Is Toronto on the decline?

[silentkisser]

I've lived in a number of different places in Ontario. Hamilton, London, Sudbury and Toronto. Obviously, Toronto is in a different class compared to these other places. It has major problems, like most big cities. Housing is getting ludicrous, and it is hard to find a rental unit that isn't crazy expensive. But, unlike a lot of other cities, it has something for everyone. Clubs, shops, museums, attractions. You can eat cuisine from virtually any country on earth. There are things to do every day and night. There are new people all the time, which can make places feel vibrant.

Now, as mentioned, housing is crazy, and traffic continues to get worse. I wish Toronto would have adopted a Hong Kong style of subway construction. My understanding is the city owns the land where buildings are, so they get lease money. That cash is pumped into the transit system, so the continue to expand the subway services (as well as the trams and what not). Imagine if Toronto had an extensive subway system that reached nearly every corner of the city. It would likely relieve so much congestion from the surface streets. That in itself would make Toronto a significantly better city.

I've said it before, the city has not had strong leadership for a long time. Plans are made by one administration and changed when someone else takes power. David Miller had Transit City. It wasn't the greatest idea, but it would have improved transit for under served areas. But Rob Ford came in and ripped up a bunch of the proposals, so only the Eglington Cross Town is being built. Now Doug is working on his Ontario Line....which actually might work out. We'll see.

 

[glamphotographer]

Toronto keeps growing.

 

[poker]

https://terb.cc/xenforo/threads/greatest-city-in-the-world-discuss.788778/

 

[Darts]

We can't even build a bridge to the Islands.
City council candidate proposes bridge connecting city with Toronto Islands (msn.com)

 

[kyleb899]

Toronto is just garbage, unreliable public transit, expensive to live, construction projects taking so long

 

[shack]

It's been in a clear decline for at least 20 years .

In that time, it has strengthened itself as the economic and cultural centre of Canada, not declined.

One must look at all factors involved, not just the ones that affect a particular individual or group.

 

[Just Looking For A Latina]

We can't even build a bridge to the Islands.
City council candidate proposes bridge connecting city with Toronto Islands (msn.com)

Actually a decision was made not to build the bridge. Good decision.

 

[Frankfooter]

Actually a decision was made not to build the bridge. Good decision.

Agreed, a bridge would be bad.

 

[curr3n_c1000]

In that time, it has strengthened itself as the economic and cultural centre of Canada, not declined.

One must look at all factors involved, not just the ones that affect a particular individual or group.

We've strengthen ourselves on things that don't really matter. Anything of value is controlled by foreign interest.

Personal interest is always the top factor.

 

[Adam_hadam]

This breaks down to age group.

If you are an idiot Boomer or a spoiled brat Gen X'er, then yeah you have never noticed the Decline until now because everything is ridiculously expensive. Inflation has finally caught up to you.

For us Millennials, we have been dealing with inflation, lack of jobs, never ending education, horrible city planning, odd social changes and etc for over 2 decades now.

I'll break your comment down to respond
Inflation
~1981 if you bought a house in the GTA your mortgage rate would have been ~20%, like buying your house on your Visa card. Similarly you could get a GIC for 16%. Who needed the stock market?
Lack of jobs
Read this https://financialpost.com/fp-work/c...cies-in-first-quarter-as-unemployment-shrinks
Never ending education
In 2022 the world is changing at light speed, not sure if this is good or bad but it was no different during the 90's with technology. Learn fast or be chewed up and spit out.
Horrible city planning
The city is the city. Me personally I'm not happy about all the condos on the lake front.
Odd social changes
I agree with you on this. My wife gets mad at me everytime I tell her how I'd like to boff the hot busty 20 something that moved in across the street.

In conclusion
We live in interesting times, embrace it. Putin could nuke us and we'd all be dead in 10 minutes.

 

[Soccersweeper]

$40/hour for nurses isn't a decent wage?

Few are making that

 

[Soccersweeper]

Toronto is on the way up, which is why everyone is moving here and housing is so expensive. It's among the safest, cleanest, most diverse, best educated, economically strong, and most desirable cities on Earth, in a safe country that regularly ranks at the top of lists of best countries. If you lived anywhere else and wanted to move your family for whatever reason, this is where you would objectively want to go. And since we didn't build enough housing and apartments for decades, we have the lowest housing per capita in the G7. How is it that you can walk down Bloor/Danforth and see only a few buildings over 2 stories even though there has been a major subway line there for 4 decades. Forget build it and they will come. Build it because they're already here and are pressed up against the subway doors. Nowhere I'd rather live despite its problems.

 

[csmitting]

Yes

 

[wigglee]

it's a great town, but the driving is getting really bad

 

[curr3n_c1000]

I'll break your comment down to respond
Inflation
~1981 if you bought a house in the GTA your mortgage rate would have been ~20%, like buying your house on your Visa card. Similarly you could get a GIC for 16%. Who needed the stock market?
Lack of jobs
Read this https://financialpost.com/fp-work/c...cies-in-first-quarter-as-unemployment-shrinks
Never ending education
In 2022 the world is changing at light speed, not sure if this is good or bad but it was no different during the 90's with technology. Learn fast or be chewed up and spit out.
Horrible city planning
The city is the city. Me personally I'm not happy about all the condos on the lake front.
Odd social changes
I agree with you on this. My wife gets mad at me everytime I tell her how I'd like to boff the hot busty 20 something that moved in across the street.

In conclusion
We live in interesting times, embrace it. Putin could nuke us and we'd all be dead in 10 minutes.

Are you a Boomer or Gen X'er? Only you guys would tell me to embrace this.

The truth about Toronto is where else are you going to go?

 

[jcpro]

We've had John Tory in here since 2015 and the downfall of the city is precipitous. Lets not forget the regression we faced under the Miller regime either. The 4 years of Rob Ford were probably the best 4 years in Toronto this century.

John Tory is a caretaker mayor; status quo without a long term vision. He promised to stream line the operations- he expanded them. He promised to privatize garbage pick up East of Yonge- still waiting. He promised to ease congestion- it's never been worse. He promised to stay for two terms- well.... The city is pretty good, but it has never been more unaffordable to live in and that is on the Mayor and the Council with a hat tip to the province as well. He talks a lot, but it's mostly platitudes, wind and piss. A Mayor for the whole....downtown. The simple truth is, if Rob haven't died, Tory would still be Roger's family lawyer.

 

[bazokajoe]

Toronto is on the way up, which is why everyone is moving here and housing is so expensive. It's among the safest, cleanest, most diverse, best educated, economically strong, and most desirable cities on Earth, in a safe country that regularly ranks at the top of lists of best countries. If you lived anywhere else and wanted to move your family for whatever reason, this is where you would objectively want to go. And since we didn't build enough housing and apartments for decades, we have the lowest housing per capita in the G7. How is it that you can walk down Bloor/Danforth and see only a few buildings over 2 stories even though there has been a major subway line there for 4 decades. Forget build it and they will come. Build it because they're already here and are pressed up against the subway doors. Nowhere I'd rather live despite its problems.

I live in the Niagara Region and nobody I know would ever consider moving to Toronto. People from Toronto are moving down this way in droves. Niagara Falls can't build homes fast enough not to mention Fonthill, Welland, Grimsby, Vineland and St. Catherines.
They realize housing in Toronto is out of control and unaffordable.

 

[bazokajoe]

Few are making that

There is a lot more making that than you think.

 

[curr3n_c1000]

I live in the Niagara Region and nobody I know would ever consider moving to Toronto. People from Toronto are moving down this way in droves. Niagara Falls can't build homes fast enough not to mention Fonthill, Welland, Grimsby, Vineland and St. Catherines.
They realize housing in Toronto is out of control and unaffordable.

All my friends and co-workers that bought condos in or around the downtown core want out now.

Expensive, Same old events and Increase in drug addicts roaming around.

 

[Soccersweeper]

I live in the Niagara Region and nobody I know would ever consider moving to Toronto. People from Toronto are moving down this way in droves. Niagara Falls can't build homes fast enough not to mention Fonthill, Welland, Grimsby, Vineland and St. Catherines.
They realize housing in Toronto is out of control and unaffordable.

They're only going there because they can't afford to live in Toronto, not because of the magical splendour of the Greater Niagara Region. It's called drive until you qualify. It's happening the same distance from Toronto in all other directions.