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Toronto
Travel and Leisure Show, March 27-29,
2009
Air
Highways to
Toronto
by
Jerry W. Bird
 I've
experienced so many great times in and around the
City of Toronto and have made so many lasting
friendships with Torontonians, writing about this
great Canadian destination is a privilege. At one
time it seemed, I almost lived at the Pearson
International Airport, or was on a plane headed to
or from the west. I never regretted a trip and in
spite of the schedule, seemed to thrive on the
hustle, bustle and excitement of Yonge and Bloor
Streets, the multi racial mix, the lakeside and
CNE, the Royal York Hotel, the O'Keefe Centre,
Maple Leaf Gardens, Union Station and several dozen
other icons. We hope to be there soon for the
annual Travel
and Leisure
Show.
 I
will recall some of the people whose kindness made
each stay such a pleasure, going out of their way,
above and beyond the call of duty, to enhance my
trip. While most visits could be classified as
business, many felt like vacations, with Muskoka
Lakes to the north, Stratford to the east, dozens
of neat little towns in every direction, and the
honeymoon capital, Niagara Falls a few miles south.
I had spent a few months in training at the Trenton
Royal Canadian Airforce base, and enjoyed several
happy reunions there on the Bay of
Quinte.
Fly
the Air Highways or drive to
Toronto's
Annual Travel & Leisure Show
Facts:
Toronto lies on the shore of Lake Ontario, the
easternmost of the Great Lakes. Home to more than 2
million people, the city is the key to one of North
America's most vibrant regions, the Greater Toronto
Area (GTA). 4.5 million Canadians live in the GTA,
the cultural, entertainment, and financial capital
of the nation. The city is also the seat of the
Ontario government.
That is why
Toronto abounds in investment and employment
opportunities in such diverse fields as banking and
financial services, film and television production,
and fashion, and also boasts a thriving arts
community.
3,939 people per
square km.
Toronto covers 632
sq km. and is located on the northwest shore of
Lake Ontario
One third of
Canada's population is located within 160 km radius
of Toronto.
One half of the
population of the United States is within one day's
drive of Toronto
Business/Economic
Development
Toronto is
Canada's gateway to the international market place.
Thanks to NAFTA and other international agreements,
Toronto is positioned to become the hub for goods,
services and people throughout the western
hemisphere. The city offers maximum accessibility
to all parts of its region via modern highways,
air, rail and urban transit. The city is the
region's financial, commercial and administrative
core. By maintaining high quality housing, day
care, schools, social services and policing, our
downtown core has remained vital, strong and safe.
Toronto is a city where people of different ethnic
and economic backgrounds live side-by-side in
neighborhoods and communities. As long as Toronto's
urban core remains vibrant, its streets safe and
its citizens secure, the entire area will enjoy a
competitive advantage internationally.
Toronto voted
best global City for business,
(Fortune, 1996)
Financial center
of Canada, 4th largest in North America, employing
125,000 in financial sector
Home to 90 per
cent of Canada's foreign banks, and its top
accounting and mutual fund companies, and 80 per
cent of Canada's largest R&D, law, advertising
and high-tech firms
Known as "Silicon
Valley North" with seven of the top 10 information
technology companies, including the Canadian
headquarters and research centers of Apple,
Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems
North America's
3rd largest Stock Exchange by value traded
75,000 businesses
employ more than 1.2 million people
40 per cent of
Canadian companies on Fortune's Global 500 are in
Toronto
The nation's
largest employment center, with one sixth of
Canada's jobs, and strong employment in both
manufacturing and service industries
The 4th highest
concentration of commercial software companies in
the world, and one of North America's hottest
animation centers
One of the best
telecommunications networks in the world, with one
of the highest percentage of fiber optic cable
installed, and more wireless phones per capita,
than anywhere in North America
Arts/Culture/Entertainment
Home to 4 professional sports teams; hockey
(www.torontomapleleafs.com), football
(www.argonauts.on.ca), basketball
(www.nba.com/raptors), baseball (www.bluejays.com)
3rd largest
English-language theater center in the world behind
London and New York
Considered
"Hollywood North" by film industry: 3rd in TV and
film production, and 2nd as exporter of TV
programming, in North America
Canada's #1
tourist destination, with 21 million visitors in
1999
Toronto has four
English language dailies, The Globe and Mail, The
National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun;
over 400 business periodicals, and 79 ethnic
publications
Racial
Diversity
Toronto is
heralded as one of the most multicultural cities in
the world
Toronto ranked as
the safest large metropolitan area in North America
by Places Rated Almanac
Toronto received
80,000 immigrants in 1997 from 169 countries
Over 100 languages
are spoken in Toronto, and one third of Toronto
residents speak at home a language other than
English
48 per cent of
Toronto's population are immigrants
Foreign-born
residents comprise more than 50 per cent of
population Infrastructure
Toronto has
outstanding air, road and rail transportation
facilities, including North America's second
largest public transit system.
Toronto has an
excellent telecommunications infrastructure in
terms of access lines with digital switching and
advanced signaling technology. Toronto is also
located in the largest flat rate calling area in
the world, and has the most fiber optic cable of
any city in North America.
National Trade
Centre is the 3rd largest exhibit facility in North
America with over 1 million sq. ft. of exhibit
space; the capacity of the Toronto Convention
Centre recently doubled
Over 7,800
restaurants and 32,000 hotel rooms
North America's
largest public transit system after New York
North America's
largest continuous underground pedestrian system,
connecting 1100 stores and restaurants, 48 office
towers, 6 major hotels and several entertainment
centers
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca
Source: Toronto
Board of Trade "Profile of Toronto and the Greater
Toronto Area, 1998/99: Toronto business and market
guide".
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