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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 |
And what's with Toronto's Mayor?
Toronto's Mayor Mel Lastman's world renowned gaffes get written up in The Washington Times.
Mel-O-Drama |
When I think about Toronto ...
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.
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Hockey! Go team Canada!
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Toronto's Olympians
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I wouldn't have any problem with a merger, so long as they hold on to CBC's Radio Two. :)
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Toronto's famous skyline
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/08...ws.toronto.jpg
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. |
http://www.sceno-plus.com/images/dundassquare.jpg
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. |
Going for Gold
http://www.canadianhockey.ca/e/i/heritage.gif
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. :)
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Winter fun in T.O.
http://www.thestar.com/images/020129_weather.jpg
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. Quote:
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We had a warm winter here too. It didn't snow until mid January. Global warming at its finest...
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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.
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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 longest street in the world
http://www.globeandmail.com/series/yonge/map.gif
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?
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Wait a minute, you guys have a town named Swastika?
Can I guess how the roads around the center square are laid out? |
Little known facts department
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. Quote:
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Taxpayers' money down the drain ...
True story.
In Toronto, each water bill soaks the city for $8.54 http://www.dvdfile.com/interactive/f...lies/Flush.gif 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? |
Take off, eh.
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!
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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. |
Taking the fifth ...
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. Quote:
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.
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Just curious - what is the wording of your "freedom of speech" bit?
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Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Quote:
Quote:
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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. Quote:
[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 ™</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.
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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.
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:)
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. |
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