which collapses the structure evenly and uses the least explosives. All student's projects will be simulated, and the best will be carried out, most likely in the middle of the night.

I was surprised to see such a proposal ... post 9/11.

It's hard to believe that it will actually be built as designed, while real estate industry experts re-examine how structures should be designed to face terrorist threats of the future.

http://realestate.wharton.upenn.edu/meeting.spring02.php

9:10 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.

1. How Will 9/11 Affect Real Estate Operations and Development?

Panel Session: How, if at all, should building design change in response to future terrorist attacks? Globally, who has the best practices in this regard? Has demand for high rise office or residential product fallen in response to 9/11? Is there evidence that 9/11 has or will spur further suburbanization of people and jobs? What should be best practice in terms of security for major office, retail, and residential owners? Have tenant demands changed in response to the new security environment?

Moderator:
Joseph Gyourko, Bucksbaum Professor of Real Estate, The Wharton School, U of Penn
Panelists:
Stuart Rothenberg, Partner, Goldman, Sachs & Company;
Witold Rybczynski, Director, Urban Design Program, Graduate School of Fine Arts, U of Penn;
John F. Timoney, CEO, Beau Dietl & Associates; former Commissioner, Phila. Police Dept.;
Richard F. Tomlinson, II, Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

In 1966 a domestic cat gave birth to a
hairless kitten in Toronto, Canada.
It was discovered to be a natural mutation
and the Sphynx cat, as we know it today,
came into existence.

Just so ya know ... go T.O.

Four minutes left in the game tonight and two Leafs were in the Penalty Box.

Damn. Can the Leafs come back from being down 3-1 in the series?

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Detroit Red Wings 3

Can we do it twice in 60 years? I don't hafta like our chances.

Sorry Nic. :)

Nic...just remember...

The hotels are full. The bars and restaurants are jammed with out-of-towners chattering about science and finance and all things BIO.

Intercounty Baseball League

Unequivocally, this is the best game of baseball in T.O.

It is really enjoyable to rest on the summer grass
of Christie Pits in Toronto
behind 1st base under the cool shade of a big ol' oak.
on Wednesday evenings or Sunday afternoons
watching a decent game of baseball for free.
You can move around, sprawl out on the grass stands,
or grab a seat behind the chain link backstop.

And it is very good baseball. It's all about the game.

The home team, Toronto Maple Leafs (not the hockey team),
including a couple of former Blue Jays, is leading the league
with 16 wins 1 loss.

If you're in Toronto, check it out. It's the best game in town.

Pride Toronto let's it all hang out.

So you want to be Canadian, eh?

by Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

Last week, the Monitor published the results of a most interesting survey. The survey asked the requisite number of Americans the following question: If you couldn't live in America, what country would you like to live in? The No. 1 country, garnering 28 percent of the vote, was my own home and native land, the Great White North, Canada.

Then, just a few days later, I heard the news that the US mint plans to issue color currency, starting with the $20 bill in the year 2003, in an effort to foil counterfeiters, who've got a lot better since the computer came along. Just like we've had in Canada for years.

I was inclined to believe mint officials' explanations, until I noticed that our travel section this week was about Canada. Hmm. On the one hand, it could all just be a coincidence. On the other hand, it could be the confirmation of something I've suspected for a long time – Americans nurture a deep wish in their hearts to become Canadians.

Now, that's OK, you don't need to pretend to be shocked. You're among fellow Canadaphiles here. While many Americans labor under the notion that being a Canadian is the same as being an American, I'm here to tell you that you are sadly mistaken. Being a Canadian is a truly unique experience.

And in the interest of helping the obvious millions of Americans who want to "cross over" the border and embrace the maple leave, figure skating and well, snow, I've decided to offer up a few tips, in no particular order, that will help make the transition much more enjoyable.

First, Americans have a strong sense of national identity. Americans know who they are, and they're not afraid of telling anybody. As a Canadian, you'll need to completely forget about these qualities.

Instead, you'll need to develop a deep sense of inferiority, while at the same time secretly thinking you're the greatest country on the planet. And you'll need to put aside large quanities of time to watch Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) documentaries about what the heck does it mean to be a Canadian anyway, and still not know the answer when you're finished watching.

Americans love to wave the flag. Canadians are kind of iffy on this one. Oh sure, we'll bring them out on Canada Day, every July 1, and when a Canadian team is playing for a gold medal in either hockey or curling. But the rest of time we tend to leave them folded up in the closet. Except when we wear them on our backpacks while travelling around the world so that no one will think we're American. And you'll need to mumble the words to the national anthem, because you can't remember them all. But you will know all the words to the "I am a Canadian" beverage commercial that was so popular a couple of years ago.

And speaking of hockey and curling, you'll develop an unnatural passion for anything that happens on ice. Especially hockey. You'll find it spine-tingling exciting to watch three hockey games a night during the Stanley Cup playoffs. And you'll learn the nuanced differences between an in-turn and and out-turn draw in curling, and be willing to spend countless hours debating why curling really is a sport and does belong in the Winter Olympics.

You must learn to think of the the majestic beaver, Canada's national symbol, as being way cooler than any eagle.

You will need to memorize the complete list of Canadian celebrities, so at the drop of a hat, you can reel off the names of famous Canadians who people might not know are Canadian. Such as Morley Safer, Monty Hall, Jim Carey, Neil Young, Pamela Anderson, Alex Trebek, and John Roberts, the CBS newscaster who used to be a video jockey in Canada, but can be a newscaster in the US.

Right now, most Americans think of England's Queen Elizabeth as kind of flaky, with a weird taste in strange hats, but an OK doll after all. Canadians think of her this way as well, but she is our Queen too, so we tend to keep it to ourselves, and act very excited when she or one of her innumerable brood come to visit every few months.

You'll have to forget the gun thing, OK? Canadians don't do the gun thing. And you will come to think of the United Nations as a really 'hot' organization, not the secret power behind the trilaterial commission. And don't forget, no more war. Canadians don't do war, we do 'peacekeeping.' Why? Because we invented it. D'uh. Excuse me, I mean, 'Beauty, eh.' And no more bad mouthing 'socialized medicine.'

And you'll have to say 'Eh' at the end of every sentence. And start every conversation with "So..."

Everytime somebody bumps into you, you'll need to say "Excuse me."

There's a lot more to learn, of course, but it will take time for you to absorb it all. So allow me to welcome you to the bosom of a great land, with the greeting that has echoed down the corridors of Canadian history.

How it goin', eh?

Originally posted by Nic Name
Right now, most Americans think of England's Queen Elizabeth as kind of flaky, with a weird taste in strange hats, but an OK doll after all. Canadians think of her this way as well, but she is our Queen too, so we tend to keep it to ourselves, and act very excited when she or one of her innumerable brood come to visit every few months.

Suckers. ;)

And don't forget, no more war. Canadians don't do war, we do 'peacekeeping.'

Do you mean, "Canadians don't do war anymore"? :)

Apparently the Pope is quite excited
about his visit to Toronto this week.

OK, this isn't Antarctica. It's Toronto in July.
Cute though. Much nicer than I remember in school.

World Youth Daze. ;) The world's largest congregation of
teenage girls away from their parents. Howdy, pilgrim.

I'm sure the Priests are watching over them and making sure they're OK.

No...they're keeping their eyes out for the guys.

(Damn Tony...you seem incredibly spiteful tonight. ;) )

It's a long weekend. People in the city ... it's hot hot hot.

We love American tourist dollars in Toronto! Thanks guys!

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates talks to 10-year-old student Timothy Peters, of Toronto, before the Canadian National Institute of the Blind award ceremony, in Toronto, August 20, 2002.

Gates was awarded the Louis Braille Gold Medal (in background) in recognition of Microsoft Canada's commitment to advancing the rights and freedoms of people who are blind from around the world.

Peters, who is a client of the Institute, showed Gates the CNIB's Children's Discovery Portal that gives blind children equal access to information from anywhere in the world. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

The world's richest bridge player, Bill Gates, rolled into Toronto this week to headline the much-touted CanWin conference. While innovation, education and other eye-glazing topics were the official agenda, fellow speaker Paul Tellier reportedly quipped about investments with the Microsoft mogul. "I hope you're not going to make any calls to your broker on the way out," joked Mr. Tellier, the chief boxcar keeper at CN Rail. Mr. Gates is CN's second-biggest stakeholder with 10.12 million shares or 5 per cent of the railway's entire float.

It was more of a Can'tWin for Mr. Gates earlier in the day. His big-screen demonstration of the .Net strategy of taking software to the Internet froze like exposed skin on a Winnipeg winter's morn. Every awkward attempt to fish data from the network failed -- complete with the cursed spinning hourglass and error message. It was pure geek tragedy for the thousand-plus restless tech heads who nervously slurped their filtered coffee as a stoic Mr. Gates did what any software billionaire would do: He blamed the Internet connection.

A piece of broadcasting history came down today.

The original CBC-TV tower at Jarvis and Carleton Sts. — the "Eiffel on Jarvis" as one newspaper dubbed it — was the site of the first Canadian television signals that went out over the airwaves nearly 50 years ago on Sept. 8, 1952.

Its demise began in 1976, when the CBC moved its signals to the CN Tower.

The 27th Toronto International Film Festival starts today.

Again this year there will be screenings, red carpet premieres and press conferences galore.

We'll be overrun with stars and starlets from September 5th to the 14th. For 10 days, the city will be wall to wall with tuxedos and tits. I live right downtown, so I'll have to be careful not to get run over by a limo.

Some of the 344 films being screened this year are really pushing the limits -- something we like to do here in the Cellar.

There's something of interest for everyone here, so drop by for a visit if you can.

Toronto Skyscrapers

You might be able to find your city's skyscrapers here.

I can't find my cousins silo there anywhere.

Okay...I didn't look at either link yet...I'm gonna try and guess as many as I can.

Starting at left:

1--TransAmerica Building, San Francisco
6--Sears Tower, Chicago
8--John Hancock Tower, Chicago
9--One Liberty Place, Philadelphia
12--CN Tower, Toronto
14--One World Trade Center, NYC
15--Two World Trade Center, NYC
16--Empire State Building, NYC
18--Mellon Bank Building, Philadelphia
19--Eiffel Tower, Paris
23--Building name unknown, Shanghai
28--Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Alright...that's all I can make out. Now let's see how many I got.

Okay, in looking at the page, I missed 9, 18, and 23 (the bottle opener looking building). Damn, One Liberty Place should have been on there though...it's 37th in the world...and it just looks spiffy. :)

Toronto's secret ... the plight of the homeless.

Squatters ousted from Toronto's tent city

Globe and Mail Update

Dozens of squatters living in makeshift shelters on Toronto's waterfront were removed Tuesday with the aid of police.

Health and safety concerns prompted Home Depot, the owners of the downtown property, to order the removal of the 'tent city' where the squatters were living on contaminated industrial land, strewn with garbage and human waste.

We don't like to talk about it.

Toronto's tent city gained widespread attention in June, when the New York Times cited it as a symbol of Toronto's decline, saying homelessness had reached catastrophic levels and had lead to the deterioration of the city.

"It's an ugly sight. It's not Toronto. And Toronto should not be portrayed this way," Mayor Mel Lastman said on Tuesday at a hastily called news conference on Tuesday.

Wheelchair athlete climbs CN tower

By LUMA MUHTADIE

Globe and Mail

Thursday, September 26

Jeff Adams succeeded in his effort to climb all 1,776 steps of the CN tower in his wheelchair yesterday.

It was one of many barriers the six-time World 1,500-metre wheelchair champion has overcome in his 31-years.

Mr. Adams left the professional wheelchair racing circuit a year ago to train for the gruelling five-plus hour 113-storey climb. He also worked with the the Invacare Corporation, to design a lightweight miniaturized wheelchair with treaded tires that do not roll forward. With one arm supported by the railing and the other by a short crutch, Mr. Adams used his muscular upper body to lift himself backwards and stepwise up the world's tallest free-standing structure.

The belay system used by mountaineers provided safety, but without aiding the climb. A support team of three men positioned on the flights above him wore harnesses attached to ropes that clipped onto the back of the wheelchair. As Mr. Adams reached each successive flight, the ropes were refastened at higher levels.

When he finally reached the top, the Toronto man was greeted by a blitz of media, a crew from Ripley's Believe it or Not and his mother.

"I think this is wonderful," Rita Adams said with a smile. "But I've thought that about Jeff for a long time."

Mr. Adams said the climb couldn't have been better. "I trained so hard for this and we surprised ourselves.

Chuckling, he said the hardest part of the climb was the pacing: "I promised all you guys I would finish at four and we were so far ahead of schedule at half-way I had to slow myself down. That's so not what I do when I'm racing." But Mr. Adams said the day's feat was just the beginning of the real event. He raised more than $100,000 to launch a national School Outreach Program to raise awareness among grade-school students about the daily barriers faced by people with disabilities and to change existing perceptions and stereotypes.

Mr. Adams was nine years old when he was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare inflammatory disease affecting the nerves in his spinal chord and causing him to lose the use of his legs.

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Nic, I'm sure that you and many Canadiens are ecstatic that Ron MacLean is returning to Hockey Night in Canada.

I must have that jacket.

Two weeks ago, I had to switch desks at work. My new desk limits my internet access because of the location, but on the bright side, I have an almost new computer with a built-in speaker. I listen to CBC Radio One from Toronto every day now. In fact, I think I know more about what was going on in Canada last week than the US.

So, last week:

--There was an uproar by fans over the departure of Ron MacLean from CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. A contract was reached...things are now back to normal.

--Queen Elizabeth is hanging out in Canada for the next week or so. She arrived Friday in Nunavut, made a speech in Iqaluit (Nunavut's capital), and then headed to British Columbia.

--A BC pig farmer is apparently suspected of killing several women in downtown Vancouver.

--Canada backs the US's stance on the new Iraqi inspection agreement (that it's not tough enough).

--Toronto is considering using its Centre City Airport (which IIRC, is on an island in Lake Ontario, just off the mainland) for commercial flights of 900 km or less. Two US cities would be included: Boston and *thinks* Detroit.

Nic, how did I do? :)

WOW.

Syc, you're certainly not going to be caught off-guard by those CBC interviewers who got Bush really good, on-air.

I can even spell the PM's last name--Chretien. :)

Chretien has made his Bushisms, too.

Like this one in a public meeting with Bush:

PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN: And then for me, I think that it's important that the statement to the effect that we need in this part of the world an Israel that is secure and well-protected, and eventually a state for Israel. And the situation of Jerusalem will always be complicated, but it will take -- we have to secure two countries there that can live in peace.

emphasis added by me.

THE PRESIDENT: We've got a significant relationship together. It's a vibrant, positive friendship. We've got enormous trade between our two countries. The trade is in the interests of all of us. There are some problems on occasion, but we've got the kind of relationship where we can be very frank about it and try to work them out. And the opportunities and the benefits from our relationship far exceed -- far exceed -- the few problems that face us.

I think he was referring to himself and Chretien.

Now Nic, IIRC, several of Toronto's suburbs became part of the city proper about 3-4 years ago, right?

Given that that merger quadrupled Toronto's population, has it changed the city as a whole much (i.e. strains on city services, higher crime)? Also, did it piss Montreal off that Toronto took over as Canada's largest city? :)

How Toronto became "The Megacity"

The City of Toronto Act in 1996 incorporated a new municipality known as The City of Toronto. This amalgamation of the Borough of East York along with the Cities of Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Toronto, and York became known as The Megacity, and home to TheMegacity.Com!

Since 1953 the area now called a megacity had been governed by two tiers of government: the regional government level of Metro Toronto and the local government level of Toronto and the surrounding 5 local boroughs and cities. The purpose of the amalgamation in 1996 was essentially to eliminate the redundant local government councils. So, not much has changed, really.

Economically, Toronto has for many years functioned as the GTA or Greater Toronto Area, which includes many large appurtenant municipalities such as Mississauga (includes Toronto's Pearson International Airport) York Region and Durham Region. In practical terms, when we say Toronto most people are referring to the Greater Toronto Area.

All the details are included in The Virtual Toronto Website.

The importance of cities in Canada is covered in canadascities.ca

Toronto is a great place to live ... and to visit. I give great tour, if any Cellar dwellers are ever in T.O.

What's the economy like there now? Are you guys hurting like most of the US is?
Is it safe to assume that a mega city like that is fairly keen on technology and schooling?
It sounds like a great place to live, except for the winter. :D

Toronto is a major North American tech center.

Our economy follows the USA. They say that when the US economy gets a sniffle ... Canada's catches a cold.

As far as winter is concerned ... this isn't Buffalo! I don't own a snow shovel. ;)

Temperature is moderated by Lake Ontario but we don't see the lake-effect snow our American friends get on the south shore.

Toronto is further south than many American cities:

Latitude: 43 degrees, 40 minutes north
Longitude: 79 degrees, 38 minutes west

Temperatures aren't too bad.

Ontario Premier Ernie Eves says there's not much he can do about a government backbencher who spends a good chunk of time at his Oklahoma ranch rather than at the legislature.

Snobelen, who earns about $83,000 as a member of the legislature, said he's still able to keep up his political duties by receiving faxes and e-mails while at the ranch.

Voters in his Toronto-area riding of Mississauga West were incensed by the comments and even Eves said he wished his colleague would show up for work more frequently.

Unfortunately, I didn't catch much on Radio One last week, as I only listened to it on Monday. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday listening to WTOP in Washington (sniper stuff) and was gone the rest of the week. I will try harder this week to keep myself up on Canadian happenings. :)

Syc, maybe you could get a job as a member of the Ontario Legislature. ;)

Today marks the 27th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes ore carrier, is shown in a photo on the Detroit River near Detroit. The ship took on water and snapped in two during a storm on Nov. 10, 1975, on Lake Superior, plunging 556 feet to the lake bottom with its crew of 29 men. The 27th anniverary of the disappearance of the ship is being marked by a ringing of the bells at the waterfront Mariner's Church. (AP Photo/Burt Emanulle)

Now, that's not a Toronto story except for the fact that Canadian music legend, Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, makes his home here. He's in the hospital now, recovering from a sudden health failure. Get well, Gordie.

From the Globe & Mail - Saturday, November 9

Lightfoot improving in hospital

Hamilton — Singer Gordon Lightfoot is out of intensive care at McMaster Medical Centre and he's getting healthier.

"He continues to progress really well. Everyone's very encouraged by the progress he's making," Hamilton Health Science spokesman Jeff Vallentin said Friday.

Mr. Lightfoot was rushed to McMaster on Sept. 8 with internal bleeding from a rare weakness in an abdominal blood vessel.

The 63-year-old folk musician, who wrote the songs Sundown and If You Could Read My Mind, underwent several complicated surgeries.

Family and friends have been supporting Mr. Lightfoot at his bedside since he fell ill.

Only two weeks ago, the folksinger's manager Barry Harvey reported that Mr. Lightfoot wasn't always conscious.

The family has asked that details about the singer-songwriter's condition remain private.

They've been hawking his "Best of" CD on TV a lot lately...there were some songs on there that I did not know he wrote...interesting.

He's a favorite of mine.

You probably have the Best of Bread too, right Griff? ;)

Quit it, You! :)

Not to be confused with "The rectum of Ella Fitzgerald".

Sorry. :)

Very bad mental picture, bad warch, bad.

The Art Gallery of Ontario is moving ahead with a $500-million transformation, thanks to an "unparalleled" financial and artistic contribution from billionaire businessman and art collector Kenneth Thomson, Canada's richest.

Groundbreaking for an expansion designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry is set for early 2005, and the project is expected to be completed by 2007. I'm looking forward to the new AGO.

Kenneth Thomson: Billionaire philanthropist has donated in trust the bulk of his art collection to the gallery. The collection, gathered over 50 years, comprises nearly 2,000 works.

Famous Paintings: The Thomson collection includes masterpieces by Paul Kane, Tom Thomson (79 paintings), Cornelius Krieghoff (more than 200 works), David Milne (182 works) and Lawren Harris, as well as some 500 rare European art objects dating from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century.

Major Work: Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens, acquired by the Thomson family for $117 million, the highest price ever paid for an old master painting.

Size: The completed gallery will be second only to the National Gallery of Canada as a major repository of art.

Quote: "The greatest museums transform themselves into imaginative centres that reflect and enhance the world that surrounds them. Our vision is for the Art Gallery of Ontario to become such a place." Gallery director Matthew Teitelbaum.

I heard about that on Radio One today...that sounds awesome.

Hey Nic...what's this about Ontario possibly becoming the first province to take blood samples from people arrested on certain crimes? (Remember, Radio One is in the background...might not have heard the info correctly.)

Now I'm looking forward to the new AGO too! Gehry will do something amazing.