What Makes Toronto Unique
Home to over 2.5 million people, Toronto is the fifth most populous city in North America (after Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) and it is at the centre of the Greater Toronto Area — the seventh largest urban region in North America. The City of Toronto is the sixth largest government in Canada.
Known as a city of neighbourhoods, Toronto has rich cultural diversity. Approximately half of Toronto’s residents were born outside of Canada, and Toronto continues to be a top destination city for immigrants to Canada. Toronto is home to people from around the world and this amazing diversity is reflected in all aspects of Toronto life, including how City services are accessed — for example, the 180 languages available through our 24 hour/7 days a week public information centre, 3-1-1.
Toronto is Ontario’s provincial capital and with its strong financial sector it is also Canada’s economic capital. Toronto attracts investments, developments, innovation, research, and leaders from such sectors as business, health care, academia, and the arts. It attracts over 18 million visitors every year and is home to seven major league sports teams. Along with this also comes the privilege and responsibility of providing services to the large and growing population that lives here, meeting the needs of our diverse communities, hosting major events like the International AIDS conference, the G20, and the Pan Am Games, and taking a lead on issues important to large cities.
Toronto's unique profile requires services and infrastructure include:
- moving over one million passengers a day on public transit
- reflecting our diverse population in all our service. For example, the Toronto Public Library provides information and materials in many languages and formats; and,
- resource demands which are far greater than what is faced by other neighbouring municipalities in the region and — in some respects — the rest of the country.