Toronto

Toronto is Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. Toronto's population is 2,518,772 (Statistics Canada, 2004); that of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is 5,203,686 (Statistics Canada, 2004). Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians (in French: torontois). The city is part of the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario--a densely populated region of around 7 million people. Approximately 23% of the Canadian population live within the Golden Horseshoe region, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits.

City issues

Crime

Although crime (including violent crime) in Toronto has been decreasing over the past decade, concern over gun- and gang-related crimes has received increased attention recently, largely due to a spike in gun-related crimes/murders in 2005 attributed to illicit weapons smuggling from the US. While Toronto's homicide rates are extremely low compared to many cities in the US (in 1999, Toronto had 1.3 homicides per 100,000 compared to Houston's 13.4, Chicago's 23.3 (now down to 15.65 in 2004-see chicago page), and Washington, DC's 45.5 http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/quality_of_life/safety.htm) ? and comparable to rates in larger European centres ? and Toronto has lower crime rates than most Canadian cities, there have been calls for increased policing, gun control, and sentences to help deal with the problem. American gang experts have been brought in and increased funding for programs in troubled neighbourhoods have been recently initiated.

Related Topics:
US - Houston - Chicago - Chicago - Washington, DC - Gun control

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Homelessness

Toronto is also struggling to come to grips with a nagging homeless problem which has ebbed and flowed throughout the years. Toronto has a considerably larger homelessness problem than many cities of similar size. In 2003, 31,985 individuals stayed at least once in a Toronto homeless shelter. http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/homelessness/. Many programs and responsibilities have been recently downloaded to the city from the provincial and federal governments, with many arguing that the city must come up with new ways to raise revenue to fund these new responsibilities.

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Waterfront

:Main article: Toronto waterfront

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For decades, the lack of development of the Toronto waterfront has been a major issue. The central core of the city is separated from the waterfront by an elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway. Many contend that a series of condominium towers built along the waterfront in the 1990s and 2000s contribute to this separation. Parts of the formerly industrial area are now vacant and awaiting redevelopment. In 2004, hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent by the province of Ontario to encourage further development. Currently a movie studio is being built on the site of the R.L. Hearn Power Plant.

Related Topics:
Gardiner Expressway - Ontario

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Computer leasing inquiry

A dominant issue in Toronto's municipal politics in recent years has been the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry, which has been investigating allegations of impropriety involving computer contracts between the city and MFP Financial Services.

Related Topics:
Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry - MFP Financial Services

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Garbage

Another important issue is the city's garbage. As the city's last remaining landfill site, Keele Valley, neared capacity during the 1990s, it was found that no other municipality in Southern Ontario was willing to accept the garbage, but there was also no political support for a change to incineration. A deal was eventually made to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine, an abandoned open pit mine in Northern Ontario, once the Keele Valley site closed. But objections grew into vociferous controversy as the time neared, and eventually the agreement was cancelled.

Related Topics:
1990s - Southern Ontario - Incineration - Adams Mine - Open pit mine - Northern Ontario

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By the time the Keele Valley site closed at the end of 2002, the city had made a new deal: its garbage is now shipped by truck to a site in Michigan.

Related Topics:
2002 - Michigan

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But concerns with the border, and opposition from residents in Michigan, have promoted the need to look for alternate sites or expand the recycling program. Toronto's contract with Michigan lasts until 2008, and includes an option to expand to 2010, but the city is actively seeking options to close the contract sooner. Even with 60% diversion through the green bin and recycling programs, residual waste from the Greater Toronto Area would amass 2 200 tonnes a day or 800 000 tonnes a year.

Related Topics:
2008 - 2010 - Greater Toronto Area

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Besides the blue box recycling bin (plastic and metal) and grey box (paper) programs, the city has been phasing in a green bin program to recover compostable materials; this will extend city-wide by the fall of 2005. However, the green bin program has come under criticism by watchgroups due to its cost, which is three times per tonne more to operate than currently shipping to Michigan.

Related Topics:
Blue box recycling bin - Grey box - Green bin program - 2005

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Recently the Ottawa-based Plasco Energy Group has formulated a plan to incinerate garbage, turning it into a synthetic gas. Using the company's "plasma arc" system of a 8 000-degree Celsius plasma flame, 100 000 tonnes of trash can produce 12 megawatts of power. Emissions are filtered with active carbon, and the only waste byproduct of this process is slag, which can be mixed with asphalt and used in road construction. Although this plan has yet to be approved, consent has been given to build a demonstration facility in Ottawa, and Toronto city councillors have indicated their support for the program. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1128723024266&DPL=JvsODSH7Aw0u%2bwoRO%2bYKDSblFxAk%2bwoVO%2bYODSbhFxAg%2bwkRO%2bUPDSXiFxMh%2bwkZO%2bUCDSTnFxIm%2bwgSO%2bMLDSPmFxUl%2bw8SO%2bMPDSPiFxUh%2bw8WO%2bMDDSPuFxQn%2bw4SO%2bINIQ%3d%3d&tacodalogin=yes

Related Topics:
Plasco Energy Group - Celsius - Tonne - Watt

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Greenbelt

In March 2005, the provincial government unveiled the boundaries of a greenbelt around the Greater Toronto Area, a 7,200-square-kilometre area stretching from Niagara Falls to Peterborough. The greenbelt is designed to curb urban sprawl and to preserve valuable farmland surrounding the city. The decision remains controversial, as farmers and other critics say that the "development embargo" being placed on such lands forces down the value of farmland within the greenbelt, without providing compensation to its owners. Many cities have implemented growth boundaries of some kind, including Ottawa, Portland, Oregon, Frankfurt, Germany, and London, England, as a method of restricting urban growth.

Related Topics:
Greenbelt - Niagara Falls - Peterborough - Urban sprawl - Ottawa - Portland, Oregon - Frankfurt, Germany - London, England

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