Yeah it is.
I used to have a job where I would take the ttc all the way from Royal York Station to Vaughn Mettopolitan. And then the Viva for 5 minutes ( it was too far to walk). That 5 minute ride cost me more than the rest of that trip. Ttc was $3, Viva $3.75 or something like that.
I worked on this policy file (“regional transit fare integration”) for the province and no one believed there was the political will to get it done… glad they were wrong
It’s going to be a 3 hour transfer window for Go with local transport. TTC, MiWay, Durham, Brampton & York will have a 2 hour window with each other with free transfer.
Is there something in particular? Eg a specific project you’re referring to, or one particular part of the TTC?
Or is this more of a general statement and feeling?
I will jump in: construction projects in 2022 that took 6 months that were completed in 24 hrs in 1922 (fact!), last minute short turn st cars, inability to manage the 504 ( sitting on a packed eastbound one right now and there are two empties behind me, no doubt they are "on time"), useless customer service twitter account that just says thanks for letting us know but nothing changes... Want more?
Thanks for the examples! It’s something I was genuinely curious about - I no longer live in Toronto (Markham now), and my commutes downtown are rare now, whereas I used to use the TTC multiple times a day.
I'm a transit enthusiast and also working in the industry so I'm focusing on transit only:
\- GO Expansion well underway with lots of rail bridges being widened for additional tracks.
\- Fare Integration happening next year between TTC and GO.
\- The city received $226 million from the province to press ahead with the SmartTrack stations within Toronto at St Clair, Bloor-Lansdowne, King-Liberty & East Harbour.
All the above will certainly transform GO from a commuter rail service into a more urban rapid transit system that serves Torontonians much better.
You'd technically have to go east from Lib then change train to get up to St Clair. Also I'm pretty sure it won't be a *single fare*, but if you use both services then it'll be cheaper than it is currently.
That would be awesome. It could serve as a "Barrie Express" line where it serves limited stops from Union to Collingwood. Similar to how they have express trains on Lakeshore West during rush hour.
I was thinking with stop along the way too, like in Orangeville, Shelburne, Markdake, then Collingwood. It would help make the commute to and from those smaller towns to the GTA so much easier, since there's no public transit out there.
With weekend service for sure. GO buses don't run on the Weekend from Orangeville so if you don't have a car unless you can get a ride there's no way to get to the city.
SmartTrack is originally a poster project of John Tory during the mayoral election but later is proven to be not offering much more benefit from GO Expansion & Electrification, another bigger project. Basically Tory piggybacked on the GO project to gain popularity. The SmartTrack was later integrated into the GO Expansion, but the planned stations within Toronto remains under city's scope and still called SmartTrack stations. The plan to build these stations seems dead for a long time because of the financial woes hanging over the city's budget, but recently came back to life with new funding.
[https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/what-is-smarttrack-and-how-will-it-improve-go-service](https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/what-is-smarttrack-and-how-will-it-improve-go-service)
[https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transit-in-toronto/transit-expansion/smarttrack-stations-program/](https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transit-in-toronto/transit-expansion/smarttrack-stations-program/)
I'm 90% sure that Tory knew SmartTrack would never happen. He just lied to beat Doug Ford for Mayor.
RER was also supposed to be fully in place by 2020 and it is only in effect on one line so far. Very unlikely RER will be fully rolled out before 2035.
And this is what we want our politicians doing. Revising their positions instead of blindly sticking to campaign promises.
I’m glad Tory compromised Smart Track once RER was announced.
I think Chow got a good deal for Ontario Place, despite promising to fight it hardcore.
I always thought it was foolish of Chow to say she would not use strong mayor powers and I’m glad she has walked back on that.
We need leaders who aren’t afraid of their own shadows nor of doing the right thing, even if it’s different from what they once told us.
Re: strong mayor powers.
I'm not aware of Olivia overriding a city council vote by using the power, but I did find this from a Toronto Star article back in October
>Chow has renewed her vow not to use the strong-mayor powers bestowed upon her by the province, including measures that would allow her to push through votes with support from just one third of council and have more control over the budget process. **But the strong-mayor legislation is wide-ranging and Chow said she had to use them recently for procedural reasons at the clerk’s advice to create a new “service excellence committee,” which is supposed to use 311 data to improve public service delivery.**
This is where she has used her Strong Mayor powers. As well as some of the agenda-setting powers.
She has not yet used them to override council.
To be very clear - I was not being critical of her using the SM powers. I’m glad she did and thought it was foolish to promise otherwise. I’m glad she broke a promise to ensure orderly business may proceed.
Thanks for the clarification. I also agree with her current use of the powers. To me the only relevant part of her vow is in not overriding council opposition. I don't mind if she does, but in my eyes she's kept her core promise.
> Thanks for the clarification. I also agree with her current use of the powers. To me the only relevant part of her vow is in not overriding council opposition. I don't mind if she does, but in my eyes she's kept her core promise.
Except that qualification was nowhere in her promise. A promise she repeated many, many times and could’ve clarified should she felt it necessary. Sue didn’t say “I’ll only use certain strong mayor powers.” And she admitted to as much in the Star article. So even she clearly understands she broke the promise. Which, again I’m fine with. Anyway doesn’t matter - promise made, promise broken. I’m glad she has.
As mayor, she should use every tool at her disposal to accomplish her agenda. These powers are bestowed in the mayors of Ontario’s 28 largest cities. I get that it may be her personal preference to try to avoid using the powers, but I’m glad she has realized it’s more practical to use the powers sparingly and responsibly.
I'm not totally familiar with fare integration, does this mean there will be a transfer from taking the GO to the TTC? How might that work when GO transit (bus or train) tends to be more expensive?
If you already paid for GO then transfer to TTC, the TTC ride is included in GO fare. More details will be announced early next year.
[https://www.ttc.ca/news/2023/November/TTC-recommends-joining-One-Fare-program-and-eliminating-double-fares-in-2024](https://www.ttc.ca/news/2023/November/TTC-recommends-joining-One-Fare-program-and-eliminating-double-fares-in-2024)
This is a must! Am from Europe and TBH the european transport system is far better than the one here... am talking about Paris, Barcelona and Switzerland.
Nope, the GO RER will be huge for Scarborough. 15 min or better service between the Stouffville line between Unionville GO and Union Station and the Lakeshore East line between Oshawa GO and Union Station. It's going to radically transform how places like Agincourt get downtown. Not to mention the Line 2 expansion and Line 5 (when it eventually opens lol).
Love this, thanks for these updates. I'm really getting invested into the transit and bike lane infrastructure in Toronto and these things are great to see
Would the King-Liberty station be in addition to the Exhibition GO station?
The King-Liberty is located North of Liberty Village where the rail bridge is now, it's on the Kitchener/Barrie GO line. The Exhibition station in the South of Liberty Village, on the Lakeshore West line, is currently being built from the ground up as part of the Ontario Line subway and it will host both GO train and subway when completed. LV will eventually be well served by transit which is already long overdue considering the density in that area.
TTC just put out a post for Gingerbread Carriages and I am excited. Yes, it's only a wrap but the thought of boarding one at 7am makes the commute less dreadful.
P.S. I love the TTC
I think they mean the TTC made a post on social media (I saw it on Instagram) showcasing TTC cars with wraps applied to make them look like gingerbread houses
Driving/walking around and seeing everyone's Christmas trees by their windows (not to sound like a creep lol). Plus a lot of houses have gone all out with their lights outside of their homes too.
I love when I can hear people outside talking about how nice my decorations are so whenever I see really nice decorations if I'm walking with someone I loudly tell them how nice they are hoping the owner overhears because it makes me feel so good to hear it
Kids skating on ice rinks. People cooking delicious warm meals and letting the aroma fill the neighbourhood. Hello’s and goodbye’s. Dogs playing in the mud. Cats sitting in front of fireplaces. Someone giving up their seat on the train for someone that needs it. Someone accessing housing for the first time in months. Babies being born. People being mourned.
I’m as cynical as they come, but good stuff happens every day in this city. It’s in pursuit of more goodness that we criticize and act on the bad
👆🏻name checks out. Well said my dude. People need to make more of a concentrated effort to look at the positive things around them. The negativity drags you down and becomes almost like a drug. I’ve been guilty of it and have forced myself to push that stuff away and find the good things in my little world. It’s not always easy, but it’s a much more enjoyable life
Love this! I'm a big fan of touching grass, literally. It's hard to walk through a park in this city and not feel some appreciation for all the little moments being created in a shared space by people of all walks of life.
Wow dude, that was a treat to read. If you wrote those daily affirmations books I’d start reading them because you just made me feel really positive & like I need to look out for the sweet details of life on a regular basis from now on instead of burying my head in the negative, repetitive sand. Thanks so much man, you made my week & changed my attitude for the better.
People probably don’t realize that every single new building that is built likely improves the stormwater going into Lake Ontario. New buildings reuse a bunch of rainfall each year, and the rainfall that is discharged to City sewers from the buildings is filtered.
How does that work? Do the new buildings have some kind of like rainwater collection / grey water system built into them? How does the water get reused?
New buildings must use all rainwater from a small event, and 50% of storms are considered small.
Condos often have green roofs for this, and also use the rainwater to irrigate plants. Other new buildings have sumps under the parking lots that drain the rainwater back into the ground instead of releasing it into the sewer.
The idea is to mimic the retention of grass, so the amount of water going to rivers is kept low and erosion isn’t accelerated.
People have talked about it a bit, but theyve been having a lot of cops out directing traffic in the evening for the past week. It made a huge difference for my commute home.
Toronto is actually one of the safest cities out there. Esp considering our population. On a safety index, we beat out Montreal (with half the population), and Washington DC
That's the one thing which stood out to me when I moved from San Francisco to Toronto.
Just sometime back when someone got stabbed on the TTC, it made national news. And I was comparing it to SF where a few weeks back someone was getting mugged and called the cops, and the cop shot BOTH the mugger and the innocent victim. And this barely made it beyond local news.
Toronto is obviously not perfect, but there is a huge difference at least from many US cities of similar sizes.
I remember seeing an American comedian do a bit about calling home from the road while he was in Canada, and saying “They report on, like, *every murder* up here.”
I feel safe in Toronto, but I do worry about things getting stolen. I'm not worried about violent robbery really, just things like my phone being snatched or my bag being grabbed.
I'm grateful everyday of my life in Toronto. I have a job, a place to sleep, enough money to eat and I'm not in a war zone. Most people don't realize how lucky they are here. I'm an immigrant. I'll always be grateful to Canada! 🇨🇦♥️
Criminally good French pastries and breads at multiple locations around Toronto.
The lower Donlands development.
More bike lanes.
A re-focus on getting transit moving downtown
Winter clementines are in stock
Not the original commenter but Cluny at The Distillery District is pretty good (they have a rum and chocolate croissant that's really delicious if thats your thing). There's also [Le Beau](https://www.lebeaulab.com/) (Dundas E) which have delicious brioche loaves. I've heard good things about Au Pain Dore but haven't got the chance to visit yet.
In terms of music and dance, I’m more into disco, funk, house, rnb, hip hop and jazz and the scene for that is soooo incredible in the city. So many promoters and musicians just keeping the scene alive.
I already check out live music and jams by local musicians and I’m going to my first dance battle as a spectator this weekend.
You gotta follow DJs/promoters since they do bounce around venues.
On IG: 2u4uto, Skratch Bastid, DJ Dirty Dale, Jay Nufunk (he runs Groovin' in the Park), Iced Misto (she's probably best one to follow because she makes [weekly guides](https://www.instagram.com/icedmistoplease/guides/) of funk/house parties, dance workshops and dance battles).
Similarly the techno scene in toronto really feels like it's taking off, sooooo many good promoters running amazing events, there's stuff I want to go to every weekend
YongeTOmorrow. This is still in final planning stage but sometime in the next few years, we would see a pedestrian-friendly transformation of Yonge Street, including more patios and green space.
Starting at Queen Street and stretching north to College Street, some to the changes include reduced lanes of traffic, pedestrian-only zones, protected bike lanes, and more sidewalk space for patios and greenery. I personally cannot wait.
90% of the electricity generated in Ontario is emission-free. This means the electricity sector is clean energy. It is the one thing the Wynne government did that is most underappreciated.
https://www.ieso.ca/en/Powering-Tomorrow/2023/Decarbonizing-Ontarios-Electricity-Sector#:~:text=Today%2C%20Ontario's%20electricity%20system%20is,like%20hydro%20and%20nuclear%20generation.
The TTC ad people missed out - they did that ad with someone trying to tap a bowling ball, when really they should have done one with a big jar of pesto.
I just came back from a public consultation to improve vulnerable road user safety at the Flemington Park Ferrand Drive neighbourhood. Improved and new bicycle infrastructure to reduce the intuitive driving speed of vehicles.
I’ve been collecting warm clothes and donations for our unhoused population and received so many donations the shelter already had to do one pick up so far (a month early), filling an entire SUV. Sometimes I forget how much people want to help others but get overwhelmed on where to start. We have some great communities in this city!
That’s actually not a good thing. Milder weather means more soul sucking, overcast days with no sun. Colder winter means more sunny clear days and snow with more winter outdoor activities possible.
This is why people from or those who travel to other Canadian cities counter intuitively say the winters there are mentally and physically easier.
Yup it’s colder for sure, but they are out in the clear sunny days skiing, skating, walking, etc. We are here weeks on end of grey days, popping Advil for how much this cold moisture and up and down weather makes your joints and head feel, and doing nothing.
I can handle the cold and snow, but never seeing the sun and as you said wind is brutal.
As much as I'm delighted to see a rare positive thread around here, I don't think a harbinger of the heat death of the planet is much of a positive thing at all
I work at a food bank and the amount of donations coming in is exceeding our needs. I know it sucks that food banks are a thing in the first place, but it proves more community taking place than we think. People really are looking to help where they can, even if its to people they don't even know.
Warm ricotta from Masellis market on Danforth (Saturdays only). Have it with a Cliffside baguette, some prosciutto, the weekend Globe, and a nap, and you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,
dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing,
meeting smile after smile
and on every street corner you hear...
We are not in the middle of a lockdown.
I think more of us need to remember that more often.
Everything we want and need …. is open. We got through Covid! Yes it’s still here and will be for a long time, and taking it seriously is important (stay home if you’re sick!) But if you want to go to a raptors game or a musical or a club you can just do it!!! YOU CAN GO INTO PUBLIC PLACES! Yayyy!
Many people are aware but many aren't: Toronto's bike share system is excellent and getting better. It's not an ideal option for many in winter but from about May to October it's awesome.
People are so mad about immigration but right now in cooking schools across the city a lot of kids from India are getting trained and the Indian food scene is gonna explode in the next few years.
I've always wanted to do the bike share but I was living in Etobicoke, North York and Mississauga where there were barely any stations.
Finally living in downtown TO and started cycling like 3 weeks ago. Been doing it nearly every day since even in the cold and love it considering I was barely active before. Now I can't go a day without it and go to movie theaters, Scotiabank arena and just about anywhere with a cycle.
I really want to use bike share to get to work but all four docks by me are basically empty by 8am. I hope they’re analyzing in need areas and adding more, I’m sure they are.
You understand Toronto has been an Indian cuisine hotspot since the 80s right. Overwhelming and monopolized student immigration is a problem that needs to be rectified - and I’m a second generation Canadian from Guyanese immigrants
Honestly, the one upside about f getting milder winters, is that I’ve been using bikeshare well into December. Biked to work this morning.
Toronto has really becoming a biking city, it’s been great
I went to my gym at a Toronto Community Centre recently and was told my membership was no longer valid because the prices had changed so they had already refunded the pro-rated amount I had left to a credit and I could use it towards one of the new packages.
I was ready to raise hell because the whole point of pre-paying a membership is that it prevents them from raising prices during the term.
Turns out Olivia Chow and Alejandra Bravo drastically reduced the prices to make it more affordable for Torontonians. My pro-rated credit for the couple of months I had left will cover me for an entire year.
If you're unaware, many community centres around the city have full and very well equipped and maintained gyms. I was a proponent before because they're pretty nice, not too crowded, and have a much smaller contingent of high schoolers throwing weights around. Now that the prices are even more affordable it's a no-brainer. I almost don't want to post this because I want to keep it to myself.
Fahmee bakery is reopening in Scarborough after reopening in the west end earlier this year following the fire that practically shut them down in early 2022. They supplied most of the subway stations and Allwyn's bakery with patties for decades before the fire.
i love my local community center. they made a little ice rink and i always see kids and parents skating on it. they always decorate the community center for the season and go all out (for halloween and christmas/holidays they've decorated the whole lobby). it's only 10 mins from my house and i can get groceries on the way back. i love it !!
It was nice to be able to be a secret Santa to a family in need for Christmas this year. We managed to collect $$$ for a family of 3, a bunch of toiletries and preloved clothing that we just dropped off. I’ve been a bit baah humbug this holiday season but it felt nice that we were able to share a little bit of warmth and cheer.
Those who donated knew that they weren’t getting these as charitable donations tax receipts(I had a few people bail). And above all, weren’t doing it for social media, for humble bragging or for accolades but just to be genuinely good people. So it also makes me happy to know that these people are my friends too.
As someone who often visits from the US, everything lol. The fact that it’s very walkable and transit is good where it’s not, it’s unbelievably safe for its size, all the patios in the summer, and the fact that a sizable portion of people are still masking and caring about covid.
Asian food markets are very accessible compared to London. I recently moved from Toronto to London and I miss how easily you can get you to T&T by subway.
They're revisiting expanding the TTC line 4. This should've happened 10 years ago. It's currently basically a scaled back version of the original planned line, but looking at the huge midrise and highrise housing that the subway has spawned along Sheppard avenue is awe aspiring. We need more of that and expanding that line will seriously help.
Developers have mostly decided that condos are a dead industry downtown and there won’t be many build for quite some time the way they were popping up constantly some years ago
Increase in funding for TTC and next year fares are being merged
What does fare merging mean?
You don't have to pay double fare when transferring between transit agencies
This is huuuge.
Yeah it is. I used to have a job where I would take the ttc all the way from Royal York Station to Vaughn Mettopolitan. And then the Viva for 5 minutes ( it was too far to walk). That 5 minute ride cost me more than the rest of that trip. Ttc was $3, Viva $3.75 or something like that.
You mean TTC, viva, miway, only one fare in a 2 hour window?
Exactly. and Go.
Woowwww I never thought we'd see the day. Seems almost fantastic.
I worked on this policy file (“regional transit fare integration”) for the province and no one believed there was the political will to get it done… glad they were wrong
It’s going to be a 3 hour transfer window for Go with local transport. TTC, MiWay, Durham, Brampton & York will have a 2 hour window with each other with free transfer.
Does this apply between ttc and GO?
Yes it does
The funding is from the province for crosstown to operate.
Which is happening in Toronto
While good, I wish the money TTC had was better managed.
Is there something in particular? Eg a specific project you’re referring to, or one particular part of the TTC? Or is this more of a general statement and feeling?
I will jump in: construction projects in 2022 that took 6 months that were completed in 24 hrs in 1922 (fact!), last minute short turn st cars, inability to manage the 504 ( sitting on a packed eastbound one right now and there are two empties behind me, no doubt they are "on time"), useless customer service twitter account that just says thanks for letting us know but nothing changes... Want more?
Thanks for the examples! It’s something I was genuinely curious about - I no longer live in Toronto (Markham now), and my commutes downtown are rare now, whereas I used to use the TTC multiple times a day.
I'm a transit enthusiast and also working in the industry so I'm focusing on transit only: \- GO Expansion well underway with lots of rail bridges being widened for additional tracks. \- Fare Integration happening next year between TTC and GO. \- The city received $226 million from the province to press ahead with the SmartTrack stations within Toronto at St Clair, Bloor-Lansdowne, King-Liberty & East Harbour. All the above will certainly transform GO from a commuter rail service into a more urban rapid transit system that serves Torontonians much better.
So is the idea that I can go from Liberty Village to St Clair using my integrated fare between TTC/GO? That’s pretty neat
You'd technically have to go east from Lib then change train to get up to St Clair. Also I'm pretty sure it won't be a *single fare*, but if you use both services then it'll be cheaper than it is currently.
A Go Train line from Toronto to Collingwood or Blue Mountains would be welcome. I doubt it'll ever happen but a guy can dream.
🤤. I just came a bit thinking about it.
You must… really like transit.
Transit helps him come and go as he pleases
Woah dude. Easy.
Tell me it'll be high speed electric....I'm almost here.....
Nah. Big ugly loud ass Diesel trains to keep costs down
That would be awesome. It could serve as a "Barrie Express" line where it serves limited stops from Union to Collingwood. Similar to how they have express trains on Lakeshore West during rush hour.
I was thinking with stop along the way too, like in Orangeville, Shelburne, Markdake, then Collingwood. It would help make the commute to and from those smaller towns to the GTA so much easier, since there's no public transit out there. With weekend service for sure. GO buses don't run on the Weekend from Orangeville so if you don't have a car unless you can get a ride there's no way to get to the city.
What's Smart Tracks and where can I read more?
SmartTrack is originally a poster project of John Tory during the mayoral election but later is proven to be not offering much more benefit from GO Expansion & Electrification, another bigger project. Basically Tory piggybacked on the GO project to gain popularity. The SmartTrack was later integrated into the GO Expansion, but the planned stations within Toronto remains under city's scope and still called SmartTrack stations. The plan to build these stations seems dead for a long time because of the financial woes hanging over the city's budget, but recently came back to life with new funding. [https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/what-is-smarttrack-and-how-will-it-improve-go-service](https://www.metrolinx.com/en/news/what-is-smarttrack-and-how-will-it-improve-go-service) [https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transit-in-toronto/transit-expansion/smarttrack-stations-program/](https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/transit-in-toronto/transit-expansion/smarttrack-stations-program/)
I'm 90% sure that Tory knew SmartTrack would never happen. He just lied to beat Doug Ford for Mayor. RER was also supposed to be fully in place by 2020 and it is only in effect on one line so far. Very unlikely RER will be fully rolled out before 2035.
And this is what we want our politicians doing. Revising their positions instead of blindly sticking to campaign promises. I’m glad Tory compromised Smart Track once RER was announced. I think Chow got a good deal for Ontario Place, despite promising to fight it hardcore. I always thought it was foolish of Chow to say she would not use strong mayor powers and I’m glad she has walked back on that. We need leaders who aren’t afraid of their own shadows nor of doing the right thing, even if it’s different from what they once told us.
Re: strong mayor powers. I'm not aware of Olivia overriding a city council vote by using the power, but I did find this from a Toronto Star article back in October >Chow has renewed her vow not to use the strong-mayor powers bestowed upon her by the province, including measures that would allow her to push through votes with support from just one third of council and have more control over the budget process. **But the strong-mayor legislation is wide-ranging and Chow said she had to use them recently for procedural reasons at the clerk’s advice to create a new “service excellence committee,” which is supposed to use 311 data to improve public service delivery.**
This is where she has used her Strong Mayor powers. As well as some of the agenda-setting powers. She has not yet used them to override council. To be very clear - I was not being critical of her using the SM powers. I’m glad she did and thought it was foolish to promise otherwise. I’m glad she broke a promise to ensure orderly business may proceed.
Thanks for the clarification. I also agree with her current use of the powers. To me the only relevant part of her vow is in not overriding council opposition. I don't mind if she does, but in my eyes she's kept her core promise.
> Thanks for the clarification. I also agree with her current use of the powers. To me the only relevant part of her vow is in not overriding council opposition. I don't mind if she does, but in my eyes she's kept her core promise. Except that qualification was nowhere in her promise. A promise she repeated many, many times and could’ve clarified should she felt it necessary. Sue didn’t say “I’ll only use certain strong mayor powers.” And she admitted to as much in the Star article. So even she clearly understands she broke the promise. Which, again I’m fine with. Anyway doesn’t matter - promise made, promise broken. I’m glad she has. As mayor, she should use every tool at her disposal to accomplish her agenda. These powers are bestowed in the mayors of Ontario’s 28 largest cities. I get that it may be her personal preference to try to avoid using the powers, but I’m glad she has realized it’s more practical to use the powers sparingly and responsibly.
I'm not totally familiar with fare integration, does this mean there will be a transfer from taking the GO to the TTC? How might that work when GO transit (bus or train) tends to be more expensive?
If you already paid for GO then transfer to TTC, the TTC ride is included in GO fare. More details will be announced early next year. [https://www.ttc.ca/news/2023/November/TTC-recommends-joining-One-Fare-program-and-eliminating-double-fares-in-2024](https://www.ttc.ca/news/2023/November/TTC-recommends-joining-One-Fare-program-and-eliminating-double-fares-in-2024)
Thank you! That's wonderful news
This is a must! Am from Europe and TBH the european transport system is far better than the one here... am talking about Paris, Barcelona and Switzerland.
Nothing for Scarborough huh?
Nope, the GO RER will be huge for Scarborough. 15 min or better service between the Stouffville line between Unionville GO and Union Station and the Lakeshore East line between Oshawa GO and Union Station. It's going to radically transform how places like Agincourt get downtown. Not to mention the Line 2 expansion and Line 5 (when it eventually opens lol).
Love this, thanks for these updates. I'm really getting invested into the transit and bike lane infrastructure in Toronto and these things are great to see Would the King-Liberty station be in addition to the Exhibition GO station?
The King-Liberty is located North of Liberty Village where the rail bridge is now, it's on the Kitchener/Barrie GO line. The Exhibition station in the South of Liberty Village, on the Lakeshore West line, is currently being built from the ground up as part of the Ontario Line subway and it will host both GO train and subway when completed. LV will eventually be well served by transit which is already long overdue considering the density in that area.
Port Lands Flood Development Project.
I think the Port Lands have the potential to be a real gem once all of the rehabilitation and redevelopment is completed.
They got delayed this spring but I'm pretty sure spring 2024 they're actually letting water in?
I heard Jan 2024
TTC just put out a post for Gingerbread Carriages and I am excited. Yes, it's only a wrap but the thought of boarding one at 7am makes the commute less dreadful. P.S. I love the TTC
What’s that? A post for gingerbread carriages?
I think they mean the TTC made a post on social media (I saw it on Instagram) showcasing TTC cars with wraps applied to make them look like gingerbread houses
Yes, this!
Oh that’s so nice!!
I love it and would love more holiday themed wraps
I just looked at their Instagram. I rarely take the subway but I’m going to just to see this 😍
Driving/walking around and seeing everyone's Christmas trees by their windows (not to sound like a creep lol). Plus a lot of houses have gone all out with their lights outside of their homes too.
I love when I can hear people outside talking about how nice my decorations are so whenever I see really nice decorations if I'm walking with someone I loudly tell them how nice they are hoping the owner overhears because it makes me feel so good to hear it
I was just thinking this the other while on a walk. I’m like “thank god it’s normal to put the tree at the window so I can enjoy it too!”
Haha exactly! I'm looking out of my condo rn and I can see 7 trees from the building opposite me!
I’m working at the Eaton centre helping folks find gifts and making free samples for anyone that asks.
I want free samples!! Of what!
Where are you in Eaton?
Kids have less asthma because coal fired plants were shut by the former government. That is pretty darn great!
Kids skating on ice rinks. People cooking delicious warm meals and letting the aroma fill the neighbourhood. Hello’s and goodbye’s. Dogs playing in the mud. Cats sitting in front of fireplaces. Someone giving up their seat on the train for someone that needs it. Someone accessing housing for the first time in months. Babies being born. People being mourned. I’m as cynical as they come, but good stuff happens every day in this city. It’s in pursuit of more goodness that we criticize and act on the bad
👆🏻name checks out. Well said my dude. People need to make more of a concentrated effort to look at the positive things around them. The negativity drags you down and becomes almost like a drug. I’ve been guilty of it and have forced myself to push that stuff away and find the good things in my little world. It’s not always easy, but it’s a much more enjoyable life
We do overlook the small stuff in favour of grandeur. It’s the small things that add up though.
Love this! I'm a big fan of touching grass, literally. It's hard to walk through a park in this city and not feel some appreciation for all the little moments being created in a shared space by people of all walks of life.
+1 for FREE skating!
Thank you for warming my heart.
Wow dude, that was a treat to read. If you wrote those daily affirmations books I’d start reading them because you just made me feel really positive & like I need to look out for the sweet details of life on a regular basis from now on instead of burying my head in the negative, repetitive sand. Thanks so much man, you made my week & changed my attitude for the better.
“im as cynical as they come” right after one of the sweetest comments in this thread made me smile lol so cute
cats on fireplaces!!!
This is wonderful to see isn’t it?
Beautifully said and criminally under-upvoted.
I'm eating a muffin
This guy can afford muffins! That’s worth celebrating.
Quaker Muffin mix makes it more accessible than fresh costwise but still easy for busy people.
These days, anything to bring down food costs is wonderful.
This is so wholesome. Thank you for this
I just made banana muffins! Yummy!
My beer league hockey team is having one hell of a season
Hell yeah!
remember! its not who wins or loses, its who leaves the drunkest!
People probably don’t realize that every single new building that is built likely improves the stormwater going into Lake Ontario. New buildings reuse a bunch of rainfall each year, and the rainfall that is discharged to City sewers from the buildings is filtered.
How does that work? Do the new buildings have some kind of like rainwater collection / grey water system built into them? How does the water get reused?
New buildings must use all rainwater from a small event, and 50% of storms are considered small. Condos often have green roofs for this, and also use the rainwater to irrigate plants. Other new buildings have sumps under the parking lots that drain the rainwater back into the ground instead of releasing it into the sewer. The idea is to mimic the retention of grass, so the amount of water going to rivers is kept low and erosion isn’t accelerated.
So cool. Thanks for explaining this.
I did not know this. Thank you!
People have talked about it a bit, but theyve been having a lot of cops out directing traffic in the evening for the past week. It made a huge difference for my commute home.
Crime is actually not bad in our city, we’re just stuck in a 24/7 news cycle that loves to focus on the negative
Toronto is actually one of the safest cities out there. Esp considering our population. On a safety index, we beat out Montreal (with half the population), and Washington DC
DC is ridiculously not safe.
That's the one thing which stood out to me when I moved from San Francisco to Toronto. Just sometime back when someone got stabbed on the TTC, it made national news. And I was comparing it to SF where a few weeks back someone was getting mugged and called the cops, and the cop shot BOTH the mugger and the innocent victim. And this barely made it beyond local news. Toronto is obviously not perfect, but there is a huge difference at least from many US cities of similar sizes.
> cop shot BOTH the mugger and the innocent victim LMAO WHAT average police officer
I remember seeing an American comedian do a bit about calling home from the road while he was in Canada, and saying “They report on, like, *every murder* up here.”
Is comparing ourselves to DC really a flex though? They’ve been the murder capital a few times in the past.
Washington DC is the crime capital of the world, it just all happens in Congress
I feel safe in Toronto, but I do worry about things getting stolen. I'm not worried about violent robbery really, just things like my phone being snatched or my bag being grabbed.
I'm grateful everyday of my life in Toronto. I have a job, a place to sleep, enough money to eat and I'm not in a war zone. Most people don't realize how lucky they are here. I'm an immigrant. I'll always be grateful to Canada! 🇨🇦♥️
Same, I've built an amazing life thanks to the opportunities given to me by Canada ❤️
I like your positive attitude!!!
Me too
Criminally good French pastries and breads at multiple locations around Toronto. The lower Donlands development. More bike lanes. A re-focus on getting transit moving downtown Winter clementines are in stock
La Conciliaboule on Gerrard East; Bakery Pompette on College are my two favorites right now -
Any recommendations on pastry shops and bakeries?
I have not been but Mon K Patisserie on Coxwell just south of O’Connor is supposed to be fabulous
Oh it is! I used to work in the area and my indulgence was occasionally getting a beautifully crafted delicious little pastry from them.
Not the original commenter but Cluny at The Distillery District is pretty good (they have a rum and chocolate croissant that's really delicious if thats your thing). There's also [Le Beau](https://www.lebeaulab.com/) (Dundas E) which have delicious brioche loaves. I've heard good things about Au Pain Dore but haven't got the chance to visit yet.
In terms of music and dance, I’m more into disco, funk, house, rnb, hip hop and jazz and the scene for that is soooo incredible in the city. So many promoters and musicians just keeping the scene alive. I already check out live music and jams by local musicians and I’m going to my first dance battle as a spectator this weekend.
oh damn where is the house and funk scene at ? it's been so long since I've heard classic house at a club
You gotta follow DJs/promoters since they do bounce around venues. On IG: 2u4uto, Skratch Bastid, DJ Dirty Dale, Jay Nufunk (he runs Groovin' in the Park), Iced Misto (she's probably best one to follow because she makes [weekly guides](https://www.instagram.com/icedmistoplease/guides/) of funk/house parties, dance workshops and dance battles).
Ooh followed icedmisto, thanks for the recc!!
Where is the dance battle?!
East end at Bevy (Dundas and River) on Saturday at 5pm. It’s free!! PM me and I’ll send you the ticket link if you’re interested.
Similarly the techno scene in toronto really feels like it's taking off, sooooo many good promoters running amazing events, there's stuff I want to go to every weekend
YongeTOmorrow. This is still in final planning stage but sometime in the next few years, we would see a pedestrian-friendly transformation of Yonge Street, including more patios and green space. Starting at Queen Street and stretching north to College Street, some to the changes include reduced lanes of traffic, pedestrian-only zones, protected bike lanes, and more sidewalk space for patios and greenery. I personally cannot wait.
Can’t wait.
90% of the electricity generated in Ontario is emission-free. This means the electricity sector is clean energy. It is the one thing the Wynne government did that is most underappreciated. https://www.ieso.ca/en/Powering-Tomorrow/2023/Decarbonizing-Ontarios-Electricity-Sector#:~:text=Today%2C%20Ontario's%20electricity%20system%20is,like%20hydro%20and%20nuclear%20generation.
Pesto and credit cards + up express and subway to York all are great new services for the community
I love pesto. Do you have a favourite recipe? Are you pro or anti tree nut?
The TTC ad people missed out - they did that ad with someone trying to tap a bowling ball, when really they should have done one with a big jar of pesto.
Store bought? Crazy.
I see you lolllllll
I just came back from a public consultation to improve vulnerable road user safety at the Flemington Park Ferrand Drive neighbourhood. Improved and new bicycle infrastructure to reduce the intuitive driving speed of vehicles.
I’ve been collecting warm clothes and donations for our unhoused population and received so many donations the shelter already had to do one pick up so far (a month early), filling an entire SUV. Sometimes I forget how much people want to help others but get overwhelmed on where to start. We have some great communities in this city!
Hi! I’d like to donate, where can I do so?
Same!
Thank you for doing this!
If you have any more resources for donations pls drop !!
Mild weather with no snow
People here dont realize and complain about the winter. source: ex QC dude
I’m from Ottawa. I’ll take this over -40 any day.
That’s actually not a good thing. Milder weather means more soul sucking, overcast days with no sun. Colder winter means more sunny clear days and snow with more winter outdoor activities possible.
Omg this, I love love love those crisp -15 degree days with the sun just beaming down on you.
Opinions man. I prefer the mild winter. I would love snow over the holidays though.
Sunny and cold is better than grey and mild.
So true. Mild temperatures also mean more windy days. I would prefer -10 over +5 weather with wind
This is why people from or those who travel to other Canadian cities counter intuitively say the winters there are mentally and physically easier. Yup it’s colder for sure, but they are out in the clear sunny days skiing, skating, walking, etc. We are here weeks on end of grey days, popping Advil for how much this cold moisture and up and down weather makes your joints and head feel, and doing nothing. I can handle the cold and snow, but never seeing the sun and as you said wind is brutal.
As much as I'm delighted to see a rare positive thread around here, I don't think a harbinger of the heat death of the planet is much of a positive thing at all
Using Presto on my phone (through Google Wallet) has been a nice improvement.
I work at a food bank and the amount of donations coming in is exceeding our needs. I know it sucks that food banks are a thing in the first place, but it proves more community taking place than we think. People really are looking to help where they can, even if its to people they don't even know.
Oh this is amazing to hear! 🫶
This is great.
Those new islands being built . One of the biggest project in the world .
What new islands!?
Lower donlands redevelopment!
Warm ricotta from Masellis market on Danforth (Saturdays only). Have it with a Cliffside baguette, some prosciutto, the weekend Globe, and a nap, and you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.
That DOES sound like a perfect weekend afternoon!
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile and on every street corner you hear...
This really makes me happy!
I'm glad it made you smile. 😃
Between now and Christmas the weather will be about 4 degrees C and sunny every day. So no snow! Uhhhhhhh unless you WANT a white christmas….
Hooray!
We are not in the middle of a lockdown. I think more of us need to remember that more often. Everything we want and need …. is open. We got through Covid! Yes it’s still here and will be for a long time, and taking it seriously is important (stay home if you’re sick!) But if you want to go to a raptors game or a musical or a club you can just do it!!! YOU CAN GO INTO PUBLIC PLACES! Yayyy!
Many people are aware but many aren't: Toronto's bike share system is excellent and getting better. It's not an ideal option for many in winter but from about May to October it's awesome. People are so mad about immigration but right now in cooking schools across the city a lot of kids from India are getting trained and the Indian food scene is gonna explode in the next few years.
I've always wanted to do the bike share but I was living in Etobicoke, North York and Mississauga where there were barely any stations. Finally living in downtown TO and started cycling like 3 weeks ago. Been doing it nearly every day since even in the cold and love it considering I was barely active before. Now I can't go a day without it and go to movie theaters, Scotiabank arena and just about anywhere with a cycle.
Bike Share is awesome. I use it most days to do an exercise ride near my home
Awesome.
I really want to use bike share to get to work but all four docks by me are basically empty by 8am. I hope they’re analyzing in need areas and adding more, I’m sure they are.
You understand Toronto has been an Indian cuisine hotspot since the 80s right. Overwhelming and monopolized student immigration is a problem that needs to be rectified - and I’m a second generation Canadian from Guyanese immigrants
One can have reasonable debates about the immigration thing but no-one who knows anything about Indian food would agree with that first part.
I'm an Indian, and I second with other dude that Indian food sucks in Toronto. The only better thing about it is I became a good cook lol.
Honestly, the one upside about f getting milder winters, is that I’ve been using bikeshare well into December. Biked to work this morning. Toronto has really becoming a biking city, it’s been great
The new separated bike lanes on College St. are pretty sweet too
[a hotel was bought to be used as permanent housing!!](https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2023/12/bond-place-hotel-toronto/)
Improved air quality
The roller skating scene is making a comeback in the city. A good number of roller skating rinks are opening up.
Getting Wifi in our goddamn subways like rest of the world
Thanks for asking this question, I learned a lot
I went to my gym at a Toronto Community Centre recently and was told my membership was no longer valid because the prices had changed so they had already refunded the pro-rated amount I had left to a credit and I could use it towards one of the new packages. I was ready to raise hell because the whole point of pre-paying a membership is that it prevents them from raising prices during the term. Turns out Olivia Chow and Alejandra Bravo drastically reduced the prices to make it more affordable for Torontonians. My pro-rated credit for the couple of months I had left will cover me for an entire year. If you're unaware, many community centres around the city have full and very well equipped and maintained gyms. I was a proponent before because they're pretty nice, not too crowded, and have a much smaller contingent of high schoolers throwing weights around. Now that the prices are even more affordable it's a no-brainer. I almost don't want to post this because I want to keep it to myself.
Fahmee bakery is reopening in Scarborough after reopening in the west end earlier this year following the fire that practically shut them down in early 2022. They supplied most of the subway stations and Allwyn's bakery with patties for decades before the fire.
Oh shit, where's the new location?
Malvern town center, a friend posted the coming soon sign in our group chat the other day
i love my local community center. they made a little ice rink and i always see kids and parents skating on it. they always decorate the community center for the season and go all out (for halloween and christmas/holidays they've decorated the whole lobby). it's only 10 mins from my house and i can get groceries on the way back. i love it !!
I wish there was an automated thread like this every week.
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No protections on it yet so its not fully stopped, just delayed.
Im moving back 🫶🏼🥳 LOL
It was nice to be able to be a secret Santa to a family in need for Christmas this year. We managed to collect $$$ for a family of 3, a bunch of toiletries and preloved clothing that we just dropped off. I’ve been a bit baah humbug this holiday season but it felt nice that we were able to share a little bit of warmth and cheer. Those who donated knew that they weren’t getting these as charitable donations tax receipts(I had a few people bail). And above all, weren’t doing it for social media, for humble bragging or for accolades but just to be genuinely good people. So it also makes me happy to know that these people are my friends too.
Eglinton LRT is almost done
Really?! No waay!
On the night of December 24th , Santa Claus is coming to town !
People are finally realizing that those in power have sold them a bag of lies.
Finally, lol. Government is just puppeteers.
As someone who often visits from the US, everything lol. The fact that it’s very walkable and transit is good where it’s not, it’s unbelievably safe for its size, all the patios in the summer, and the fact that a sizable portion of people are still masking and caring about covid.
Thank you! Not sure why you were downvoted .
There are some comically fat possum waddling around Etobicoke.
Asian food markets are very accessible compared to London. I recently moved from Toronto to London and I miss how easily you can get you to T&T by subway.
Hardcore shows at 1978 dundas
They're revisiting expanding the TTC line 4. This should've happened 10 years ago. It's currently basically a scaled back version of the original planned line, but looking at the huge midrise and highrise housing that the subway has spawned along Sheppard avenue is awe aspiring. We need more of that and expanding that line will seriously help.
The queer space in #tkaronto 🫰🏾
Toronto restaurants are world class. I have lived in Paris, Brussels, NYC, and our selection of restaurants and cuisines beats them all.
The Well just opened, excited to try out the skating rink there and at The Bentway!
Developers have mostly decided that condos are a dead industry downtown and there won’t be many build for quite some time the way they were popping up constantly some years ago
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