| Toronto | |
 Toronto's Flag |
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 Toronto's Location Within Canada |
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| Population | 2 503 281 (2006) |
| Coordinates | 43°39'N, 79°23'W |
| Source | |
Welcome to Toronto!
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is home to over 2.5 million residents, making it the fifth largest city in North America. Toronto is considered one of the most culturally diverse and cosmopolitan cities in the world, and has also been determined one of the "most livable" cities in the world.
Toronto is the best place to be if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of a large, metropolitan city. Famous attractions include the CN Tower, Casa Loma and Ontario Place.
My trip to Toronto was by myself, and lasted for 5 days, taking place in early August. The total cost is about $1500.
The itinerary of my trip, as well as the budget, is available in The Itinerary Panel.
Climate and Landforms
Climagraph for Toronto (click to expand)
Toronto enjoys a moderate climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The temperature is somewhat moderated by Lake Ontario. It is classified as a "humid continental climate." On average, Toronto gets 830mm of precipitation per year, with 710mm of rain and 133cm of snow. In summer, thunderstorms ofter occur with temperatures occasionally reaching 35 °C, and sometimes more. In winter, temperatures can drop below -25 °C, made worse by wind chill. About half of the time, Toronto enjoys sunshine, mostly in the winter. I do not personally like the cold, so my trip will take place during mid-August, when it's not likely to be too hot, but still fairly comfortable. It is part of the "Southeastern" Climate Region.
For detailed charts and graphs concerning the Climate of Toronto, click here
Toronto is in the Great Laes - St. Lawrence Lowlands landform region, where the land is generally flat and is quite good for farming. In the last ice age, glaciers carved large lakes and valleys into the terrain, giving Toronto a few "scars" in the land. Toronto lies on a marshy plain, which has since been drained. The plain quickly rises up from Lake Ontario, with lots of sediment present in lower-lying areas, left from the giant lakes that covered the area in the last ice age.
Toronto has since been urbanized, with urban and suburban divisions present in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Toronto is part of the Golden Horeshoe, which is a densely-populated area that wraps around Lake Ontario, going from Oshawa to Niagra Falls.
The Economy
Toronto's economy is mostly services-based. The downtown ore area is home to Bay Street, where many financial offices are housed, and the Toronto Stock Enchange, one of the largest in the world. Though primary industries and manufacturing industries do not contribute much the economy, there are still numerous factories and farms oon the outskirts of the city. In addition, Toronto is a prime transportation hub, with roal, rail and ocean links. The Trans-Canada Highway passes through Toronto, as does Highway 401, a major expressway linking Toronto, Windsor and Montreal. The CNR and CPR rail lines pass through Toronto, and Toronto's Union Station is one of the grandest in the world. Toronto's harbour is conneted to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Toronto's Pearson International Airport handles over 30 million passengers per year.
People
Population Pyramid for Toronto (click to expand)
Toronto in home to millions of people. Of the 5.5 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, 49.9% were born outside of Canada. In 2001, 42.8% of the population were visible minorities. This explains why Toronto has a international reputation of being a ethnically diverse city. The city's population growth rate is 0.8% a year.
For detailed statistics about Torontonians, see the Demographics Panel.
Map of Toronto
Getting Around
Toronto has a wide variety of mass-transit options available. Toronto has a subway system serving most of the downtown, as well as a streetcar line running along the waterfront. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) manages all of the mass-tranist in the GTA. If you're heading away from the downtown, the TTC has many bus routes to take you wherever you need to go. Since I am a student, and will be staying for a week, I will buy the weekly pass for about $27.00 (incl. taxes), available at some hotels and government offices.
For the people of Toronto, getting around usually means by car, and the city has many large avenues to handle the large amount of traffic. However, the expressways and streets still frequently jam in rush hour, and the city has increased bus and subway funding to accomodate.
Getting to Toronto
There are many ways of getting to Toronto via plane, train or car.
By Air
Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport (Airport Code: YYZ) is a airplane hub. With 5 runways and service to every other major Airport in the world, it is the primary Airport in Toronto. Directs flights come from every Canadian city. There is a shuttle bus service from the Airport to the downtown, located 27 kilometres away.
Toronto City Centre Airport is Toronto's secondary Airport and is located very close to the downtown on Toronto Island. Regualr flights come from Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax, as well as chartered flight from many other cities. Porter Airlines operates most of the flights to and from this airport.
For my trip, I will be taking Porter Airlines, with flights going from Ottawa to Toronto daily. Instead of using the overcrowded Pearson Internation Airport, it uses the smaller, but more conveinent, Toronto City Centre Airport. The cost of the flight is $79, with taxes and fees, it increases to about $100 (one-way). Flights take no more than 2 hours, and depart several times every day.
For more information on Porter Airlines, visit this website.
By Car
Toronto has many expressways running from it, including highway 401 and the QEW. High 401 links Toronto to Kingston, Montreal, London, Windsor and Ottawa (via the 416), and the QEW wraps around the Golden Horseshoe, the populated area at the Eastern end of Lake Ontario. The Trans-Canada Highway merges with the 401 just west of Toronto, and continues North to Western Canada.
Approximate Driving Times: from Ottawa - 4h 30m; from Montreal - 5h 30m; from London: 2h 0m; from Windsor 4h 0m; from Sudbury: 4h 30m. Source - Google Maps http://maps.google.com/.
By Train
Via Rail has service to Toronto from around Canada, many arriving at Union Station, right next to the CN Tower. Toronto's Union station is one of the oldest and most beautiful train stations in Canada. It is quite busy, serving 200,000 passengers per day. Rail service is available to all Canadain cities, and some American Cities as well.
Lodging
There are hundreds of hotels in Toronto and in the nearby areas. This page lists the hotels that I find suit my own personal needs as a tourist.
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto - 3 Stars: This is my favorite hotel in Toronto, and is the one that I will be staying at during my trip. Located right beside the University of Toronto, the hotel is steps away from the city subway, which can take you to all of the major attractions in downtown Toronto. Rooms start at $119, but rapidly fill up.
The Suites At 1 King West - 4 Stars: This is my second choice, and is a good selection for a tourist who wants to spend a few extra dollars for a better room. It is located very close to the downtown core, and is connected to Toronto's underground tunnel system to the Eaton Centre, CN tower and other nearby landmarks. Prices start at $160.00 per night for a one-person room, plus an extra change for parking.
For additional information on Hotels in Toronto, contact your travel agent, or look around on the web.
Dining
Restaurants number in the thousands in Toronto, but here are a few that I would eat in, located close to the downtown area.
Free Times Cafe: This restaurant is student-oriented and is on Spadina Ave. It features Canadian, Middle-Eastern and Jewish cuisine. It also features live entertainment. Since students are generally quite poor, the prices are rather low as well.
360 Restaurant: This rotating restaurant is at the top of the CN tower, and provides fantastic views of the entire city, day or night (though night is better, since all the buildings are lit up). Its situation makes it rather pricy, though, and one can expect to spend $60-100 there per person.
Il Fornello: The restaurant is located in the heart of Little Italy, and is a well-priced source of quality Italian food. You may expect to spend up to $30 per person, though probably less.
Brassaii: This restaurant is located on King Street est, and is home to fine International Cuisine. The prices here range from $15 - $25 for a main course, so expect to spend $30-$35 here. This restaurant is also well known for its Brassaii martini, which is a combination of 7-up and vodka. Strange, but I guess it works...
Kensington Kitchen: This restaurant is frequented by members of the nearby University of Toronto, and has a tradition of serving large protions for a low cost. Common main courses include Angel's hair pasta, scallops, brasied lamb and other Mediterranean dishes. Pice: around $25/person.
Attractions in Toronto
Toronto has a lot of different places to visit. In this page, I've tried to give informationn on each of the major attractions in Toronto. These are sorted by order of appearence on the The Itinerary Panel.
Casa Loma
Casa Loma
Casa Loma is a castle-style home built for Sir Henry Mill Pellatt in 1914. It contains 98 rooms, and cost 3.5 million dollars, a huge amount at the time. The mansion included an elevator, a oven large enough to cook a whole ox, central vacuum and two secret passages. Several rooms were never finished, as well as a bowling alley. During the Great Depression, Pellatt lost the masion due to unpaid backtaxes. It is now operated by the Kiwanis Club, and serves as a museum.
Ontario Place
Ontario Place
Ontario Place is a series of three artifical islands located on the shores of Lake Ontario, and is owned and operated by the Government of Ontario. Primary attractions include the five "pods," or buildings anchored over open water. It features a semi-enclosed concert theatre, known as the Molson Amphitheatre, as well as an IMAX threatre, called the Cinesphere. The Molson Apithreatre has concerts for most of the day in summer, and generally features local artists, and is a vivid display of local culture. Ontario Place also has an amusement park, aimed at young children. The amusement park features small rides, waterslides and restaurants.
The CN Tower
The CN Tower
The CN Tower is an icon of Toronto and is the home to a restaurant, a museum and observation decks. It is 553.33 metres high. The CN Tower was formely the tallest freestanding building in the world, prior to September 12, 2007, when the Burj Dubai surpassed it. It still has the title of the highest public observation deck in the world.
The tower was finished in 1976, as a communications tower. There is a rotating restaurant in one of the observation decks, known as the 360, as well as exibits at the base of the tower. One of the primary attractions in the tower is the Glass Floor, on which tourists can look down 500 metres to the ground below. On a good day, it is possible to look out the observation deck windows and see 40 kilometres away. At night, the CN tower is lit, prodcing a brilliant light show that is visible from kilometres away.
Though admission is free, a fee is required for the exibits, glass floor, and the elevator. If you want to save $5, go ahead and walk up the stairs.
Canada's Wonderland
A Roller Coaster at Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland (formerly Known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland), is a world-class theme park, featuring 200 attractions with 15 roller coasters and 8 waterslides. Located north of Toronto, Canada's Wonderland has an admission fee of about $42 (including taxes) for an adult.
Canada's Wonderland feautres 15 roller coasters, ranging from the fairly mild to the extreme. Among the Roller Coasters are The Bat, Tomb Raider: The Ride and The Italian Job: Stunt Track. It also features more minor attractions, such as bumper cars, mini-golf, raft rides and Dropzone - a tower where riders get lifted up and suddenly get dropped down.
Canadian Broadcasting Centre
The Canadian Broadcasting Centre
The Canadian Broadcasting Centre is the main office of the CBC in Toronto. The building is the home of Canada's main television network, the CBC, CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio. The building is ten stories high, and has been commended on its unique design and modern technology. It is one of Toronto's eye-catching buildings. It is also where many award-winning shows are filmed, such as Royal Canadian Air Farce. The public is invited to be a part of the studio auience for many of the programs filmed live there, particularly comedy programs.
Other Attractions
Art Gallery of Ontario
Located near Chinatown, this art gallery is one of Canada's largest. It contains many works by both Canadian and Wrold artisits.
Hockey Hall of Fame
This building of presitge is located near the heart of the downtown core, and is where former hockey players and people involved with hockey are honoured. The building serves primarly as a museam, and contains 57,000 square feet of exbitis and showcases.
Toronto City Hall/Nathan Phillips Square
This masterpeice of a building was constructed in 1965 and is a distinctive feature of the city's skyline. It's modern achitecture still impresses many today, and it is sometimes used as a backdrop for a futuristic city. Nathan Phillips Square is a massive public plaza used for outdoor events, contaning fountains, an ice rink and gardens.
My Itinerary
Toronto is big. It is huge. It would be impossible to visit every single attraction in Toronto, but this itinerary that I've made covers most of the main attractions. It is quite flexible, meaning that if one wants to spend more time at one place and less at another, it can be adjusted.
| Day One - August 5 | ||
| 9:00AM - Ottawa | Wake up. This is very important. There's plenty of time between wake-up time and the flight, so don't worry too much. | |
| 10:15AM - Ottawa | Leave the house, call a taxi and depart to the MacDonald-Cartier International Airport. | |
| 11:00AM - Ottawa | Arrive at the Airport, check in to Porter Airlines Flight 483 (cost $79, economy class). | |
| 1:00PM - Toronto - City Center Airport | Arrive at Toronto City Center Airport, get the luggage. Toronto City Center airport is on Toronto island, just a short ferry ride to the downtown core. It's a lot less crowded and more convenient than the ultra-busy Pearson International Airport. | |
| 1:30PM - Toronto - City Center Airport | Have lunch at the Airport. Restaurants at the airport are fairly expensive and are generally classified as "fast food." As an alternative, you can take the ferry onto the downtown and eat at many of the fine restaurants there. | |
| 2:00PM - Toronto - En route | Board the very short ferry to the downtown core, and head towards a hotel. For information on where to stay, see the Lodging and Dining panel. In this trip, I am staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto. | |
| 2:30PM - Toronto - Hotel | The htoel doesn't accept chek-ins until about 3:00PM, so for the afternoon, I'm going to head towards Casa Loma, which shouldn't take more than an afternoon to visit. I can leave the baggage here. | |
| 3:00PM - Toronto - Casa Loma | For information on Casa Loma, see its entry on The Attractions Panel. It is accessiable via the Toronto Subway. | |
| 7:30PM - Toronto - Restaurant | For the Evening meal on the first day, I go to Il Fornello, an Italian Restaurant located in the downtown. It is a nice restuarnt, with high quailty Italian Pasta, pizza and other cuisine. The approximate cost is $25, including a tip. This restaurant is a fine example of the multi-cultralism present in Toronto. | |
| 8:00PM - Toronto - Little Italy | A good opprotunity to get some fresh air, and to take a nice walk around Little Italy. Take some photos. buy some little trinkets, and stuff like that. Little Italy is quite large in Toronto, and there are a variety of Italian markets, selling goods from Italy. The buildings' decorations are rather spectacular as well. | |
| 9:30PM - Toronto - Hotel | Arrive back at the Hotel via Subway. Watch TV, surf the web on the laptop, wash, then go to sleep. | |
| Day Two - August 6 | ||
| 9:00AM - Toronto - Hotel | Wake up. Again, quite important. Bush, wash, eat the continental breakfast downstairs, then leave for the CN Tower/Ontario Place via subway. | |
| 9:30AM - Toronto - Ontario Place (concert) | Information on Ontario Place can be found in The Attractions Panel. Ontario Place has outdoor concerts most of the day in the summer, so I'll go and listen to whatever happens to be playing. Most of the time it is jazz, classical, bluegrass, light rock or folk music, so I'll experience some of Toronto's culture by finding out what's going on in the music scene. Admission is about $25. | |
| 10:30AM - Toronto - Ontario Place (IMAX threatre) | Ontario Place also features an IMAX threatre, free with admission. I'll wtach whatever is playing at the time, and whatever interests me. I'll also buy some popcorn and a drink for my enjoyment ($5). | |
| 12:00PM - Toronto - Ontario Place (Restaurant) | Ontario Place has many restaurants, most of the fast-food, but some have waiters, and serve mostly local Canadian dishes. The approximate cost would be about $25, incluing a tip. | |
| 12:30PM - Toronto - CN Tower | After the meal, I go to the CN tower, which is a short walk or subway ride away. Admission to the CN tower ranges from $23 - $35 (including taxes). Because I will be spending the afternoon here, I will buy the most expensive package, with the most things to do. See the CN Tower Entry in The Attractions Panel. In the CN tower, I look down the Glass Floor, visit the exibits and take pictures of the Greater Toronto Area. | |
| 6:30AM - Toronto - CN Tower 360 Restaurant | The 360 restaurant is a spectacular restaurant, with views of the entire city. The cost will be $75 (including taxes and tips), as it is a top-quality restaurant. I can only imagine what the rent is for someting all the way up there. | |
| 7:30AM - Toronto - Hotel | Arrive back at the htoel via subway. Since I am such a nerd, I'll probably spend the rest of the evening surfing on the Internet. Yes, I do that. Yes, I've done it before. After I'm done, I'll wash and go to sleep. | |
| Day Three - August 7 | ||
| 9:00AM - Toronto - Hotel | Same routine as yesterday. Wake up, wash, get breakfast downstairs, and leave the hotel. | |
| 9:30AM - Toronto - Downtown | The Toronto Downtown is filled with skyscrapers. I like taking pictures of tall buildings, and I spend the morning simply walking around the downtown, and taking pictures of stuff I deem interesting. Among the buildings I see are Toronto's City Hall and the Hockey Hall of Fame. | |
| 12:30PM - Toronto - Downtown (Restaurant) | For the lunch meal, my preference is the Free Times Cafe. It has an all-day breakfast, so I think that I'll order that (since continental breakfasts usually aren't much good). The restaurant is student-oriented, so it should be quite cheap. | |
| 1:00PM - Toronto - Eaton Centre | I'm male - I don't like shopping too much. But the Eaton Cetre, has all these nerdy stores, like an Apple store and several software/gaming stores. Browsing around there should take up a few hours. Depending on the prices and selection I may wind up spending a lot of money. I guess I could also use some presents for my friends back home. If I get really bored, I'll visit an Internet Cafe. | |
| 1:00PM - Toronto - Eaton Centre | I'm male - I don't like shopping too much. But the Eaton Cetre, has all these nerdy stores, like an Apple store and several software/gaming stores. Browsing around there should take up a few hours. And I guess I could use some presents for my friends back home. If push comes to shove, I'll rent a computer at an Internet cafe. | |
| 6:30PM - Toronto - Downtown (Restaurant) | For the evening meal, I choose a classy restaurant known as Brassaii, home to a wide variety of dishes. It may be the finest lamb I've ever tasted, and at a reasonable price too - $35 including taxes and tips. | |
| 7:15PM - Toronto - CBC Centre | Royal Canadian Air Farce has a weekly show performed live here, and I want to see it in person. I'm sure that it is far more funny and exiting than watching it on TV. The CBC building also features a museam entailing the history of the CBC. | |
| 9:30PM - Toronto - Hotel | Take the Subway back to the hotel, surf the Internet, wash up, and go to sleep. | |
| Day Four - August 8 | ||
| 9:00AM - Toronto - Hotel | Same routine as yesterday.. and the day before yesterday. Wake up, wash, get breakfast downstairs, and leave the hotel. | |
| 9:30AM - Toronto - En Route | Take the bus... and head towards Canada's best Theme Park: Canada's Wonderland! | |
| 9:46AM - Toronto - En Route | Realise that I took the wrong bus route.... crap. | |
| 9:52AM - Toronto - Somewhere I'm not supposed to be | Ask for directions. | |
| 10:01AM - Toronto - En Route | Board the bus... hopefully it's the right one this time... | |
| 10:35AM - Toronto - Wonderland | Arrive at Canada's Wonderland - and have a day of fun. My innards cannot handle many of the more extreme roller coasters, but I have fun anyways. For information on Wonderland, see The Attractions Panel. | |
| 1:00PM - Toronto - Wonderland (restaurant) | Food is very expensive here, and is mostly fast food. I go to a pizza joint and purchase a meal combo for $13, and then I spend the rest of the afteroon riding on more rides. Tomb Raider: The Ride is one of my favorite rides, as is The Italian Job: Stunt Track. I also enjoy a peaceful game a mini-golf to rest my stomach after a sickening roller coaster ride. | |
| 6:00PM - Toronto - Restaurant | For my final evening meal, I visit Kensington Kitchen, a restaurant close to the University of Toronto. Serving Mediterranean dishes, I fulfill my apitite for $25. | |
| 6:30PM - Toronto - Art Gallery of Ontario | Go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, and admire some of the art they have on display. There is a focus on Canadian artists, however, Impressionist art is also displayed, as well as more Modern peices by award-winning artists. I could look at their work for quite a while, wondering if I'll ever be as good as them. For more information on the gallery, see The Attractions Panel. | |
| 9:30PM - Toronto - Hotel | Arrive back at the hotel, wash up, pack up, as go to bed (after Internet, of course). | |
| Day Five - August 9 | ||
| 9:00AM - Toronto - Hotel | Same routine as yesterday... and the day before yesterday... and the day before that. Wake up, wash, get breakfast downstairs, and check out of the hotel. | |
| 10:00AM - Toronto - City Centre Airport | Go onboard Porter Airlines flight 362 to Ottawa. | |
| 11:30AM - Ottawa | Arrive back in Ottawa. | |
| 12:30PM - Ottawa | Arrive back home. The trip is over. Eat lunch. Count how much money I have left. Unpack. | |
Budget
| Hotel | $450.00 (incl. tips, taxes) ($150 per night) |
| Dining Lunch - Day 1 Dinner - Day 1 Lunch - Day 2 Dinner - Day 2 Lunch - Day 3 Dinner - Day 3 Lunch - Day 4 Dinner - Day 4 Other Expenses (snacks, etc.) |
$278.00 (incl. tips, taxes) $8.00 $25.00 $25.00 $75.00 $20.00 $35.00 $15.00 $25.00 |
| Attractions Casa Loma Ontario Place CN Tower CBC Building Canada's Wonderland Concessions/Other |
$172.00 (incl. taxes) $40.00 $25.00 $35.00 $15.00 $42.00 $15.00 |
| Shopping Ontario Place Eaton Centre Other |
$300.00 (incl. taxes) $20.00 $150.00 $80.00 |
| Transportation Plane Tickets Week Pass Other |
$232.00 (incl. taxes, fees) $200.00 $27.00 $5.00 |
| Total | $1432.00 (incl. taxes, fees, tips) |
Postcard
Click on either image for an expanded view.
Appendix I - All Pages
- Appendicies
- Attractions
- Climate
- Demographics
- General Information
- Getting There
- Itinerary
- Lodging and Dining
Appendix II - Sources
Credit is due where credit is deserved. Both web and print works were used when making this site. All works are cited in the MLA citing format.
Works Cited
- Brown, Brenna. "Toronto." Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact Index. 2004 ed. 3 Jan 2007.
- "Canadian Broadcasting Centre" CBC. 11 Jan 2007 <http://www.cbc.ca/facilities/>.
- "Casa Loma". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 28 Dec 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 Dec 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Loma>.
- Clark, Wallace and Earle. Making Connections: Canada's Geography, 2nd ed.
- Enviroment Canada. "Toronto, Ontario" Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000. 2002. Enviroment Canada. 20 Dec 2007. <http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=ALL&StationName=Toronto&SearchType=BeginsWith&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=5051>
- "Free Times Cafe" Free Times Cafe. 10 Jan 2007 <http://www.freetimescafe.com/home.html>.
- "Hotels in Toronto, ON" Canadian Htoel Guide. 10 Jan 2007 <http://www.canadianhotelguide.com/ca/Ontario-hotels/Toronto-hotels.html>.
- "Nathan Phillips Square" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Jan 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Phillips_Square>.
- "Population by Age and Sex, Toronto, 1996 and 2001" Toronto Public Health. 12 Jan 2007 <http://www.toronto.ca/health/hsi/pdf/hsi_cb_population_by_agesex.pdf>.
- "Population by selected ethnic origins, by census metropolitan areas (2001 Census)(Toronto)" Statistics Canada. 25 Jan 2005. Statistics Canada. 20 Dec 2007 <http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo27k.htm>.
- "Restaurants near Downtown [Toronto]" Yahoo! Travel. 10 Jan 2007 <http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2802435-nhood-downtown-toronto_restaurants-i>.
- "Toronto." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 20 Dec 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 Dec 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toronto&oldid=179183955>.
- "Toronto City Centre Airport" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Jan 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_City_Centre_Airport>.
- "Toronto City Hall" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Jan 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_City_Hall>.
- Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2006.
- "Toronto Restaurants" Frommer's. 10 Jan 2007 <http://www.frommers.com/destinations/toronto/34_inddin.html>.
- "Union Station (Toronto)" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Jan 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_%28Toronto%29>.
Picture Credits
- Background Image - http://www.flickr.com/photos/poyang/26177872/
- Casa Loma - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Casa_Loma.JPG
- Canada Map - http://www.canadaphotoseries.com/maps/canada.jpg
- Canadian Broadcasting Centre - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CBC_Centre.JPG
- Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto - http://www.canadianhotelguide.com/images/hotels/p10228546_1.jpg
- Flag of Toronto - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toronto_Flag.svg
- Ontario Place - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1234OntarioPlaceSailBoats.jpg
None of the information contained within this site is guarenteed to be 100% accurate. So don't sue me.
A Geography Summitave Assignment done in December-January 2007-2008. By Richard Ye Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.A School Assignment
Climate Information
| Temperature Averages | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |
| °C | -4.2 | -3.2 | 1.3 | 7.6 | 14.2 | 19.2 | 22.2 | 21.3 | 17 | 10.6 | 4.8 | -0.9 | 9.2 |
| Precipitation Averages | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |
| mm eqv. | 61.2 | 50.5 | 66.1 | 69.6 | 73.3 | 71.5 | 67.5 | 79.6 | 83.4 | 64.7 | 75.7 | 71 | 834 |
Climagraph for Toronto (click to expand)
Ecozone: Mixedwood Plains
Landform Region: Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway
Soil Region: Wet-Climate
Vegetation Region: Mixed/Deciduous Forest
Judging by this data, one can infer that Toronto is in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway Landform Region becuase the average temperature is abour 5° C, with temperatures dropping below zero in the summer, meaning that the location is not on the west coast. Also, the total annual rainfall and snowfall does not exceed 1000mm and is greater than 200mm. There is more precipitation in the winter than in the summer, a hallmark of a continental climate. The temperature range is 26.6° C, also indicative of a continental climate.
Demographics of Toronto
| Name | Amount |
| "Canadian" | 861,945 |
| English | 783,770 |
| Scottish | 517,115 |
| Irish | 487,210 |
| Chinese | 435,685 |
| Italian | 429,380 |
| East Indian | 345,855 |
| French | 220,540 |
| German | 220,135 |
| Portuguese | 171,545 |
In the 2006 census, done by Statistics Canada, there were and estimated 2,503,281 people living in Toronto, up 96,073 from the last census, done in 2001. This represents a 4% population growth rate over fie years, or 0.8% growth per year. Of the residents, 17.5% of them were under 14, and 13.6% were over 65.
The 2001 census recorded that 42.8% of the population were of a visible monrity group.
Population Pyramid for Toronto (click to expand)Analysis of this population pyrmaid shows that the majority of the population is of working age (yellow), however, the baby boomers, who were born in 1947-1966, are nearing retirement age, and is going to be a shortage of middle-aged workers to support the retirees in coming years. This will mean increased strains on healthcare and shared retirement plans.