Cities » Toronto
Do you need to bring a passport? If traveling to Canada by air you are required to bring a passport. If travelling by land we recommend that you have a passport. However, for for the latest information check the US Government Travel Web site.
Facts and Figures
Over 5 million people live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), making it the largest urban center in Canada and the fifth largest in North America. One quarter of Canada’s population lives within a 100 mile radius of Toronto as well as 125 million Americans or roughly 40% of the U.S. population.
In the 1940’s Toronto’s population was largely Protestant (72%) and fundamentally British (78%, but mainly Canadian born). By 2001, Toronto became one of the most multicultural cities in the world. 152 different languages were spoken and about half the population was born outside Canada. Since 2001, Toronto on average attracts 107,000 new immigrants each year.
Toronto is a green city and known for its cleanliness. There are 1500 parks and 8,000 hectares of parklands – (ravines, valleys, woodlots, waterfront natural areas, parks and farmland), or 18.1 per cent of city’s area. There are also 187 km of bike paths, 7.8 km of pedestrian paths, and 3 million publicly owned trees.
The average daily temperature in July is 21°C (69.8F) and in January is -4.9°C (23.2F)
Did You Know That…
Toronto is home of the CN tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the world.
Actors such as Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Eugene Levy hail from the GTA and about 25% of films produced in Hollywood are actually filmed in Toronto.
North America’s largest continuous underground pedestrian system the PATH, connects about 1200 stores and restaurants, 50 office towers, five subway stations, Union Station, six major hotels and several entertainment centres, all underground.
People, Problems, Issues
31,985 homeless individuals (including 4,779 children) stayed in a Toronto shelter at least once during 2002.
There is a 7-10 year waiting list for subsidized housing. In 1999 the Toronto City Council promised 21,000 new affordable homes by 2005, but the city has seen only 648 new homes completed.
552,000 Toronto households live below the poverty line. 894,017 people used food banks in the last year. 19% of these clients have a college degree.
Between 1999 and 2005, The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee reported over 300 deaths of individuals due to homelessness.
Insights on the City
by Tara McPherson (Former City Director)
Toronto portrays itself to the world with images of a clean and beautiful city, alive with culture, and with endless possibilities. It is a city in which you should belong.
Amidst much of the clean and beautiful image of Toronto, homelessness and poverty continues to be an issue. Despite being on the agenda for many political campaigns, no real solution has been offered. The 2005 campaign to get the homeless off the street in theory may have been great, but the practical outcome of making it illegal for any person to sleep on city owned property has pushed many homeless out of the “safe” sleeping environments and away from social services that they desperately need. Street workers across the city are trying to respond to the changing face of poverty in the city.
CSM Toronto regularly works with 30-40 different missions and social service agencies. Each mission we work with is part of the bigger picture. Some missions meet both physical and spiritual needs. For others faith has no motivation; however the impact of their work cannot be ignored. Though drastically different, each place works together to fulfill more needs in the city than any could alone. It’s what the body of Christ is meant to look like. Think of the possibilities if more people came to be the hands and feet of Christ in Toronto!
What Toronto is known best for is being one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. You can find almost any type of food or cultural celebration within the city limits. A challenge that comes with multiculturism is that many immigrants are under-employed because they are unable to transfer their credentials. Yet, with such diversity also comes a unique opportunity for the church. Jesus commanded Christians to take the gospel to the “ends of the earth.” People from the “ends of the earth” are now living in Toronto, providing the church access to many cultures that have been previous closed to the gospel!
We invite you to join us in the work God is doing in this city!
CSM Ministry Site Sampler
Streetwalk To better serve the homeless we spend an evening role-playing what it would be like to be a teenage runaway. We divide into smaller groups and for a few hours try to put ourselves in the shoes of a teenage runaway. Utilizing the experience of street workers from ministries like Sanctuary and Yonge Street Mission, we learn how you would answer basic survival questions (like shelter, food, money, hygiene, entertainment).
Ekklesia Ministries The Greek word ekklesia means “an assembly of Christians”. CSM groups take bag lunches to homeless people throughout the city, which provides a non-threatening platform for the gospel to go out. It gives the hearer a warm, healthy atmosphere to deal with their issues of life. Personal interaction and words of hope are an essential part of this ministry.
Toronto Baptist Intercultural Service In the Dixon-Islington area there are close to 10,000 Somali refugees. CSM groups go in pairs to a Somali home to tutor the children and help mothers practice their English. God’s love is shown through the friendships established to these Muslim immigrants by Christian young people.
St. Francis Table Needy people in the community receive full restaurant service here. They have a choice of two different meals, hot and cold beverages and dessert. A donation of one dollar is requested, not simply as a subsidy but rather to help the patrons retain their sense of dignity. Our groups help prepare the meals then act as waiters and waitresses to serve the patrons. The focus on the dignity of the poor distinguishes St. Francis Table from many other service providers to the poor.
SPECIAL: What Americans Need to Know When Coming To Canada by John Torrens (founding Toronto city director)
