Toronto may host the G20 conference in 2010, instead of the Town of Huntsville (a cottage town located about a 2 hour drive from Toronto).
Huntsville (population 18,000) is already slated to host the G8 conference. However, concerns about the the size of the town, have prompted government officials to consider an alternative location.
One of the concerns, is that with the large amount of staff accompanying G20 participants, there are not enough hotel rooms or temporary housing facilities to accommodate the number of guests that the G20 would bring in.
If Toronto were to hold the G20 meeting in 2010, no doubt it would inject a lot of dollars into hotel and tourism for Toronto, but would also bring the protests that come with it.
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The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) voted yesterday to increase Toronto transit fares by $0.25 starting in the new year (2010).
A cash fare will increase from $2.75 to $3.00, a token fare (a minimum five purchased) will increase from $2.25 to $2.50, and a monthly metro pass will increase from $109 to $121.
Over the past few weeks, TTC riders have been hoarding tokens in anticipation of the looming fare hike. The TTC responded by first placing a 10 token limit purchase for customers, and more recently a 5 token limit.
Despite their efforts, TTC tokens have often sold out from fare booths across Toronto. Lineups during commuting hours are often deep, both as a result of hoarding, and as a result of the limitations imposed (5 tokens will only last a commuter 2 1/2 days).
Unlike other major metropolitan cities, Toronto does not have a automatic card system which would prevent such a scenario.
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Toronto has won the right to host the 2015 Pan Am games, winning on the first ballot of voting, beating out competing cities Bogota (Columbia) and Lima (Peru). The vote was held November 6th in Guadalajara.
The Toronto bid received support from all three levels of government (federal, provincial and municipal). After the city failed in the past two Olympic bids, as well as a Commonwealth bid, winning the 2015 games is seen as a much needed boost for Toronto's civic pride.
The games should spur new development within the greater Toronto area, in particular with the East Bayfront,Portlands and West Donlands regions, both of which are underdeveloped. The 90 acres of West Donlands are slated to be redeveloped and used as the primary housing facility for the athletes village.
For more information about the Toronto, Pan Am games visit the official website of the at :Toronto Pan Am Games 2015.
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Call it home town bravado, but The Toronto Star reports the Toronto Film Festival rivalling the prestige and importance of Cannes.
During the ten days of the Toronto Film Festival, the city bursts with an influx of celebrities, movie executives, and ofcourse film fans.
The film festival is one of three annual events in Toronto that places the hotel accomodations industry at or close to capacity, the others include the Toronto Gay Pride Parade/Pride Week in June and Caribanain July.
For more information about the Toronto International Film Festival:
Official Site
Wikipedia
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The Canadian dollar has hit a 30 year high versus the American dollar, with the current exchange rate hovering at $.09448. The last time the Canadian dollar was worth as much as the US dollar was back in November, 1976.
While the stronger dollar benefits the purchasing power of Canadian consumers, tourism (from the US) and the manufacturing sector are struggling with the weaker US currency. ]]>
The NBA Toronto Raptors have won their first Divisional title, after defeating Orlando coupled with a New Jersey loss to Chicago.
The Raptors currently have the 3rd of 8 seeds for the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they can maintain their position for the remaining six games they will have home court advantage for the first playoff round against the 6th seed team, currently an injured plagued Washington team.
The rapid rise of the the Raptors after many dismal and embarrassing seasons was not expected. The hopes for most fans was to improve on last seasons 27 wins, and hopefully sneak into the playoffs. The current situation is better than the best case scenario that most fans could have realistically anticipated.
With great success, comes great expectations. The complete retooling and change of atmosphere and structure of the organization has many fans now expecting a perennial contending team.
And with Toronto Maple Leafs struggling to make the playoffs, the Toronto Raptors hope to make in roads in capturing the hearts and minds, and a larger fan base in a hockey mad town.
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TheFurnishedStay is not only a provider of furnished apartments, but we also aim to be the most informative source of information for furnished apartments in Toronto, even if that means providing information about our competitors.
We encourage customers to compare prices, services, and websites to make informed consumer decicisions.
Our list of 50 furnished apartment providers contains a broad spectrum of companies: From large conglomerates, to condo/hotel operators, to bed and breakfasts and to small husband and wife operations.
The product and price range of furnished accommodations vary greatly as well. Prices can range from several hundred dollars a night to as low as $60 dollars a night. Accommodations on the high should be centrally located in a quality condo building or condo/hotel, furnished with comfortable furnishings with first class service, while accomodations on the lower end may be located in secondary areas and have lesser ammenities.
These are generalizations of course, as there are always bargains and rip-offs. Be sure to shop and compare. To get an idea of what to expect you can read our article : 100 Items to expect in a furnished apartment.
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Importance
It is described as one of the most important intersections in downtown Toronto, because it is one of it's busiest. It is where the major north-south south j(Yonge line) and east-west(Bloor) subway lines intersect, and it also the gateway intersection from the uptown to the downtown core. It is also home to the high end shopping and residential district of Yorkville, which is currently undergoing it's own high rise residential and luxury hotel transformation, including another condominium development by Basiz International called Crystal Blu,located a block away from Yonge and Bloor.
Ugly
It is described as one of the ugliest intersections in downtown Toronto because of it's dated architecture (i.e bunkered bank buildings on the north-east corner) and unfriendliness to pedestrians (narrow sidewalks, wind tunnel effect, and lack of inviting street level retail).
Plans to redevelop the south-east corner of Yonge and Bloor date back to 2003, where a development was proposed, but never developed.
For more information:
-The CNW release: Bazis International unveils plans for Canada's most celebrated corner
-From the Toronto Star: Condo would be country's tallest
-The developers website: Basiz International
-An article from Now Toronto from a few years back: here.
-Old Renderings and plans from the past: here.
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Our latest video, described as one of the shortest ferry rides in the world, shows the ferry ride from the waterfront of downtown Toronto to the Toronto City Centre Airpot (also known as the Toronto Island Airport). The ferry rides takes just over a minute long!
Currently, Porter Airlines flies out of the Toronto City Centre Airport to Ottawa and Montreal.
Special thanks our videographer, Sam W!
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Taken by our very own photographers.
Click here ]]>