With a population of over six
million, Toronto is by far and away
Canada’s largest city. Everything’s
cool about this growing metropolis
– from the icy winters to the silvery
skyscrapers and the location
on glassy Lake Ontario. This
is a city of underground
walkways, outrageous
shoes and deliciously
quirky sandwiches.
ISLAND STYLE
The Toronto Islands are a chain of tiny
islands scattered offshore from the city in Lake
Ontario. People have lovely homes there, but cars
are not permitted. Instead, everyone gets around by
boat or bicycle. Or they walk under the water. The city
recently built a pedestrian tunnel that stretches from
the islands’ airport to the mainland,
diving 30 metres (98 feet) beneath
the waves.
Hockey mania!
Ice hockey is Canada’s national
winter sport. Children start ice skating lessons
as young as two and by the age of five are playing in
hockey leagues. If they’re good enough, they might one
day be honoured in the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s one
of Toronto’s most popular museums – a grand building
stuffed full of hockey paraphernalia.
WHOOPEE DOO
Toronto has invented lots of
great things including insulin and anti-
gravity suits, but nothing beats the whoopee
cushion. The noisy pink bags are sold in
joke shops all across the world. In the 1930s,
employees at the JEM Rubber Company
were playing around with scrap sheets of
rubber when they discovered the funny
sound they could make. Next time you plop
down on a whoopee cushion and a big,
bubbly bottom sound blows forth, thank
Toronto for the laugh!
LIFE BENEATH
THE EARTH
Winters in the city are
so cold, Toronto
has built a system
of underground
walkways to help
residents get
around while
avoiding the sub-
zero temperatures.
Thirty kilometres
(19 miles) of paths
connect up City
Hall, museums, hotels
and countless office
buildings. It’s possible
to get nearly everywhere
without coming to the surface.
A WALK IN THE CLOUDS
You can’t miss the big needle poking up above Toronto’s soaring
skyline. The CN Tower is the Western Hemisphere’s tallest
freestanding structure, rising 553.3m (1,815ft) into the air. Glass
elevators whisk you to the top and on a clear day you
can see as far as Niagara Falls. Daredevils can strap
into a harness, join a tour and walk the perimeter.
Just don’t look down!
FAVOURITE SANDWICH
The peameal bacon sandwich is a Toronto specialty. Never
heard of peameal? It’s a tasty mix of ground yellow peas.
In the late 1800s this was used to help preserve meat – a
peameal bacon sandwich was made of slices of pork rolled
in peameal, grilled and then heaped onto a bun. Cornmeal
is used instead of peameal these days. On a busy Saturday,
the Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market can expect to
sell over 2,600 peameal sandwiches in a single day.
PEOPLE FROM EVERYWHERE
Toronto is said to be the most culturally diverse city
in the world. Forty-nine per cent of its residents
were born in a different country, and more than 140
languages are spoken. Ethnic neighbourhoods pop
up everywhere. As well as Little Portugal, there’s Little
Italy, Little India, Little Tibet, Little Jamaica – and
that’s just the ‘littles’! Chinatown, Greektown and
Koreatown are also thriving communities.