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Attractions and Employment Trends in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto is a large city full of attractions that boost travel and tourism businesses during all seasons. An example is the fascinating Yonge Street, a National Historic Site of Canada and the longest street in the world.
A Giant City in Canada
This city is huge not only in land-area size and population, but also in the vastness of its multiculturalism, business, tourist attractions, cultural opportunities, Chinatown, mega-bookstores...it is impossible to name them all outside of a large directory.
Over 5,600,000 people live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with a little fewer than half of them living in the City of Toronto itself. This makes the population nearly three times that of my city and our streets are already so crowded that sometimes its faster to walk a mile than to drive it. I think one could stay lost in Toronto for several days.
Millions of tourists visit Toronto and its suburbs annually, while permanent residency is not increasing much (less than a single percent yearly).
A colleague of mine talked about his visits to Toronto often and described his favorite record shop - one he visited as often as he could take vacations. On his first visit, the moment he stepped in the doorway he knew he'd been there before, but he had not. Before proceeding into the shop, he knew every corner of it on its different levels and in different rooms. It was like magic for him.
This shop was Sam The Record Man, which became a chain, but declined and closed the original large store in 2007.
Photos around the Internet of the interior show that it looked exactly like one of the large 5-and-10-cent stores in Central Ohio, except that Sam's was completely filled with records and musical items.
Live, Work and Retire in Toronto
Another friend of mine takes vacation days from work to spend many long weekends in Toronto's Chinatown, her favorite spot and the site of many festivals.
With all the hurry to get to good times in Toronto, why is it not on the Top 10 Best Places to Live list produced by MoneySense each year?
It seems that "Everyone" wants to go have fun in Toronto, but the city usually does not make the Top 10 Best Places to Work, Live, or Retire. It is a bit like the locale in the film Blade Runner (1982) with its frenetic supercity of the future.
The Fourth Most Livable City in the World
MoneySense uses a different set of criteria for choosing its choice cities, while The Economist magazine awards Toronto the fourth-place standing in its Top 10 Most Livable Cities in the World roundup.
Criteria for selection to this list include a significant availability of goods and services, low overall personal risk, and a well-maintained, updated infrastructure. The threat of terrorism is considered low in these cities as well. However, The Economist chooses largely English-speaking cities and this has drawn criticism from media outlets.
Elements that lower Toronto's ranking for MoneySense:
Unemployment rate:
- Victoria BC (#1) - 3.3% in the early 2010s
- Toronto ON (#79 or 85) - 7.6%
Number of Days yearly befow 0oC:
- Victoria - 53
- Toronto - 148
Violent Crimes per 100,000 population:
- Victoria - 859
- Toronto - 968
Number of Homeless per 100.000 population:
- Victoria - 1.2
- Toronto - 3.6
Population Growth from 2001 - 2006:
- Victoria - 5.80%
- Toronto - 0.88%
The cost of housing also takes up, on average, a larger proportion of household income in Ontario than it does in many other Canadian cities.
Revitalization of Downtown Toronto: CABBAGETOWN
The Cabbagetown Preservation Association has operated successfully since 1988.
Cabbagetown, Toronto - The Cabbagetown Preservation Association maintains a mission to preserve the historical landmarks of this region at the east end of Downtown Toronto. This includes architectural integrity of the neighborhood in an official Heritage Conservation District.
Revitalization of urban areas and other neighborhoods of Toronto is important to residents, visitors, and business enterprises in that ongoing development and preservation increases economic growth and improves ways of life.
A great many activities are ongoing in Cabbagetown. These include the annual Forsythia Festival each May, Cabagetown Festival every September, and productions of the Toronto Dance Theatre and School, the Danny Grossman Dance Company, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, and TILT Sound + Motion. The Annual Cabbagetown Short Film & Video Festival is also a treat here.
MoneySense's Best Places to Live and Retire in Canada
- Kingston ON
- Ottawa-Gatineau ON
- Burlington ON
- London ON
- Fredericton NB
- Vancouver BC
- Victoria BC
- Courtenay BC
- Cobourg ON
- Joliette QC
Ontario is MoneySense's top pick for best province for retirement, with five communities, many near Toronto, ranking in the top 10 recomendations.
Kingston ON - 
Cobourg ON - 
Burlington ON - 
London ON - Greater Toronto Area Attractions
Shopping and Leisure
- Toronto Eaton Centre Information and Events
- Yonge-Dundas Square
A public square on the South-East corner of Yonge St. and Dundas St. in Toronto, Canada that hosts music, film, and community events (almost all FREE!)
- Re: Reading - A Used Book Oasis in the Heart of the Danforth
Re:Reading is a great used and rare book store with over 20K books/DVDs/ CDs/Comics/Rare & 1st Editions.
Comedy, Culture and The Arts
- Centreville Amusement Park: Located on the Toronto Islands.
- Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts: 145 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 4G1, Canada.
- Frame Shoppe & Toronto Art Gallery: Exhibits, Custom Framing, Art Restoration: Leonard Galleries is located in Toronto.
- Gallery 44 - Centre for Contemporary Photography
- Hollander York Gallery Current Exhibition
- The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's premier dance company and is recognized internationally as one of the world's best. Purchase tickets, watch video, and learn more about this prestigious cultural institution.
Museums and History
- AGO Art Gallery of Ontario
- Canadian Air and Space Museum
- Design Exchange: National Design Museum
- Ontario College of Art and Design
- Royal Ontario Museum: The Royal Ontario Museum increases understanding of world cultures and natural history through its collections, programs and courses, special events, exhibitions and research.
- The Distillery Historic District
Higher Education for Higher-Paying Jobs
Higher education facilities in Toronto include museums, theaters, art galleries, and music auditoriums. Higher education facilities help to stimulate the arts and music, create new jobs, and draw students into the area that may stay long-term after graduation.
Colleges and Universities
- Ontario College of Art & Design
- Ryerson University
- University of Toronto: Scarborough/Toronto and Mississauga
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology
- York University
Community and Vocational Colleges
- Centennial College
- Durham College (campuses in Brock, Cobourg, Port Hope, Scugog, Oshawa, Uxbridge)
- George Brown College
- Humber College
- Seneca College (campuses in King, Markham, Newmarket, Toronto)
- Sheridan College - Brampton
High Demand Business Occupations
Comparisons: Average Annual Incomes for Major Occupations
Average wages 2012 - 2015 for select occupations in Toronto and suburbs, data available at WowJobs.com, a Canadian job search and trending engine:
- Project Manager $89,784
- Controller $82,163
- Financial Analyst $65,467
- Senior Financial Analyst $75,025
- Executive Director $67,833
- Executive Assistant $45,194
- Accountant $53,158
- Administrative Assistant $34,025
- Customer Service Representative $29,674
- Receptionist $26,330
Toronto Jobs Increases 2010 - 2017:
- 57,022 jobs listed in September 2017
- 48,000 listings in January 2015
- 28,000 listings in January 2010
Thousands of job vacancies are listed from across the Internet and gathered by Major job search engines for Toronto, Ontario.
WOW Jobs in Canada list quite a number of these jobs and, in fact, opened its USA sister search engine WOWjobs.US with First Quarter 2015 job listings numbering at 300,000,000+ jobs across Canada.
The bulk of the jobs available in Toronto are within careers of Business, Finance, and Sales. Companies posting the largest numbers of jobs include banks, other financial institutions, and IT related businesses.
This trend matches the predicted Job Futures for Toronto as far as the Businesses Services part of the forecasts reaches, as listed it the link below. Tourism seems to be on the increase, along with Canadian cruise line jobs and should begin to fulfill the predictions for increases in Accommodations/Food Service moving forward.
Top 10 Hot Job Titles
- Project Managers: These projects occur in several fields of business, as well as in Information Technology (IT) itself.
- Business Analysts
- Administrative Assistants
- Financial Analysts
- Bilingual Customer Service Representatives - French and English
- Receptionists
- Assistant Managers
- Customer Service Representatives
- Executive Assistants
- Account Managers.
Companies Listing the Most Jobs Available
- Sapphire Canada: IT staffing, division of Randstad.
- Robert Half Technology: IT/Accounting staffing firm.
- Deloitte: Professional services staffing.
- Scotiabank
- The People Bank
- Bilingual Group
- BMO Financial Group
- Brainhunter
- Rogers Media
- RBC Financial Group
- Apple One - Staffing firm.
- TD Bank Financial Group
Chinatown Link
- Toronto Chinatown Business Improvement Area
Toronto Chinatown Festival is an annual celebration of Canadas diverse cultures and communities. The not-for-profit Festival not only pays tribute to Chinese culture, it is also a tourist attraction for the City of Toronto.
Addtional Attractions
- Hockey Hall of Fame
Official Hockey Hall of Fame website. Home to hockey's greatest players. Unrivalled collection of photos, statistics, profiles, global coverage, trivia, games and Cyberstore merchandise. - Niagara Parks Canada
Niagara Falls vacation packages, discount passes, tourism information for Niagara Parks and Niagara Falls attractions. - Toronto Zoo | Canada's premier Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier zoo known for its interactive education and conservation activities. As a unique wildlife experience, we inspire people to live in ways that promote the well being of the natural world.
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens - The Beaches Community
- Beach Metro Community News - Toronto
Beach Metro Community News: a nonprofit, non-partisan community newspaper founded 1972, distributed free throughout east Toronto. The Toronto Public Library Beaches Branch (Carnegie Library) was built at a corner of the park in 1913.
© 2010 Patty Inglish
Comments and Additions
yea an attractive plac
I really enjoyed reading this story :)
interesting!
Great hub about my beautiful homeland! Everyone needs to visit Toronto at least once because it's not only an amazing city but filled with lots of friendly people, and enough culture to last an entire lifetime... eh! ;0) You're all invited!
I used to work at the sky dome and it's still one of the best places ever to catch a ball game at. Great list.
Toronto already was on my top of cities to visit list. After reading this, it might have gone to the first place. Thx!
great hub,..
Informative article. Thanks!
Hi Patty, thanks for taking me to all corners of Toronto, I wonder the CN Tower is still there? I was there in 1984, thanks for taking me back on my memory lane. Hope to visit the city one day! Cheers
great hub-rated it up
Thanks for the great post..Nice
I have not been to Toronto for years. I am looking forward to visiting there soon. Great informative hub!
I love travel so much, thanks for the this post it's really nice. I have my post too, your free to see it if you had time.
Goodday!
Great hub :)
I miss living in Toronto! I just moved from there, but I spent 5 years in the city. I went to U of T, worked at TIFF and was a tour guide on a double decker bus. I would definitely move back.
What a wonderful hub about Toronto. The Chinese Lantern Festival looks like a must see. :)
- Author
Yes, it closed in 2007 unfortunately. People miss it a lot.
Nice hub! Sadly, Sam The record man is no longer there. The space is being turned into a building for Ryerson university.
Nothing to say you, the most valuable huber in this website, just I want to say we are learning from your hubs, many things and many more to learn everyday. I am a regular reader of your hubs.
A fine website for important tips and tricks to get a good job for honorable career is http://www.allmyjobs.cc.cc , I found useful. Thank you very much ...
hi this is asma i like your hub amazin and informative keep it up
very informative. I always wanted to go there and Montreal. The blade runner reference is a nice way to put it
Quite an informative and interesting hub on such a lovely
city. Lots of helpful information. Thanks for sharing. :)
Regards,
A.CreativeThinker
Toronto Chinese lantern festival is amazing!
Thinking of moving to Canada in March 2012. This is a good Hub with a lot of information on Toronto. I am coming into the Australian summer now in Perth and don't know how id take 148 days of -0c!
oh canada ..our home and native land....
living in Buffalo- i think of a lot of the cheesy Niagara Falls type stuff lundys lane and clubs- "where by law you see it all".... i never go there but there are billboards and radio commercials... I enjoy Canada, I feel lucky to get to enjoy them
TH
WOW! This is impressive. I have many friends from Canada who winter in the SW USA. Love those Canucks!
I know I could not take the winters in Canada, though.
Thank you for sharing so wonderful post !
Thanks for the great hub ,Great information
This sure is a great Hub..Awesome work!
Highly descriptive article. Rated up.
"Top 10 Best Careers and Employment in Canada Toronto-Ontario"
The hub is rich in content, comparative in data collection, critical in analysis, true in appreciation and fair in subject selection. Simple, serene and yet stylish and attractive. The hub gives food for thought that to work in a way that is of use to others is the real work and never goes unnoticed and unappreciated. The hub is up by all standards. Those living in Canada- Toranto Ontario have been introduced to the world so nicely.
May God bless all every where.
Women incomes now a days are getting better than men.
This is the most beautiful hubs I have ever seen.
You write very sincerely
Patty, I am a New Yorker and will probably be arrested for saying that I've always been curious about living in Toronto; I have a Quebequois friend who lives there now and loves it because it offers so much but is in many ways easier going than NY. Thanks for this hub...
this is a very nice hub
I'm really a fan of Toronto ever since Dr. Richard Florida and his Creative Class website moved there--great article. Love the multicultural natur of Toronto. It could be a model article for many trying to write som'n for their city.
This is a great topic for a hub and extremely helpful to local people. thanks!
Thanks for bring back all of my great memories of toronto. I have not been there in 30 years.
- Author
Luck you, Shirley, that you can save some moving costs by retiring to London :) I will definitely come up there to see London and other suburbs if I'm lucky. Bay Street will be an experience!
Thanks to all the great commenters for posting!
What a great job! Thank you so much for your hard work on this
Great, tremendously in-depth hub, Patty! You absolutely rock at these kinds of articles.
I did a little, "Yay!" to see London in the #4 spot for retirement. As I'm already there, I won't have far to go when I reach that stage. :)
Anyone in the finance or IT field probably wouldn't have too much trouble finding work in T.O. Bay St. is our version of Wall St., so the stock exchange is there, along with corporate offices of the major banks.
The living is very expensive but it's a really interesting city. You should come and visit sometime! ;)
Interesting and educational. Makes me ponder a bit more about my life and future :) thanks :)
Thanks for this info. it is helpful to me.
Great Hub. I have heard great things about all of these places. I would love to be able to visit any of these! Someday...
I love Toronto. Thanks for bringing me there again. Excellent hub.
Enjoyed reading your hub. Great tips for people planning to move to Toronto.
Very presentable. I will give it a trial
Great top ten list!
I like the way you have catered for the higher & lower end workers from Receptionist $26,330 to Project Manager $89,784. Nicely done & a great resource!
Great hub on my hometown! I think Torontonians are notorious for complaining about our city more than anything else....sure the transit isn't necessarily world class, sure the city leadership can be questionable at time, but overall I think we've got one of the best cities in the world. Now if only we could do something about this weather....
Toronto wasn't included as one of the best places to live?? Oh, wait... our transit system. Right.
Thanks for post, i like city Toronto.
I hope next summer come to Canada and visit this place
Lots of great info and good matching of images (y)
An Eye Opner
Great stuff... Thanx. I have not been to Canada but my elder brother lives in Vancouver. Great pics.
Dear patty, Thank you for providing such good article. i have bookmarked it. Thumbs up!
I'm Torontonian, currently living in Italy. This hub makes me miss home!
It would appear that in my on-line travels, Canadians are all over the place, why is that?
Wonderful hub! It's making me appreciate the city I live in even more :)
Great hub. I'm actually going to Canada and thinking about stopping into Toronto so this gives me a guide so I can hit all the right spots.
So far, I only hear good reviews about places in Canada and the more I wish of getting there if I can have the chance!
I've been to a lot of different places all over North America and TORONTO is my favorite city!
I lived in Toronto for 40 years, the last ten downtown, a gr8 place to visit.
With Toronto AND Vancouver, how does Canada get it so right so often? Next time we have to vote for a London Mayor I want a Canadian!
Wonderful places. Ill visit it
Wonderful places. Thanks for sharing!
great hub, thank you!
Nice Hub...I love Canada and Toronto! This hub is very resourceful especially when it comes to planning my next trip...
Great work Patty. The best place for me to live is by the ocean and where there is an internet connection ;-)
Goof hub!!!!!
The hub is important and useful for job aspirants, as it depicts incredibly valuable information about career trends. It will help in planning and constructing good choice for an excellent career building process. Thanks a lot for compiling such a wonderful peace of text.
Very detailed post! I agree with above poster! I have bookmarked your hub!
It is a very interesting hub. Keep on posting more! Thank you.
Not only is Toronto huge but it's a great place to live. I've been there many times and each experience has been better than the last.
Well presented.. great job
Good hub very well
I visited Canada 30 years ago is beautiful Country.
Excellent Hub! Very well done!
A real excellent review of Toronto! I love your hub, thanks.
hope one day i move to canada............i love that country...its awesome...........lots of challenges...ty for your lovely edition on this space..
Looks beautiful there, I read that Gun violence in Canada usually measures into the single and double digits. While here in the States, we're talking into the 10k area. In some areas people up there don't feel a need what-so-ever to lock their doors. I would love it up there.
A real excellent review of Toronto! I love your hub, thanks.
i used to live in Mississauga which is right outside of toronto. I think people would be surprised to see how many beautiful things are in Toronto (not just the CN tower, although that pretty cool). My favorite is the steam whistle factory right below the CN tower. It used to be an old train station and its an amazing place to see
I'm from Vancouver but still found this a really interesting read. Thanks!
I wish I can visit Toronto
Good hub love the content.
Love canada, thanks, I haven't been there for 25 years. This reminded me how beautiful it is and I need to go back.
I have been to toronto , definitely one of the best cities in the world.
great hub
As I am planning to go for Canada, this will be really informative. It's quite hard to get job in such a big country, if something is known earlier it would be good for me only.
This was a really informative Hub, and I have to commend you on your great utilization of graphic and text content. You were able to mesh them well without having them be to over bearing for the reader. I really enjoyed reading this post. Great Job!!!
I thought I would take a cursory glance at this hub, but once I started reading I couldn't stop until I got to the end. A lot of intelligent good quality work is here to take on board. Brilliant.
This would be great for couple of friends of mine.
Yeah there are a lot of beautiful places in Canada. Tourist won't be sorry when they visit the country because there's a lot of things that you can do and see here. The photos are great. Thanks. And good luck to your Hubpages.
Wow, Great hub I like those beautiful pictures taken from Toronto Canada! hope to be there soon....
Minneapolis / St Paul area doesn't have this kind of fabulousness. I want to be out of this flyover zone that I live in.
cool toronto is pretty similar to manahattan and istanbul hey?
How about hospitality sales careers. You start entry level in almost any city at 40-60K and advance quickly to sales director and General Manager Jobs. Lots of jobs posted at www.hcareers.com and you can get started quick at ecornell.com or with an on-line certificate from www.aprinda.com
great job.. thanks for share
I am heading Downtown this weekend! going to hit up a rooftop patio, these are awesome in the summer in T.
Great article. I loved the pics. Now I will hae to visit.
Canada has a beautiful side of Niagara Falls. Envious :)
Wonderful,maybe i will do the job you said!
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