close to home far from ordinary by Dan Donovan
Toronto:
WE THE NORTH
T
oronto is the business and investment centre of Canada and the capital of Ontario. It has worldclass universities and colleges and is the headquarters for numerous global companies. Toronto is home Leafs, the Jays, the Toronto FC, and of course, the Raptors, who captured the imagination of the world and redefined Canadian grit with the We the North slogan on their way to beating the Golden State Warriors in June 2019, capturing their first NBA title in franchise history. The win was akin to the heroics and emotion of the 1972 Canada Cup, which united a city and a country. Torontonians celebrated that spirit in true north fashion with a massive downtown parade for the ages attended by millions of proud citizens. In hindsight, that moment was the official coming-out party for the ‘new Toronto,’ a 21st-century city that has changed so much in the past three decades that much of it would be unrecognisable to those of that time. And, the change has been magnificent. Toronto is a harbour city that straddles 46 kilometres along the blustery shores of Lake Ontario from the Rouge River and Scarborough bluffs in the east down to the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the
38 OTTAWALIFE WINTER/SPRING 2022
west. Today, there are lakefront homes and condominiums that run the span of the lakeshore with beautiful parks, interlocking bike paths that connect to local transit, and ferries to Toronto Island and the Island airport.
Danforth neighbourhood features a treasure trove of exceptional Greek restaurants. The Chinese diaspora is at the top of their food game on Spadina. Then there are oodles of hip restaurants on Bloor West.
South of the Union Station towards the lakeshore, a complete and modern new part of Toronto has emerged over the past three decades that is full of the energetic lifestyle, arts, recreation, and leisure that can only be found in a big city. And it is glorious in both design, comfort, ease of access, and lifestyle.
Getting to Toronto from Ottawa is easy by plane, train, or automobile. Once there, we checked in to the historic (and glorious) Omni King Edward Toronto at 37 King Street. Built in 1903 by George Gooderham, owner of Gooderham and Worts Limited, once the largest distillers in Canada, the King Edward was the most glamourous hotel of its day and was advertised as being completely fireproof.
Forty-five per cent of Torontonians speak a mother tongue besides English or French. This multicultural smorgasbord contributes to the immense diversity of Toronto’s food scene, making it one of the world’s great cuisine cities. Within ten blocks of downtown Toronto, you can choose from a plethora of restaurants offering everything from fabulous Cuban, Indian, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish, Malaysian, and other multi-national dishes. Toronto’s
The Omni King Edward remains one of the city’s premier luxury hotels. Over the years it has hosted many famous guests: Richard Burton proposed to Elizabeth here while John Lenon and Yoko Ono stayed before heading to Montreal for their famous bed-in for peace. Today, the ‘King Edward’ has been reimagined for the 21st century. The
ABOVE: (CLOCWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Looking east towards the CN Tower with new contruction all around. Front Street in Toronto on a snowy morning. Planet Ice exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre. The Ontario Satellite Reef at the Ontario Science Centre is a communitybased art installation. (PHOTOS: OLM STAFF)
