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hkskyline's post COVID trip to TORONTO

hkskyline

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Canada's COVID caseload has stabilized recently and Ontario's daily case numbers have trended below 600 in early October, and the country has slowly and surely opened up to international tourism once again. Flying internationally to Canada was relatively simple although unpredictable due to a reduced flight schedule and many unexpected changes along the way. With over a year and a half grounded due to the pandemic, I was very happy to make my way across the Pacific to a familiar place.

A good social distancing activity is to send the drone up into the sky. Mississauga is a suburb west of Toronto that is trying hard to build their own urban downtown around its Square One shopping mall. The vision is aggressive and with a charistmatic mayor Hazel McCallion who could make things happen, results are starting to show. Perhaps they'll end up as successful as Mel Lastman's North York Centre.

Mississauga appeared on the architectural map in 2012 when the "Marilyn Monroe" towers were built. Since then, the buildings kept popping up.

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You can see downtown Toronto's skyline in the far distance.

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More skyscrapers are rising on the west and south sides of the mall. Although with autumn temperatures, not many were on the sidewalks walking from these office and residential towers to the mall. They will get more deserted as winter approaches. Despite so much construction happening, there are no covered walkways to connect all the buildings together to encourage more walking rather than driving a short distance to the mall.

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However, shortly outside the downtown quadrant, the density reduces drastically to lowrise houses.

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More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/toronto.htm

I would also like to pay tribute to Jasonzed, who unfortunately passed away earlier in the year and provided many drone photos of this area.
 
Toronto is seeing a skyscraper boom, and many new residential towers have popped up around the waterfront. CIBC Square stood out as it is a commercial development, and for the longest time there wasn't as much demand for downtown offices. A new long distance bus terminus recently opened at the base of the building, offering a more dignified experience for commuter and intercity buses.

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The waterfront is now home to many residents, but I wonder whether the social infrastructure is in place, such as schools, community centres, and the like.

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The first major redevelopment downtown to bring back residents into the core was Cityplace, which is still under construction over a decade on. We're seeing more redevelopments around the periphery as well, although prices have shot up incredibly since.

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The condo boom has also moved into the suburbs, which are trying to build their own downtowns and increasing density. The Highway 7 corridor is busy with construction, and thanks to dedicated busways now in place, getting around has gotten easier, although traffic jams persist.

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More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/toronto.htm
 
Toronto is a very multicultural city, with immigrants comprising about 47% of the city's population. The top 3 countries of birth for recent immigrants were the Philippines, China, and India, while there are sizeable communities from many other countries. Supermarkets catering to the diaspora are spread across the city.

According to the 2016 census, there were over 33,000 people whose mother tongue is Korean. While there is a Koreatown on Bloor Street, there is a sizeable community in North York with many Korean shops and restaurants along Yonge Street between Steeles and Sheppard. Galleria has a 24-hours big box store just north of Yonge and Steeles.

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More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/to-diversity.htm
 
Many Canadian cities are experiencing a condo building boom downtown, and the blocks east of downtown have seen incredible activity in recent years.

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Now that so many condos line the waterfront, the community is seeing more restaurants and supermarkets although it might take a bit more time to really build the neighbourhood. Luckily, it is only a short walk across the railroad tracks to get food. It's downtown after all.

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Further out where the Queen streetcar line ends, there is a water treatment plant right by Lake Ontario worth a stop for the architecture and views.

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More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/toronto.htm
 

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